Jason Quigley says he “passed the exam of fighting with a veteran,” last night in Los Angeles after his unanimous decision win over Freddy Hernandez.
The Donegal native brought his record to 15-0, successfully defending his NABF title on a 99-91 and 98-92 (x2) scoreline. But the cards don’t fully reflect what was a tough night for Quigley, as he told us on OTB AM this morning.
“In the first four or five rounds, I did exactly what my corner told me to do, did exactly what the game plan was. I was out there and I boxed the ears off him, you could say” he said.
“It was kinda maybe a bit too easy and I was maybe a bit too lazy and I got brought into a fight... I had to get out of there again and get back to my boxing in the later end of the fight and that’s exactly what I did to get my victory.”
It’s Quigley’s second fight since he started work with coach Dominic Ingle, but he admits there’s still plenty to work on.
“When I’m moving, sticking the jab, throwing nice clean right hands, everything like that, you know, everything’s on point. Everything’s looking like a million dollars. I don’t know what’s in me. I do tend to like to tend to get into a bit of a war,” he tells us.
“It’s something that I’m just going to have to pull back the reins on a little bit and stick to my skill and stick to my talent a lot better.
“(Hernandez) is a strong veteran, experienced fighter. Maybe that was his game plan to take a few shots early on and then try and come on strong in the middle of the fight and, you know, it worked for him but it just wasn’t good enough.
“This is the kind of experience you can’t buy or you can’t get in the gym, you know, going 10 rounds with a man like that who has been to levels that I haven’t been to before, that has boxed for the likes of a world title.”
A world title is something Quigley does plan on fighting for, though, and we asked him if a bout with middleweight kingpins, Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez or Gennady Golovkin, might one day happen.
“I’m in this game to become world champion” he responded.
“These men are top of the tree right now. I’m climbing up that trunk of the tree, I’m reaching for the top of it so I am and, if these lads are there when it’s my turn, who knows what might happen? Who knows if they’re still going to be world champion? Whoever the world champion is going to be, that’s who I’m going to want to fight. It’d be great if it’s Canelo, it’d be great if it’s Golovkin because they’re two big names and it’d be great to share the ring with them and take a few straps off them as well.”
What about the potential of finally getting into the ring with Japanese WBA titleholder, Ryota Murata?
“He has to do his job... if he comes through Rob Brant on Saturday night, he won’t have to come looking for me. There’ll be one hell of an Irish man waiting for him if he’s ready for it.”
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