EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: JOE DEGUARDIA
By G. Leon

GL: It's always a pleasure to have you on Boxingtalk.com Joe, what can you tell us about your December 3rd event at the Manhattan center?

Joe DeGuardia: "It's going to be an exciting night of boxing. The main event is going to be Mike Arnaoutis and he's going to be fighting Tim Coleman for a vacant [regional] junior welterweight title. We're going to be sure to have a heavy contingent of Greek fans. They make it exciting, with their drums and music so it's always exciting when Mike Arnaoutis fights. On top of that we've got the return of Kid Chocolate. He's exciting and has that knockout power fans crave. We're thrilled to be back in the Manhattan Center, it's going to be a nice start to hopefully a great December for Star Boxing."

GL: The press release detailed December 3rd as part of a series you're going to be doing with the Hustler Club. How did that partnership come about?

JD: "We've been fortunate enough to have the Hustler ring card girls and they've always supported our events so we've been working together for some time now. We've been working on a long term project and it's coming to fruition. This series will epitomize boxing and entertainment. We're going to have celebrities, we're going to have the girls and we're going to have the boxing. As you know we've got a major show with Kevin Johnson fighting Klitschko. One thing about the Germans, they know how to make an event exciting with fireworks and pyrotechnics. We need to give the fans that excitement and that's what we at Star Boxing are looking to do. We want to be innovative and we want to make the experience of being at a boxing match something special to the fans. A lot of tims the socialite women, who never have been to a boxing match can't get over how much fun they had. We have to show the people who aren't fans why boxing is such a spectacular sport.

GL: Everybody know Kevin Johnson is one of the best young heavyweights in the world, but not too many will pick him to upset Klitschko. Can you tell us why he's going to get his hand raised on December 12th?

JD: "It's a fight that I love. We've been looking for the big fights for Kevin and now we're going to fight the King of the mountain, Vitali Klitschko When you look at how long Klitschko has been dominant, it's great to have an American with speed, a geat jab and the gift of gab. A man, who has raised his daughter on his own, helps with her homework and reads to her every night. Kevin is the kind of guy who we would embrace as a heavyweight champion. The guy can play the piano, the guy can play then piano. When he wins, he's going to be a star. Not only will be able to defend the championship and hold that mantle, but he'll be able to carry it outside the ring as well. I'm excited about this fight and I expect him to win because of his speed, desire and youth. I think Klitschko is ripe for the taking. I'm looking forward to seeing a new heavyweight champion on December 12."

GL: Are you surprised this fight isn't taking place on HBO?

JD: "Hopefully it will end up on HBO in some fashion and hopefully they get something done. Klitschko did the highest ratings this year for an HBO show. It would be ludicrous not to put this fight on with an American like Kevin  Johnson, who is a credit to this sport. He fights anybody we put in front of him and he's gotten to his position the hard way."

GL: What does Johnson bring that Arreola didn't?

JD: "Speed, a jab, and ring smarts. They're two different fighters. He's going to present a different more difficult challenge than Chris Arreola did."

GL: Closing thoughts?

JD: "We're going to start off December in a great way, and I have no doubt Kevin Johnson is going to make it even better by coming back to America with the WBC heavyweight championship around his waist."

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