EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: JOHN SCULLY
By James Alden

JA: What’s the latest John? " Basically right now I am finishing up with Mike-Mike Oliver's training for his fight this week on the McKart-Pavlick show. Mike is in an eight rounder on the undercard and we are all very excited about it."

JA: May I have your thoughts on the Shane Mosley-Fernando Vargas rematch?

ICE: I actually didn't watch the fight so I can’t really comment on it. I only caught some brief highlights this past Saturday and obviously Shane looked very good in the clips I saw. Just like I said in my last interview with you, though, I think it is a case of Fernando being in the same boat as David Reid and Davey Moore in that they were rushed into world title fights before they could fully develop as professional boxers. He seems to have burned out mentally as much as physically quicker than he might have had he taken his time to really develop.

JA: Even though Vargas doesn’t have a lot of fights, do you think that he should continue to fight?

ICE: As a rule I am not usually one to say who should or should not fight anymore because I know that boxers want to box, that's what they do and it is a hard thing to give up. The thing is, a guy like Fernando would have to decide if continuing boxing would be worth what will be the inevitable scenario where he is used as a stepping stone for younger guys that probably couldn't even have lasted ten rounds with him back when he was on top. 

JA: Was that the best Mosley that you saw in a long time?

ICE: From what I am hearing it was Mosley looking like the Sugar Shane of five years ago.

JA: As a fan who would you want to see. Mayweather-De la hoya or Mayweather-Mosley and why?

ICE: Floyd against Oscar is by far the more intriguing fight. Maybe not the better action fight necessarily but the drama and anticipation and the intensity level would be about as big as you could get today. Clearly it is the more intriguing fight.

JA: Arturo Gatti-Carlos Baldomir. May I have your thoughts on that fight?

ICE: The guy just appeared to be so much bigger than Arturo and Arturo landed some sizzling punches that seemed to have no effect. Gatti is like a cat with nine lives and he could conceivably come back from this but I think he has more than proven himself as a guy who hasn't just been a blood and guts warrior. I mean, he defeated some good boxers like Tracy Harris Patterson and even when he was outgunned by guys like DeLahoya he had his moments. There's nothing to be ashamed of and, really, the human head and mind can only take so much. He could walk away right now with all the respect in the world I think.

JA: Do you think that we have seen the end of fighters who can draw a crowd like Arturo has with 8 losses?

ICE: I think we are seeing the beginning of that area, not the end of it. Guys like Glen Johnson, Ward and Baldomir have shown that the records don't mean as much as the match up that you get on a particular night. I mean, would you rather see Mickey and Arturo fight their first fight for four hundred thousand each, or whatever they made for that fight, or would you want to watch an unbeaten champion defend his title in a very predictable fight that nets him three million?

JA: Do you think that Carlos Baldomir for real?

ICE: Beating Judah and Gatti like he did, I would say so. As real as anyone else out there.

JA: Your good friend Roy is lacing them up again this Saturday night against Prince Badi, do you think more people will buy his PPV or fans will tune in to watch Stevie Johnston against Vivian Harris on HBO B.A.D?

ICE: I hate to say it but I can't imagine the PPV doing extremely well for the fight. I don't know if Johnston and Harris is a must see type of fight but compared to this version of Roy against a guy they have never seen before it might be the more likely choice to watch. I think with Roy many people will wait to hear how he does in this fight and if he wins and looks good then they will give him a look in his next fight.

JA: Do you think that if he wins this fight, he is going to get a title shot?

ICE: Anything can happen if he wins. His name is still enough where any champion would want to defend against him because they will see him as damaged goods and it will be a chance for them to beat any version of Roy Jones that they can get and then, if they do beat him, they will try to convince you that they beat the guy that was beating Toney and Hopkins back in the 1990's. And, of course, they will be mistaken.

JA: You know Roy, is this for real or do you think that is all for show?

ICE: I don't think Roy would fight just for the sake of fighting. I think he must honestly feel he can make it to the top again for him to take a smaller fight for much less money on a small cable station.

JA: Did you ever think that he would get to this point in his career?

ICE: From the time we were amateurs back in the late 80's I always figured Roy to be a little different than the average boxer and by that I mean I always thought he saw things in a very direct and simple light. I didn't expect him to ever box when he was obviously past his prime and more vulnerable than ever because he knew all too well how it turned out for the greats before him but recent events only prove that he is a human being like the rest of us.

JA: What’s the latest with your fighters?

ICE: Well, I help in the corner with unbeaten featherweight Matt Remillard and he just won his tenth fight without a loss the other day at the Mohegan Sun to run his record to 10-0. I have Mike-Mike Oliver fighting this week at the Mohegan Sun and I really think Mike-Mike is on his way to becoming a world rated contender and possibly a world champion at 122 pounds. As far as hand speed goes he might be the fastest guy in the world at the weight and with his size and speed, power and killer instinct, I think he can really make his mark. Pito Cardona is in the gym and there seems to be a good chance that there will be a big show here in downtown Hartford in September that would feature Pito in one of the main bouts so we are obviously excited about that. He really, really wants to get busy and get a series of fights under his belt so he can get himself back in the mix like he was a few years ago. 

JA: Jose Rivera is back in the gym, tell us how he is looking?

ICE: Jose still looks very trim from his last fight so it's not a thing where he blew up like some guys do between fights. He still looks good and I think he is in a position where the actual boxing condition will come back to him pretty quickly. 

JA: Who would you like Jose to fight next?

ICE: I wouldn't mind seeing Jose get in with Cory Spinks. I think Spinks is a tough fight for anybody but there are certain technical and physical flaws he has that would fit perfectly into what Jose brings to the game. Also, I certainly would say Jose is not in that category of man that would turn down a fight with Antonio Margarito. And, you know, thinking about it, it goes back to what I said earlier. Wouldn't you rather watch Jose Rivera fight Antonio Margarito than watch Cory Spinks fight anybody??? Spinks wants big money now that he beat Karmazin but the fact of the matter is that skills and style don't count nearly as much as what the viewer actually gets for his money and Jose against Margarito is worth more to watch that any Corey Spinks fight that could possibly be made. The trainer can say anything bad about Jose that he wants to but it is just a fact, and I don't mean this is any kind of disrespect to Spinks, but it is a fact that Jose against anybody is most likely a better fight to watch that Corey against anybody.

JA: Iceman, I know you saw the BT interview today with Kevin Cunningham. Your thoughts?

ICE: Well, what can you say about that? I thought it was one of the most ignorant, classless interviews ever done. I am always skeptical about a grown man that can't express his thoughts and feelings without using more than twenty cuss words. I mean, this guy is a police officer and I am quite sure the St. Louis P.D. is not happy about claiming him today. He should apologize because that interview is a terrible reflection of law enforcement, on St. Louis, on boxing trainers and especially on Cory Spinks. Calling a fighter like Margarito a "faggot" and using swear words to insult a classy guy like Jose Rivera is a disgrace and if I was Cory Spinks I would have a back room talk with the guy about things like that. Cory seems like a good kid and respectful of boxers. Cory said in his own interview today that he feels he "would box Jose's socks off" and that was very fair of him to say. For Cunningham to go off like he did on guys that fight professionally, though, when he himself never did is a disgrace. I equate it to some guy from the safety of the bleachers at Yankee Stadium that calls A-Rod terrible names, you know? It's easy to be aggressive and verbally insulting to a guy that you know yourself will never have to answer to. Kevin won't like my reply here and I am sure if questioned he will have some nice degrading insults to direct towards me with some four letter words thrown in for good measure but I will consider the source in this case, you know? Anyway, if and when Cory and Jose meet up, I think it will be an excellent contrast in styles and a fight that will see the winner have to really execute a perfect game plan.

JA: Are you going to be down at the Marvin Hagler fundraiser next week?

ICE: I had plans to go and I still might but there is also a chance I will be heading up to Lake George for a few days. We'll see. The last time I saw Hagler he was ringside rooting hard against me from the front row back in 1998 so seeing him in particular isn't enough on its own to get me up there.

JA: What's the latest with your book and when can we get it?

ICE: As usual, I have no set date for release but I tell you what. I am getting even more excited about the book because I have started editing many of the chapters and I believe now even more than ever that the boxing fans out there are really going to love this book. I let the world know exactly what it is to be in this game, more so than any other book I have ever read.

JA: How has the response been from the fans?

ICE: The excerpts that have been online so far have gotten spectacular reactions, especially from die hard fans and actual boxers. I think boxers love my stuff the most because in many ways I am giving all of them a voice they may never have.

JA: You tell it like it is a lot John; do you ever get emails with people saying that you offend them?

ICE: I get some people that resent some things I say every once in a while but it is almost always a case of it being a particular type of person that I referred to in an interview that sees what I say and they see themselves in my answers. Like if I go on record as saying that a man that never fought before couldn't really relate to what it actually is to be a fighter I will eventually have some guy that hangs around the gyms getting mad at me. People that don't actually fight often get mad when they are reminded of the fact that there is a very real difference between someone that watches boxing and someone that actually fights for a living.I also did an interview with you a couple of months ago where I was saying how I knew this one guy that was a professional judge and I knew for a fact that he had no business being one and I know for a fact that there were some people that wondered if I was talking about them. For the record, the guy I referred to is no longer a judge so it is nobody that is currently working as one.

JA: Talk to the fans John.

ICE: What more can I say? Once again I appreciate the fact that there is even someone out there that thinks what I have to say might be something worth reading. And I want to let everybody know that the book I am writing is going to be different than any boxing book you have ever read in your life. I guarantee it. It will be worth the wait.

Send questions and comments to: jamesalden@boxingtalk.com