Uzcategui visits ESPN Studios in Los Angeles

Fightnews.com

Newly crowned IBF interim super middleweight world champion Jose “Bolivita” Uzcategui was a guest today of the ESPNDeportes Boxing show “A Los Golpes” that is hosted by Bernardo Osuna, David Faitelson and the great Mexican champion Julio Cesar Chavez, that its taped at the ESPN studios at LA Live in downtown Los Angeles.

Uzcategui felt there was a miscarriage of justice when he was controversially disqualified against Andre Dirrell for a vacant interim super middleweight title last spring, but earlier this month in the mandated rematch he laid a beating on Dirrell.

“I am very happy to be a world champion and to be able to do it against Dirrell was also important to me after what happened in the first fight,” said Uzcategui a native of Venezuela who has lived in Tijuana, Mexico for the last seven years.

Uzcategui was asked about his move to Tijuana and his development as a fighter in a city of great boxing tradition.

“It’s being a tough journey for me. I come from a very small town in Venezuela with only two major streets, so I was overwhelmed by Tijuana because it’s so big. I went there to get my boxing career going after not finding any support in Venezuela. My boxing style was also not taken well by the Mexicans trainers and boxers in Tijuana, they, in turn, made me into a more aggressive fighter. I am a boxer at heart but I knew that I needed to be more of a warrior to survive in that gym and that’s what I did,” said Uzcategui.

Uzcategui declared himself ready for anyone at 168, but if he had a choice he would like to take on the World Boxing Council champion David Benavidez.

“I think there are plenty of good fights at super middleweight and a fight with Benavidez would be great and then one with Jose “Zurdo” Ramirez would also be a great fight. I am ready to take on anyone at 168 pounds,” said Uzcategui who was with his trainer Jose Cital in Los Angeles.