Luis Collazo turned 33 today and held a media roundtable to celebrate his birthday and discuss his upcoming fight with Amir Khan on May 3, part of Showtime pay-per-view's Mayweather-Maidana card. The fight is a huge opportunity for Collazo, who re-emerged as a serious welterweight player with a January win over Victor Ortiz, stopping the former titleholder in two rounds.
Collazo has mentioned a potential fight in the future with Floyd Mayweather, and maybe bringing that bout to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, but he says that he's not overlooking what he has to do first: beat Amir Khan.
"This fight is my whole career right in front of me," said Collazo. "I believe if I beat Amir Khan I have a bigger future in boxing and if I don't, I have to start from the bottom again.
"I am not looking beyond Amir Khan. He is my main focus. From here whatever happens happens, but Amir Khan is all I'm thinking about right now."
And Mayweather? Collazo believes that Khan (28-3, 19 KO) may once again be looking beyond an upcoming opponent and toward a potential clash with Floyd, as has happened before.
"A win over Khan does put me in the Mayweather sweepstakes, but my sights are set on Khan," he said. "When Khan looks across the ring, he isn't going to see Floyd Mayweather. He is going to see Luis Collazo. I am the best."
Collazo (35-5, 18 KO) knows that he's going to have a lot more eyes on him than he has in recent bouts, and that this is the sort of opportunity he cannot let slip through his fingers if he wants to make it to that next level. "I believe this is the most exposure that I have seen in my career. When Floyd fights, everybody watches. Now to be able to fight in the fight right before he steps into the ring is tremendous.
"This is the highest plateau that one can fight on. You have to go out there and perform," he said.
Collazo was the underdog, too, against Ortiz, who folded as much as he was damaged, perhaps still feeling the lingering effects of his 2012 loss to Josesito Lopez, when Ortiz suffered a broken jaw. Victor hadn't fought since then, nearly a two-year inactive streak, and after seeing how he performed with Collazo, there are some questions as to whether or not he'll fight again, and if he really wants it anymore.
Collazo only knows that he won, and that the victory has led him to this stage. "I have five losses, but a lot of people remember you for your last outing, and my last outing was tremendous. If my last fight was a defeat, people would keep bringing it up," he said. "On that night Ortiz looked like the old man. If you are taking care of yourself and have faith you can overcome any obstacle."
With just under two weeks left to prepare for fight night, Collazo is confident that he's nearing what could be the biggest win of his career.
"I hope Khan is ready on May 3 to fight me, not someone else. It's going to be an explosive night not just for me, but for the boxing fans in general. Khan is going to fight the best Collazo on May 3. Whatever he said he said. Talk is cheap," he said.
"On May 3rd, 'The Moment' is going to be my moment."