On his win over Aaron Herrera
“I can’t complain. It could always be better, but we look at it from a positive standpoint. We finally got back into the mix, got a fight in there, came out with the victory, gave the fans a good night of entertainment, and now I’m ready for 2018 to be even bigger and better. Hopefully fighting for a world title. I want the WBA and WBC world titles, that’s what I’m pursuing. That’s something I’ll be accomplishing soon.”
On changing his style a bit
“Experience helps tremendously. Being patient. I was always just so focused on trying to give the fans excitement that I’d say, ‘You know what, there’s not enough action, I gotta throw punches, I gotta do something.’ And I’d fall into a combination where they would expect me to come. Now I know exactly — the experience came in, coming from fights with Manny Pacquiao and other big fights. You learn a lot from them. Sometimes you don’t come out with the victory, sometimes you do. You always want to. They were all competitive matchups. But in those fights, we learned tremendously.”
On moving from Top Rank to Al Haymon
“I have had experiences with Al Haymon in the past, and I always enjoyed the way he did business, the way he works with his fighters. That’s why I’m back here. I’m very happy to have them guiding my career. I trust them 100 percent.”
On potentially fighting Keith Thurman
“I like the fight, man. I told one of my advisers and Al Haymon, you know, I did express my interest in that fight. But ultimately it’s up to them. We’ll see if the fight can be made. ... If my advisers give it the OK and Thurman wants it as well, we’ll make it happen. ... Nothing has been confirmed yet. No serious negotiations have begun. But it is a possibility, that’s for sure.”
“I don’t see why people wouldn’t want to fight [Thurman]. He has the WBC belt, the WBA belt, that’s all I see. I know he’s a very good fighter, but I’m a fantastic fighter myself. I’m not worried about that. I feel very confident I could come out with the victory. ... I’m willing to do anything in order to gain those titles. In order to be the best, you have to beat the best. I’ve gained a lot of experience through the years. I feel it’s the best time for me. I’m in my prime.”
“You gotta be smarter than him. You gotta know his weaknesses. That’s what I’ve been focusing on. I truly believe I can beat him, and I will beat him, if the fight is made.”
“I know that Soto Karass hurt him to the chin. He hurt him, he stunned him. Robert Guerrero stunned him, as well. When it comes to his weaknesses — he’s a very good fighter, I take nothing away from him. But every fighter has his weaknesses. It’s up to me to show everyone what his weaknesses are, I guess.”
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