The Blackeyed View Interview with Jason Big 6 Estrada

This Saturday February 6th at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ two heavyweights will wage war for positioning within the heavyweight ranks when former light heavyweight and current cruiserweight champion Tomasz Adamek takes on Jason 'Big 6' Estrada. Adamek is coming off a big 5th round KO victory over former top contender Andrew Golota in Poland and while the focus of the promotion is on the Polish fighter, it is worth noting that Estrada is one of the few outstanding American boxers left in the heavyweight division. As a former Olympian with a winning record (16-2, 4 KOs) and solid boxing skills, Estrada represents one of the few hopes there of bringing back the heavyweight championship of the world to the United States. With his Puertorican roots by way of his father/ trainer Rolando Estrada, he also has an opportunity to tap into the large hispanic audience that makes up a significant part of the boxing fan base. The stakes are high for the combatants this Saturday as Adamek needs this win to continue to make waves in the heavyweight division but Estrada plans to make waves of his own. We caught up with him for a brief Q&A before his daily workout.

The Blackeyed View: Jason 'Big 6' Estrada thanks for taking the time to talk to us. First of all where did the name Bog 6 come from and what does it mean?

Jason Estrada: Actually it came from one of my teammates from the Pan American games, a boxer named Lamont Peterson. We were sitting around one day and he asked me how tall I was and I said I'm like 6'1 or 6 feet and he goes, 'Wow you look bigger than that, you know when you get in the ring with these big guys you're the same height as them. You're a big six footer." When he said big six footer it went from big six footer to Big 6 and my dad took it and ran with it.

TBV: You have a big fight coming up this Saturday against Tomasz Adamek at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. How has your training camp been for this fight?

JE: My training camp has been great. It's really been the first time I had so much time to prep for a fight. Its been a real good experience for me, one of the best training camps I've ever had because I've been able to take my time and do what I need to do instead of having four weeks to rush into so its been a grat camp.

TBV: Much has been made about your weight issues in the past, are you happy with the weight your coming into this fight?

JE: Yeah, yeah I'm very happy. I never really fall into the whole issue of everybody worried about my weight. All I say is that its where I was comfortable at the time, that its where I had to be with the kind of time I had to prep for a fight [in the past]. Its harder to lose weight when all of a sudden your asked to fight in four weeks. So a lot of the times when I had weight issues it's because I didn't have much time to get my diet right and I had to kill myself to get to a comfortable weight. That's basically something that happened. I'm not worried about what everyone else says, I go in there and fight my heart out.

TBV: You're a skilled American born fighter who represented the United States in the 2004 Olympics with a winning record and a latino background, which makes up a major part of the boxing audience these days, why are you not featured on HBO or Showtime?

JE: I don't know, I really have no clue. I see it as my time is gonna come. You could only basically wait your turn. Some people are pushed a certain way, they have certain people backing them and it makes it easier for them. But I've always traveled that hard road where I don't owe anyone. In the long run it's going to benefit me. I'm gonna get me chances to be an HBO fighter so I'm not too worried about it, my time will come.

TBV: Your half Puertorican and what is the other half?

JE: African American.

TBV: How would you describe your Olympic experience?

JE: I can say that it was good and it was bad because you know that the timing was terrible. The timing of the games was terrible because at the time everybody hated the United States, there was that type of stuff. But the Olympic experience itself was uplifting, it was like an eye opener, you never can have that experience again because as you know once you turn professional you can never go back [to the amateur level]. But hopefully one day I can be able to win a big world title and kind of take that place of me not winning a gold medal. Winning a world title is right there, I'm still fighting for my country regardless.

TBV: You've been described as a slick fighter by boxing people but anyone whose seen your fights can tell that your punches carry power. Knockouts sells fighters, can boxing fans expect you to turn on the juice and go for more KOs in the future?

JE: I go out there and I try. My problem is the quality of my opponents. The opponents that I fight are a lot of guys that have winning records so it's a lot harder to knock these guys out unless you catch them with one good shot that puts them out automatically. But once you catch them with that shot and you don't knock them out after that its kind of an uphill battle because they know how to box, they hold, they make the fight sloppy, they survive. That's really my main issue, its not about what I do it's the about the kind of quality that I've been facing since I turned pro. If I was to take an easier route and box these guys that you hit and they lay down, 'd probably be 18-0 with 18 knockouts.

TBV: So far who or what has been the toughest opponent of your career?

JE: I would have to say my toughest opponent was not an actual person, it would be myself. I've never gotten in with an opponent that made me say, " Aw man I'm in trouble' because its never been like that, its always been with me. Problems caused during camp, injuries and going in there and fighting anyway because of my pride. So I would have to say my toughest opponent has been me. [Alexander] Povetkin (his last opponent which resulted in a decision loss) was a grat fighter but still in my heart I felt that I won. But I always knew that if I didn't go [to Germany] and knock the guy out that it [the win] was not going to happen. So in the end I would say my toughest opponent would be me for the fact that it's hard doing what I do and my pride sometimes gets me in trouble when I know I shouldn't even fight because I have injuries during camp and I go ahead and fight. That's another thing about this camp right now, its the perfect camp I have no injuries.

TBV: How do you feel about your opponent this Saturday?

JE: I think its going to be a good fight. When all is said and done I feel that I'm a better fighter and I will be the victor in the fight. But I'm not taking nothing away from his, not overlooking him. He did a lot at light heavy, he did a lot at cruiser but we're in this division and I think I'm just a better fighter than he is.

TBV: So much of the boxing press has focused their attention on Tomasz Adamek during the run up to this fight, does that upset you and do you think Adamek is looking past you?

JE: He might be but it doesn't upset me you know its part of the game. I don't know if he's really overlooking me or putting it out there so we hear about it and maybe train less hard. There are a lot of tactics and slick tricks that guys use but in any case I'm working hard so it really doesn't matter if he's overlooking me I'm gonn bring my best. If he is overlooking me that's gonna be a mistake on his part.

TBV: You called out Chris Arreola when he was undefeated, now that he is no longer undefeated and is looking to rebuild, do you think he will fight you now?

JE: I don't know, actually I'm not worried about Chris Arreola, that time has passes, right now I'm so focused on Tomasz Adamek that I'm not even thinking of Chris Arreola. After the fight you can ask me the same question.

TBV: Incidentally Arreola had been mentioned as American's best hope until Klitschko beat him, aside from yourself where are the American heavyweights? It seems heavyweight boxing is dominated by big Easter Europeans.

JE: That's all in due time when the [American] heavyweight generation comes back. Things always change, things never stay the same. A lot of guys in other countries are hungry now, we as Americans have a lot of opportunities so perhaps some are lacking the hunger. But eventually things will change. Everything changes in time.

TBV: If you were offered the chance to fight either Klitschko brother this year, would you take it? Do you feel ready?

JE: Oh most definitely, especially if the money is right. I'm in the type of situation where I can beat any of these guys, its all about me getting the opportunity. Once I get the opportunity I'll be so focused, its going to be a serious transition. I'm not afraid of any of these guys and I will fight any of these guys if I get the opportunity to face them.

TBV: What's going to happen this Saturday?

JE: Jason...Jason Estrada victory. That's basically what it's going to sum up to. If I'm able to stop Adamek that's great but just want to win. I don't care how I win, I'm gonna win.