TheBoxingBar : How prepared are you for this fight? And what did you do to prepare?
Manuel Avila : I feel great mentally, emotionally, physically. I feel great all around. Knowing he's a left-hander, we've been sparring mostly left-handers.
TBB : I remember you having some popularity there in your local area of Vacaville years back. Is that a good thing since this fight will not be too far from there?
AT : It's nice. I haven't fought here locally in about seven years , so it feels great since this is only my second fight in an almost four-year layoff.
TBB : What exactly caused that extensive layoff you had?
AT : First off, Covid. Then I got screwed over by Golden Boy (Promotions). After my contract ended with Golden Boy, there was no fights happening locally because of Covid although I was still training. I moved to Live Oak and started working like three jobs there and I was still training. I would just sleep like an hour or two. I came close to calling it quits.
TBB : You and Torres have sparred in the past. Is it going to be a lot different when it's for real on Friday?
AT : Yeah, it's going to be different because obviously sparring is different than when you fight. But he's a really good fighter. Very tough. We're friends. Obviously, this is just business. He's a clean fighter. He's not the kind that just holds and clinches. He makes it a fight. It's going to be a really good fight for the both of us.
TBB : You brought up Golden Boy Promotions, but for this one you will be fighting under the Paco Presents Boxing banner. What is it like fighting under Paco?
AT : It feels great. He's given me a lot of opportunities, and he really works with me. I feel better working with Paco then I did with Golden Boy.
TBB : As a boxing fan, what can I expect to see from you this Friday night?
AT : You're going to see the 23-year old again that fought, before the "Jojo" Diaz fight, again.
TheBoxingBar : What was training camp like for this fight?
Jahyae Brown : Training camp was great. I sparred all the top prospects in the game. It was a great experience, and a great camp.
TBB : You're going to be fighting a guy with a good record and a few more bouts than you have in experience. How ready are you for a fight like this one?
AT : Ah man, I'm feeling great. I've been asking for these type of fights because I feel like I'm special. I am special. I've been asking for these big fights for a long time. And I feel great physically and mentally.
TBB : This card is going to be shown live on Showtime. How do you feel about that?
AT : I'm super excited. It's going to be my first time on Showtime, and I'm on the co-main event. I'm only 23. I'm really excited. I know there's going to be a lot of people there, and a lot of people watching it on TV. Man, I'm ready!
TBB : It's going to be your first time fighting in California as a pro. Does that excite you?
AT : It's great. I've fought in a lot of places. So now to fight in Cali, man it's going to be amazing.
TBB : What is going to be your plan to try to remain undefeated after this bout?
AT : Staying strong mentally. Staying focused. Listening to my coach, and staying humble.
TBB : Tell the fans what they're going to see Friday night.
AT : They're going to see a beautiful performance. A great performance by me. That's it.
On Friday night, April 7th, live boxing returns to Northern California at the Cache Creek Casino Resort in Brooks, CA. Paco Presents Boxing will put on a terrific card including a championship fight and many top local fighters. The event will be headlined by Shinard "Show Time" Bunch (20-1-1, 16 KO's) taking on Bryan Flores (23-0-1, 13 KO's) for the USBA Super Lightweight Championship. The headliners will be televised live on Showtime's ShoBox : The Next Generation series. Check your local listings for times.Click here for tickets.
List of Bouts :
MAIN EVENT : 10 ROUNDS - USBA SUPER LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP -
SHINARD BUNCH (20-1-1, 16 KOs) – Queens, NY vs. BRYAN FLORES (23-0-1, 9 KOs) - Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua, MEX
10 ROUNDS - SUPER WELTERWEIGHTS
JAHYAE BROWN (13-0, 11 KOs) - Schenectady, NY vs. GUIDO EMMANUEL SCHRAMM (15-1-1, 11 KOs) - Moreno, Buenos Aires, ARG
8 ROUNDS – SUPER WELTERWEIGHTS
RAUL GARCIA (12-0, 10 KOs) - Santo Domingo, DOM vs. ROBERT TERRY (9-0, 3 KOs) – Jersey City, NJ
8 ROUNDS – FEATHERWEIGHTS
MANUEL AVILA (24-2-1, 8 KOs) - Fairfield, CA vs. ALBERTO TORRES (11-5-3, 4 KOs) – Sacramento, CA
4 ROUNDS – FEATHERWEIGHTS
KEVIN MONTANO (4-0, 2 KOs) - Concord, CA vs. G'ERALD EVANS (3-0) - Covington, GA
4 ROUNDS – SUPER FEATHERWEIGHTS
SACHERY SAM (Pro Debut) - Stockton, CA vs. ANEL DUDO (1-4, 1 KO) - Aurora, CO
Jahyae Brown (13-0, 9 KO's) will battle Guido Emmanuel Schramm (15-1-1, 9 KO's) of Argentina in one of the televised fights live on Showtime's ShoBox : The Next Generation series. The televised fights will be shown live starting at 7:00pm PT. We talked to Jahyae and this is what he had to say ...
* In one of the undercard fights, "El Orgullo de Vacaville / Tino" Manuel Avila will take on Alberto Torres of Sacramento, CA. Here is what they both had to say just days before the fight ...
TheBoxingBar : You are just a few days away from your next fight. How are you feeling physically and emotionally at this moment?
Alberto Torres : Physically, I'm feeling fine. Emotionally, I'm pumped and ready to go.
TBB : Is there anything you did differently in this training camp in preparation for this fight?
AT : I guess I did. I had a day off during the week and took some time to study my opponent. I've been sparring with him for a long time. Since back in my amateur days. I really don't study my opponents, but that's something I did do this time. It's been a long time since I've sparred "Tino". He's really sharp and slick, but I saw things I could probably capitalize on.
TBB : Being from Sacramento, you're going to pretty much be fighting in your backyard. How do you feel about that?
AT : I like that venue. I've fought there a few times before for Paco Presents, and I liked it. It's not a far drive from Sacramento for my fans and family to get there so I'm excited. I'm going to have a lot of my people in attendance there to watch me fight.
TBB : Because you are a southpaw, do you think that will be an advantage for you?
AT : Yeah. I think it does. Like I've said, we've sparred a lot in the past. I know local southpaws around, and he's training with a lot of them and other good fighters. Will my style catch him by surprise? I don't think so. I know he's ready but I'm going to try a few different things in there. I know some of his strengths and weaknesses from sparring him, and I'm going to try to capitalize on those things. Just like he's probably working on my strengths and weaknesses too.
TBB : What do you see happening on Friday, April 7th at The Cache Creek Casino?
AT : You're going to see a sharp lefty. I'm going to be quick. I'm going to be slick. I'm going in there to get that "W". I'm sure he's going to be ready too. So people are going to see fireworks. People are going to want to make it there on time and be in their seats to see this one. You're going to want to be there!