LOS ANGELES (August 4, 2011) – Unbeaten middleweight contender Peter “Kid Chocolate” Quillinwants to make-up for lost time, yet, the multi-talented fighter has to remain patient and play the boxing game.
Quillin virtually lost all of 2009 due to a series of injuries — hand surgery, hairline eye fracture, and then an emergency appendectomy — that kept him out of the ring for 1 ½ years.
International Boxing Federation No. 5-rated Quillin (25-0, 19 KOs), fighting out of Los Angeles, basically used late replacement Jason“The Hammer” LeHoullier (21-6-1, 8 KOs) as a human punching bag in their July 23 fight that ended in a fifth-round technical knockout. Quillin’s original opponent, Tarvis Simms, withdrew less than a week prior to their fight due to a broken rib.
“Hey,”Quillin said, “at least I got in a fight and I was able to showcase my talents in Las Vegas, after having eight agonizing weeks of training. Golden Boy delivered. LeHoullier may not have been the opponent I would have liked, but I came out of that fight in good shape, and I’m ready to return as soon as possible.
”I looked good and did what I said: he’d fall down or quit. That’s my mission every fight. I’m not just out there to look good.”
Quillin’s trainer, Freddie Roach, recently went public saying ‘Kid Chocolate” can beat world middleweight champion Sergio Martinez, who reportedly is tied-up until March. “I’m willing to fight anybody that Golden Boy, Freddie and John Seip (his manager) put in there with me for a major test,” Quillin explained.“Sergio Martinez is the best out there for me. He’s a good athlete, but I can match his athleticism, and I’m a little better boxer. The Paul Williams fight was the only spectacular fight he’s had. The blueprint to beat (Kelly) Pavlik had already been written for him by (Bernard) Hopkins.
“I’m hungry and when I get my chance, I promise that I won’t let anybody down. My team is working together and I’ll be ready.”
The general consensus is that Quillin needs to gain valuable experience defeating a top 10 fighter in order to position him for a legitimate shot at fighting Martinez. “Petey did what he had to do against LeHouiller and he also got in some rounds,” Seip commented. “He boxed a few rounds and broke-down his opponent. It was more like a sparring session, fighting at his pace, and when his corner said to takeout his opponent, he did. I would have liked to have seen him in deeper waters but, basically, he played with the guy. His left hook was fabulous and his legs were strong, something that wasn’t there before he started working with these guys. He has great speed and, defensively, he’s much better and better balanced. He looks really good, no longer going out there for the knockout. I’ve been impressed by his improvement.
“We’re looking for a big-time fight. I’m waiting to hear back from Golden Boy about his next fight, whether it’s in September or October. Golden Boy needs to get us a couple of good fights before Martinez. We’ll take on guys like (Julio) Chavez, Jr., (Matthew) Macklin, (Daniel) Geale, (Peter) Manfredo) or (Marco Antonio) Rubio. Those are the type opponents we need to fight and win to get closer to a Martinez fight. Petey is HBO ready; he’s 25-0 and a KO artist. Golden Boy needs to get us a big fight on HBO so the boxing world can see this kid fight.”
Sweet days are ahead for “Kid Chocolate” and someday his post fight ritual of tossing candy kisses into the crowd, he firmly believes, will be right after a world title belt is placed around his waist.
For more information about Peter “Kid Chocolate” Quillin go online to www.TheKidChocolate.com or follow him on Twitter @/Kid Chocolate.
