Ike Quartey
 Ike QuarteyBoxingInsider.com Exclusive Biofile Published by Scoop Malinowski Last Updated on April 11th, 2008 | Options:  Print This Article  Email This Article  RSS |
Childhood Heroes: “Ray Leonard – because of his boxing style. And some people say I look like him.”
Hobbies/Interests: “Playing and watching soccer, listening to music.”
Nicknames: “Bazooka and Machine Gun.”
Early Boxing Memory: “My first knockout as a boy (age 7). Right hand – my bazooka punch. I was fighting on the street. The kid I knocked out and I became friends. He told me I’d become a champion. I come from a boxing family. My father and grandfather also boxed.”
First Job: “Boxing.”
Pre-Fight Feeling: “I always feel like winning, knocking people out. The point is to knock him out. Always think to win as quickly as possible. I’m never nervous because I know what I must do. (Look at opponent upon entering the ring?) Yes. After the first minute or round – or even after watching videotapes – I know what I must do. Sometimes I must wait for the knockout.”
In What Fight(s) Were You At Your Best: “Oscar De La Hoya, when I fought Oscar. I thought I won that fight. I felt at my best. (Was Oscar your hardest fight?) No, no, no, no, no, no, no. I knew I could beat Oscar De La Hoya anytime. I knew. (You were outboxing him…) I was doing everything. I was laid off for 16 months and fought Oscar De La Hoya. If I was fighting like easy fights every two, three, four months, I would kill him.”
Greatest Career Moment: “When I fought (Chrisanto) Espana in ’94. Because that was a beautiful moment in my life. That’s when I won the world title (WBA Welterweight) I felt so up. I jumped up and down, people lift me up. I thanked God because I believe in God. I was crying because I always knew it was going to happen.”
Most Painful Moment: “When I fought Oscar. When I fought (Jose Luis) Lopez. I thought I won the fight. Two weeks later they told me it was a draw. I think I won the fight so I didn’t take it serious. But Oscar was disappointing.”
Toughest Opponent: “Espana from Venezuela. Very tall, very strong, long arms. We had to train more to fight that kid. To fight that guy you have to use your head, your heart. Guy was strong. Hard to fight someone who has long arms, strong, tall. Not easy. (Was he better than Oscar?) Far better then De La Hoya. (Why so?) He’s difficult to fight because he was tall and long arms, stamina – marathon runner.”
Favorite Boxers To Watch: “I don’t like to watch too many fights. I liked Terry Norris a lot. He was always knocking people out. Leonard of course. Pernell Whitaker – I always wanted to fight him. And Muhammad Ali.”
People Qualities Most Admired: “I like someone who jokes, who likes to laugh. I’m a joker. And someone who doesn’t lie. Someone who tells the truth. Honest people. Those are qualities I like in people. If you don’t tell me the truth, I hate you.”
The Biofile Get 2 Know Vernon Forrest
By Scoop Malinowski
Childhood Heroes: “Ray Robinson. Marvin Hagler. Evander Holyfield. Ray Leonard – actually he wanted to do a manager deal with me. But the deal just didn’t work out. When I turned pro I tried to get in contact with his manager Mike Trainer because I wanted him to handle my career like Ray Leonard’s. But I never could get in contact with him.”
Hobbies/Interests: “Like the every day guy, I like to go to ballgames, to football games. I’m a sports fanatic.”
Nicknames: “Shorty, Lil Tyson, The Viper.”
Early Boxing Memory: “I could remember my first fight when I was nine, I was scared to death [smiles]. I was petrified. This was something new. I went out and knocked the guy down and was winning the fight. I won like 25 in a row before I lost my first amateur fight. And I wanted to quit. But I continued to fight and had I listened to myself and quit I would have never become the person that I am today.”
First Job: “Making milkshakes at WhataBurger in Augusta, GA (age 10).”
Pre-Fight Feeling: “I’m replaying the gameplan in my head. Relaxed. More numb than anything. (Look at opponent upon entering the ring?) No. Because I know I’m getting ready to do some bodily harm to this person. It’s psychologically best for me not to look at him.”
Funny Boxing Memory: “Going back to amateur days. Traveling by van to Washington DC, me, Albert and Ricky Jones, Pee Wee Harris and Kevin Wright. We were just joking the whole time. They were saying some of the funniest stuff in the world. There was so many jokes that was cracked in that 12 hours. We laughed the whole trip. Usually after a trip four or five hours, you’re tired. But those guys were cracking on and on [smiles].”
Greatest Sports Moment: “When I made the Olympic team (decision win over Stevie Johnston in 1992). That was something I had set out to do 13 years earlier. I had been dreaming about it, planning it, wishing for it – I’d been working toward it since I was eight years old. That night when they gave me the decision – raised my hand – it was like a big weight came off. The proudest moment of my life. I’m more of a perfectionist. That was the first moment in my career when I was really happy with what I did. It’s not often that I impress myself. I had a lot of ups and downs. I remember as a kid, it was over and over: making the Olympic team. What would it be like? 1992 Olympian, Vernon Forrest. For 13 years…13 years…back then I was more of a boxing fanatic, (I) ate, slept and drank boxing 24 hours a day. It came true. It really came true. Proudest moment of my career.”
Most Painful Moment: “Olympics. Losing first match (Peter Richardson of U.K.). I knew I was gonna win the gold medal. I got food poisoning over there so I wasn’t able to fight at my potential. I still thought I won the fight. Knocked him down in the third round and gave him two eight counts. I had beaten him three months before, easy, at the world championships in Australia. Easy.”
People Qualities Most Admired: “I admire athletes. But I most admire business people. I’ve been successful with my physical abilities. And I just admire people who use their brains, so it’s business people that I admire.”
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