Monte Barrett
 Monte BarrettBoxingInsider.com Exclusive Biofile Published by Scoop Malinowski Last Updated on April 11th, 2008 | Options:  Print This Article  Email This Article  RSS |
Status: Heavyweight contender.
Ht: 6-3 Wt: 220
Born On: May 26, 1971 In: Greenville, North Carolina
Childhood Heroes: “Muhammad Ali, that’s it.”
Hobbies/Interests: “Spend time with my kids. Play chess. Play basketball.”
Nicknames: “A thousand aliases [smiles]…Two Guns, The Banger, Raw Dog, The Executioner…so many, I can’t remember.”
Favorite Movies: “Oh man, Star Trek trilogy. Godfather trilogy. Ghost with Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore. And I’m missing one – Sanford & Son and Good Times are my favorite TV shows. And Planet of the Apes was my favorite TV movie.”
Early Boxing Memory: “First time out I won the Golden Gloves (age 22). I think that was my biggest amateur boxing moment. (Who did you beat?) I remember his first name was Carmelo, from PAL in the Bronx. The energy was so enormous for me. It was like, so big. And it was fun then, I had fun.”
First Job: “Working in a park (age 14). Cleaning up the park for youth. Baisley Park in Queens.”
First Car: “1989 green Jeep Wrangler, when I graduated from high school.”
Childhood Dreams: “Successful. I didn’t know how I was gonna be it. But I knew I was gonna become it.”
Favorite Meal: “Italian.”
Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: “Vanilla.”
Funny Boxing Memory: “My whole life is comical. But I can’t really think of one off-hand. But I’ll come back to that question. I’ll think about that one.”
Pre-Fight Feeling: “Last fight, singing. My spirit is good. Laughing, joking, singing, playing around. Just being silly.”
Greatest Sports Moment: “I would have to say Dominick Guinn (in March 2004). (Why was that win so important to you?) Redemption. I restored myself in the boxing community. A lot of people had me written off. And I just showed the hard work paid off. A lot of people had me counted out. A came back through all adversity that I was facing. And I came out on top. I’ve been the underdog all my life. So, circumstances…I’m used to those circumstances. So I feel like that was the persona of my life – being the underdog and overcoming those obstacles. (When did you first see defeat etched on Guinn’s face?) When I walked in the ring. (Really?) Yeah, that’s when I looked at him. As soon as I looked at him, I saw right through him. I saw defeat.”
Most Painful Moment: “Losing to Klitschko. No, correct that – losing to (Lance) Whitaker (by split decision in 1999). That was my first loss. It was painful. I knew I lost that because I wasn’t training. I went into the camp two weeks before the fight. Was taking it very lightly. And at the time, he had a point to prove. And I had nothing to lose. Yet I still lost. I lost a lot of credibility. Even though it was a close fight. So that was the most painful loss. Because at that time, I felt like I didn’t want to box anymore. But you go through a stage when you lose your first fight.”
Worst Injury: “Broken hand in 6th fight (KO 1 Russell Perry in ’97). And next fight, the other broken hand (W6 Ron McCarthy also in ’97).”
Favorite Boxers To Watch: “I like De La Hoya. I love Oscar. I just like his aura, like his presence. Strong presence. And that’s one of my favorite fighters. Floyd Mayweather. Floyd’s phenomenal. To describe this guy – he’s just the epitome of boxing. And of course my favorite of all – Zab Judah. Zab is just super. Zab is phenomenal with his speed. And I came up in amateurs with Zab, he’s like my little brother. I learned a lot from him. His speed and his arrogance, and everything he’s about. His presence in the ring is just phenomenal.”
Favorite Fights: “Aw man, I would say Brewster-Klitschko recently. I would say James Toney and Jirov. And I would say Floyd Mayweather and Corrales. And I would also say Trinidad-Hopkins.”
People Qualities Most Admired: “People with integrity. People who speak their mind. And people who are also genuine people, not plastic or phony.”
Funny Boxing Memory: “Personal moment is just after the Guinn fight. I took all four of my kids to Disney World. And my daughter was going down the waterslide at the park. And I put my son on my shoulder, to let him watch. And he’s two-years-old. And I said, Brandon, how you gettin’ the water, why are you so wet? And I look and he’s peein’ down my neck [smiles]. So that’s my favorite funny moment, my son is peein’ down my neck when my daughter’s ridin’ down the water slide [laughs].”
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