Talkin’ Boxing with Mike Jones: “Mayweather would be my dream fight”

By Scoop Malinowski

Philadelphia welterweight Mike “Machine Gun” Jones will become the IBF #1 mandatory challenger to champ Andre Berto if he can take care of business with Sebastien Lujan on the Margarito-Cotto undercard on December 3 in New York. The soft-spoken and humble 28-year-old, who stands at 5-ft, 11-in, is an old school boxer/puncher. He has a record of 24-0 with 18 KO’s and looks like a potential major threat down the road for Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather.  In this interview, Jones discusses Lujan, Berto, and much more…

BoxingInsider: Talk about your next opponent Sebastien Lujan.

Mike Jones:  ”Very awkward. Throws shots unorthodox. Throws punches all different kinds of ways in there. And he’s short. So it’s harder to hit him, harder to get to his body. It’s gonna be quite a challenge for me but I think I’ll get it done.”

BoxingInsider:  Your two battles with Jesus Soto Karass were your career defining fights, up to this point. How have your grown from those fights?

Mike Jones:  ”I’ve grown a lot since then. I’ve learned a whole lot more. I learned how to be patient, now I know I gotta take my time, pick my shots, use all of my abilities in the ring. That’s what it taught me.”

BoxingInsider: Who do you want to fight, who is on your welterweight target list?

Mike Jones:  ”I want to fight, I want to beat the best. I want to get a title shot, whether that be with Andre Berto or anybody on top. My dream fight would be with Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao – those are the biggest names in the sport. So obviously I want to fight them and beat them.”

BoxingInsider: You and Andre Berto appear to be on a collision course. He’s the new IBF champ and could be, in a few months time, become the #1 mandatory challenger for his title. How do you think you match up with Berto?

Mike Jones:  ”I think I match up pretty good. Berto is fast and got a lot of power. And I’ve got a lot of power too. I think I’ll edge it out with my movement.”

BoxingInsider:  Berto has been down a few times in his career. Do you think you can take advantage of that?

Mike Jones:  ”Every fight is different. You never know what’s gonna happen. I’m sure it will be a great fight.”

BoxingInsider:  How old were you when you started boxing?

Mike Jones:  ”I started boxing when I was 15, after I got cut from the high school basketball team. I started boxing at Joe Frazier’s gym. Joe Frazier, Marvis Frazier and a lot of guys at the gym showed me how hard to work and what  it takes to be champ.”