Unbeaten Mike Jones (24-0, 18K0s), of Philadelphia, PA, is ranked the #1 welterweight in the world behind WBO champion Manny Pacquiao.  Jones prepares to meet Raul Munoz (21-13-1, 16 K0s) from Leon, Mexico, on Saturday, June 25, at South Philly Arena.  Trainer Vaughn Jackson, who has been with Jones for his entire pro career, talks candidly about all things Jones:

 

• How have you prepared Mike for this fight:  “Mike’s in tremendous shape.   He looks fast, strong and focused.  He’s been doing a lot of running for this fight.  We’ve been working on a lot of leg work for this fight and he’s definitely stronger than he was last fight.  He’s just going to continue working on his strength, working on his speed and his defense.  His defense is the key.  Defense wins games and championships; that’s what we’re trying to win -- a championship -- so I think defense is going to play a big part of it.  We’ve also been working on a  lot of short shots since I noticed his opponent (Raul Munoz) likes to go into a peek-a-boo and then tries to come out with a huge hook, so we’ve been working on countering that.”

 

• What will Raul Munoz see when entering the ring on June 25:  “He’s going to be really shocked how amazing the Philadelphia fans are going to be rooting for Mike.  Also, he’s going to be very surprised about Mike’s size and how fast he is, his speed.  We love that the fight is here (in Philly), but we just want to do what we have to do and then enjoy ourselves after the fight.”

 

• What did he learn from the two fights with Jesus Soto-Karass:  “He learned a lot of things from Soto-Karass.  Experience is the key.  He learned a valuable lesson that even if you have somebody hurt, you just can’t blast away.  You just gotta touch him a few times, see how hurt he is and if he’s not ready (to go), he’s not ready.  We’ll get him the next round.  The stage and significance of everything for those two fights was great and I know that he gained a lot of experience from those two fights, in the ring and out.”

 

• Do you think Mike could’ve taken out Soto-Karass in the second fight:  “I think he was just being smart.  He’s not going to fall into that trap (of exhausting himself as in the first fight).  He was beating him so bad from the outside, why go in there and fight his fight.  And that’s what I mean about learning from each fight; he’s getting smarter.  He fought a smart fight and he stuck to the game plan.  And the game plan was to just box, box, box.  Use your speed, pick him apart.”

 

• What is your game plan for Munoz:  “The game plan for this fight is to just do a lot of short shots, use our speed, just like I said, the guy goes into a peek-a-boo style, he likes to put his hands up and play possum a little bit so we’re gonna work his sides, come around his sides and go to the body a lot.  I saw a couple of tapes; his body looks soft so that’s where we’re going to and we’re going to try to split the gloves, come in between the gloves.”

 

• What is your prediction for the fight:  “I definitely don’t expect this fight to go 10 rounds.  Not at all!  We’re not looking for a knockout, but how we’ve been training and how Mike’s been punching and the caliber fighter that he’s fighting, I don’t expect him (Munoz) to last.  I’ll be surprised if the guy can get out of the fourth round.”

 

• Do you feel Mike is ready for Manny Pacquiao:  “Absolutely I think Mike’s ready for it.  I’d love for Manny Pacquiao to give Mike a shot .  I’d love it.  I would also like to see Manny Pacquiao get tested.  You just have to be real smart.  Pacman is short and I’ve been studying all those top guys and I think Mike has the tools to beat Pacman or any of the other top welterweights.  Mike has the right style for Pacman.  He’s tall, he’s strong and he can box.  Mike’s not scared like most of Pacman’s opponents have been.  Because of their fear, those guys lost the fight before it began.  That’s the affect Tyson used to have on his opponents.  By the end of Mike’s fight with Pacman, Pacquiao would start to have that fear of Mike.”

 

• Final thoughts on Mike:  “Mike’s getting better every day.  You never catch him out of shape and he’s never had any bad habits. Mike is a thinker; he’s very intelligent in the ring.  He’s learning how to control the ring and how to stay behind his reach. I really believe that one day Mike’s going to be the undisputed welterweight champion of the world and he may be the first guy (since 1999) to knock Pacman out.”

 

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Mike Jones vs. Raul Munoz, co-promoted by Top Rank, Inc., Peltz Boxing Promotions, Inc., and Joe Hand Promotions, takes place Saturday, June 25, at the South Philly Arena, 7 West Ritner Street (next to Forman Mills).  The scheduled 10-round contest will be televised live by Fox Sports Net at 10 pm EST as part of the Top Rank Live! Series.  First of 7 fights: 8 pm.