DANNY PEREZ: THE LAST MAN TO DROP THE TIJUANA TORNADO

Exclusive Interview
“At 154 I feel strong.  We are going for that super welterweight title, whoever it is, where ever it is, we are going to take it.  Anybody.  There are no friends in the ring, its business, I want that and I am going to take it.”  Former welterweight contender Danny “Dynamita” Perez (31-5, 17KO) states regarding his future plans.  San Diego CA’s Perez by way of Oxnard is slated for the main event of “Return to Glory” presented by Bobby D. Presents with Coors Light and Top Shelf Promotions this Thursday night inside the 4th and B in downtown in downtown San Diego.

Perez, who began to box at the early age of twelve after his father took him to a neighborhood fight card “I come from Oxnard so where we lived in the projects, there was a show right in front of our house, amateurs.  That is where we hooked up with La Colonia Boxing Club.”  The thirty one year old father of two went on to amass a 55-10 amateur record and then turned to the professional ranks in ’96 when he defeated Art Marcelo in Irvine, CA with a unanimous four round decision, a memory that brings a smile to Perez’s face as he remembers “that was the beginning. My first pro fight.  I remember the no head gear which was different from the amateurs, smaller gloves but I enjoyed.  I thought to myself ‘I am going to like this.'”
After an avenged loss, Perez faced his first challenge when he faced the two time welterweight champ Antonio Margarito in mid ’99 “it was a tough fight.  It was hot, it was outside.  it was an eight rounder and I think I dropped him in the third round, I am not too sure.  But he beat me, he out hustled me, that is what he does.”

Perez was the last man to send the “Tijuana Tornado” to the canvas. 

After the loss, Perez went on a tear going undefeated with eleven wins, six of them inside the distance earning himself another shot against his rival from across the San Diego/Tijuana border, but this time for the WBO welterweight title that Margarito held at the time, coming up short a second time against the hard hitting Tijuana native “I learned a lot.  I was with De La Hoya when he fought Vargas.  I was with De La Hoya in camp for two months.  Came home to San Diego for like a week and then started my camp.  It was what they say, I just got burnt out.  I was training hard but there is no excuses, I lost.  I moved on but that is what really happened.  I am one of the few that has gone toe to toe with Margarito for twelve rounds and that he hasn’t knocked out.”

Perez quickly regrouped and earned wins over the biggest names on his ledger such Contender alumni Grady Brewer, tough Jose Luis Zertuche and Marcos Primera.  Soon there after, Perez began to feel the strain of boxing can bring to a fighter’s body “I have been boxing all my life, since I was twelve.  I didn’t take no breaks whatsoever.  From the amateurs, I turned pro.  That right there will tell you that you need to step back, let your body rest and come back strong.  That is all it took, a step back, that is what I needed.”

That break came after a loss to journeyman David Lopez who at the time of their bout sat at a 24-12, 13KO ledger.  A loss that Perez contributed to him deciding to take a much deserved rest from the squared circle.  “Definitely.  I got burned out.  After my amateur career and then 35+ pro career my body needed a rest…”

A rest that Perez feels will help prolong his career farther than many of his peers “yes, those three years are going to help me a lot in the long run.”

Perez stayed away from a ring for the better half of two years.  Then he bumped into his current trainer Mark Diaz “we met at some amateur tournaments, Danny had a couple of fighters, I had a couple of fighters.  I didn’t think we would hook and accomplish what we are doing but things happen for a reason,” Diaz shares.
But Diaz knew that he had a potential world champion in his hands and all that Perez needed was the motivation to get back in a ring in top form “When Danny and I started we took everything real slow.  From the basics.  We didn’t strap on gloves for at least the first six months. We got his conditioning right, we took our time.  He is the type of person that right now he is physically, mentally, and more importantly psychologically ready for this.”

The show of confidence is not lost on Perez who feels that all the chips are stacked in his favor for the second run of his career “I don’t have to prove it to myself.  I already know.  I just have to prove it to all the ‘haters’ out there.  i got what it takes, I got the tools.  My pro career tells it all.  I know what it takes.  With my coach behind me and with a good team behind me, I know what it takes.”

The team gets rounded out by newly minted Rogue Boxing Management led by Derek Pierce and Vince Parra and who are responsible for steering Danny’s career “we got some things brewing for later on this year.  Exciting stuff.  We can’t wait,” Pierce shares.

Now on the 24th, Perez will face Daniel “Danny Zee” Stanigavljevic (8-13, 4KO) after his original opponent Rito Ruvalcaba went by the wayside “everything happens for a reason.  He falls out, another comes in.  I am ready, it doesn’t matter who it is.  I took three years off, I have been training for a year and a half.  I am strong, mentally and physically with like I said a good team behind me.  Whoever they put in front of me,  I don’t care at this point.  I am ready.”

Altough Stanigavljevic’s record doesn’t show it, he is a live opponent.  With plenty of experience in bouts against the likes of James McGirt Jr, Tarvis Simms and Marco Antonio Rubio, “Danny Zee” owns a win over another local favorite, Karl Noons.

With the bout scheduled for downtown San Diego, the night of the 24th will mark the first time Perez fights in his adopted hometown since ’01 “It’s been a while.  It feels good having my people behind me.  It’s going to feel good to prove to my people that I can box and that I have what it takes.  Show them that I can box.  It’s nice to have the crowd behind you too.  I like that.”

Now as part of a trio of former Margarito rivals making a comeback this month with Daniel Santos winning a title earlier and Antonio Diaz returning to the ring the night after Perez, “Dynamita” campaigning at the super welterweight limit is ready to fulfill his purpose “now I am hooked up with a new trainer, he is pushing and I am pushing myself.  I can make it again.  He can take me to the top and I can make it to the top again.  i can go for the title and I can win it this time.  I know what it takes, I have been there and done that.  i have to prove to the boxing world that I am here.  There is a lot of people saying that Danny is shot, but I am not shot.  I just took some days off, some time off.  Now I am back in the gym with my coach, my team and we are going to get to the top, we are going to win this title.”  

by Felipe Leon SDFights.com