This past weekend we had the privilege of interviewing one of the dark horses in the junior middleweight division, a fighter overlooked for years finally getting his opportunity on boxing's biggest stage - HBO, the undefeated (22-0-1, 10 KOs) "Pride of Bridgeport, Pennsylvania", now fighting out of his adopted home of Youngstown, Ohio, "Lightning" Harry Joe Yorgey. Harry was gracious enough to take a little time out of his busy training schedule to do a Q & A exclusively with the13thround.com:



TTR: "Hey! Harry! Carlos here with the13thround.com, what's new?"

YORGEY: "Oh! nothing, man, just up in Youngstown training..."

TTR: "Harry...Is the drama with your ex-managers over now, have you put it behind you?"

YORGEY: "Yeah, that was pretty much behind me, Carlos, as soon as I decided you know when when I was going to sign with my promoter and they said what they said to me, you know, that they didn't want to be with me anymore if I took on a promoter. We had those 5 seperate meetings and we must've gone to court for like 6 or 7 months, but it was over with me, you know, I'm so mentally strong I just realized what I needed to do and I put it behind me. And I think I've shown that by taking the steps that I took.

"You know since I was released from them guys and I won the court battle, I won my first title on ESPN, my second one on Showtime, and here I am fighting for the #1 spot on HBO."

TTR: "So, that's part of your motivation, to prove those guys wrong?"

YORGEY: "Nah, no, not really, you know, I don't live my life that way. I don't live my life from 'the should've, could've, would've. This guy did that to me, I'm a do this to them.' You know, I got a goal. I've had a goal since I was 5 years old to be the world champ. Whether those guys are involved with me or not. you know somthing, listen it was their fault, it was their doing, they chose not to be with me, not me be with them. I could really care less to prove them wrong or what, you know what I mean?"

TTR: "So after that great fight against Ronald Hearns, a Fight Of The Year candidate earlier this year, has anything changed for you?



YORGEY: "You know I've been a big, outside of the game. I was a big attraction in my hometown, you know, I've had a lot of people follow me, you know, through out my amateur career and everybody's always yelling out , 'Hey! Champ! Hey! Champ!' I mean the only thing that's changed with me for that is that it put me # 7 in the world. And now I'm fighting the for the WBO #1 spot in the world. The winner of this fight gets a world title fight. The next fight me and Angulo. So you know its just changed things for me boxing wise."

TTR: "OK, so all-time and currently, who are some of the top guys you'd like to face?"

YORGEY: "You know I've always wanted to fight like Vargas, De La Hoya and those guys but they're all done now. Due to what I had before, those guys (Yorgey's former managers) kept me local and, you know, I should've been on the this scene I'm at now 2 years ago and I would've had a chance to fight with them...I think. But you know, now its just (that) I really don't care, I just want to fight the the top guys. So, you know right now its Angulo. I want the world title then hopefully I'm the one people want to fight."

TTR: "Speaking of "El Perro", are you excited man...I mean you're opening up the broadcast November 7th on HBO?"

YORGEY: "Yeah. I mean, you know, Carlos, the people that know me know how I love my boxing. Man, the first book I read was the Ring Magazine and I used to make my brothers put boxing gloves on box them, then fake like I was doing interviews with Larry Merchant and HBO. I mean, yo, this for me is a dream come true. I'm fighting on the best TV network there is for boxing and I plan on doing what I do everytime I fight- taking the show over, man, making it my show."

TTR: "Exactly what you did last time....but before your ride is over what do you want to accomplish in the game? Whats your goal?"

YORGEY: "You know I just want to give 100% every time I step foot in the ring and just do the best that I can. I mean every time I go to the gym, you speak to people that watch me train and they'll tell you how hard I work and I train like its my last day of boxing, you know, like I'm never going to do this again and I just want to give 100 % in the ring and have my best chance of making the most money winning that I can make winning the world title. I mean I have 2 international titles but I want that world title. I want to be known as 'Hey! That's a world title champ right there from Bridgeport, Pennsylvania' and, you know, just give it 1000%, man!"



TTR: "You have a new trainer, Jack Lowe, and I read where he mentioned how surprised he was with your strength, what would you say is his biggest strength as a trainer and how has it affected you?

YORGEY: "I have a really good team out here you know with Jack Lowe and we got John Lowe my strength and conditioning guy. I have John Hudder also in my strength and conditioning and my boxing with Jack. And these guys push me to the limit. Man, I do things up here that I've never done in training. Like we'll do 18 minute rounds straight on the bag and then go right into sparring after that. They just push me to the furthest extent that you can go. You know a lot of people will look at my knockouts- they say, 'Oh! Look he has like 10, 11 knockouts.' They don't realize to knock someone out you have to catch them with the perfect shots, you know, all those knock out punchers, man, they have 20 knock outs, they have this but, yeah, you see those guys get caught...they don't have chins themselves. I'm a boxer-puncher, you know what I mean? If the knock out comes, it comes and I will give credit to my former trainers, you know Johnny (Lavetta) 12 years, you know he instilled in me boxing skills that he knew I always had- just made them real sharp and Henry (Raichas) brought in some strength and conditioning I had never had for a year & a half that had definitely made me stronger which showed the last few fights. Listen, I don't down any of those guys. Those guys done a lot. We're just adding to it with my new training."

TTR: "Speaking of boxer-punchers, Kermit Cintron gave Angulo fits with his boxer-puncher style. Without divulging too much of your game plan, what do you feel is the key to winning this fight?"

YORGEY: "You know, just being me, man. I mean one thing my one trainer up here John (Hudder) said to me, 'You know I've seen you fight a couple times and people don't realize how smart you are in the ring. I mean you adapt to anything in the ring.' Speed, strength, height, short whatever it is I'm very smart in the ring. I know Angulo brings a lot to the table but you know so do I...I'm 22-0 and this guy has to realize he's fighting an undefeated guy who is hungry, who wants to be a consistent HBO fighter ready to take over the junior middle weight division in the world. That's going to help me because I'm so smart in the ring, I adapt to everything there is. Angulo's going to bring a lot of pressure and, you know if I'm a boxing fan, I'm saying here's Angulo, who's 17-1, looking to get back to that #1 spot in the world which he already was and here's a guy who's 22-0 been waiting for his shot. I mean I would rush to the TV to watch this fight, you know?"

TTR: "So whats your biggest advantage?"

YORGEY: "My speed and my smart(s) in the ring. Listen, if people want to underestimate my power and strength, more power to them. You know I tell every reporter, listen, you don't know how it is until you get in the ring. You gotta get in the ring and just bring it fight night- and thats one thing I've always done through out my whole career. On fight night, I always come out 1000 % positively, mentally, physically and everything. That's going to be a big advantage for me- is my speed and how smart I am - my ringmanship."

TTR: "Speaking of fight night, any chance we see you see in EA SPORTS fight night round 5?"

YORGEY: "You know, I win this fight I become #1 in the world. Win a world world title, they're putting everyone in the top 5 in each weight class. So, you know, I wouldn't mind doing it! Definitely, I would love to have that! And it would be a lot of fun....like Kermit (Cintron's) a good friend of mine and I play the game with my son and my son would make me in the game, 'Hey! Dad! You're fighting Kermit!!'"

TTR: (LAUGHS) "In closing, anything for the fans on the13thround.com and abroad?"

YORGEY: "Yeah, definitely. I'm so happy to be here on the13thround.com! For all the fans...I love you guys. You've been there with me from the amateurs, all the way up to now. Even when the fights were first round knockouts to 12 round wars, you guys were there and I love that! You mean so much to me. You know, Carlos, I raise money and do charities each fight. Last fight, I raised money for a girl who had cancer. Unfortunately, she died a week after the fight, God bless her. Now we're raising money for a kid from my hometown with leukemia...actually he beat (the disease) & we're raising money for other kids with leukemia. Hey! Listen, I'm a people person- I love the fans, you make us...believe me."

YORGEY: "I have to thank Artie Pelullo & BANNER PROMOTIONS for everything...they got me my shot"



Opening the telecast on November 7th from Hartford, Connecticut, live on HBO, will be "Lightning" Harry Joe Yorgey facing Alfredo "El Perro" Angulo for a chance to fight for a world title. With everything on the line for both men, expect fireworks. With Angulo's relentless pressure and Harry's boxer-puncher style, this fight should be action packed from the first bell on. I don't know about you but I for one can't wait to see if one of boxing's hidden gems will shine in the ring against "El Perro" once

the bright lights go on!