Marco Antonio Rubio is on a mission, “what I am looking for is a world title. If it is against Kelly Pavlik, that would be great but I think it would be difficult. His camp has stated that he has trouble making the middleweight limit and that he is looking for big fights against Hopkins, Winky Wright or Calzaghe. David Lopez has been mentioned and if either one of us would win, the winner would be the first Mexican middleweight champion I think and that is what I want, to be the first.”
Rubio of Torreon, MX, is slated to face La Habra, CA’s Enrique Ornelas in a twelve round WBC middleweight elimination bout in the semi main event of Pavlik-Hopkins from the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City this Saturday night.
“He is a big fighter. I have heard that he has to really work hard to get to the middleweight limit. He is intelligent, I have seen him fight. I have prepared myself for six weeks in Toluca, running, sparring, working the mitts, I think this has been the best preparation I have had in my career and I am going to prove it Saturday night.”
“Unstoppable” as the night has been billed by co promoters Golden Boy and Top Rank, promises to be a huge event as tickets sales have been brisk but the large audience in attendance or over the airwaves do not worry Rubio, since he has been there before “I think my greater experience is going to help me. I have suffered thru tough losses and draws, I have had difficult fights and easy ones and been on a large stage as Atlantic City and on PPV. But in the end, with what you win with is not experience or youth but by throwing punches and the other resources you hold like your defense and the way you move around the ring.”
Rubio (42-4-1, 37KO) began his pro career in ’00 in the junior middleweight division and fought for the WBC International version of the title in ’04 but came up short against Kofi Jantuah. After sending Kassim Ouma to the canvas in the first, Rubio lost a split decision in ’06 for the WBO light middleweight strap and dropped a unanimous decision in Kiev, Ukraine after dropping Zaurbek Baysangurov also in the first the same year. Since then, Rubio has gained the six pounds to join the 160 lbs. division and has not tasted defeat in eight bouts with six finishing within the distance. A streak he attributes to “discipline. Since my last fight I have been working harder and I think I am on the right path. The new weight has also helped. At 154, I felt weaker and I was going against fighters that would make the weight limit easily so they were stronger and faster. I felt I was losing a lot of my reflexes. At this weight I feel strong.” Rubio’s co-manager Julio Gudino agrees “I think he has more confidence in making the weight and that helps psychologically.”
Within those impressive wins, Rubio stopped Jose Luis Zertuche, a fighter that had not been stopped in 24 fights until Kelly Pavlik did it in January of last year in eight rounds. Rubio stopped him in seven, “I think he was a good stepping stone. It gave me more legitimacy in my skills. I was brought in for Zertuche to get back on his feet, but the win opened the doors for me.”
In his last bout which was featured on Telefutura’s Solo Boxeo, Rubio stopped tough journeyman Freddy Cuevas. Altough Rubio finished the job in only five rounds, he was not satisfied “I am conscious that I didn’t look that great against Cuevas. Not to talk bad but I knew that he wasn’t as strong as me and I think I was over confident. I wanted to see how I felt and what I could take at this weight. I allowed him to catch me with too many punches, that will not happen again.”
Ornelas who holds a record of 28-4, 18KO, has not faced the caliber of fighters Rubio has, with a loss and a win over veteran Bronco McKart being the biggest entries on his ledger, a fact that is not lost on Marco Antonio ” I do believe it makes a difference, you learn a lot from facing tough opponents and I have had my share. Beyond that, I feel that I am more mature now since I got married. I concentrate in my preparation for my fights and I feel disciplined both physically and mentally. I feel that I am giving boxing 100%.”
Rubio is confident he holds the secret for victory and to bring him one step closer to his goal of a world title, “I need to go back to my roots in a way. I was known as an aggressive fighter but I think I have grown passive since my losses. I need to combine the past and the present, be more aggressive but also not forget about defense and patience which I have learned since then.”
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