I can still bang it with the best’…
Raul Frank back with Don King
By Joe Chapman
Guyana Chronicle
January 15, 2004
RAUL Frank works out at Gleason’s Gym in New York with the conviction that he can still bang it out with the best in the sport.
Guyana's junior middleweight boxer continues to ply his trade in the United States with the hope of getting another world title crack in the very near future.
Frank was seen working out last week, following his last fight in November that ended with a first round knockout victory for him.
And according to the former world number one rated junior middleweight fighter, he was encouraged by the performance of 38-year-old Bernard Hopkins who won his December 13 undisputed clash with William Joppy in Atlantic City in the main event of the eight-bout championship card which also featured Guyana's WBC cruiserweight champion who won by a spectacular 1st round knockout of Panama's Luis Pineda.
The 33-year-old Frank fought unsuccessfully for the 154 lb title twice against Vernon Forrest.
The first fight was ruled a technical draw after the clash of heads in the third round which caused a cut. The second Forrest fight took about six to seven months later to come off at the Madison Square Garden, nearly two years between the two fights with Forrest gaining the title by a unanimous decision.
Frank told Chronicle Sport: "I am much stronger and am feeling good and I am back with the Don (King Promotions) - that's where the money is."
He said the other promoters only offer much talk and now that he was negotiating with Don King, after a few fights he expected to get another title crack. He is looking forward to a fight on January 30 as he works his way back to the top.
With a record of 25-4-1-1, Frank after the last Forrest fight, "was disappointed and so were the people around me".
He said his stakes went up after the Forrest fights as a lot of promoters called him enquiring about future fights including one for the Inter-Continental title in Russia, but he was taking his time in deciding on which fights would allow him to get another shot at the world title.
He said he was misled in the second fight with Forrest. When the 11th round approached, his corner told him he had to knockout Forrest to win. This was because before that, he said he was given the impression he was ahead on points. This confused him and he said he decided to protect himself going into round twelve.
Said he: "Up to this day I can't sit down and watch that fight out. Because I know I would have done much better, but it just did not come out that night.”
Of his four losses he says two were to Michael Benjamin but he actually only accepts the one loss to Forrest.
Frank said a lot of offers were made to him after the Forrest fight because his stakes went up being ranked Number One at the time, ahead of Forrest who was ranked number two, but the bout took long to materialise and this affected on his performance a second time.