WBA junior welterweight titlist, "Vicious" Vivian Harris, like many other fighters Boxingtalk.com has spoken with during these first few days of the new year, sees 2004 as his year. As you know, Harris was slated to fight Oktay Urkal on Jan. 10 in Germany, but an injury to his right hand thwarted those plans. Harris views the injury as a blessing in disguise, because it has enabled to him to spend a lot of time working on his left-hand, educating it to the point that "it's scary" said Harris. In this exclusive interview with Boxingtalk.com, Harris lets the world know that he wants to make his mandatory defense against Miguel Cotto next.
BT: What's new Vivian?
VH: I'm chilling man. I'm still in the gym just working; I'm coming off this therapy with my right hand. I think my hand will be 100% in the next few weeks.
BT: Your Jan 10th fight with Oktay Urkal was called off due to your hand injury, will you look to fight him sometime in 2004, or is Urkal completely off your radar.
VH: I definitely want to fight him, but not right now. I hurt my hand and I'm sorry about that. I was looking forward to defending my title, but right now it's closing in on my mandatory, so that's what I'm looking at right now. I want to make my mandatory fight and that's against Miguel Cotto. I definitely would prove something to the world in that fight.
BT: Cotto is your mandatory, you're Kostya Tszyu's mandatory, and Zab Judah seems to want to fight you. With that being said, does it surprise you that Oktay Urkal even came up?
VH: I was upset about that, it wasn't something that I wanted to take it was something that I had to take because I wasn't getting the fights I wanted. I decided to take that fight and I was going to go there and fight him, but things happen when you're in training. My focus right now is definitely my mandatory, and then after that I'm mandatory against the winner of Sharmba Mitchell and Kostya Tszyu
BT: So Cotto is definitely tops on your wish list right now?
VH: Yes. I was going to fight him after I beat Urkal anyway. Now that the Urkal fight didn't happen, I definitely want Cotto next. He's my mandatory, he's been my mandatory for six months now and it's just for him to step up to the plate to show the world what he has, and I'm definitely going to show the world what I have to. So, Cotto, let's get this fight on. A lot of his fans want to see this fight and all of my fans want to see this fight, so we just need to give the people what they want to see. You can't be the mandatory and not want to fight the champion, so Cotto, let's get it on, let's get it over with, because I got bigger things in store for me. I'm the mandatory for Tszyu and once I get rid of Cotto I could look towards the winner of Tszyu's fight with nothing on my plate.
BT: If your mandatory weren't a guy like Cotto who you could make some good money with, would you be so eager to make your mandatory defense?
VH: That has something to do with it. If my mandatory was a bum I would still want to fight that bum though, because after I take care of my mandatory I will be next for the undisputed title. Cotto is a guy they're building up, so beating him makes my fight for the titles much bigger.
BT: When is your mandatory with Cotto due?
VH: In April. So by late March or early April, or whenever they want to do it before that we could get it on, but if he doesn't want to fight he needs to get out of the way. But this is a big opportunity for him too, because I'm the mandatory for Tszyu and he needs to show the world that he's serious, so he needs to go ahead and take the fight.
But I want you put one thing in there for Cotto and the boxing fans to see. I guarantee you Miguel Cotto won't last six rounds with me.
BT: If Cotto doesn't step up to the plate to be enforced as your mandatory will you have your people request the WBA drop him from that mandatory position?
VH: Definitely! Because there's a lot of people who want to fight for the title, and if he's the mandatory he supposed to want to fight for the title. Ya feel me? If he doesn't want to fight he needs to be dropped and let someone who wants to fight for a world title step up to the plate.
BT: There's still a buzz for a fight with you and Zab Judah. Have you heard anything?
VH: I ain't heard nothing about it, but I'm here, I've been waiting here since July 12th, and I don't care what he has to say on a interview because all they do is talk on a interview, but when it comes down to it, they don't want to fight.
BT: Zab Judah said he'd fight you winner take all or fight you for nothing.
VH: That's what he'll say to you, but that's not what his people and them are saying. That's what he says to you, but that's not what he means in his heart. If he really wanted to fight me, we would've fought on that night when he knocked out that bum. Doesn't Don King get anything he wants? So if he wanted that fight we would have fought. I'm ready for Judah all they need to do is come correct. But Zab already knows that he doesn't want no part of Vivian Harris, and that's why that fight didn't happen.