Q&A: Perez discusses rough childhood, fight with Terry - Next

RingTV.com:   Are you seeing more of that power in your sparring?

EP: Actually, I am. I have been sparring with Michael Dallas, and I just wanted to give him a shout out. He's been coming hard and he looks great and I believe that he's going to do really well in his next fight.

He's been good for me, and we work good together. I just wanted to give him that for making me better. He's bigger than me, and he brings it. I believe that he's going to be coming hard for his next fight.

RingTV.com: How much of a mental adjustment is it to have to focus on Terry as opposed to a title fight with Broner since that opportunity fell through?

EP: You know, I would have loved to fight Adrien Broner. I was really looking forward to that fight. I was prepared for that fight. I think that it would be for a world title.

S--t, I wasn't losing. The only way that I was going to lose was to get knocked out. I was going to give it my all, but things happen. They wanted us to go to Cincinnati, his home town.

My promoters and my managers wanted it a different way. But you know, that's a fight that can be built upon. Let us both win titles and then we can come back and fight.

But s--t, I would love to have fought Adrien Broner. I think that it would really be an entertaining fight. I believe that it will eventually happen and that it will be a great fight when it does.

But my motivation hasn't changed. I'm not looking ahead of Ira Terry. He's in the way of where I want to be. I actually think that Ira Terry is a way to show that I can step it up.

RingTV.com: Do you feel that your knockout of Jimenez was a function of your being a boxer-puncher, or do you plan on sitting down on your punches more and demonstrating more of a finishing ability in fights to come, starting with Terry?

EP: You know, I'm just getting better. I'm getting stronger. My body is changing. I'm getting more of my man strength. I don't want to say that I'm not a man, but I'm definitely feeling stronger.

As tha continues to happen, I think that you will see more knockouts happening with me. I'm going to box, but I want to sit down on my punches more. I want to continue to show that. I want to show that I'm explosive.

I want to get more of those knockouts. I'm noticing that I can do more of that. I'm learning more and I'm more focused.

Lem Satterfield can be reached at lem.satterfield@gmail.com