Undefeated middleweight contender, Luis Arias, is heading into the biggest fight of his career as he is set to face Daniel Jacobs on November 11th. The fight is being billed as a showcase bout for Jacobs, but Arias (18-0 9KO’s) sees the fight as his chance to get himself into title contention and a fight to make a name for himself.
I recently spoke to Luis Aris and I got his views on his upcoming bout with Jacobs. Arias speaks on his preparation for the fight and talks about what he thinks his strengths are against Jacobs. Luis also talks about the middleweight division and gives his thoughts on the recent Canelo-Golovkin bout. Additionally, Arias shares his views on Joshua vs. Wilder and Rigondeaux-Lomachenko. Here is what Luis Arias had to say.
Robert Brown: You have a fight coming up against Daniel Jacobs, how has preparation been for this camp?
Luis Arias: Training camp has been excellent, my weight is good and I’m in the best shape of my life. I’ve studied Danny and know how he fights, so I plan on making this a dogfight and putting the pressure on.
Robert Brown: What do you believe will be your strengths against Daniel Jacobs?
Luis Arias: I want a war. I want to duke it out with Danny in the middle of the ring. That’s where my strengths are, but I’m sure that Danny doesn’t want to have a slugfest. I feel like the fight will be tactical in the beginning until I catch him. When I catch him, that’s when the fight will change.
Robert Brown: What do you believe Daniel Jacobs brings to the table that you have to be concerned with?
Luis Arias: He is a good athlete, has good fundamentals and has a lot of experience, but personally, I think he’s overrated. If you look at his record, he hasn’t really beaten a quality opponent. He has shown flaws in his game and hasn’t taken advantage of his opportunities to cement himself as a household name in boxing.
Robert Brown: If you get past Daniel Jacobs, do you believe you’re entitled to a title shot? If so, which champion would you like to face?
Luis Arias: The main reason I took the fight was that it would be a world title eliminator and I want a crack at the world title sometime next year. Some fighters are blessed by timing to get a title shot, but most have to fight big names and climb the rankings. That’s the situation for me right now because Danny is a big name.
Robert Brown: Who do you think would win a rematch between Gennady Golovkin and Canelo Alvarez?
Luis Arias: It really depends on how soon the rematch takes place. If it happens sooner rather than later, I’m going with ‘GGG’ because of the size difference over Canelo. If it takes place later in 2018, I’d give the edge to Canelo because Golovkin would be slowing down after another year of action.
Robert Brown: What’s your thoughts on the possible mega bout between Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder? Who do you think would win?
Luis Arias: That would be a great fight and the heavyweight showdown we’ve all been waiting for in the boxing world. For that match-up, it comes down to the first person that lands that key punch and I’m going with Wilder. Everyone who Wilder has hit has gone down – matter of fact, some people that have gone down have been left shaking.
Robert Brown: The fight between Guillermo Regondeaux and Vasyl Lomachenko what are your thoughts on that fight and who do you think will prevail?
Luis Arias: I definitely have Rigondeaux winning that one – even though he’s smaller, he hits much harder. When Lomachenko knocks people out, he beats you up over the course of a few rounds. When Rigo delivers a punch, opponents go down and out.
Robert Brown: How do you feel about the depth in the middleweight division?
Luis Arias: The middleweight division is one of the hottest divisions in the sport of boxing right now alongside the welterweight and heavyweight divisions. I’m glad to be a part of it and I look forward to putting my stamp on the game.
Robert Brown: Where do you hope to be a year from now?
Luis Arias: I either want to be preparing for a title fight or celebrating my reign as the new world titleholder.
Robert Brown: What is your official prediction for your fight against Daniel Jacobs?
Luis Arias: It can be a short or long night for Jacobs, it just depends on how soon he gets it and how long he survives. I can tell you that I don’t plan on going twelve rounds.
Arias is going to be fish food for a shark. Jacobs and hbo know what this fight is and it’s a warm up bout
The middleweight division is pretty decent ATM. I think once Canelo fights Lemieux for the title and then fights Ggg AGAIN in the fall, we will have one champion.