Remillard’s new journey
started in Maryland and continues outside New England
April 8, 2009
MANCHESTER, Conn. (April 8, 2009) – WBC
Youth and USNBC featherweight champion Matt “Sharp Shooter” Remillard,
fighting for the first time as a pro outside of New England, enjoyed his
expanded base experience and used his Maryland fight as a barometer to
gauge his improvement in the past year.
The 22-yar-old Remillard (17-0, 9 KOs), fighting out of Manchester,
Connecticut, stopped 52-fight veteran and former world title challenger
Jesus Perez in three rounds at Michael’s Eight Avenue in Glen Burnie,
Maryland. Remillard floored Perez, who was unable to answer the bell for
the fourth round, in the second and twice in the third.
“It was a new experience and I was more relaxed, not feeling awkward
about the crowd or anything,” Matt spoke about fighting outside of New
England for the first time. “There was no pressure worrying about
satisfying my hometown fans. I was excited about making new fans. During
the walk to the ring with my music playing there was no real response
from the crowd, but they got excited during the fight and couldn’t have
been more responsive after the fight. It was an experience I was looking
forward to and I was very happy with the result.”
Remillard was coming off of arguably his most impressive win, by 6-round
decision against 3-time world champion (34-9-2) Maurico Pastrana, last
November. Ranked No. 23 by the WBC, as well as No. 4 by the USBA and
NABF, Remillard won a four-round decision to Perez August 21, 2008 at
Mohegan Sun.
“I beat Perez the first fight, too, but he made me look bad on ESPN,”
Remillard explained his thoughts about the rematch. “It was almost a
year earlier and I looked at it, at least on paper, as a sign of how
much I’ve improved in that time. I didn’t want to leave it in the
judges’ hands this fight.”
Remillard hopes to return to the ring in May, most likely in Reno or
Texas, and he’s embracing the opportunity to expand his base nationally.
“I’ve passed the point where I’m a club or hometown fighter,” he noted.
“Nobody’s going to say the judges or referee is on my side. I have to
fight on the road and would love to fight someday at Madison Square
Garden, where so many legends have fought, and in Las Vegas.
“I’m improving every fight, taking everything one fight at a time. By
the end of this year, hopefully, I’ll be in the top 20. I want to be
fighting on the networks to showcase myself and build my name to get
where I want to be – world champion!” Source/PR Bob
Trieger
