Nicknamed "The Gladiator," John Molina Jr. is no stranger to making fan-friendly fights.
On Saturday, he'll have the opportunity to do it in front of many more fans on the inaugural card of powerful adviser Al Haymon's new "Premier Boxing Champions" series in prime time as part of boxing's return to network TV (NBC, 8:30 p.m. ET).
Molina (27-5, 22 KOs), 32, will meet former three-division titlist Adrien Broner (29-1, 22 KOs) in a 12-round junior welterweight co-main event. The card will be headlined by a 12-round welterweight bout between Keith Thurman and Robert Guerrero.
Despite entering the bout on a two-fight losing streak, Molina continues to gain fans and respect at equal rates thanks to the exciting nature of his performances. In April 2014, he was stopped in the 11th round by Lucas Matthysse in a bout that earned fight of the year honors from the Boxing Writers Association of America.
Something feels different about the way the PBC series has been marketed and the way the fighters are being portrayed. What does that mean to you?
I think it's great and people needed to see that we are actually humans, as well. Being a fighter is such a primal thing in a gladiator sport. I think it's great that people can actually relate to us and they are doing a real first-class job of going behind the scenes. What the casual fans don't see is that they only get to see what happens the night of the fight. They don't get to see behind closed doors and all the hats that are worn by the whole team to get this fighter prepared for battle.
You have raised your profile considerably over the past two years from being a lower-profile contender to a virtual action star. How calculated was your transformation?
Not so much a change in my mentality, but if you work at this long enough, eventually you are going to find your niche. With that being said, I fight with my heart, and I think that's why fans have gravitated towards me so much. Win, lose or draw, they can see that I fight because I'm a provider. I want to provide for my family. It's bigger than boxing and bigger than just a man-to-man competition. My whole life is solely based upon providing for my family, and boxing has provided that vehicle for me. So I definitely take it very serious because if you look around, jobs are hard to come by. The economy is not in the best shape. I have friends and family that are relatively close to my age, and I see the struggles that they go through every day. Well I'm in a position to have such a beautiful and successful career, and I don't ever want that to change. If I die tomorrow, as long as my family knows I was the best provider I could be, I can die a happy man.
In what ways was your dramatic 2013 victory over Mickey Bey a turning point in your career?
It definitely was given the fact that there's so much more into that story that the world doesn't know. I came off a loss in a fight I shouldn't have against Andrey Klimov, who is a respectable fighter. But he was a guy who was pretty much there for me to beat. I was the favorite by tenfold, but I didn't prepare well and the guy beat me. My back was against the wall. I walked into the office of my promoter at the time and said, "I need to show the world that this is not me. I need to show the world what I am all about. I don't care what you need to do. Just do what you do and get me a fight." I go home and talk to my wife and the three words a fighter never wants to hear is, "Get a job." That means you're not cutting the mustard in the business. Two days later, I get a phone call from my late promoter Dan Goossen, who says, "I've got Mickey Bey for you. But there's a catch, you've got 28 days to get ready." I looked at my wife and said, "The opportunity here is bigger than anything else. We need this fight. I need this fight." I didn't even ask the nuts and bolts of it, meaning the financial aspect of it. I'm not even going to tell you what I made for this fight because it's so embarrassing how minimal or little bit of money. But it was about the opportunity and the fact that it went down in such dramatic fashion. Had I knocked him out in one round, I still wouldn't have got the accolades I accomplished by knocking him out with 15 seconds left. With that being said, fighters fight, and I needed that fight for my career. But it definitely was a turning point.
Do you embrace the idea of being labeled as a "TV fighter" and all that comes with that?
I would be lying if I said I didn't. I enjoy it. I like to wear that hat and I wear that well. I love it. I get stopped by the fans in the street. To be recognized now for my hard work and what I've done, it feels great and motivates me so much more. It makes me train so much harder. For whatever reason, people actually relate to my boxing story and the way I fight to their everyday scenario. I know this because I receive fan mail saying that because of my fight I helped them push through a hard work week. That's great, and to be an inspiration to people means a lot to me.
What did you learn about yourself from proving you can compete against Matthysse?
Matthysse is a great fighter. It just solidified what I already knew, that I was a big puncher and that I had a hell of a chin. You have to remember that I started late in this game and had to learn on the job, so to speak. I didn't turn pro until I was 24 and only had 22 amateur fights. I was the kid who had to take the scenic route to get here. I wasn't supposed to get here. I was supposed to be a club fighter at best. But I guess so was Rocky. It definitely showed the world that I do belong at that level. Matthysse is no slouch, though I do feel that before him and I decide to hang up the gloves that the world deserves a rematch.
Would you agree that Broner was exposed by his 2013 loss to Marcos Maidana?
Yes and no. If he's smart and mature, he learned from that loss. If he's naive and ignorant, then maybe it did take a lot out of him. I don't know. I don't know him on a personal level. I think for him, it showed that he can be in there with a guy like Maidana, who I think is a hell of a guy. I know him personally and have been in camp with him before for eight months. He's a hell of a fighter. If anyone in the world was supposed to be a fighter, Maidana was. We shared some conversations together that really blew my mind. The guy is a real, real fighter.
Which parts of Broner's skill set are you most concerned with preparing for?
I think his hand speed is phenomenal. But I don't want to reveal too much of my cards and want to keep them close to my chest because the fight is around the corner. There's definitely a strategic game plan that we have worked on. We feel like we are going to be able to capitalize. But Broner is a talent, nonetheless. He has accomplished things that people can only dream of in this sport at such an early age, and it's my job to go in there and disrupt it to give him another loss.
In what ways have you improved inside the ring in recent years as you stepped up your level of competition?
I've learned to adapt my own style. It's very unorthodox and not your everyday style of jab, jab and right hand. My style is punches from different angles that you wouldn't see coming. I've learned to embrace and adapt to my style. What I do, I do well and it makes it tricky for anyone, even a guy who is used to a more sound fighter.
What kind of statement do you want to make about yourself to new fans of boxing on Saturday?
They are going to see that I am a warrior and a gladiator in that ring. I'm going to show them that, if you're going to spend your hard-earned money to see me fight, you're going to get a fight. I'm not going to go in there to dance around. I'm going in there to fight and make it a barn burner and an all-out war. And that's my game plan. I'm very passionate about what I do and very thankful for what I've accomplished and what I've gained from boxing. So I'll never disrespect it. I think this is why we are part of the inaugural show for NBC. We are going to show the casual fan what it means to be entertaining.
What would a victory over a true star in Broner do for your career?
Nothing but enhance it and blast you off into the stratosphere. If you take it back a little further, what did this win [over Broner] do for Maidana's career? Two back-to-back fights against the best in the sport of boxing. He's financially set for life from those fights. This fight can definitely catapult my career. Am I becoming more of a name? Yes. And more of a household name? Yes. But do I want to solidify my name? A win over Broner would do something like that.