By Pattee Mak| June 24, 2012
On July 21, 2012 Joseph “Chip” Perez (8-1-0) will be fighting at Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, CT against an opponent yet to be determined. Promoting the show is CES/Classic Entertainment Sports. This will be his 10th professional fight.
Pattee Mak: Your opponent for your fight on the 12th is undetermined. Do you find it difficult to prepare for this fight without knowing whom your opponent will be?
Chip Perez: Not at all. We always prepare for the worse and I am always ready. It is good to know who the opponent is but either way, training is always very intense.
Pattee Mak: Who is currently training you?
Chip Perez: My head trainer is Ross Enimait.
Pattee Mak: Who will be working your corner on the 21st?
Chip Perez: My trainer Ross, my dad, Teddy Perez as the second in the corner and my cut-man Dave Tenny.
Pattee Mak: Back on 4-9-2011 you fought Esteban Nichol in Hartford at the CT Convention Center. You lost this fight by a disqualification. What happened in round 3 right before you were disqualified?
Chip Perez: Well I was clearly dictating the fight. I knew it was a matter of time before he was going down. I landed a clean over hand right and he had taken a knee before I landed a left hook right after it. It was not intentional. It was more just the heat of the moment kind of thing.
Pattee Mak: What do you think of the other super featherweights in your division?
Chip Perez: I don’t really think about them. I’m always just focused on what I/we need to do to better myself and the team. I only focus on the person they put in front of me come fight night.
Pattee Mak: Anyone you looking to fight in the near future?
Chip Perez: I’m not really one to call anyone out. They say you gotta beat the best to be the best so whoever people think is the best is who I would love to be in the ring with. I duck no one.
Pattee Mak: To date, what has been your toughest fight?
Chip Perez: They all had their challenges. Every fighter always brings something else to the table that we have to deal with. Regardless what they bring I always listen to my corner and so far we’ve always become victorious.
Pattee Mak: Your last 9 fights have been within 2 years. Do you normally take off time in between your fights to give your body a rest or do you continue training?
Chip Perez: Depending on how the fight went, we usually only take a few days off and then get right back to work.
Pattee Mak: On June 16, 2012 you were a special guest at a Punch-a-Thon at the Holyoke Boys Club in Holyoke, Massachusetts that was presented by Chris Medina. Tell me about what your role was in this event?
Chip Perez: Well the main idea was to support Chris Medina and the event he was hosting. Yes, I was considered a special guest but to me what was more special was being able to give back to the community that has supported me from day one.
Pattee Mak: You were born and raised in Holyoke, Massachusetts. Is there anything you would like to say to the future kids in Holyoke? After all the Holyoke Boys Club back in the day was boxing.
Chip Perez: Yes, I would like to say to everyone in Holyoke that there are many positive things in life that they can do. All they need is to stay focused and keep that determination to want to make it. It is very hard work and takes a lot of dedication but the prize in the end so much worth it.
Pattee Mak: Tell me about your amateur days of boxing in Holyoke.
Chip Perez: Well I started off fighting at 106 lbs. I was a little skinny kid with so much aggression and determination to win as many trophies as I can. Then I wanted to win the ‘Golden Gloves’. So determined to be a Golden Gloves Champion, I ended up winning 6 Western New England Golden Glove titles in a row.
Pattee Mak: At any type of boxing event I always see you with your father. You both must have a great relationship. Tell me about the role he plays in your boxing career.
Chip Perez: My dad has been there for me since day one. Through good days and bad days. He plays a major roll in my life/boxing career. He has been a father, a friend, a trainer, and a mentor to me my entire life. I am who I am today and he may not agree with me but I always say it is because of him. He never really wants to take any credit for me achieving the things that I have achieved in life so far but I give him all the credit in the world. I will be the first to say, I will NOT be who I am today if it wasn’t for my father.
Pattee Mak: Besides boxing what is it that Chip likes to do?
Chip Perez: I’m a very hard worker. I also like to play all sports and love spending time with my two beautiful kids.
Pattee Mak: Thank you so much for taking the time to speak with me and good luck with your fight. Should anyone have any comments or concerns feel free to comment below or locate me on facebook under Pattee Mak or follow me on Twitter @PatteeMak.
Chip Perez: Thank you so much Pattee. It was my pleasure. Anytime!!
As in September, I once again ran out of gas in the 10th & 11th championship rounds of October & November with this column, but I recovered to complete them and will unleash a few more flurries to close out the 12th and final round.
In the first week of October, Hassan N’Dam won a UD over Curtis Stevens in an eliminator for the right to challenge Jermaine Taylor who defeated aging Sam Soliman to regain the IBF Middleweight title. How Taylor even earned this title shot is another story altogether, but it is all irrelevant as he is now the champion. However he will not have too much time to savor his victory as he has assault and battery charges pending against him and an upcoming court fight that may turn out to be the toughest fight of his life, just when things started to look up for him in boxing, we wish him luck.
