By Pattee Mak – January 20, 2013
Alonzo “Big Zo” Butler (28-2-1, 21 KOs) from Tennessee is one of the participants in the Great American Heavyweight Box-Off. In the quarterfinals the winners will receive $25,000.00 and the losers $15,000.00. In the semifinals, $50,000.00 to the winner and $25,000.00 to the loser and leading up to the championship, the winner will earn $250,000.00 and $50,000.00 going to the runner up. There will also be a charitable contribution made by the winner. I wanted to get more details about the rules, venues etc etc so Butler came to my rescue.
Pattee Mak:Congratulations on being named one of the seven participants in the upcoming Great American Heavyweight Box-off. Before we get into the details when were you first contacted about the Box-Off?
Butler: I was contacted four months ago through my coach.
Pattee Mak: Is it true that $25,000.00 of the champion’s purse will be donated to the winner’s choice of charity?
Butler: Yes this is true.
Pattee Mak: Who’s your choice of charity?
Butler: Teddy Atlas Foundation. I don’t know much about them but I’m gonna give it to them and Scare Crow Foundation, to feed the hungry. I’d split the donation 50/50 between them both. It’s big down here. They feed the people that need to be feed.
Pattee Mak: Who decided on the charitable contribution?
Butler: It was the promoter.
Pattee Mak: How long will this tournament be held for?
Butler: April it should start and two months after each fight so I would think through the summer.
Pattee Mak: Is there a venue yet for the first fight?
Butler: I don’t know about the venue yet. They are still selling the fight. I don’t know much about the venues. I just know I’ll be fighting.
Pattee Mak: Are there any funky rules you need to follow?
Butler: I signed the contact. The winner will try and get a fight at the Klitschkos’. I can’t fight outside the contact until it’s over.
Pattee Mak: So they are hoping to set up a fight with the Klitschkos’ but nothing in writing yet?
Butler: That is what they are hoping, a shot at the klitschkos’. I want a shot at them. If I have to fight Jonathan Banks, that’s what I’ll do.
Pattee Mak: What message do you want to send to the Klitschkos’?
Butler: Fight someone tough. Stop hiding. Come oversees and fight someone in the states and you’ll be getting a** kicking. They aren’t tough enough to fight over here.
Pattee Mak: So the timeline between fights are every two months?
Butler: Yes. That gives us time to prepare for the next opponent.
Pattee Mak: Will any of the fights be shown on TV?
Butler: All the fights will be shown on TV.
Pattee Mak: Well I’ll be routing for you.
Butler. I’m an action packed fighter.
Pattee Mak: Last week at the press conference at Gleason’s Gym they didn’t name the other two remaining challengers and a reserve. Do you know if the other three have been decided?
Butler: No not the other three, just the ones that were there. I don’t know who else they have coming in. It doesn’t matter to me. I’m there to win. They have me and Jason picked to go to the final. I’m ready to kick some bad a**. I’m ready for the $250,000.00.
Pattee Mak: So hypothetically speaking, if the Klitschkos’ camp contacted you for a heavyweight fight, would have to turn it down or would it all depend on the purse?
Butler: I would definitely accept the fight especially if it was more than the $250,000.00.
Pattee Mak: You and Vargas haven’t fought since 2011. Martz fought all of his seven professional fights during the year 2012 and he seemed the busiest in 2012 in the ring. Do you think the other fighters will have an advantage over you?
Butler: No not really. I fought Walker and beat him. I knocked Walker down four times and the judges scored it for him by majority decision. That was coming off a two year lay off. I fought with a detached rib. Lost by 3, 4 points. When I have just the right sparring, I can do what I want to do.
Pattee Mak: Why haven’t you fought since 2011.
Butler: No one really wanted to fight me. Chris Arreola (35-2-0) I got turned down. Then they said they’d fight me in Mexico but I didn’t want to do it there. I’m not a looser I’m a winner. Bring it to my hometown and I want to win those fights. Walker, I know I won that fight.
Pattee Mak: I know you have not fought any of the other participants in the pro’s but what about the amateurs?
Butler: I never fought them in the amateurs. I turned pro and everyone else was still in the amateurs. Jason and I are cool. I meet him in Vegas. Only reason I lost against Friday [Ahunanya] two years out of ring, my timing was off but all good. Ya only got to beet me.
Pattee Mak: Have you been studying your opponents?
Butler: Na, I don’t like to study them. I might look at a little bit of tape. They change their game plan. They know I’m powerful. They don’t think I can box. Some people like to run. People don’t like to go toe to toe with me. I just look to the bang.
Pattee Mak: What do you want to say to your opponents?
Butler: I’m not no trash talker. Good luck. They are gonna fight their hardest. Everybody in the tournament you’ll be a household name. God bless everybody.
Pattee Mak: So I’m sure in your mind you are already the champ. What are you going to do with the money if you win? Of course lol you can always give it to me…
Butler: LOL. I’m gonna be looking outside while looking in. I sparred with some good people. I learned the game and don’t understand how they blow so much money. Money will speak for itself. I’m just gonna advance it with boxing promotions. I want to do some small shows. Give it back.
Pattee Mak: Thank you so much for taking the time to speak with me. Good luck in the tournament. I’m looking forward to seeing you back in the ring. A special thanks goes out to another heavyweight, Joseph Rabotte for making this interview possible.
Butler:
Currently the other fighters scheduled to participate are 2004 U.S. Olympian Jason “Big Six” Estrada (20-4, 6 KOs), of Providence (RI), Devan Vargas (18-2, 7 KOs), Joey “Minnesota Ice” Abell (28-6, 27 KOs), Emmanuel Nwodo (24-5, 20 KOs), fighting out of Baltimore (Maryland) and “The Mountain” Daniel Martz (7-0, 6 KOs) of West Virginia. All bouts and fighters are subject to change.
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.
