In the organizers’ predictions, the bout Amir Khan was about to fight on the evening of September 6, 2008, was expected to be little more than a routine fight, another small step for the talented English boxer of Pakistani descent toward a world title. This was likely the view of the spectators at the Manchester Arena, who were left stunned as they watched their favorite fall within less than a minute to the mysterious Breidis Prescott, who came from Colombia to disrupt the bookmakers’ odds with a shocking upset.
With a lean physique, lightning-fast arms, explosive blows like whips, and a spectacular style, Prescott seemed in that brief minute of combat to have everything it took to forge a brilliant career and make a mark on the boxing world. It didn’t turn out that way; in the years following that sensational and magnificent triumph, after some bitter defeats, the man who seemed poised to soar said goodbye to his dreams of glory, gradually transforming into a gatekeeper, a stepping stone for young, rising warriors.
A significant portion of the responsibility for Breidis Prescott’s failure to reach the world stage rests on those who managed him poorly during the crucial period of his career. With frequent journeys into enemy territory, opponents unsuitable for his style, and challenging fights accepted on short notice, the Colombian plunged into a negative spiral from which he could not re-emerge.
Nonetheless, the iconic and moving images of that young man with a radiant smile bouncing in the ring and swinging his arm in victory, in an arena silenced by shock as his team chased him to embrace and lift him in triumph, will forever remain in the memory of fans of this sport. Breidis Prescott kindly agreed to talk to us about his professional career.
When, on September 6, 2008, you went to England to face the already famous Amir Khan, only true boxing experts had heard of you, and many believed you were destined to lose. How much confidence did you have in yourself when you stepped into the ring that night? Were you convinced in your heart that you would bring home the victory?
When they told me about the match against Amir Khan, I was naturally training, but I wasn’t preparing for a specific fight. When they said, “You have a fight in England,” I asked, “What’s it about?” and they replied, “It’s about a big deal…” So I left, and when I arrived in England, I was surprised to see how important my opponent was. I didn’t even know who Amir Khan was, but upon arriving, I saw that everyone was talking about him, everywhere. At the airport, there was even a poster of Amir Khan! From the moment people started taking pictures with me, I told everyone I would win in the fourth round. By saying it repeatedly, I entered into this mentality and convinced myself that I would finish the fight in four rounds. Obviously, things don’t always go as expected, but I always stepped into the ring intending to fight and prove myself the best. Well, thank God, that night, I won!
Your first loss came by Split Decision against the Mexican Miguel Vazquez, a boxer with a very elusive and unique style, who narrowly won on points despite being knocked down in the first round. Do you believe the judges made the right decision that night, or do you feel you were unfairly penalized?
The match was actually very balanced. At the end, I thought they would raise my hand; after all, I was the favorite going in… But no. It was a tough blow for me, because the victory over Amir Khan had excited me a lot and made me known worldwide. Losing to Vazquez brought my morale to the ground.
Immediately after that setback, you went back to England to face Kevin Mitchell, another mobile and cautious boxer, a style that made it hard for you to fully express your strengths. In hindsight, do you think it was a mistake to accept that trip instead of fighting against an opponent more suited to your explosive power?
The match against Mitchell leads me to say that my promoters didn’t take much care of me. After beating Amir Khan, I thought I was on the right path to fighting for the world title: I was well-ranked in all the Organizations’ rankings, and then they started moving me from place to place. I was a boxer who accepted all fights, it didn’t matter to me if the bout was in my opponent’s home territory, so when they told me to go to England to face Mitchell, I didn’t hesitate. He was very quick and gave me a hard time. The guy was well-prepared, plus he gave me a headbutt that threw me off and made me less clear-headed for the rest of the fight.
If the verdict against Vazquez could have gone either way, the result of your fight in Northern Ireland against Paul McCloskey was widely seen as a serious injustice by most observers.
I think I was robbed in the fight against Paul McCloskey. Although McCloskey was a very difficult opponent, dodging many punches and having excellent upper body movement, I believe I won between eight and nine rounds. Yet, they gave the victory to him. This happened because my promoters pushed me to fight in foreign countries; I would have liked to fight in Miami, where I felt at home, but they preferred to send me on the road to take their cut from the earnings guaranteed by my opponents’ promoters.
Right after that highly questionable points defeat, you engaged in a thrilling fight against Mike Alvarado. In the first half, you delivered a prodigious performance, bringing your opponent to the brink of collapse, but gradually allowed him to come back until you ultimately fell. Were you in imperfect athletic condition that night, or did you simply use too much energy in the first part of the fight to make it to the end?
The defeat against Mike Alvarado was very painful for me. I had just come from the match against McCloskey in Northern Ireland, and after landing in the United States, I had come back here to Colombia and let myself go a bit. I’ll be honest: when they called me to say I had a fight scheduled against Mike Alvarado, I was with a friend and we were drinking beer. After I hung up, I said to him, “I can’t drink any more.” I packed my things, and the next day, I left for the United States. The whole world saw how much I hurt Alvarado in the first part of the fight. In fact, if the roles had been reversed and he had started the way I did, the referee would have stopped the fight in the fourth round. Then, from the seventh round, he started to recover, and I began to tire. Alvarado was very strong and had a lot of courage. In the end, the referee stopped me, but I think it was more due to exhaustion than to the punches I received.
The last question I’d like to ask you about your professional boxing career concerns Terence Crawford, whom you faced when he was still a prospect and who is now one of the top three P4P boxers in the world. After fighting him, did you expect him to reach such heights? Did you feel like you were fighting a future Hall of Famer?
Before facing Crawford, I was preparing to fight a Russian boxer whose name I can no longer remember. Six days before the fight, they called me to say I wouldn’t be fighting the Russian anymore, and I’d be facing Crawford instead. “Don’t worry, you’ll still win,” they told me. I accepted—I didn’t care. Crawford is naturally right-handed but often fights in a southpaw stance, and his movement is excellent. At the time, I didn’t think he would reach where he is now, but I realized he was a very smart, very tough boxer to face, fast… And when he stops to trade blows, you can definitely feel them.
Thank you very much for your time.
Thank you!