By James Blears

WBC lightweight champion Antonio DeMarco (27-2-1, 20KOs), is homing in on, and questioning just how his rival John Molina Jr. (24-1, 19KOs), is going to reach the weight for their fight on Saturday at the Oracle Arena, in Oakland, California. Molina has not made the lightweight limit since last May. He weighed a little over 138 for his last outing in June and a little over 137 for his outing in June 2011. The last time he made the lightweight limit was in May of 2011. 

Tony who himself isn’t tiny mused: “John Molina is very big for this division! I understand he’s had to sacrifice a lot to reach the required weight. I don’t know if this will be good or bad for him. But he’s a strong rival, and I’m prepared for a tough fight!

“John is a dangerous opponent and he throws a lot of punches. He comes forward and he’s a warrior. That’s why I’ve worked very hard with strength conditioning, and I’m now at my peak. I’ve matured as a person and I’ve matured as a fighter.”

In a conference call with the WBC, Tony laughed sardonically, when asked about what his day consisted of. He replied that it starts with a 5.30am run…or sometimes even earlier. Then after a rest andsome  breakfast, he goes to the gym at midday and stays until 6pm. Then home for an hour of rest, and back to the gym yet again, home by 9pm, dinner and bed. He does this a mere six days per week.

Asked if he was planning to KO John Molina, Tony deftly ducked away from boastfulness. He diplomatically replied: “I’m a respectful boxer. This is a profession of gentlemen. We bring everything to the ring. All I’ll say is that I’m fully prepared and I’m looking forward to giving the fans an excellent fight against a worthy and tough opponent.”