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Cleotis Pendarvis: "I Got
Caught With My Hands Down"
By Barbara Pinnella
Less than two weeks ago, Cleotis “Mookie” Pendarvis faced
off against Dierry Jean in a fight he, like all fighters,
fully intended to win. But it was not to be, as Jean won by
TKO in the fourth round. I spoke with Mookie after that loss
to get his thoughts on what went wrong.
“I got caught of course, hands down. I got too comfortable
and I stopped focusing on his right hand. I was landing my
combinations pretty accurately. That cut that he got, they
said it was from a head butt, but I landed my left hand and
then we butted heads. Actually, I got the cut from that.
“But I got caught with my hands down. This is chess, not
checkers. At the end of the game he was applying the
pressure and I saw that I could take his punch straight up,
once I see it. I never saw the right hand coming, because I
started focusing on what I was gonna do to try to stop him
because of his cut.
“So I took away the real focus, which was to continue to box
and get the W and take it to the top. But at the same time I
saw the cut, and I was like, ‘Oh yeah, I need to try to get
him out of here,’ so I started planning it right then and
there. But while I’m thinking that, he just threw the right
hand. It was ridiculous, but he caught me!
“I just need to fight my fight,” he continued. “I don’t
throw 49 punches a round, I usually throw more. When you
become a professional fighter you pace yourself, but at the
same time you still have your own pace. I should have fought
a more up-tempo pace, it would have thrown him off.
Pendarvis was pleased with the way the fight had been going
up to that point. He felt the fight was going his way,
because Jean was starting to get worn out a little.
“I could see that he was getting tired,” Mookie said. But he
wasn’t. “I just naturally breathe with my mouth open; I have
since I was a kid. I heard the commentator say something
about that, but I just figured, ‘Ah, they just don’t know,
that’s alright.”
But he admitted that this fight was a big learning
experience for him. And even though he did not win, he did
impress some of those in the know. The IBF moved him up from
number seven in the ranking to number six in the junior
welterweight division.
“It wasn’t that I fought badly,” Mookie said, “I just got
caught. A lot of people still want to see what’s next. If
you’re a real boxing fan you understand what happens in the
game and how it goes, things of that nature. You understand
fighters get caught. A lot of greats got caught with good
punches.”
We spoke a little bit about how a fighter can be a role
model for the younger people who are watching them.
“Floyd Mayweather, he did some things in the past about
money; that was ridiculous. But he doesn’t’ even act like
that any more. Then you hear about Adrien Broner doing the
same thing. Its like, ‘Oh man, be your own man. Have your
own image.’ He’s trying to imitate Mayweather. We’re trying
to send a message to the younger generation. That’s the
wrong message. Stay humble. Broner’s losing a lot of
people’s respect.”
Then the talk went back to the fight.
“You know, I took a fall but I’m definitely coming back with
a vengeance. I won’t call it a comeback, you just watch.
That was just four rounds and people still want to see more
for a reason. I got up. I didn’t stay down, and I got hit
with a hell of a punch. Somebody else might have gone to
sleep.
“The referee stopped the fight. I was like, ‘it’s alright,
let me fight!’ But that’s just the attitude of a warrior. He
did his part and he has to do what he has to do. But I’m
still number six in the world; I’m still right there.
Mookie is looking to fight again in July, possibly on the
19th.
“Hopefully it all comes together. But I just want to say
thanks to all the fans for the love and support they show
me. Even after the fight people still said nice things to
me. That’s what gives me the drive to get right back in the
gym and be ready. I want to let everybody know; don’t ever
give up on your dream. As long as you’re able to wake up in
the morning, never give up.”
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