Schedule - Past Results - MN Gyms - MN Boxers - Interviews - Forum - Links - Home - AmateurScene

Litzau vs Hilario: The Next Big Showdown?
By Jesse Kelley

Rivalries between Minnesota boxers are nothing new to this state. When two fighters of similar weight and skill come along it is only natural to wonder what the outcome will be if they were to meet in the ring. Throughout the past decades big fights have taken place between big names in the Minnesota boxing scene. What adds to these fights is when there is a genuine disliking shared among the fighters. The most recent example being the cross-town rivalry between Matt Vanda and Tony Bonsante.
With that fight having come and gone Minnesota boxing fans have been left wondering what the next Minnesota showdown will be and when it will happen. It looks like the wait to find out might not be too long.
Featherweights Allen Litzau and Wilton Hilario have made no effort to hide the fact that they dislike each other. The trash talking between the two began publicly last November at a press conference held in Minneapolis. Litzau took the opportunity to call out Hilario. Words were exchanged and an average press conference was turned into and exciting event. Hilario turned the tables last week at the latest press conference for the pairs upcoming fights at the Target Center on April 6th when he reportedly called out Litzau.
With the buzz of a showdown between the two starting to circulate, I decided to talk to both fighters to answer the question of whether or not we will be seeing them settle their differences in the ring. Here is what they had to say..

WILTON HILARIO...
(Wilton Hilario's manager and trainers Chuck and Pete Daskowitz also took place in the interview at the UpperCut gym in Minneapolis)

I am assuming you and Allen flipped opponents for your last fight because you both wanted to make a statement. Is that why the both of you fought the guy the other had fought in your previous fight?

Hilario: Actually, we asked to fight his opponent. We didn't know he was going to fight the guy I fought. It was kind of dumb on their part because I knew he wasn't going to stop him faster then I did. I was just thinking why would he do that? Why wouldn't he get a better opponent then that and try to do something good?
Chuck Daskowitz: I asked Tony Grygelko to get Allen's opponent. It took him six rounds to beat a 46 year old guy. Wilton is a big puncher so I wanted to prove he could take him out earlier.

It looked like you took your time with Perez in the first round but opened up big in the second round. Was that part of the plan? Feel him out in the first, take him out in the second?

Hilario: My plan was to go in there and stop him but I wanted to take my time. I really believe that I could have stopped him in the first round if I wanted to. I felt that I could have stopped him at anytime but I didn't want to make it look like I was rushing it. I knew the time would come because I felt he couldn't mess with me. He was doing some weird things in the first round trying to survive and I just kept telling myself to take my time and it will come.
C. Daskowitz: We had a plan going in. Wilton has a good eye for it. He said Chuck, those body shots don't always come. He said when I see it I will take it. I told him I would like to see him get him out in the first if he can but Perez is a survivor. He holds on and ties you up, he knows how to stall. I told him to stay away and watch his shots. It always takes Wilton a round to get going anyways. After the first round we told him that it was a 43 year old body and there is no way a 43 year old can take the body shots that he can deliver. I told him he was going to start breaking him down in the next round. Actually he knocked him down three times. They scored two of them as knockdowns but the other one they didn't score but I thought it was a knockdown! I thought it should have been stopped in the second round with the three knockdown rule but that is alright. When he was knocked out in the third round, he was hurt. I could see it in his eyes. He was out of it.
Hilario: He got up because I told him to! I saw it in his eyes that he wasn't going to get up. The only reason he got up is because I told him to. I was yelling to get up so I could give people a show.

So after the first knockdown that you scored could you feel he didn't want anymore at that point?

Hilario: Man I felt it before I dropped him. I thought "wow, he doesn't want to fight" but I didn't understand why because he went all six rounds with Allen. I felt he was fighting with him and then with me he was reacting every time I touched him. When I got him in the first, he didn't want anymore after that. He couldn't take my punches.

After Allen's fight that night, the two of you had to be separated when he was on his way back to the dressing rooms. There were words being exchanged. Can you talk about what happened?

C. Daskowitz: That was me... I wanted Wilton to challenge him. I had it worked out with the commission and it was going to be a gentlemanly thing. Wilton told me that he didn't want to do it because he would get too worked up. He had gotten him worked up at the last press conference and he said he might do something stupid in there. That's how much animosity there is between these two guys.
Hilario: In our first interview you asked me about him and I didn't want to say anything bad about him. I just wanted to leave it how it was. If we were really going to fight, then we can do the talking. Actually Pete (Daskowitz) brought me a sheet from MinnesotaBoxing.com that showed what he had said about me. He was talking about how he is from the ghetto and stuff. I mean come on, what kind of ghetto's are in Minnesota? I never saw a ghetto in Minnesota. I come from the ghetto. And you know, I wouldn't even want to say the word ghetto but I have seen where poor people live at. I've seen crazy people. He hasn't. I swear to god he doesn't know what a ghetto is. I grew up in the Dominican Republic. I'll personally take him there and show him what it really is. But I didn't want to get into the talking in the beginning because I didn't want to get people pissed off at me because I didn't know what was really going on. I showed him respect and didn't say anything bad about him. I don't have any respect for him anymore because he called me out. Why would he do that? Because people were talking? It's not my fault everybody is talking on the Internet!
Pete Daskowitz: He said that Wilton said he was the best featherweight in Minnesota. All Wilton said was that he is ready for anybody.
Hilario: I never said I was the best featherweight in Minnesota and stuff like that! All I said was that I would fight anybody they put in front of me.
Chuck Daskowitz: There's two things I want to make a point of here. The confrontation at ringside; I'm the one that started that. I went up to the announcer, Dan Cole, and I said "after this fight, could you just mention how many people would like to see an Allen Litzau/Wilton Hilario fight after that." The timing was perfect. He was on his way up to get his paycheck from John Beninati right at ringside, and after Dan Cole announced that, Allen was just getting out of the ring and coming around. Then I thought if Wilton didn't want to say anything, I would. So, I said to him "Allen, what took you so long?" He said "What do you mean?" I said, "You struggled for 6 rounds and never could get that guy out. Wilton got him out in one round. Then he popped off at me. I don't remember what he said. The only thing he could come back with was why would I want to fight you, I beat you in the amateurs. That was 4 years ago. Wilton's a completely changed fighter.

Hilario: I didn't know how to train back then. I was training 2 days a week. I was running only every other day, 2 or 3 miles. I didn't know how to train back then.

Chuck Daskowitz: He never had the balance back then, or the punching power. Before he was running around and wasting energy. He's settled down now. It's a whole different deal. He's got different trainers, a new style, and the pro record shows it.

Pete Daskowitz: The key word here is amateurs. That was the amateurs and this is the pros. No headgear and smaller gloves.

You talked a little before the interview about how Allen Litzau is not the only fight you are looking for...

Hilario (cutting in) We never thought about him like that. We were looking for other things like Telefetura and out of town stuff. That is how you make a name for yourself, by fighting out of Minnesota. Allen says he wants to be a world champion and doesn't need to fight me but why did he call me out then? He can't even beat the guys in his own state so how is he going to be a world champion?

That brings me to my last question. What is next for you guys?

Hilario: There are a few things we are working on. Right now I am just going to keep training and keep fighting. Im not thinking about anybody but the guy they put in front of me.

Pete Daskowitz: There is one thing I would like to add real quick. Allen Litzau keeps saying that he doesn't need to step down to Wilton but after their last fights Wilton moved past Allen in the Boxrec rankings. So if he thinks he needs to step down he is wrong. He needs to step up.

ALLEN LITZAU...
(Saint Paul fighter Antonio Johnson, who is a close from of Allen added to the interview which was held at a press conference announcing the April 25th card at the RiverCentre in Saint Paul.)

There is a lot of talk about you and Wilton Hilario fighting. As you know I recently spoke to Wilton and his team and most of the interview revolved around the two of you. Can you talk about your last two fights and also where a possible fight between the two of you stands?

Wilton who? Well you saw the way they fought Wilton and then the way they fought me. The punch that stopped Juan Polo Perez was nothing. The guy just quit. But when they fight a white boy they won't quit. They don't want to be shown up by a white boy. They have that pride, that Mexican pride. They were both of Spanish decent, Dominican Republic, all of that so they weren't going to lay down for me like they did for him. I couldn't ask for a better performance than what I gave because 9000 people got to see what I am about. Skill wise Wilton is nothing. He has a looping right hand but that is all he has. Like I said, Wilton who?

Like I told you earlier, they said that they heard you don't want to fight him anymore. What is your response to that?

No that isn't true. We were going to try to make it happen April 6th but Tony Grygelko said he was having Goosen-Tutor come to town. And you know what? I started thinking about things. John Beninati came up to me and said its like this; It is a risk and reward thing. What is my reward by fighting Wilton right now? Just like when I fought Darby Smart who is 8-0. I got nothing from that because he was a built up Minnesota fighter. Right now I get nothing from fighting Hilario. If people want to get the facts straight, I beat him twice in the amateurs, Antonio Johnson beat him, Jason beat him, he has never beaten any of us in the amateurs. He was never talking sh_t until I called him out but of course he wants to fight me and act tough but he is nothing to me. He is a nobody. I have a name, I am a somebody right now so of course he wants to fight me. Like I said, I am better off fighting an Elio Rojas who is like 17-0. At least if I beat him I gain something. But what do I get from beating Hilario right now? I get nothing just like what I got for beating Darby Smart. It's not about not wanting to fight him. But if I am am going to take a big fight there has to be something to gain when I win for my career. Like I said, Wilton who? Put that down, Wilton who?

Antonio Johnson: I want to comment on this. This is Antonio Johnson just for the record for all the people who want to pretend that I am not a Minnesota fighter. Check this out.. Wilton, what is he even trying to build his record off of Allen for? Build your record and do what you do. This is something you bring back like a Bonsante and Vanda. You don't fight each other so young in your careers.

Allen Litzau (cuts in) Because I would end his career before it even starts.

Antonio Johnson: Not only that but it doesn't prove anything. Yeah you beat me when we were young. When you are 20 fights down the road, 25 fights, that is when you are a veteran who knows what they are doing in this game. Right now we are all babies in this game so grow up a little bit in life and in the ring before you want to start fighting each other.

Allen Litzau: Lets also get the facts straight on a few other things. I sparred with him a year ago February and I beat his ass. I wooped his ass.

Antonio Johnson ( cutting in) It just sucks to have to undermine him because I like Wilton. He is a good fighter.

Allen Litzau: Yeah, he's not a bad fighter.

Antonio Johnson: I think he is good, I think he is exciting and he is another attraction for Minnesota boxing.

Litzau: He is not a bad fighter but what he is, is a Spanish fighter. And if you get a Spanish fighter with a good record those fans will come to watch you.

Johnson: And he's not just a Spanish fighter but he is a good Spanish fighter. There are a lot of Spanish fighters around here but he is good.

Litzau: Here is another thing, no, if you watch the Juan Polo Perez fight when he fought him and when I fought him, Perez only hit me twice when I fought him. If I hit Wilton like he hit Wilton, then he is going to go down. He has no defense. None. You have to call the facts, facts. I beat Wilton in the amateurs, I beat him up last February sparring and he never came back to spar me again. He is 7-0 and if he wants me to end his career now I will but what I think he should do is build up his record and make it as big as Vanda and Bonsante if he gets to that point. The fans know. They saw my skills and they saw his skills. They know who the better fighter is. I will beat Wilton on a bad day. You want me to predict the future? Because you know what? I am psychic. When Andre Ward fought Kenny Kost everybody counted Kenny out. But I said you know what? The pro game is different then the amateur game. If you get caught with those gloves you are going to get hurt. Wilton hasn't fought anybody yet who will hit him like I will hit him with those pro gloves. When I hit him he is going down and out for sure. Wilton hasn't fought anybody that has cracked him and I will crack him. When he stopped Elvis Martinez it was with a body shot. I could have easily hit him with a body shot and ended it but I didn't. I was trying to hit him in the chin and knock him out. I had fun in there. I wasn't trying to go to the body. I would rather go the rounds and have fun in there then go in there and knockout these bums like Wilton is doing. When Wilton fights somebody who doesn't even have to be a great fighter that takes him the distance he is probably going to get beat.
I don't know, I guess I don't want to say he is a bad fighter because he is not but he is not as good as he thinks.

So what you are saying is you want to wait for him to build his record up before you fight him?

It's not even that, but like Beninati said, don't let your pride get in the way of things. I have nothing to gain by fighting him just like with Darby Smart. I am better off fighting a guy who is 12-0 or an Elio Rojas on Espn. Something that will help my career.

Do you have any clue as to when you will be fighting again?

My plans are to hopefully fight April 6th at the Target Center and then April 25th at the RiverCentre. Rack up two wins and get to 14-2 by the end of April. God willing I don't hurt my hand or anything like that and just keep on going. That is why I say Wilton who. I am six to eight fights away from making some big money. I could use him as a win on my record right now but I do think he is a good fighter and if we build it up I think it could be a big fight. If he wants to get paid his little chump change to get beat by me right now then ok let's do it but if he wants to wait and get a little more money down the road we can do that too. If he even gets to that point. Who knows if he will. I predict that if we wait to fight he will already have at least one loss on his record if he ever steps up and fights somebody that can hit him back. He doesn't understand the philosophy of the pro game. If he gets hit by anybody decent like Juan Polo Perez hit him he will go down.