Matt Vanda - Looking To Prove Himself Once Again
By Tim Hocking

Matt "The Predator" Vanda, 35-3 (21) wants a re-match with Tony Bonsante and he wants it bad. For someone who has been a fighter his whole life, Vanda sees the first fight against Bonsante as the measuring stick for his career and didn't like the result. "Tony kicked my as* fair and square. No doubt about it. Tony is the strongest fighter I've ever been in the ring with including the light-heavyweights I've sparred with down in Florida. That mother fuc*er was strong!" Matt said.
But the next fight will be different and Vanda is convinced of it. Because he is a fighter, who lives and dies by the sport, he doesn't see any other way to move forward with his career other than taking the road back through Bonsante. "A rematch with Bonsante would be a very dangerous fight. No doubt about it. But a lot of people have never felt what I've felt. I live for this. I live for this energy, for being on the big stage that we were on back in January, and I'm ready to do it again. I have to do it again to prove to myself that I can take care of Bonsante. As a man, I have no other choice. If I beat him, then maybe we do it for a third time. If he beats me, then he got me. He wins and I have to look for something else to do to support my family. But either way, as a man, I just have to get in there with him again. He's wanted to fight me for years and now I'm the one asking for a fight with him. For Minnesota boxing, we have to do it again. But first, make sure you understand that I'm completely focused on taking care of business on Friday night."
The business on Friday night that Vanda is talking about is a dangerous fighter in Alexis Division, 16-5 (12). Division came to the United States in August of 2005 from the Dominican Republic, on a 16 fight winning streak, after losing his first professional fight by KO. Division was facing a measuring stick of his own in the form of Larry Mosely on Showtime's Shobox. Unfortunately for Division he lost by 4th round TKO and followed that disappointing result with three more losses in less than a year. Now, Division is looking to get back in the win column at Vanda's expense on main supporting fight to Showtime's Shobox series from the Target Center in Minneapolis, MN.

Here is what Vanda had to say about his fight against Bonsante this past January, the upcoming fight against Division, and the prospect of a rematch with Bonsante this summer.

Matt, lets start by getting your perspective on your performance against Tony Bonsante in January.
It wasn't a good one. It wasn't good enough to win, obviously. He brought the fight to me. He obviously wanted to win more than me that night. I sure as hell wanted to win, but he just got the best of me. He was a lot stronger than I anticipated. He actually made me change a lot of stuff in my training for this fight. I'm looking to the future in getting a rematch with Tony. I've done a lot of weight training and I think if we get a rematch it will help me out a lot. I can't really emphasize how strong he was. I haven't been in the ring with anyone as strong as him and that's the honest to God's truth.

Speaking of Tony's strength, did you feel that it just weighed on you as the fight moved forward? Because you seemed to control the first round by boxing and keeping your distance but were unable to get off in there after that.

I really don't know. I haven't watched the fight. I think I just wanted to smash him. The fight started and I think I thought I was just going to outbox him and fight him from the outside and knock him out by boxing him. And the boxing part got away from me and I just got too far away from him to where I wasn't able to do what I should have done. Every time I tried to do something he just out fought me. It obviously wasn't the best move to make in trying to outbox him, I should have just fought him.

Did you lose focus from what you needed to accomplish in the ring with all of the trash talking that went on prior to the fight?
Maybe I just psyched myself out a little bit. I mean, I'm an as*hole, but I'm not that much of an as*hole. That's not really my style. I was just so angry, so angry for eight weeks. I wanted to just destroy him and I couldn't hold my anger back. Every night I was thinking about smashing him. Nothing worked out the way I wanted it to. I'm not taking anything away from him. He kicked my as* that night. But, you know, I don't even know how to answer this damn question. I just want to fight the mother fuc*er again. Now I'm getting pissed! I just want to fight him!

Matt, your critics would say that a rematch with Tony would deliver the same result, if not Tony knocking you out in the middle rounds. In your mind, how would a rematch against Tony be any different and why should Tony give you a rematch?
With the new training that I'm doing, the strength training with the personal trainer will allow me to be much stronger than I was in the first fight. When I stand there and slug with him he will feel it. If I just fight with him it will be a totally different fight. He took the fight to me after the first round, but he didn't knock me out so whatever. It is what it is.

How has your preparation gone for this fight?
You know, I obviously wasn't happy with the way the fight went with Bonsante so I started lifting weights to increase my strength. I got together with a personal trainer to give me new ideas and really started working my legs. I also really focused on my core, my back and stomach, just my whole body that has gotten stronger. I've never lifted weights in my entire career. So I feel great. Not a lot of heavy lifting, just things I should have been doing before. It's definitely benefited my body, no doubt, made me a stronger puncher, have stronger legs, and just a stronger fighter all together.

Tell us about your game plan versus Division and what do you know about him?
I know he throws a crazy overhand right and he's a long fighter and that's about all I know. So I'm just going to make it a dog fight. Get up in his face early. I'm going to come out fast and just make it a dog fight. I'm going to take him out early. No boxing, just slugging. I'm going back to the old Predator style which is just all as* kicking. I can bang all day. I'm in condition to do it. Throwing bombs early, first round. And then, end of story, partner!

Not that you are looking past Division, but if you had your way, where would you go from here, what would the rest of the year look like for you?
The rest of the year would look like hopefully a fight with Bonsante in June, not that I'm looking past this guy, but all I want to do is build up for a rematch with Bonsante. He's the only person I want to fight, no one else, just Bonsante. The fans in this state deserve to see us in there again.

You've been active with Seconds Out since the return of the Minnesota Boxing Commission; do you hope to continue this fight by fight relationship with Tony Grygelko?
Tony is a great promoter who has already done great things for both me and Minnesota boxing. He's bringing good shows here to the state and now with this show he's brought Showtime back here so he's good for the sport. Scott LeDoux has been a good commissioner and I'm just happy to be a part of the explosion again of boxing in Minnesota.

Matt, we talked a month or so ago about statements that were made by Chuck Horton, (from Horton's gym in Duluth, MN), stating his fighter Andy Kolle was ready for a fight with you right now. To some degree, the fight was discussed for April 6th, but never materialized. What are your thoughts about a fight against Kolle in the future?
They had their chance to fight me on April 6th and they turned it down. End of story. So I guess, hey, sometimes you only get one shot. That might be the only shot they get. So don't come knocking again. You already knocked. I answered. But they must have been playing ding dong ditch! They ran away, they had their chance.

Anything you would like to say in closing?
Trust me, Tim, when I tell you that The Predator is stronger than ever, it's the truth. I'm going to take care of business on Friday night in sensational fashion and then all of my effort will be focused on a rematch with Tony. I'm bringing the whole East Side with me and we are going to rock the house on April 6th!

Send questions or comments to Tim at timandanita17@yahoo.com