Jesus Soto-Karass To Mike Jones: I'm Going To Whip Your (Butt)

LAS VEGAS -- In Saturday night's Top Rank Promotions, HBO televised welterweight (147 pounds) rematch at the Mandalay Bay Hotel, Jesus Soto-Karass (pictured above, at left), of Mexico, will try to avenge November's disputed unanimous decision loss to unbeaten Philadelphia prospect, Mike Jones (pictured above, at right).

The 27-year-old Jones (23-0, 18 knockouts) was declared the winner against the 28-year-old Soto-Karass (24-5-3, 16 KOs) following their first match up at the Dallas Cowboys Stadium, that, being on the under card of an HBO pay per view televised unanimous decision win by eight-division king and WBO welterweight titlist Manny Pacquiao (53-2-1, 38 KOs) over ex-champion Antonio Margarito (38-7, 27 KOs) for the WBC's vacant junior middleweight (154 pounds) belt.

Soto-Karass absorbed more than 50 punches during a second-round in which he appeared to be nearly knocked out by Jones, who was physically gassed and out of energy throughout much of the bout's remainder.

Overall, "Mike Jones threw 116 punches in that second round, including 90 power punches," according to ringside CompuBox statistics provided by HBO's the senior vice president of sports programming, Kery Davis.

Jones-Soto-Karass II takes place on the under card of a bantamweight (118 pounds) main event featuring former WBA interim super flyweight (115 pounds) titlist Nonito Donaire (25-1, 17 KOs) against WBO and WBC king Fernando Montiel (44-2-2, 34 KOs) of Mexico.

In this Q&A, Soto-Karass spoke to FanHouse concerning his shot at redemption.

FanHouse: What is your reaction to the fact that Mike Jones says that you never truly hurt him?

Jesus Soto-Karass: Well, if I didn't hurt him the last time, then I surely will this time. Because, this time, I'm going to knock him out.

How were you able to withstand the ferocity of Mike Jones' attack and to survive that second round?

Just like Mike Jones says that I never hurt him, Mike Jones never hurt me. If I didn't hurt him with all of my punches, well, you know, he didn't hurt me with all of his punches.

He was just very, very fast with his punches and he did not hurt me. He just threw a lot of punches and I was just backing up and waiting for him to lose his energy.

So you never felt the power of the punches that Mike Jones was hitting you with?

Not in the second round. Not one punch at all.

Did Mike Jones ever hurt you in the fight?

He did in the first round. I got hurt in the first round. It was a left hook to the temple. Right after the bell rang, he caught me with a left hook to the temple.

But really, that was the only punch of the fight that he ever hurt me with.

Does you believe that it is a testament to Mike Jones that you were not able to knock out Mike Jones, or was it something that you did not do to finish him off?

The same thing that Mike says. I was not prepared to knock out Mike Jones. But it happens. Just like Mike was not able to knock me out, I was unable to knock him out.

But this time, we trained to knock him out.

If I'm Mike Jones, what do you tell me about the fight that I'm in for against you on Saturday night? (At this point, Jesus Soto-Karass removes his dark shades, moves menacingly within an inch of the interviewer's face, and begins to speak).

Mike Jones, you just don't know what you've gotten yourself into. I'm going to whip your a**.