Even though he was the WBO junior welterweight champion, the struggle to make 140 pounds was real for Maurice Hooker.
He would make weight but it wasn't easy for "Mighty Mo". While he was still retaining the championship, the difficulty was taking an effect on Hooker's performance. It finally got to him when he lost the belt to Jose Ramirez in July 2019 via sixth-round TKO.
Hooker (27-1-3, 18 KOs) returned for a catchweight bout in December 2019, dispatching Uriel Perez in the first round.
Now, Hooker finally makes his debut at welterweight, taking on rising Vergil Ortiz Jr. on Saturday night from the Dickies Arena in his native Fort Worth, Texas, live on DAZN.
Before making his first outing at 147 pounds, Hooker spoke to DAZN News about making the jump to welterweight, fighting at home, and explains why he didn't fight Regis Prograis.
(Editor's note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity.)
DAZN News: A lot of guys in big fights don't get to fight at home. Not only in this fight do you get the fight at home, but also Vergil gets the fight close to home. What does that mean to you to have a big-time fight in front of the hometown fans?
Maurice Hooker: I love it. I'm ready for the fans to cheer. I'm ready for the boos. I'm prepared. The camp is going good, and I'm just ready for the fight.
DN: 2020 was just not a great year for a lot of people. How would you characterize 2020 because there was the fight with Regis that everyone was geeked up about?
MH: It wasn't good for me fighting-wise. But I was with my coaches training and learning more. So I had a training camp three or four times last year. I learned a lot, and I'm ready to go. I didn't sit at home and get lazy. I was in camp learning and training.
DN: What was the most significant thing you learned about yourself as a fighter during this time off?
MH: With the new team, like what I can do more, what I can do to make myself a better fighter. I learned a lot, and I'm ready to show that this weekend.
DN: How's your energy at this point? I remember you cutting down the 140 and how much of a torture that was for you. How does this feel knowing when you get into Fort Worth, you're not going to have to sit there and struggle for a week, you're mainly going to be pretty good, leading up to weigh-ins on Friday?
MH: It's exciting. I'd be trying to make 140, and I'd sit and do interviews, and my mouth would be dry, and I was tired. I was just there because I had to be there. I feel like going to Dallas, I'll be excited to do the interviews. I'll be ready.
DN: You seem happier at 147 than you ever did at 140, and we've only been talking for four minutes.
MH: I'm very, very, very happy about making 147. I'm pumped. I've been pumped up because I'm the underdog. A lot are overlooking me in this fight. I'm pumped up. I've been training hard, and I'm ready to show everybody I'm still here, and I'm still a problem.
DN: What was your mind process like of wanting to jump right into the lion's den at welterweight?
MH: To be the best, you got to fight the best. I want to be the best at 147, so I want to fight the best. Vergil is young and up-and-coming. He's undefeated at 16-0 with 16 knockouts. He got a lot of buzz about him. He's got a lot of power. Why not fight him? Why should I go fight somebody else in a step-up fight? I'm ready for the best.
DN: When's the last time you were this excited for a fight?
MH: I guess going to fight (Terry) Flanagan. But I wasn't excited. I was just more pumped up. This fight, I'm more excited. I'm pumped up to get in the ring and show the fans what I'm made of.
DN: You think people wrote you off after the Ramirez fight?
MH: Oh yes. People wrote me off after that fight. You go back to the old days with Muhammad Ali, and all the greats lost a fight. Styles make fights. I'm happy people are writing me off like this. I'm still here, and I'm still that guy. I'm still a problem.
DN: What is the goal at welterweight? You have a big fight here with Vergil. If you do what you feel like you're going to do, it should lead to bigger and better things going forward. How soon do you think you're going to be fighting for a world championship?
MH: Hopefully, by the end of the year, beginning of next year. Just go ahead and handle business this week.
DN: A lot of people were looking forward to that fight with Regis Prograis. It fell through because of COVID, and then it was trying to get rescheduled, and it fell through again. We heard a couple of sides of what happened, but no one really ever heard your side of what exactly happened of why that fight didn't get remade. Why in your mind do you feel like that fight didn't get remade because it was a fight a lot of people were looking forward to?
MH: I couldn't come to make 140. I couldn't make 142, 143. I was ready to move on to 147. I reached out to him said, let's do 145. He said, 'Nah, 143, 144'.
I said, 'Why not 145? No titles on the line. We both ain't champions right now. Why not make it 145 and let's do it'? He didn't want to do 145. He wanted to do 143, 144: everything but that one extra pound. I got tired of it because I'm ready to fight. I had fought five, six undefeated guys on my record. So I'm ready to fight. People know I come to fight. I really do hope in the future that me and him fight.
DN: What's going to be the key to the fight with Vergil?
MH: I've just got to stay myself, stay focused and have fun with it. Everything should go my way. I'm bigger. I'm longer. I got more power. People forget that I have power too.
DN: When I look at this fight, I think the biggest key is the experience. You've been in these big fights. He's not been in that situation yet. Do you think experience is going to be in the grand scheme of things, the biggest key to the fight?
MH: Yes, I really do. I remember when I fought (Alex) Saucedo. I told myself, the first three, four rounds can be very tough because he's coming.
This fight with Vergil. For three or four rounds, he's coming. We all know that he's going to come in throwing those big shots and not going to set them up. Once I get through those rounds, it's going downhill from there.