 It's time to talk more boxing here on Highland Sports and this week I'm delighted to say we've got Jason quickly join us Jason, how are you? That's bad Ashin, how's the formula? I'm not too bad, you're an excited man so I'm sure you're getting back into the ring on May 29th, you've waited a long time for this, was it 16 months is it, 17 months since your last fight and I'm sure you're eager to get back at it? Yeah without a doubt Ashin, this is what I do and I haven't been able to do it for a long time but we can understand the situation that the world has been in, it's not just something that has happened me or that has happened Ireland or the county, this is something that the whole world has been through so that made it a wee bit easier to take but enough's enough now I'm ready to get back in the ring and get back to what I love to do. Yeah a lot of media this week Jason around the fight and it was interesting to hear Andy Lee saying that this is a second career for you, does it feel like that? Yeah without a doubt, I just feel as if I'm a much more matured person now and say that I'm outside of boxing in terms of the way that I look at the sport, the way that I look at fights, the way that I approach fights, the way that I am in the actual ring as well, being more present, being more mindful in there and yeah it's an exciting time for me, there's a lot of fighters come away and say this is the new version of me, like this isn't a new version of me, this is just a tweaked version of me with a few small changes mentally, a few small changes technique-wise and physically so yeah I'm really excited and looking forward to it now come May 29th. How long did it take yourself and Andy Lee to figure out what was actually needed to be tweaked Jason to bring you on and become an improved version of yourself? Well Andy is very knowledgeable, has a massive IQ in boxing and you know Andy would have seen stuff right away that he would have seen just when he wasn't even my coach you know as a fighter watching the fights and then obviously as we as we work together in the gym the more sessions that we've done the more we've got to tweak on things make things better and it's not been like you know you're not going to see Jesus quickly he's completely different fighter like you know there's there's just small changes that is going to improve my game improve my performances and yeah like it it was a matter of you know the whole time that I've been with Andy it had like it didn't just end up being two months of training and being like right that's it we have it you know it was a matter of weeks and months and a year gonna now to you know nearly two years working together and every session that we do we're improving we're working on things and we're we're trying to be that one percent better every day. Yeah and I was speaking to you previously when you when you entered the professional ranks that you were comfortable with the step up under the pro ranks and just to be fair there probably was a lot of expectation on you then yes you have suffered your first defeat since then and you lost that North American belt that you had but do you feel more sort of comfortable in this environment now since you've joined up with Andy? Yeah like I'm I'm in an environment now that's that worked for me whenever I was in amateur as well at training in Dublin with Irish high performance team I was able to go home most weekends I was really enjoying what I was doing and that's the type of person that I am I'm not a I'm not a person that needs to go away into training camp to to stay away from partying and drinking and eating bad foods you know I love a pretty clean life outside of boxing as it is and I'm a very disciplined hard worker focused determined on becoming the best that I can anyway so you know that has worked perfect for me and the relationship that I have with Andy like it's just a matter of four or five different things all coming together like you can't just turn around and pick one thing and say that's what the change was there's a mixture of four or five different things that have all blended together and made this made this a very very good situation now that I'm in. Yeah you had an interest in training camp as well didn't you for a couple of weeks you were over at Tyson Fury's Jim and you were along with Joseph Parker who was fighting there was prepping for the Josora fight so what was that like and what did you take out of it Jason? It's been great you know it really has you know Joseph has recently joined the stable now with Andy and he's been an unbelievable addition you know Joseph is a big big mass of heavyweight from New Zealand but an absolute gentleman so is and me and Joseph hit it off right away and you know definitely think that this friendship between me and Joseph is going to go way beyond boxing as well and you know it's great to be he was a former world champion like he's been to the top and he is a former world champion he's been to the top like I'm surrounding myself with people that have been where I want to get to and you know that's that's what you have to do in life you have to surround yourself with good positive people that can help you get to where you want to get to and that can can assist you in that in that process as well and that's exactly the camp that I have around me and I'm absolutely delighted was it? Next up you is of course in Las Vegas Shane Mosley Jr this fight has been seen as an important fight for both of you guys if you are going to continue to move on up the ladder in your career is that a fair enough assessment is it Jason? Yeah of course you know every fight as a professional fighter is a very important fight you know you can't really afford any backward steps in boxing because it's not really just one backward step it can knock you back a few it's hard to get back into the positions that you wear then again so you know every fight is a is a massive fight and this one now especially for me you know I'm really excited for it it's a it's on a massive stage the MGA or the Mandalay Bay Las Vegas on a massive card two world title fights on the card then I'm the next fight on for that for the the WBO version of the middleweight title you know so this is a very exciting fight really looking forward to it and yes it's a very important one also. How do you keep yourself grounded because at times the big lights of Vegas can be a distraction for a sportsman who goes to that sort of area of of of America which is huge for sports and particularly a boxer Jason? Well that's one thing that I was very lucky to have come across all this in my professional career already you know I've had me pro debut in the MGM Grand on the Canelo Lara world title fight I've had all the media workouts the press conferences the grand arrivals and limousines I have been through it all and I know what to expect and these are things that I have turned around and says that whenever my time comes and whenever the big mass of bright lights are on me this is where I'm going to be able to walk in cool cam collected with a tunnel vision remained on the game and not get distracted by everything that's going on around me and this is exactly know the position that I'm in and it's up to me to use that experience that I've had throughout my career and put it all into play now come fight week. What are you expecting from Shane Mazda Jr to bring to the to the ring Jason? You got a fighter look to be honest look Shane's he's a great fighter he comes from a very good pedigree as anybody that knows boxing knows his father was an absolute legend of the sport but you know Shane is a great fighter but you know to be honest I have watched some video tapes I've looked at what he's good at I've looked at what he's not good at how can I exploit him how can I counteract what he is good at and you know I have done my homework on him and it's time now to just start concentrating on myself getting in there being the best version of me doing what I want to do and doing my game plan to 110 percent and let him worry about what I have to take to the table yeah you you sparred with him before didn't you? I did yeah probably five six years ago whenever I was first over in LA I sparred him and his father all in the one day and look to be honest I can't really remember sparring him because I was that focused on sparring the father and I really enjoyed it and it was a great experience and you know me and Shane kept in touch for a while after it and obviously I moved back home and everything the guy there and you know boxing as a gentleman sport and there's not too many times you'll get real ejits or real disrespectful fighters there there's obviously a couple in the sport but you know there's a lot of respect between fighters but come fight night that'll all be pushed to the one side we'll be getting in there taking care of business and then we can shake hands then after and have a nice chat about that spar to see if we remember much Jason you don't seem at all under any sort of pressure come under this one by the way you're talking look I mean I know I know the stage I'm at my career I know what this means to me I know what I have to do whenever I get into the ring and I think that's probably one of the best things that I've that has ever happened to me and my career is you know really zoning in and focusing on me not what everyone else is saying not all the comments from everyone else positive and negative and that was something that probably got to me a little bit before the whole fact of when's Jason quickly going to become world champion it was a matter of when not hopefully well or jeez be great to see quickly go and become a world champion it was when and I kind of got into that bubble of it was like a race like jeez a better hard help now and become a world champion whereas now not that I don't care what people say but you know I'm more concentrated on myself I'm more tunnel vision I'm more focused on becoming the best version I can possibly be and just concentrating on that and once I've started to do that you know the pressure has been coming off I have been a lot more relaxed I've been a lot more calm cool collected because I know everything I'm doing is 110 percent and you know I'm going to get in there and give it my absolute all and my plan is to come away a champion that night and push on the even bigger and better things yeah it's interesting to hear you talk like that Jason because in the middle of everything golden boy decided to throw what could have been a possible world title shot in the mix when they mentioned Canelo so what you're doing is you're getting used to your new self and and focusing on yourself and obviously world championships again has been mentioned so it's sort of swaying back and forth all the time yeah that's the thing like in life we all go through highs and lows and I think the key thing is not to not to live too long in your highs and not to live too long in your lows you know just kind of be grounded in everything that you do take everything at a day at a time because there's a great saying from Brandon Engel be nice to everyone on your way up because you're going to meet them on the way back down it's a it's a circle of life you know what I mean and that that's just the way that the things roll you have to you have to keep yourself at a balance you know not to not to get too hyped up and all the happy great things because life or your career or your sport or whatever it is you do isn't always going to be hitting the absolute highs and isn't always going to be happy but you know if you can if you can keep yourself at a at a certain level and at a certain emotion throughout your things not get too excited not get too upset and I think that for me in a way that's what I find the most happiness and the most contentness at but there's an end game as well isn't there just that you have to dream of it too don't you and I talked to you before about Purple G was a man that that you would like to get in the in the ring with him possibly take a strap off at some stage in a new career if that was to ever happen yeah like without a doubt you know these are all things that I have in my in my goals in my ambitions in my career like you know what I have set out for myself but you know I can't live on on waiting for a GGG fight or waiting for a Canelo fight like there's so much like there's so much shit that can happen if you use my language like between things that you just have to kind of concentrate on on on yourself and concentrate on getting up every day being the best version that you can be giving it your absolute all and letting everything else fall into place for you because you know we can chase the triple g fight we can chase the Canelo fight but who's to turn around and say we'll put everything into that basket and it might end up Canelo gets injured I get injured things don't work out the way that they're supposed to work out but you know if you keep being the best that you possibly can be keep working towards everything that that you want in your life then things will start coming to you a lot smoother a lot better and without that without that perception of always waiting on it or expecting it to happen and being like if this happens this is going to be brilliant this is going to be great be brilliant be great now in the moment that you're in yeah okay well tell you what you be great against Shane Mosley Jr in the 29th and we'll take it from there Jason Quigley listen there's always it's it's good to talk to and you could get a strap as well couldn't you there's a belt and offer an NAB all middleware titles so it's not bad walking down the strip in Las Vegas with a belt around your shoulder I'm not going to take any belts with me for my trousers because whenever I'm walking down the strip I'm going to need that belt alright good man just a listen the best I look in the next one we'll talk to you thanks for having me on she cheers