Andrew Kid Thunder Hartley Interview: I Will Beat Bryant Pappas on March 28 in West Virginia.
By Robert Brizel, Head RCM Boxing Correspondent
Two years after his boxing glove controversy with the New York State Athletic Commission, middleweight Bryant Pappas is back as a super middleweight. Fighting at 165 pounds, Pappas, 13-1, 13 knockouts, Yonkers, New York, will fight well-traveled 24 bout journeyman Andrew Hartley, 2-22 with one knockout, Fort Smith, Arkansas.
Hartley, best known as a welterweight, will be moving up in weight as both fighters attempt a comeback on March 28, 2013, at the Serbian American Cultural Center in Weirton, West Virginia in a four rounder. The main event on the card will feature heavyweight prospect Devin Vargas in a comeback against Jason Bergman. Hartley has made for crazy boxing headlines recently, due to his back and forth trash talk and call out of former world middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik, who he hopes to bring out of retirement in the near future to fight him in Australia in a bout already approved in Australia. According to Hartley, Pavlik will come out of retirement and wants the fight.
Real Combat Media: “Why is this an even match up?”
Andrew Hartley: “Neither one of us has fought in two years, and I have more fights than him, and I had better competition.”
Real Combat Media: “How much of a training camp have you had this time?”
Andrew Hartley: “I’ve been training for the last year. I’ve been sparring heavyweights.”
Real Combat Media: “When did you go up in weight, and why.”
Andrew Hartley: “I recently went up in weight. I was scheduled to fight Rufus Defibaugh, (who fought J’Leon Love in his debut), but he backed out.”
Real Combat Media: “Your pending fight with Kelly Pavlik might still happen.”
Andrew Hartley: “I also went up in weight due to a huge fight I was offered, but I wasn’t able to get my passport in time. I applied for it. I was going to fight Kelly ‘The Ghost’ Pavlik in Australia. If I get the passport, I’ll still do the fight! I’ll still beat him. I could beat him with one hand behind my back. He is an alcoholic with brain damage, he has seizures, he has a lot of brain damage. He has seizures but he was willing to fight me. Boy is he wrong. We had a lot of videos with me and him on Facebook. I made videos on him calling eachother out on Facebook, him and his people. We blew it up in Facebook, (and) it actually became ESPN headline news and on other boxing sites, you can actually Google it (the controversy).”
Real Combat Media: “Why do you think your fight with Bryant Pappas will go the distance?”
Andrew Hartley: “Because the old kid thunder won’t be in the ring anymore. It’ll be the new kid thunder. Pappas is still shook up a bit (from his last loss in 2012). He’s 10 years older than me, I’m 30 years old, and he is 40 years old. I’ll definitely beat him.”
Real Combat Media: “Has there been any callouts between you and Pappas?”
Andrew Hartley: “No. We’ve been trying to keep it under raps a little bit.”
Real CombatMedia: “How’s your training coming along?”
Andrew Hartley: “I’ve been training with MMA fighters. It’s actually coming along really good. I’ve learned a lot training at River Valley Fitness. Just MMA fighters in that gym. I’m the only boxer. I’ve been sparring a lot of the heavyweights in there. The MMA cardio training is a lot more intense than boxing cardio training. MMA does a lot more of pushing their weight off each other, as they are always on the ground. And you have to go a lot more time in the MMA rounds, like five minutes five minute rounds.”
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