In the other corner, Andre Purlette, of Miami, Florida, is a former NABO cruiserweight champion, who got started boxing, because he was tired of getting beat up for his lunch money back in his native Guyana. He is trained by James Ali Bashir. He has won his last fight consecutive fight, and sports a record of 40-2, with monstrous 35 knock outs to his credit. “I’ve known him a long time,” 9-time U.S. national amateur champion Williams noted. “We’ve sparred back in the day. He’s going to come to fight and it’s going to be a very interesting fight – youth versus a veteran.

http://www.eastsideboxing.com/news.php?p=15100&more=1

By Nathirah Beshier
CHRIS McGEE/ MIGHTYGLOVES.COM

Purlette and his trainer Bashir




Recently, I made a trip up to Caesars Pocono Resort at Brookdale in PA to talk with former IBF Cruiserweight champion Andre Purlette (AP) and International Boxing trainer James Ali Bashir (JAB). Here is what they had to say

1LB – Tell us a little bit about James Ali Bashir.

JAB – I’ve been training professional fighters for 33 years. I’ve had some success but none that would carry me across the most famous lines that would make me a household name amongst some of the trainers that are out there today.

But nonetheless I’ve been out there for 33 years training fighters and here I am today with Andre Purlette. And I might add one of the most note-worthy boxers I worked with.

1LB – So Andre that takes us to you, Tell us a little about Andre Purlette

AP – A little bit about Andre Purlette – yeah. Of course I’m from Guyana. I came here in ’95 to pursue my boxing career. I started in New York and then moved down to Florida. I actually got hooked up with Bashir while in Emanuel’s camp in Detroit, we hit it off and since then we’ve been together for about 4 years now. I’m pursuing my goal of becoming the Cruiserweight champion of the world.

1LB – What got you into boxing? How did it all get started for you?

AP – Just fighting to defend myself. I had to fight to keep my lunch money, just being beat up to much and I just got tired of it. So I started training.

1LB – What about you Bashir what got you into training?

JAB – I guess you could say that I was born to be in boxing, boxing is the only sport I’ve every participated in, the only sport that I love, in fact it’s the only work that I really do well. I was attracted to it at a young age I started boxing in 1959 in the city of Newark. I was born with impaired vision. So I could not pass the vision test. So after a brief amateur stint, I started working with some of the old trainers in the sport, guys like Carmine Gargano, Vinnie Williams, Lee Black, Leroy Swaine and the list goes on and on. It was at that point I strived to become a trainer and here I am.

1LB – Bashir, Andre mentioned that he meet you in Detroit at Emanuel’s gym…

JAB – yeah, about 4 or 5 years ago I was there training some of the guys at the Kronk gym in Detroit. Andre and I met at a fight, we were also staying in the same hotel, we began working together in the gym and from that point on we just keep doing it. We went through about 4 or 5 fights together and we’ve been doing it ever since.

1LB – Bashir you have a reputation of training good fighters, what did you see in Andre that made you decide to work with him.

JAB – His persistence his durability his laborious attitude towards the sport and his seriousness. He doesn’t deviate; he doesn’t duck out of hard training. Where a lot of guys make excuses for not training hard Andre makes excuses for training hard and that attracted me to him right away.

1LB – Andre there’s a lot of other trainers out there, why Bashir?

AP – His hard work. He works you very hard, he wants you to be successful not only in boxing but in life. Bashir pushes you to the highest level that he can get you to work.

1LB – Bashir how do you feel Andre fits in with the other cruiserweights in his division?

JAB - I think Andre is one of the more exciting guys in the division, number one because of his heart, number 2 because of his willingness to engage and number 3 because of his punching power. You know a lot of guys try to be safety first fighters, Andre is an entertaining fighter and Andre is willing to engage with anybody out there and anybody that engages with him, Andre stands a bigger chance of winning then he does losing, you know, that’s what it takes a throwback, his a throwback fighter.

1LB – Andre what was your best fight was in terms of your performance in that fight whether you won or lost?

AP – Castillo

1LB - I liked that one too! Why that fight?

AP – Because there was a lot of things, Bashir actually pointed it out to me, that I was doing that came subconsciously and without thinking I did it instinctively, without knowing, you know I was boxing and moving and hitting him until I got to the point that I wanted to slug it out with him, like I always do sometimes…

JAB – … and without any real experience in fighting a left handed fighter...

AP – …right

JAB – …he didn’t have any experience fighting southpaws. Castillo was a Cuban national who had an extensive amateur career and they put Andre in with this guy. Andre was dominating the fight up into the point of the stoppage so I don’t view it as a knockout. Andre ran out gas he exerted himself to early to much and ran out of gas and that’s why he lost to Castillo, Andre dominated the entire 6 or 7 rounds…

AP – 7

JAB – … seven rounds before the fight ended and it ended because he was fatigued.

AP – They actually threw me into that fight to see if I could survive. Basically if I could survive that one then you could move on and if you don’t we’ll flip the script on you.

1LB – so with that being said Andre, what type of boxer do you think you are?

AP – In my heart I like to fight more that I box, but I can box very well. I can box and that’s the thing with Bashir and I. We are working on getting back to boxing…boxing setting up everything else. I can box; I can box better than a lot of people know because all they do is see me fight. But that’s one of the things we are working on getting back to boxing and setting up the big punches.

1LB – Okay, so you guys are in the process of training now, are you training for any special fight or just working on techniques?

AP – Well we had a date set for October, but as we learn, in boxing things change so it might be pushed back for a later date. However, the point is we’re in training camp and that’s what’s really important…shaking the rust off, sparring, and getting the work in.

1LB – You have an impressive record of 40 – 2 – 35 KO’s. However, In your career you’ve experienced a couple of in active moments.

AP – yeah, a lot of inactive moments.

1LB- What do you contribute that to?

AP – I contribute that to bad management, just entirely too bad management. I lost a few years here and a few years there of my career which could have been occupied with doing something really constructive boxing. I damn near could have got a title or two already.

1LB – Do you think at this point with the division the way it is you would be a title holder or champion?

AP – yeah, I’m certain I’m certain I’d have a title or two too my name, if not for these set backs. I’ve already held a title.

1LB – Bashir do you think Andre deserves shot at the title and if he is do you think he’s ready?

JAB – Oh yeah! With a record of 40 and 2 with about 35 knockouts he is more than ready. Andre’s been ready ever since we’ve been together. It’s just that again the inactivity, the lack of desire and willingness on behalf of his management over those years that held him back. There is no doubt that he’s ready and prepared for a chance to fight for the title...

AP – …no consistency at all as far as management and when we do get an opportunity to fight for the title some of these guys choose not to fight me.

1LB – The cover story of this month’s magazine is “Who is Andre Purlette? Cruiserweights may not want to know!” Maybe they don’t want to know do you think the fighters in your division worry about you or your record.

AP – The record definitely has something to do with it but on the other end their champions. Champions should fight the best in the world to remain champions. I mean a challenge from a guy that’s in the top 10 or wherever. If you’re the champion you should defend the title against whoever comes to challenge you. I don’t see how these guys can say who they want to fight and say who they don’t want to fight; I guess that’s just how boxing is these days.

1LB – I think I remember you fighting as a heavyweight for some time.

AP – Yeah I had a brief stint at heavyweight, I had about 8 fights.

1LB – Ever considered going back to heavyweight?

AP – Totally no, no not really, I fought heavyweight for quite a few years, I did pretty good, very good actually I did better than I thought I would. But to go back to heavyweight at this point it would have to be something really lucrative and meaningful, then maybe I would take that chance of put my body back through the fatigue of putting on the weight.

1LB – I would like to see two fights in your future, one would be Purlette vs. Jean Marc Mormeck the other would be Purlette vs. O’neil Bell. What about you, who would you like to fight? Who would you want to fight next?

AP – I would like to fight either one of them but neither one of them wanted to see me. As for O’Neil Bell at one point he wanted me to come into his camp and work with him and then changed his mind. The same goes for Mormeck. I was in his camp twice, I know boxing and sparring are two different things but he never wanted to box with me in the ring or do anything else with me. So it seems like these guys are timid or tentative about getting in the ring with me.

1LB – Those two fights Bashir Mormeck or Bell vs. Purlette?

JAB – There good fights there action fights both guys are tough, there good fights for Andre, those are good TV fights those guys are good champions, those guys come to fight, they would be good fights.

AP – yeah they are good champions.

ILB - What would have to be done to make either one of those fights?

JAB – Well first Andre would have to crack the top 10 rankings currently he is not ranked by any of the organizations (not in the top ten). We just signed a promotional deal with Dibella Entertainment and we believe that he hold great promise for Andre’s career. We also squared a managerial contract with Hillard Edmonds of Newark. So with that combination we expect big things to happen in the next 6 months of Andre’s career. So look for those kinds of fights for Andre in the near future.

1LB – Do you have any fights coming up?

JAB – Well, we anticipated fighting in Hollywood Florida on the 30th of October but we were informed by Lou Dibella, that the fight was called off because of some negotiation problems. Now we are looking to fight in the 2nd or 3rd week of November. So it’s just a minor set back and we will just keep training and trying to get the rust off and be prepared for whatever they throw at us within the next two weeks.

1LB – Andre to the cruiserweights in the division, what’s you message to them?

AP – My message is “watch out” be very careful, you may think that you’re on the throne now, I’m still here.

1LB - Bashir what’s next for you.

JAB – Right now Andre is my biggest interest in boxing. My biggest interest and main interest in boxing right now is Andre Purette. Andre is so close to the door and he deserves a shot, he deserves a chance to show that he could be champion of the world. I have a vested interest in Andre that’s why I push him so hard to become champion. We’ve been through a lot of stuff, a lot of rigors, a lot of waiting and a lot of stop n go… it’s his time to become champion of the world. This is his time I don’t’ think Andre’s to old or to shop long to become champ. I think that he stands a great chance of wining it all. There hasn’t really been an exciting cruiserweight fighter around since Evander Holyfield, who dominated the cruiserweight division he beat every champion that was out there. Dwight Qawi, Carlos DeLeon, Ricky Parkey, Holyfield bet them all. Holyfield took them all on and beat them. Holyfield came in and he attracted people to the cruiserweight division and since he moved up to the heavyweight division there hasn’t been an exciting cruiserweight around that is willing to lay it on the line to establish and dominate the division. I believe that person has come back to the cruiserweight division, I believe that Andre Purlette is that guy, and that’s why we are here.

1LB - Andre, to your fans what would you like to tell them?

AP – I want them to know that I’m still here. I want to thank them for the support and within the next 6 to 8 months they can be looking for something special.

1LB – Andre and Bashir, last comments or any last statements.

JAB – Just look out for Andre Purlette in the future within the next 6 to 8 months we’re going to make some noise in the cruiserweight division and in boxing. We want to thank all of the fans out there that still remember who Andre Purlette is despite his inactivity and thanks for the support of 1Life Boxing and FightBeat.com. We hope that we all do good things down the road in the future.

1LB – Andre

AP – Thanks to 1Life Boxing for coming through with this interview and thanks to you and FightBeat for the support.

http://fightbeat.com/article_detail.php?AT=534

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Sunil,

ah didn't know Dre was ah boxer

quote:

Originally posted by raymond:
ah didn't know Dre was ah boxer

Didn't someone here mention that he used to steal his colleagues lunch?