Day Of The Fight

SI Staff | Jun 5, 2012

Day Of The Fight /

Day Of The Fight

Waking up

Peter Quillin, the 27-year-old middleweight contender known as "Kid Chocolate," allowed SI.com to follow him throughout the day of Saturday's fight with Winky Wright, which began with a 9:30 a.m. wake-up call at the Torrance Marriott near South Bay in Los Angeles. The result is an intimate look at a day in the life of a prizefighter -- and a worm's-eye view of the sweet science circa 2012. Click the play button underneath each caption to hear Quillin's reflections in his own words.

Breakfast

Quillin enjoys coffee with a breakfast of eggs over easy, sausage, potatoes, and a glass of cranberry and orange juice mixed together. The fight is nine hours away.

Pet shop visit

Quillin passes time in the afternoon by visiting a pet store in Santa Monica. A lifelong animal-lover, he owns a Jack Russell named Rambo and an African parrot named Frankie.

Dentist visit

Earlier in the day, Quillin noticed his mouthpiece was cutting the inside of his jaw. When he spotted a dentist's office along the highway in Torrance during the drive back from the pet store, he asked to pull over. It took 15 minutes for the dentist to examine him and trim the mouthguard.

Organizing the tickets

Back at the hotel, Quillin organizes the tickets for 15 friends and family members. He is comped a given amount by the promoter, but has to pay for the rest himself.

A moment of prayer

Quillin joins friends and family for a moment of prayer in the hotel lobby before a van arrives to drive the unbeaten middleweight to the Home Depot Center, the Carson, Calif., soccer stadium where the fight is taking place.

Last supper

Quillin enjoys a carb-heavy meal of potatoes and noodles during the drive to the fight. It will be his last food before entering the ring in just under four hours.

Entering the stadium

Waiting for a TV cameraman to track his entrance to the stadium is a relatively new practice for Quillin, who made his HBO debut last year. After winning his first 21 pro fights, Quillin changed management in 2010, signing with Golden Boy Promotions to make faster progress toward big purses.

Entering the dressing room

There is a noticable change in Quillin's outgoing, extroverted demeanor when he enters the dressing room before a fight.

Hands wrapped

In the dressing room, Quillin is given final instructions by Freddie Roach, the five-time trainer of the year whose pupils include Manny Pacquiao and Amir Khan. Two members from Wright's camp, along with the referee, oversee the process.

Calm before the storm

Quillin enjoys a quiet moment in the locker room after getting his hands wrapped.

Vaseline

Cutman Joe Chavez applies Vaseline to Quillin. The viscous substance helps prevent cuts by making the opponent's glove slide off the angles of the face.

Brothers

Quillin shares a quiet moment with two of his three brothers, Ronald and Ced, minutes before exiting the dressing room to make his way to the ring.

Ring entrance

Quillin emerges from the tunnel to make his approach to the ring. Before leaving the dressing room, he dedicates the fight to his father, a Cuban refugee who came to America five years before Peter was born.

The fight

Quillin pressured the 40-year-old Wright from the opening bell, knocking him to the canvas with a looping right hand in the fifth round, hurting him with an uppercut in the ninth and coasting to a unanimous-decision victory.

Aftermath

Trainer Eric Brown shares an emotional moment with Quillin in the bowels of the Home Depot Center after the fight.

Father and son

Quillin and his father embrace in the dressing room after the win, which raises the young contender's professional record to 27-0 and could put him in line for a title shot before the end of the year.

Press conference

Quillin addresses the media. Soon after, he returns to the hotel with friends to eat, relax, watch replays of the fight and talk about the future until finally going to bed at 5 a.m.

Published Jun 5, 2012

SI STAFF