Heavyweight Jonnie Rice 14-6-1 (10) says he was more than ready to fight Michael Coffie 12-1 (9) on Saturday night despite replacing Gerald Washington 20-4-1 (13) two days out from the bout.
Veteran Washington withdrew from the fight after testing positive to Covid-19.
The 34-year-old Rice from Los Angeles was facing his third undefeated boxer in a row are dropping fights to Nigerian Efe Ajagba 15-0 (12) and Australian Demsey McKean 19-0 (12).
Rice was all over Coffie from the opening bell of the 10-round main event of the Fox PBC Fight Night at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey and never let up. The end came at 2:32 of the fifth round when referee Eric Dali stepped in to stop the carnage.
WBA number nine ranked contender Coffie entered the fight as a $1.04 betting favourite but it looked like Rice should have been the unbackable favourite.
Rice was already in camp when he received the call-up, putting in work with heavyweight contender Michal ‘The Bounty’ Hunter 19-1-1 (13) who is scheduled to face Mike ‘White Delight’ Wilson 21-1 (10) at New York’s famed Madison Square Garden on Tuesday night.
“I wasn’t a late replacement,” said Rice. “I was waiting for an opportunity. We replaced someone, but we weren’t late. We were right on time.
“I was training every day. I was training with Michael Hunter. I did 20 rounds, 10 and 10 last Friday before I got the call. So when I got the call, I was ready.”
Rice admitted he was surprised by how easily he rolled over Coffie.
“Honestly, I didn’t expect to overwhelm Coffie like that,” he said. “I knew Michael Coffie from his fights, but not because he had a great record but because he was a sparring partner for [former WBC heavyweight champion] Deontay Wilder.
“In my head, I played the little game that I was Luis Ortiz’s sparring partner for his second fight against Wilder. So technically it was Luis Ortiz’s versus Deontay Wilder’s sparring partners. We’re going to see what happens. I was playing with that in my head. I had to fight a little bit like Deontay Wilder and then a little bit different. That’s what the game plan was.”
Despite the six losses on his ledger, Rice hasn’t given up hope of landing a world title shot.
“I want it all. I want what every boxer wants. I want to be world champion,” Rice said. “I understand that my record doesn’t say that, but I want the world to watch my progress.
“I’m not in the right mind to be calling people out. I’m just going to be ready for the opportunity and when it comes I’m going to answer the call. I’m going to get as much money for it as I can. And you know one thing, I’m going to put on a show.”
