Steve Molitor leaned in real close and waited patiently for the response.
Fernando Beltran Jr., his opponent in Saturday's Rumble At Rama IV, had been asked what he planned to do differently than the three previous men who had lost to The Canadian Kid.
"I'm not sure what they did wrong but I'm coming here to win," Beltran said through a translator during a pre-fight press conference on Thursday. "Even if I have to die in the ring, I'm going to win. I'm hungry and I'm going to do it."
Molitor shook his head and smiled when he heard the answer.
The 27-year-old isn't overly concerned about Beltran. He fully expects to stretch his pro record to 27-0 when he defends his IBF junior featherweight title for the fourth time in nine months on Saturday.
"He's no different," Molitor said. "At the end of the night he's going to be a loser just like the rest of them."
Maybe so, but the Mexican challenger is approaching this bout with real urgency.
Beltran (30-2 with one draw) is taking his second shot at a world title and is eager to make amends for the unanimous decision loss he suffered to Joan Guzman in April 2005, when they were fighting for the WBO super bantamweight belt.
"The first time I was inexperienced," explained Beltran. "I was physically prepared but inexperienced. This time is a different story."
He earned the right to a mandatory fight with Molitor by beating countryman Jose Arboleda in December and has spent the past two and a half months preparing for the Canadian.
There's more muscle on his 55-kilo (122-pound) frame than ever.
"He's never been in this shape before," said Fernando Beltran Sr., who trains his son. "It's going to be a great show.
"We know for sure that we're going to win."
The Molitor camp is accustomed to hearing that kind of pre-fight talk.
"I've been in this sport for 27 years and I hope that every fighter who travels so far comes to win," said Chris Johnson, who trains Molitor. "I hope they come prepared."
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