When people hear of a guy nicknamed Bozo, he had better know how to fight. Stephen "Bozo" Paling can bang with the best of th3em. He burst on the NHB scene with a stunning knockout of one of the toughest guys in Hawaii at the time, Jay R. Palmer. His reputation stems from the power in his hands and that he is part of the Jesus is Lord team. Paling is making waves in the Shooto lightweight division and has the qualities to give anyone in that weight class a war. He recently performed very well against Nogueira who has had a strangle hold on the lightweight division with his patented guillotine. Bozo is looking for more high profile fights to bring him to the top of the division and his goal of the lightweight championship. I caught up with Stephen after his win at the Warrior's Quest on May 29, 2001 outside the ring.

FCF: First, how did you get the nickname Bozo?
Stephen Paling: When I was born, my cheeks were red like Bozo the clown, so my mom nicknamed my Bozo. After that, everybody called me Bozo.

FCF: And it stuck throughout your whole life?
SP: Yup.

FCF: What did you know about your opponent Cruz Gomes going in to this fight?
SP: I actually didn't know anything about him. I just knew that he was a kick boxer and that's it. I went in there not knowing what he was going to bring to me, whether kicking, punching, or grappling.

FCF: This was a last minute change. You were supposed to face another opponent. How much advance notice did you know you were going to fight Cruz?
SP: In fact, it was a couple days that I had notice of my fight changing.

FCF: Did you change your strategy for this new opponent?
SP: No, I just wanted to stick to my plan, concentrate on my striking. In fact, at one point, I was ready to pull out because of my shoulder, but I stuck in there and trusted in the Lord that he would heal my arm, which he did, and got the opportunity to perform tonight.

FCF: Was it an injury due to training during your preparation?
SP: Yeah, it was during training. I hurt my rotator cuff. I couldn't lift my arm last week Tuesday and thank God, by a miracle, I could fight tonight.

FCF: Were you just resting your arm during this last week before the fight and did it affect your conditioning training?
SP: Yeah, it did affect my conditioning training. I couldn't work on my striking or anything. I just had to rest my arm and do a lot of stretching.

FCF: During the second round, you looked more winded than I normally see you. Was that a direct result of the decreased training due to your shoulder injury?
SP: I believe it had an effect on my conditioning because it was a week that I had to cut back on my training so I believe it was sort of an effect.

FCF: Did you have a problem with his shots? He seemed to have an effective shot. He also took some of your best punches and stood there, unlike some of your previous opponents who usually run after taking some of your shots. Did that affect your game plan or your mind set in any way?
SP: No, Cruz came here to fight. He was one of the few opponents that I believe that could take a punch. I mean, I hit him with one of the best right hands that I (ever) threw and he shook it off. Like I said, he came here to fight. He shot some beautiful shots and he fought to finish those shots and takedowns and he did a really good job.

FCF: What did you think about the decision? Basically, you won the first round and he took your back the second round. Were you worried that your shoulder would come in to play while he was on your back?
SP: I wasn't really concerned with the decision at that point. I was concerned about surviving. He had me controlled on the ground and he had good technique. I just tried to survive that last round from his rear naked chokes. I knew the fight could go either way and thank God, the judges felt that my striking overwhelmed his groundwork.

FCF: Were you in any physical condition to go an overtime round if it was needed (Note: In the event of a draw, there would be a three minute overtime)?
SP: I believe that I had the desire, if we had to, I mean, I had the determination to go another round, but thank God, they made a decision on the second round (laughs).

FCF: Let's back up a bit. You have been creating quite a stir in the Shooto lightweight class by fighting some big names with mixed results, but even in your loses you have been performing very well especially in your last fight against the champ, Nogueira. Did you expect anything different from Nogueira from any of your other opponents?
SP: I trained the same way I usually train, but I think I gained some knowledge. I had to concentrate on the takedowns because a lot of my opponents, knowing I can strike, their sole game is to try to take me down so I think I will continue to perfect stopping the takedowns and perfect my striking.

FCF: Do you think the fight with Nogueira is going to open doors in Japan or make it more difficult for fighters to accept fights with you since you did so well?
SP: I think it's going to open up doors and that's what I'm hoping for, that people see that I'm capable of fighting up with the top ranked fighters and give me a shot to fight with the top rank fighters and opportunities to fight for championships.

FCF: Has their been any talk of a rematch with Nogueira or a fight with any of the top three ranked fighters?
SP: I didn't hear any talk, but I know, say July 6, they (Shooto Commission) called me up to fight, I think, the number 7 guy so I'm looking forward to going up to Japan and performing well so that they give me a shot to the top three or top ranked fighters in my weight class.

FCF: Do you find that it is more pressure to fight a big name like Nogueira in Japan or fight in front of your home crowd here in Hawaii?
SP: I think it's about the same. I love fighting in Hawaii and I love fighting in Japan. I just love the sport so it really doesn't matter where I fight, in front of what crowd I fight, I just enjoy getting in there and lifting up the name of Jesus.

FCF: You're known in your weight class to be probably the hardest hitter. Is this something that you were blessed with or were you a boxer prior to coming to the Jesus is Lord team?
SP: I was a boxer before, but I truly believe that God has taken me to new levels in my striking. I believe that God has blessed me with this gift of striking and I believe that God will continually will bless my skills and take me to new levels where I'll be able to contend and someday be the champion in the lightweight (division).

FCF: How long have you trained in stand up prior to NHB fighting?
SP: I try to mix it up. We do wrestling, kickboxing, boxing, and do some Jiu-Jitsu. I trained boxing for about three years.

FCF: Is all your grappling from the Jesus is Lord team?
SP: Yes, approximately going on four years we've been grappling.

FCF: We look forward to seeing you again and congratulations on your win.
DM: Thank you.