4/29/07 - Tom Dodgewww.keeppunching.com  LAFAYETTE - He has been out of the boxing ring since August 2006 when he knocked out Tyrone Wiggins in the third round at the Paragon Casino in Marksville, LA.But it hasn’t been because Bobby Aucoin didn’t want to fight. It has been hard to find willing opponents. At 18-0-1, the Bayou Bomber is more than ready return to competition, fighting in the 140-pound division as a Junior Welterweight. Aucoin will return to the ring on May 12 at the Paragon against unnamed foe. “I am ready to get back in there and hopefully go for a major title before the end of the year. “Whenever I am ready for the title fight, it doesn’t matter who it is, I will fight them. “If I keep training hard and keep doing what I am doing, then it will come sooner or later,” he said of the possible title fight. “Whenever we get the shot, we are going to go for it.” “Bobby is a Spartan,” manager Kerry Daigle said of his boxer, “with his mental attitude along with his tremendous physical conditioning - he is a very dangerous guy to fight.” Will the layoff hurt Aucoin? Not according to his manager. “You are going see a very hungry fighter and a guy that want to perform,” Daigle said. “There are pros and cons about a layoff - but I know we are going to see an outstanding fight in Bobby Aucoin. Daigle added that Aucoin will be ready to immediately test someone for a title after his upcoming bout at the Paragon. “We are negotiating to put these fights in a more neutral area where everyone gets a fair shake and then flip a coin and let it go,” Daigle said. “He is right on the verge of another title fight this year. “He already has a United States Junior Welterweight championship,” Daigle pointed out. “I think there are bigger U. S. and North American titles for his to conquer and those are the titles we are looking at right now. Those titles would put him in the Top Ten in the world.” The delay hasn’t affected his skills, according to trainer and father Bobby Aucoin Sr. “I don’t like the fact that he hasn’t fought in 10 months,” the trainer stated. “I would have liked him to stay active, fighting every three to four months. “But Bobby hasn’t let anything get to his mind,” the elder Aucoin said of the layoff. During the wait between fights, it was not a vacation for Aucoin as he continued his usual training routine of running about five miles in the mornings followed by two or three hours of weightlifting, sparring and bag activities in the evenings after his full time job. Aucoin contributes his training to his success. “I never stop training,” he said. “A lot of people when they are not fighting stop training, but I train all year round.” 
At the age of 30 is time running out for Aucoin?“I think that is a horrible question,” Daigle quickly retorted. “Age is not necessarily as much of a factor than is the conditioning of a person and how he lives his life. “There are 30-year-olds that have all the physical capacities of a 20-year-old and there are 20-year-olds that are in worse shape than a 35 or 40 year olds. “Bobby is just maturing right now and the strongest fighters are in their thirties,” Daigle commented. “Bernard Hopkins and Reggie Johnson are winning fights at age 41.” A father and son reunion. With his dad Bobby Sr. as trainer, Aucoin said he is pleased with those around him helping him reach his goals. “I am comfortable with everyone around me,” the boxer said. “My dad is a very good trainer.” His father has officially been his trainer since his seventh professional fight, but he has been training under his dad’s watchful eye all of his life. “I have never seen someone who wants it so bad,” Aucoin Sr. stated. “He sacrifices a lot to have the chance to reach his goal.” The son has followed his father’s example of no smoking, no drinking, going to bed early and eating right as he prepares for the next fight. “When I was boxing, I was the same way,” the dad said. “I was like a Spartan. I trained hard, but he has way more desire and skills than I ever did.” Does the father and son relationship ever get in the way? Not according to them. “I knows what I am thinking and he sees it in my face,” the son said. “It is nerve racking for me as a daddy leading up to the fights,” the elder Aucoin said. “But when it comes down to fight night, we have business to take care of and I get my mind set for that.” “His dad is an exceptional trainer,” Daigle said of the elder Aucoin. “He really knows the ends-and-outs and studies the different styles. “Both guys are getting where they are starting to peak,” the manager said of the duo. “I think it is an excellent team.” 
He has only just begun.Aucoin’s proudest moment so far was winning the IBU Light Welterweight title with a knock out win over Donnell Logan on June 17, 2006 at Blackham Coliseum in Lafayette, LA. The fight only went two of the scheduled eight rounds, which surprised the Bayou Bomber. “I was in good shape and had my mind ready for the fight,” he reflected on the fight. “It was supposed to be a good fight. He was supposed to a tough guy as he was real good in the amateurs and he had a decent pro record.” Aucoin said it was a thrill to win the title in front of his hometown fans and is looking forward to fighting in Lafayette again. “That night Bobby could have beaten anybody in his weight class,” his trainer said. “I think he could have taken any of them on that night.” Aucoin began his pro career Oct. 15, 2002 with a first round knockout win over Brad Lodrigue at the Pontchartrain Center in Kenner, the first of 10 TKO in his career. “The fight only lasted 31 seconds,” he said. “I hit him when the bell rang and it was over after that.” With 10 TKOs to his credit, Aucoin’s one blemish came on Nov. 6, 2004 with a draw against Mario Lacey at Grand Casino Coushatta in Kinder, LA. “I beat him two fights before,” Aucoin reflected. “Honestly, I thought I had won. I don’t know what the judges were watching that night.” “Bobby won the fight that night,” his father echoed. “He beat him worse than he did the first time and the first time he knocked him down twice. My inexperience working the corner in the pro ranks may have cost him that fight. “I should have made some noise to the referee about what I saw was going on in the ring,” he added. “We definitely beat him as Mario was holding the whole fight.” The fight that may have begun to springboard Aucoin’s career was a second round TKO over Tommy Parks (21-11-1) on July 18, 2003 in Baton Rouge. “He fought against former world champion Kevin Kelly,” Aucoin said. “It was supposed to be a real tough fight for me, but I knocked him out in the second round.” After eight wins in four round fights, Aucoin then battled seven times in six round fights before fighting the last four in scheduled eight round competition. “The furthest I have gone since I moved up to eight rounds is four,” he said. “I have been knocking everybody out. “You get the paid the same if you go one round or the distance,” the Bayou Bomber said. “You might as well get them out of there and get it over with.” “He has a killer instinct,” the father said. “He wants to just tear you up. When you talk to him, he is s very nice guy. But when he gets in the ring, his is a tiger.” “His whole goal is to win a world championship,” Daigle said of his boxer. “When the time is right, Bobby Aucoin is going to bring one home.”  
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