How is asking for random testing disrespecting someone. My problem is this people are acting like Mayweather is not going to get randomly test right along with Manny. Both fighters are going to get tested at random, so why is the demand for testing so disrespectful? If you're a clean fighter why not just submit to random testing. Berto and Pascal are just sore losers so them asking about testing after getting beat means nothing to me. Manny got accused of using PED after he refused to submit to random testing and a 18-day cut-off window.
Boxing News Thread
- Thread starter heyzel
- Start date
People lose to someone and believe it's something else that caused it to happen rather than coming to the realization that maybe the other guy was better on the night.
Same thing with Pascal, Hopkins was supposed to be an old man and took him to school in the first fight minus the knockdowns and Pascal just couldn't accept the fact that Hopkins did this to him at his age. I think these accusations happen with or without Floyd's steroid demands.
Same thing with Pascal, Hopkins was supposed to be an old man and took him to school in the first fight minus the knockdowns and Pascal just couldn't accept the fact that Hopkins did this to him at his age. I think these accusations happen with or without Floyd's steroid demands.
that's probably true naner, going back some years Riddick Bowe, after getting his ass beat by Andrew Golota in the first right up to the DQ, stated Golota MUST be on something and that he hit him with everything he had and didn't budge him, yet he was hurt in previous fights, therefor he was on roids.
"Look at Golota's record prior to fighting me," he said. "Mediocre guys were hurting him. When he fought me, he had a lot of energy and my punches didn't bother him. I definitely think he was on steroids."
"Look at Golota's record prior to fighting me," he said. "Mediocre guys were hurting him. When he fought me, he had a lot of energy and my punches didn't bother him. I definitely think he was on steroids."
hahahahaaaaa! MANNY A FUCKEN BEAST! mosley didnt want to end up like margarito,cotto,hatton.....since day one manny been cracken skulls lol.i remember the first time i seen manny fight like 10 years ago i was fucken lit i seen him like wtf this guy is bad he alwayz moved side to side had major power fucken little tiger i knew he be big but not this fucken super star big dammm
Richardson did the right thing by not pulling Mosley out against Pacquiao
By Chris Williams: Trainer Naazim Richardson is starting to take some heat from some boxing fans for not pulling the plug on his fighter 39-year-old Shane Mosley in his recent fight against Manny Pacquiao. With the news that surfaced today of Mosley wanting to have the fight stopped, some people in the sport are quick to second guess Richardson for not agreeing with his fighter to have the fight waived off.
However, Richardson knows what he’s doing and obviously still saw that Mosley was defending himself well and had a chance in the fight. Mosley wasn’t taking a vicious pounding from Pacquiao. Sure, he was getting hit from time to time, but Pacquiao was missing a lot and this wasn’t a fight where Mosley took a lot of punishment like in his two fights against Oscar De La Hoya.
Mosley took some shots in the 3rd, but after that we went into the defensive mode and spent the better part of the fight making Pacquiao miss with his shots and look bad. I thought Mosley – at least on defense – fought like a man half his age. He exposed Pacquiao’s flaws in a big way and showed how you can beat the small 5’6″ fighter. Mosley was moving, sometimes jabbing and landing some nice shots from time to time. The problem for Mosley is that he didn’t throw enough punches and focused too much time on defense.
But to question Richardson for not yanking Mosley out of there is just plain wrong. Mosley was more discouraged than hurt and needed his trainer to motivate him, and that’s what Richardson was doing. He knew how much Mosley wanted this fight and he saw how flawed and vulnerable that Pacquiao was. Pacquiao looked slow, old and little more than a plodding fighter. Is it any wonder that Richardson would want the fight to continue. I’m proud of Richardson. I think he did a heck of a job working that fight. He was giving the right advice all the way through it but the problem was Mosley’s age seemed to be too much of a factor for him to follow the advice that he was being given.
By Chris Williams: Trainer Naazim Richardson is starting to take some heat from some boxing fans for not pulling the plug on his fighter 39-year-old Shane Mosley in his recent fight against Manny Pacquiao. With the news that surfaced today of Mosley wanting to have the fight stopped, some people in the sport are quick to second guess Richardson for not agreeing with his fighter to have the fight waived off.
However, Richardson knows what he’s doing and obviously still saw that Mosley was defending himself well and had a chance in the fight. Mosley wasn’t taking a vicious pounding from Pacquiao. Sure, he was getting hit from time to time, but Pacquiao was missing a lot and this wasn’t a fight where Mosley took a lot of punishment like in his two fights against Oscar De La Hoya.
Mosley took some shots in the 3rd, but after that we went into the defensive mode and spent the better part of the fight making Pacquiao miss with his shots and look bad. I thought Mosley – at least on defense – fought like a man half his age. He exposed Pacquiao’s flaws in a big way and showed how you can beat the small 5’6″ fighter. Mosley was moving, sometimes jabbing and landing some nice shots from time to time. The problem for Mosley is that he didn’t throw enough punches and focused too much time on defense.
But to question Richardson for not yanking Mosley out of there is just plain wrong. Mosley was more discouraged than hurt and needed his trainer to motivate him, and that’s what Richardson was doing. He knew how much Mosley wanted this fight and he saw how flawed and vulnerable that Pacquiao was. Pacquiao looked slow, old and little more than a plodding fighter. Is it any wonder that Richardson would want the fight to continue. I’m proud of Richardson. I think he did a heck of a job working that fight. He was giving the right advice all the way through it but the problem was Mosley’s age seemed to be too much of a factor for him to follow the advice that he was being given.
HBO wanted Khan-Judah fight; Golden Boy preferred Morales or Guerrero to face Khan
By Scott Gilfoid: I guess we have good old HBO to thank for the July 23 Amir Khan vs. Zab Judah unification bout at the Mandalay By Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. Golden Boy Promotions, the promoter for Khan, preferred matching Khan with fellow Golden Boy fighters Erik Morales or Robert Guerrero next. However, HBO wanted Khan-Judah instead for the fireworks and almost sure fire knockout the fight would produce.
I’m glad, because I didn’t want to see Khan face someone coming off a loss like Morales and I wasn’t interested in seeing Khan fight a lightweight in Guerrero, because he doesn’t have the pop in his punches that Judah does nor the speed either.
Judah’s promoter Kathy Duva doesn’t think Khan wanted the fight with Judah, saying in an article at northjersey.com, “I don’t think [Khan] wanted the fight. I know that HBO wanted the fight very much and they were putting a lot of pressure on [Khan].”
So there it is, folks. Khan didn’t want the Judah fight. Why do you think Khan wasn’t eager to fight Judah, eh? Why would Khan prefer someone else when Judah is the best fight out there? Could it be that Khan was afraid of the power that Judah brings to the table? Is that it? Well, Judah has the power to send Khan’s career back into the stone age if and when he lands one of his big left hand upper cuts. We could see Khan being knocked out and a setback like that could put Khan’s career in a two to three year holding pattern like the knockout loss to Khan suffered against Bredis Prescott did to him in 2008.
By Scott Gilfoid: I guess we have good old HBO to thank for the July 23 Amir Khan vs. Zab Judah unification bout at the Mandalay By Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. Golden Boy Promotions, the promoter for Khan, preferred matching Khan with fellow Golden Boy fighters Erik Morales or Robert Guerrero next. However, HBO wanted Khan-Judah instead for the fireworks and almost sure fire knockout the fight would produce.
I’m glad, because I didn’t want to see Khan face someone coming off a loss like Morales and I wasn’t interested in seeing Khan fight a lightweight in Guerrero, because he doesn’t have the pop in his punches that Judah does nor the speed either.
Judah’s promoter Kathy Duva doesn’t think Khan wanted the fight with Judah, saying in an article at northjersey.com, “I don’t think [Khan] wanted the fight. I know that HBO wanted the fight very much and they were putting a lot of pressure on [Khan].”
So there it is, folks. Khan didn’t want the Judah fight. Why do you think Khan wasn’t eager to fight Judah, eh? Why would Khan prefer someone else when Judah is the best fight out there? Could it be that Khan was afraid of the power that Judah brings to the table? Is that it? Well, Judah has the power to send Khan’s career back into the stone age if and when he lands one of his big left hand upper cuts. We could see Khan being knocked out and a setback like that could put Khan’s career in a two to three year holding pattern like the knockout loss to Khan suffered against Bredis Prescott did to him in 2008.
^^could also simply be that Morales & Guerrero are both with Golden Boy thus making an in-house fight with Khan a lot easier to do, whereas Judah is promoted by Kathy Duva.
I don't think khan is scared of Judah at all, not in the least and I personally think out of those three names Guerrero would have been the toughest fight and has the best chance of upsetting khan.
I don't think khan is scared of Judah at all, not in the least and I personally think out of those three names Guerrero would have been the toughest fight and has the best chance of upsetting khan.
Glen Johnson: “I certainly think I will stop Carl Froch right around the eighth round
by Geoffrey Ciani (Exclusive Interview by Jenna J & Geoffrey Ciani) - Former light heavyweight champion Glen Johnson (51-14-2, 35 KOs) joined us for a Super Six Special Edition ofOn the Ropes Boxing Radio (brought to you by CWH Promotions) as he enters final preparations before his Saturday night showdown against WBC super middleweight champion Carl Froch (27-1, 20 KOs) in the Super Six Semi-Finals this Saturday. Here is a complete transcript from that interview:
JENNA J: It is time for our guest on this evening’s show. We have “The Road Warrior” himself, the former light heavyweight champion of the world, and the current participant in the Semi-Finals of the Super Six, Glen Johnson! How are you doing today, Glen?
GLEN JOHNSON: I’m doing good. Thanks for having me on. It’s an honor to be back on your show.
JENNA: We’re definitely happy to have you back! So you got a pretty big fight coming up this week. How do you feel now that the fight’s only a few days off?
JOHNSON: I feel great! We have a wonderful training camp, one of our better ones in awhile. So we are very excited of coming out here in New Jersey to give you guys a show, make sure the people enjoy their money, and come back with the victory.
JENNA: You know you have to get down to 168 pounds. This is the second time you’ll have to do it in the tournament. How are you feeling weight-wise?
JOHNSON: Oh I feel great! You know the first time we really didn’t have a lot of time to get it done. This time we had a lot of time so it certainly was easier. We got adjusted to the weight. We had time to train with the weight being down. We’ve been sharp for awhile now in training camp. We’ve maintained that and actually exceeded expectations, so we are extremely excited about coming out there and performing.
JENNA: Okay now how do you feel about the press so far for this event between you and Carl, the comments you’ve said, the comments he’s said—how do you feel about the buildup?
JOHNSON: The buildup is fine. I mean I’m not a big talkative guy who talks a lot of trash and all of that stuff. It’s not really my style. I kind of build myself up with reputation. I try to go out there and give 100% performance every time. I kind of leave that as my trail and my mark. When people see Glen Johnson’s name, I give 100% of my heart and soul and they know that. So you know as far as me going out and insulting my opponent, and carrying on, and acting crazy and stuff, I’m not really into that. I’m kind of more into things that are really kindly thought of so I can set an example for my kids. When I tell kids to behave a certain way they have to listen because of the way I carry myself and I try to lead as an example. So I kind of take that approach to my business more than all the trash talking. I know the trash talking probably sells more tickets and all of that stuff, but I believe in my fight and what I really do in the ring, and my efforts, and my heart and soul that I put into my craft to take center stage over the trash talking.
JENNA: Alright now Glen, last time we had you on you said that you felt you needed to knockout Carl Froch in order to get the victory because people somehow want to see a fight between the US and England. Do you still feel that way and do you think you’ll be doing anything differently in the ring than you normally do in order to push for that KO?
JOHNSON: You know, I’m always going to look for the KO. There is a bigger market in England so I definitely think it would make probably a bigger attraction with an American guy with the big market. That’s the boxing world and England’s got a big boxing market. So as far as I’m concerned I’m a small market guy. I’m a Jamaican, even though I live here in the States and have become an American citizen here. But most people still view me as a Jamaican and the Jamaican market is not as big. So that’s the reason why I said what I said as far all of the people and all of that stuff, that they would prefer to see the two biggest markets get on the stage. So I do kind of have that impression that on fight night I have to go out there and do everything that I can to win it, because I never take a chance because it’s possible it could be taken from me.
JENNA: Well Glen, we’re also on the line with my Co-Host Geoff.
GEOFFREY CIANI: Hi Glen. It’s a pleasure to have you back on the show.
JOHNSON: Hey! Thanks man. I appreciate it. I’m glad to be back on.
CIANI: Thank you. Glen, I was just curious, what impresses you most, when you study the fight tape and you look at Carl Froch as a fighter, what impresses you most about what he does?
JOHNSON: Just the fact that he’s steady. He’s a real steady guy. You don’t see anyone thing that he’s doing that’s outrageous, like oh he’s super fast, or this guy is defensively great, or he has that one-punch knockout type of power. But everything about Froch is just kind of right there. Maybe he’s an 8, an overall 8, which is a tough guy to beat. You always want to look at a guy, and you want to find that one part of him that’s a 4, or a 2, or a 1 where you can say okay and attack that part of him. For the most part he’s an 8 all the way around and that makes it a little difficult. I give Froch a lot of respect, he’s a good fighter, but I believe that I’m the better fighter and I will come out victorious.
CIANI: Now one of the things that Carl likes to do is he likes to set traps and he often keeps his hands really low during the fight. Do you think that’s something that you could take advantage of when he does that?
JOHNSON: You know I’m not worrying about any traps that he’s trying to set because I’m pretty good at setting traps myself. Certainly if Froch has got his hands lower than they should be I’m going to capitalize on it, but I’m going to go about it smartly. I’m not going to just go about it ignorantly like some immature fighter might do. I’m an experienced fighter. I know exactly what to do in what situation and I believe that I will capitalize on those situations and do a good job of it.
CIANI: Even though a lot of fans think this is sort of a pick’em fight that’s very even, it still seems to me the majority of the people are still favoring Froch. Does that give you any added motivation to go out there and perform at a high level?
JOHNSON: Oh certainly! I mean I’m motivated anyway and I’m extremely excited about coming out and proving myself. I believe every time you step in the ring you have an opportunity to refresh the people’s minds of the things that you can do, because out of site out of mind. You’re not that relevant unless you’re like a Pacquiao or you’re Mayweather or somebody like that. Otherwise from that you got to keep yourself fresh in the people’s mind so they know exactly what you’re bringing to the table. So certainly I’m looking forward to come back here in Jersey and Showtime on the 4th and just to make a splash.
CIANI: Now I’m curious Glen, the other Super Six Semi-Finals that happened a few weeks back between Arthur Abraham and Andre Ward, what did you think of Andre Ward’s performance?
JOHNSON: I think he fought a great fight. I believe he fought a smart fight. He did exactly what he needed to do for his victory. He got it done and got it done safely and came out of the fight without getting hurt or suffering any damage. You know he didn’t win a close fight. He kind of ran away with it. Abraham might have had maybe three rounds out of twelve. That’s kind of one-sided.
JENNA: Now Glen, let’s turn things for a second to a fight that happened just a couple of weeks ago. Bernard Hopkins at the age of 46 became the oldest man to win a major championship when he defeated Jean Pascal. (1) Did you get a chance to see that fight and (2) if you did, what did you think about Bernard’s performance?
JOHNSON: Yeah I saw it, and kudos to Bernard for going out there and doing what he did. To go in Canada and beat basically a Canadian, even though he is from Haiti he lives there and they except him as a Canadian. Basically he kind of beat him in his on town and did it one-sided, so you have to give Bernard major respect and just for him to just stick for his skills when for years he was beating guys and not looked at as a major player. Over the years he continued to break those walls and those barriers down and still go on to go longer and do better than anybody else in the history of boxing. That goes to show you, just staying with it you know the glory that can come with it.
JENNA: Okay now I mentioned that Bernard is 46, yourself you’re 42. What do you think allows fighters like you and Bernard to perform so well later into your career?
JOHNSON: Well I believe that, again, sometimes when you feel like you don’t get your just due, sometimes that’s kind of a motivation to send you back to the gym to keep working on your craft. A lot of guys just work on athleticism. That’s one of the first things to go when you’re an athlete. Athleticism is what goes when you start aging. When you see a guy like Roy Jones who was just tremendously athletic where he was just like a freak of nature. He did so many things that amazed us, but a lot of times he did it the wrong way but because he was so athletically gifted, he was able to do it and get away with it and be spectacular with it. But as you age, those gifts start to go away and then your mechanics start to show up, but if you didn’t have proper mechanics early on a lot of times the longevity is not there. So guys like Bernard Hopkins and myself, we kind of both stick with the basics and kind of work on the mechanics of boxing. Even when we might have lost some athleticism, the mechanics of boxing are still the same and if you have the right ones and you know how to wrap that into a proper formula that can work, you can get longevity out of it. That’s what you’re kind of seeing with Bernard and myself and the older guys who are still doing what they’re doing on the big stage.
JENNA: Glen, there has actually been some talk that if you actually somehow win the Super Six that people would be interested in seeing a rematch between you and Bernard. If you got that opportunity, what do you think you would do differently in a rematch?
JOHNSON: You know I would love a rematch with Bernard. I would love for that to happen at some point, but for me now I’m just more focused on what’s at hand. I have Carl Froch on the 4th and I have to take care of that business, and after that we’ll move on to the Finals and we’ll take care of that business, and then we’ll see what’s on the table after that. We just want to basically just stay focused on that, but a Bernard Hopkins rematch is something certainly I would have interest in. We fought and he won already and he always said that if the opportunity comes he would do it, but whenever people ask if he would fight me or who he wants next, my name was never a part of his vocabulary. So we will see what happens in the future, but for the most part I’m going to just stay focused on what’s at hand.
CIANI: Now if you’re successful against Carl Froch and you make it into the Super Six Finals as a late replacement who came into the tournament when it was already under way, what would it mean for you to be in that position to facer rising young star Andre Ward on the big stage like that?
JOHNSON: Well it would mean everything! I mean this fight and with the time since I entered the tournament, I’m still fighting the people who are ahead of me. The guy that I replaced was not undefeated in the tournament. So that guy might not have been there if I started at the beginning of the tournament. So for me I’m just staying on my course and doing what I’m supposed to do and when we get to the big stage, we’ll work on that and we’ll take care of business then.
CIANI: Outside of the Super Six one of the fights that’s rumored to be taking place later this year if they’re both successful in their next matchups is a fight between other super middleweights Lucian Bute and Mikkel Kessler, and I’m just curious Glen, if those two do wind up meeting how do you see a fight between them playing out?
JOHNSON: You know that is a pick’em fight basically. You got two guys who are extremely talented. I would assume a fight like that would happen in Canada and with stuff like that you have two guys with not much to choose from. So you always kind of have to go with the hometown guy because it happens so much in boxing seeing hometown favorites and hometown guys where you have to come in there and do a really super job to come out of there with a victory. So that’s probably the way I would go and if the fight was happening in Kessler’s hometown I would go with Kessler for just the same reason. So it’s all about where the fight is happening and that would be the way I would go.
CIANI: Glen if you did win the Super Six, and I know you touched on this a minute ago when you said you would love to fight Hopkins again, but is there a dream fight out there for you still that exists?
JOHNSON: If there was a dream fight out there for me it would be the Bernard Hopkins fight simply because he has a victory over me. Roy Jones had a victory over him and for a lot of years he never let the rematch happen until it was no longer relevant. I hope he’s not going to do the same thing to me. I hope he will give me a rematch while people still have interest in it, so that would be basically my dream fight because I certainly feel like I’m going to do a lot better than I did when we first fought because I’m a better fighter, I’m more experienced, and he knows it as well so I think that’s probably one of the reasons why he might want to avoid this fight. I guess the other fight that I would have an interest in would be whoever wins that Kessler-Bute fight as well. So anything along those lines I would be extremely happy about.
CIANI: Now I’m not sure about this 100%, but if you actually beat Froch and win the super middleweight title I think you will have become the oldest fighter to have gone down to win a championship in a second weight class by going into a weight lower than where you won your first championship. What would that mean to you?
JOHNSON: Well that would mean a lot. I don’t know as well. I’ve never looked into that history, but yeah. That would mean a lot. I mean just winning a championship means a lot to me right now. It’s been awhile since I’ve won a championship and I’ve tried at it a couple of times since I was the light heavyweight champion. So I’m just looking forward to that challenge. I’m extremely confident going in there to get this victory and to become the super middleweight champion for the WBC, and if that holds true what you just said that would just be an added plus.
JENNA: Alright well Glen we just have a few more questions before we let you off the line. Another former opponent of yours has actually been talking about this fight and that’s Antonio Tarver. He said he heavily favors Carl Froch against you and he also favors him to win the tournament in general. What do you think about your former opponent’s words and also his upcoming fight against Danny Green in July?
JOHNSON: I wish Tarver a lot of success in his upcoming fight with Green. He certainly has his right to choose whoever he wants between Carl Froch and I. You know again, his opinion is just as good as another person’s opinion and everybody has an opinion. He’s certainly not the first one I heard choose Carl Froch over me. So for me again, it’s just staying focused and going out and doing what I’m supposed to do to be victorious.
JENNA: Alright Glen, I want to get your official prediction for your fight this coming Saturday night against Carl Froch. How do you expect the fight to play out from the opening bell to the finish?
JOHNSON: I believe it’s going to be a tough fight. I believe it’s going to be an exciting fight and a fan friendly fight, but at the end of the day I believe that I will be victorious and I certainly think I will stop Carl Froch right around the eighth round or so. We’re looking forward to that challenge. We’re looking forward to that fight and we believe the fans are going to be extremely excited in one of those not back down and stand on your feet type fights.
JENNA: Now speaking of the fans, is there anything you want to say to them and all of the “Road Warrior” fans?
JOHNSON: Oh sure! I mean I’ve got the best fans in the world. I mean there are not a lot of people who stick with fighters who’ve been through the ups and downs that I’ve gone through. People jump off the bandwagon quick as soon as you lose a fight or two, so I’m extremely proud of the people that support me and I’m happy for them. I’m glad that they are supportive of me and I’m looking forward to making them happy again on June 4.
JENNA: Alright well Glen, it’s a real pleasure having you back on the show especially so close to the fight. Thank you for your time and we wish you all the best of luck.
JOHNSON: Hey, thank you so much. I appreciate your time as well.
CIANI: Thank you Glen. Good luck.
JOHNSON: Alright, bye!
by Geoffrey Ciani (Exclusive Interview by Jenna J & Geoffrey Ciani) - Former light heavyweight champion Glen Johnson (51-14-2, 35 KOs) joined us for a Super Six Special Edition ofOn the Ropes Boxing Radio (brought to you by CWH Promotions) as he enters final preparations before his Saturday night showdown against WBC super middleweight champion Carl Froch (27-1, 20 KOs) in the Super Six Semi-Finals this Saturday. Here is a complete transcript from that interview:
JENNA J: It is time for our guest on this evening’s show. We have “The Road Warrior” himself, the former light heavyweight champion of the world, and the current participant in the Semi-Finals of the Super Six, Glen Johnson! How are you doing today, Glen?
GLEN JOHNSON: I’m doing good. Thanks for having me on. It’s an honor to be back on your show.
JENNA: We’re definitely happy to have you back! So you got a pretty big fight coming up this week. How do you feel now that the fight’s only a few days off?
JOHNSON: I feel great! We have a wonderful training camp, one of our better ones in awhile. So we are very excited of coming out here in New Jersey to give you guys a show, make sure the people enjoy their money, and come back with the victory.
JENNA: You know you have to get down to 168 pounds. This is the second time you’ll have to do it in the tournament. How are you feeling weight-wise?
JOHNSON: Oh I feel great! You know the first time we really didn’t have a lot of time to get it done. This time we had a lot of time so it certainly was easier. We got adjusted to the weight. We had time to train with the weight being down. We’ve been sharp for awhile now in training camp. We’ve maintained that and actually exceeded expectations, so we are extremely excited about coming out there and performing.
JENNA: Okay now how do you feel about the press so far for this event between you and Carl, the comments you’ve said, the comments he’s said—how do you feel about the buildup?
JOHNSON: The buildup is fine. I mean I’m not a big talkative guy who talks a lot of trash and all of that stuff. It’s not really my style. I kind of build myself up with reputation. I try to go out there and give 100% performance every time. I kind of leave that as my trail and my mark. When people see Glen Johnson’s name, I give 100% of my heart and soul and they know that. So you know as far as me going out and insulting my opponent, and carrying on, and acting crazy and stuff, I’m not really into that. I’m kind of more into things that are really kindly thought of so I can set an example for my kids. When I tell kids to behave a certain way they have to listen because of the way I carry myself and I try to lead as an example. So I kind of take that approach to my business more than all the trash talking. I know the trash talking probably sells more tickets and all of that stuff, but I believe in my fight and what I really do in the ring, and my efforts, and my heart and soul that I put into my craft to take center stage over the trash talking.
JENNA: Alright now Glen, last time we had you on you said that you felt you needed to knockout Carl Froch in order to get the victory because people somehow want to see a fight between the US and England. Do you still feel that way and do you think you’ll be doing anything differently in the ring than you normally do in order to push for that KO?
JOHNSON: You know, I’m always going to look for the KO. There is a bigger market in England so I definitely think it would make probably a bigger attraction with an American guy with the big market. That’s the boxing world and England’s got a big boxing market. So as far as I’m concerned I’m a small market guy. I’m a Jamaican, even though I live here in the States and have become an American citizen here. But most people still view me as a Jamaican and the Jamaican market is not as big. So that’s the reason why I said what I said as far all of the people and all of that stuff, that they would prefer to see the two biggest markets get on the stage. So I do kind of have that impression that on fight night I have to go out there and do everything that I can to win it, because I never take a chance because it’s possible it could be taken from me.
JENNA: Well Glen, we’re also on the line with my Co-Host Geoff.
GEOFFREY CIANI: Hi Glen. It’s a pleasure to have you back on the show.
JOHNSON: Hey! Thanks man. I appreciate it. I’m glad to be back on.
CIANI: Thank you. Glen, I was just curious, what impresses you most, when you study the fight tape and you look at Carl Froch as a fighter, what impresses you most about what he does?
JOHNSON: Just the fact that he’s steady. He’s a real steady guy. You don’t see anyone thing that he’s doing that’s outrageous, like oh he’s super fast, or this guy is defensively great, or he has that one-punch knockout type of power. But everything about Froch is just kind of right there. Maybe he’s an 8, an overall 8, which is a tough guy to beat. You always want to look at a guy, and you want to find that one part of him that’s a 4, or a 2, or a 1 where you can say okay and attack that part of him. For the most part he’s an 8 all the way around and that makes it a little difficult. I give Froch a lot of respect, he’s a good fighter, but I believe that I’m the better fighter and I will come out victorious.
CIANI: Now one of the things that Carl likes to do is he likes to set traps and he often keeps his hands really low during the fight. Do you think that’s something that you could take advantage of when he does that?
JOHNSON: You know I’m not worrying about any traps that he’s trying to set because I’m pretty good at setting traps myself. Certainly if Froch has got his hands lower than they should be I’m going to capitalize on it, but I’m going to go about it smartly. I’m not going to just go about it ignorantly like some immature fighter might do. I’m an experienced fighter. I know exactly what to do in what situation and I believe that I will capitalize on those situations and do a good job of it.
CIANI: Even though a lot of fans think this is sort of a pick’em fight that’s very even, it still seems to me the majority of the people are still favoring Froch. Does that give you any added motivation to go out there and perform at a high level?
JOHNSON: Oh certainly! I mean I’m motivated anyway and I’m extremely excited about coming out and proving myself. I believe every time you step in the ring you have an opportunity to refresh the people’s minds of the things that you can do, because out of site out of mind. You’re not that relevant unless you’re like a Pacquiao or you’re Mayweather or somebody like that. Otherwise from that you got to keep yourself fresh in the people’s mind so they know exactly what you’re bringing to the table. So certainly I’m looking forward to come back here in Jersey and Showtime on the 4th and just to make a splash.
CIANI: Now I’m curious Glen, the other Super Six Semi-Finals that happened a few weeks back between Arthur Abraham and Andre Ward, what did you think of Andre Ward’s performance?
JOHNSON: I think he fought a great fight. I believe he fought a smart fight. He did exactly what he needed to do for his victory. He got it done and got it done safely and came out of the fight without getting hurt or suffering any damage. You know he didn’t win a close fight. He kind of ran away with it. Abraham might have had maybe three rounds out of twelve. That’s kind of one-sided.
JENNA: Now Glen, let’s turn things for a second to a fight that happened just a couple of weeks ago. Bernard Hopkins at the age of 46 became the oldest man to win a major championship when he defeated Jean Pascal. (1) Did you get a chance to see that fight and (2) if you did, what did you think about Bernard’s performance?
JOHNSON: Yeah I saw it, and kudos to Bernard for going out there and doing what he did. To go in Canada and beat basically a Canadian, even though he is from Haiti he lives there and they except him as a Canadian. Basically he kind of beat him in his on town and did it one-sided, so you have to give Bernard major respect and just for him to just stick for his skills when for years he was beating guys and not looked at as a major player. Over the years he continued to break those walls and those barriers down and still go on to go longer and do better than anybody else in the history of boxing. That goes to show you, just staying with it you know the glory that can come with it.
JENNA: Okay now I mentioned that Bernard is 46, yourself you’re 42. What do you think allows fighters like you and Bernard to perform so well later into your career?
JOHNSON: Well I believe that, again, sometimes when you feel like you don’t get your just due, sometimes that’s kind of a motivation to send you back to the gym to keep working on your craft. A lot of guys just work on athleticism. That’s one of the first things to go when you’re an athlete. Athleticism is what goes when you start aging. When you see a guy like Roy Jones who was just tremendously athletic where he was just like a freak of nature. He did so many things that amazed us, but a lot of times he did it the wrong way but because he was so athletically gifted, he was able to do it and get away with it and be spectacular with it. But as you age, those gifts start to go away and then your mechanics start to show up, but if you didn’t have proper mechanics early on a lot of times the longevity is not there. So guys like Bernard Hopkins and myself, we kind of both stick with the basics and kind of work on the mechanics of boxing. Even when we might have lost some athleticism, the mechanics of boxing are still the same and if you have the right ones and you know how to wrap that into a proper formula that can work, you can get longevity out of it. That’s what you’re kind of seeing with Bernard and myself and the older guys who are still doing what they’re doing on the big stage.
JENNA: Glen, there has actually been some talk that if you actually somehow win the Super Six that people would be interested in seeing a rematch between you and Bernard. If you got that opportunity, what do you think you would do differently in a rematch?
JOHNSON: You know I would love a rematch with Bernard. I would love for that to happen at some point, but for me now I’m just more focused on what’s at hand. I have Carl Froch on the 4th and I have to take care of that business, and after that we’ll move on to the Finals and we’ll take care of that business, and then we’ll see what’s on the table after that. We just want to basically just stay focused on that, but a Bernard Hopkins rematch is something certainly I would have interest in. We fought and he won already and he always said that if the opportunity comes he would do it, but whenever people ask if he would fight me or who he wants next, my name was never a part of his vocabulary. So we will see what happens in the future, but for the most part I’m going to just stay focused on what’s at hand.
CIANI: Now if you’re successful against Carl Froch and you make it into the Super Six Finals as a late replacement who came into the tournament when it was already under way, what would it mean for you to be in that position to facer rising young star Andre Ward on the big stage like that?
JOHNSON: Well it would mean everything! I mean this fight and with the time since I entered the tournament, I’m still fighting the people who are ahead of me. The guy that I replaced was not undefeated in the tournament. So that guy might not have been there if I started at the beginning of the tournament. So for me I’m just staying on my course and doing what I’m supposed to do and when we get to the big stage, we’ll work on that and we’ll take care of business then.
CIANI: Outside of the Super Six one of the fights that’s rumored to be taking place later this year if they’re both successful in their next matchups is a fight between other super middleweights Lucian Bute and Mikkel Kessler, and I’m just curious Glen, if those two do wind up meeting how do you see a fight between them playing out?
JOHNSON: You know that is a pick’em fight basically. You got two guys who are extremely talented. I would assume a fight like that would happen in Canada and with stuff like that you have two guys with not much to choose from. So you always kind of have to go with the hometown guy because it happens so much in boxing seeing hometown favorites and hometown guys where you have to come in there and do a really super job to come out of there with a victory. So that’s probably the way I would go and if the fight was happening in Kessler’s hometown I would go with Kessler for just the same reason. So it’s all about where the fight is happening and that would be the way I would go.
CIANI: Glen if you did win the Super Six, and I know you touched on this a minute ago when you said you would love to fight Hopkins again, but is there a dream fight out there for you still that exists?
JOHNSON: If there was a dream fight out there for me it would be the Bernard Hopkins fight simply because he has a victory over me. Roy Jones had a victory over him and for a lot of years he never let the rematch happen until it was no longer relevant. I hope he’s not going to do the same thing to me. I hope he will give me a rematch while people still have interest in it, so that would be basically my dream fight because I certainly feel like I’m going to do a lot better than I did when we first fought because I’m a better fighter, I’m more experienced, and he knows it as well so I think that’s probably one of the reasons why he might want to avoid this fight. I guess the other fight that I would have an interest in would be whoever wins that Kessler-Bute fight as well. So anything along those lines I would be extremely happy about.
CIANI: Now I’m not sure about this 100%, but if you actually beat Froch and win the super middleweight title I think you will have become the oldest fighter to have gone down to win a championship in a second weight class by going into a weight lower than where you won your first championship. What would that mean to you?
JOHNSON: Well that would mean a lot. I don’t know as well. I’ve never looked into that history, but yeah. That would mean a lot. I mean just winning a championship means a lot to me right now. It’s been awhile since I’ve won a championship and I’ve tried at it a couple of times since I was the light heavyweight champion. So I’m just looking forward to that challenge. I’m extremely confident going in there to get this victory and to become the super middleweight champion for the WBC, and if that holds true what you just said that would just be an added plus.
JENNA: Alright well Glen we just have a few more questions before we let you off the line. Another former opponent of yours has actually been talking about this fight and that’s Antonio Tarver. He said he heavily favors Carl Froch against you and he also favors him to win the tournament in general. What do you think about your former opponent’s words and also his upcoming fight against Danny Green in July?
JOHNSON: I wish Tarver a lot of success in his upcoming fight with Green. He certainly has his right to choose whoever he wants between Carl Froch and I. You know again, his opinion is just as good as another person’s opinion and everybody has an opinion. He’s certainly not the first one I heard choose Carl Froch over me. So for me again, it’s just staying focused and going out and doing what I’m supposed to do to be victorious.
JENNA: Alright Glen, I want to get your official prediction for your fight this coming Saturday night against Carl Froch. How do you expect the fight to play out from the opening bell to the finish?
JOHNSON: I believe it’s going to be a tough fight. I believe it’s going to be an exciting fight and a fan friendly fight, but at the end of the day I believe that I will be victorious and I certainly think I will stop Carl Froch right around the eighth round or so. We’re looking forward to that challenge. We’re looking forward to that fight and we believe the fans are going to be extremely excited in one of those not back down and stand on your feet type fights.
JENNA: Now speaking of the fans, is there anything you want to say to them and all of the “Road Warrior” fans?
JOHNSON: Oh sure! I mean I’ve got the best fans in the world. I mean there are not a lot of people who stick with fighters who’ve been through the ups and downs that I’ve gone through. People jump off the bandwagon quick as soon as you lose a fight or two, so I’m extremely proud of the people that support me and I’m happy for them. I’m glad that they are supportive of me and I’m looking forward to making them happy again on June 4.
JENNA: Alright well Glen, it’s a real pleasure having you back on the show especially so close to the fight. Thank you for your time and we wish you all the best of luck.
JOHNSON: Hey, thank you so much. I appreciate your time as well.
CIANI: Thank you Glen. Good luck.
JOHNSON: Alright, bye!
Matthysse taking a big risk in fighting Alexander in Saint Louis
By Dan Ambrose: Light welterweight contender Lucas Martin Matthysse (28-1, 26 KO’s) has got to be feeling pretty confident that he can stop former IBF/WBC light welterweight champion Devon Alexander (21-1, 13 KO’s) in order to fight Alexander on June 25 in his home city at the Family Arena, in Saint Charles, Missouri.
It takes a lot of guts to come all the way over from Argentina to face Alexander at home, because we recently saw Alexander win a controversial 12 round decision over former WBA light welterweight champion Andriy Kotelnik while fighting in St. Louis, and it may take an especially good performance from Matthysse in order to get the judges to lean in his favor to get the win over the home town Alexander.
Matthysse may just be putting pressure on himself to where he might actually need to knock Alexander out to get the victory, because if the fight is even somewhat close, you can bet that Alexander will get the win. But there is also pressure on Alexander, because if struggles again and looks as horrible as he’s looked in his last two fights against Kotelnik and WBO light welterweight champion Timothy Bradley, fans will be deserting Alexander like rats fleeing from a sinking ship.
You can’t make a career out of winning questionable decisions over and over again while fighting at home. For Alexander, if he wins this, he’s going to do it in an impressive fashion to make up for the fights against Kotelnik and his 10th round technical decision loss to Bradley last January. A lot of boxing fans think that Alexander quit in that fight, as he didn’t look like he wanted the fight to continue after clashing heads with Bradley in the 10th. It wouldn’t have been such a big deal if Alexander was dominating the fight, but he wasn’t. Bradley was wearing Alexander down on the inside and things looked bleak for Alexander at that point with only two rounds to go.
By Dan Ambrose: Light welterweight contender Lucas Martin Matthysse (28-1, 26 KO’s) has got to be feeling pretty confident that he can stop former IBF/WBC light welterweight champion Devon Alexander (21-1, 13 KO’s) in order to fight Alexander on June 25 in his home city at the Family Arena, in Saint Charles, Missouri.
It takes a lot of guts to come all the way over from Argentina to face Alexander at home, because we recently saw Alexander win a controversial 12 round decision over former WBA light welterweight champion Andriy Kotelnik while fighting in St. Louis, and it may take an especially good performance from Matthysse in order to get the judges to lean in his favor to get the win over the home town Alexander.
Matthysse may just be putting pressure on himself to where he might actually need to knock Alexander out to get the victory, because if the fight is even somewhat close, you can bet that Alexander will get the win. But there is also pressure on Alexander, because if struggles again and looks as horrible as he’s looked in his last two fights against Kotelnik and WBO light welterweight champion Timothy Bradley, fans will be deserting Alexander like rats fleeing from a sinking ship.
You can’t make a career out of winning questionable decisions over and over again while fighting at home. For Alexander, if he wins this, he’s going to do it in an impressive fashion to make up for the fights against Kotelnik and his 10th round technical decision loss to Bradley last January. A lot of boxing fans think that Alexander quit in that fight, as he didn’t look like he wanted the fight to continue after clashing heads with Bradley in the 10th. It wouldn’t have been such a big deal if Alexander was dominating the fight, but he wasn’t. Bradley was wearing Alexander down on the inside and things looked bleak for Alexander at that point with only two rounds to go.
Why is performance enhancement drugs talk becoming more common in pro Boxing?
By Gerardo Granados: Not only in professional Boxing but in all professional or amateur sports this has been occurring and it is not enough reason to look the other way and wait until some one do something to solve it. We all know that an athlete will reach his peak and then his physical performance will decline due to his age, injuries or due the high work rate of competition and will naturally diminish his physical ability.
We also know that performance enhancement drugs can help to improve your performance; you don’t need to be a professional sports player to know that there are some supplements that will help you to add extra pounds on that bench press or to get bigger in a shorter period of time.
There are anabolic steroids (medicines: androstenedione, ephedrine, stanozolol and nandrolone just to mention a few) for humans and even for animal use, human growth hormone (HGH, somatrotopine), and design laboratories drugs (tetrahydrogestrinone – THG) that have been used to improve the performance of athletes, but even some food supplements are banned; the hyperbaric chambers could be considered as a non natural way to increase your performance in some cases.
The use of performance enhancement drugs gives an illicit advantage to the user, it is shameful and disgraceful, and in some cases it could be even a coward attitude to take that illicit edge on your opponent.
Some argue that PEDS wont give you the skills but they do will give you extra strength, stamina, resistance, speed and power, so if I am a fighter who has average boxing skills I might be able to improve my physique so much that I could end up beating guys who are better naturally gifted than me and even also the ones who are more skilled than me.
There are medical symptoms related to the abuse of steroids and also are different criteria in the tests used to detect his use by the different sports leagues or sports disciplines, urine or blood test are the most common, but there is no doubt that confessed users have been successful cheating different tests by long periods of time no matter which was the test that they took.
What about the obvious signs of its use? If I am forty years old and have not exercise my self in over five years, then I am not expected to be able to get back in top shape in just a couple of months of training, but if I use supplements or even get extra help from banned substances I might be able to reach my goal, and the results might look suspicious.
If a boxer who starts to show signs of aging or have showed to start diminishing his physical abilities just for the sudden looks incredibly dominant in his next fight defeating a younger lion who was the huge favorite we all might think that he won because of his vast experience and because he really did a good preparation for that fight. But what if he keeps on improving? If instead of showing signs of deterioration he looks even better than when he was a youngster? Now he looks stronger and faster, and his power is even better, is this fighter a freak of nature? Or is this a sign that will make some suspect he is cheating?
Money could be a factor too; a multi million dollar purse might be able to tempt some fighters to cheat.
Marion Jones was never detected by test during his prime but she confessed to have used PEDS, others athletes had admitted to have used them in the past, so professional boxing can not be the exception.
The Evan Fields issue, Shane Mosley, James Toney, Roy Jones Jr., Fernando Vargas, does this names rings a bell? Just to name a few that might be examples of the reason of why boxing fans are talking about the performance enhancement drugs use nowadays. Some fans wonder if a certain boxer use PEDS, others fans accuse a boxer without any prove, on times fighters are defamed but no one has the certitude to affirm or to deny the use, and less to prove it and that motivates a rumor to spread.
Is it possible that a boxer can be born with outstanding physical attributes that puts him above the majority of his peers, there are some great fighters that have been gifted by nature with amazing endurance, strength, stamina, power, speed or an iron chin, others have a special charisma and magnetic personality; is it possible to doubt any great fighter that might come in the near future and think that his remarkable performance is the result of use of PEDS?
What are boxing organizations doing about this? They must be aware of this situation and measures might have been taken in the past but is it necessary to take forward actions to prevent the use of PEDS and to protect the boxers that fight clean? Professional boxing is a business and a sport, but it is different to other professional sports such as body building, base ball or tennis because those are not contact sports and its goal is not to defeat his opponent by using fighting techniques. Lets say that a marathon runner use PEDS he will cheat by doing so and also will become a crook but he wont risk the life of his opponents by doing it; in amateur or professional boxing if a contender use PEDS he will put in risk the health and life of his opponent, he will not be considered only as a cheater but also could become a murdered. And if the Boxing organizations don’t do anything to avoid this, they could be considered as accomplishes too for allowing those boxers to be able to cheat the test of control of use of PEDS.
Does boxing need more effective and strict methods to detect the use of PEDS? I believe the logical answer is yes, because the men and women that climb in to the ring to fight are risking his health and life, and they deserve by all means necessary to be protected from those who treacherously cheat by using this banned substances. This duty might be shared with the prize fighters, sports journalist and boxing fans because it is them who can demand that the boxing organizations improve their test to avoid any unnecessary risk on the health or life of the clean fighters.
Perhaps this issue wont go away by its own and might get bigger in a short lapse of time although the fact that it is been talked around will contribute to actions be taken to fix this problem once and for all.
By Gerardo Granados: Not only in professional Boxing but in all professional or amateur sports this has been occurring and it is not enough reason to look the other way and wait until some one do something to solve it. We all know that an athlete will reach his peak and then his physical performance will decline due to his age, injuries or due the high work rate of competition and will naturally diminish his physical ability.
We also know that performance enhancement drugs can help to improve your performance; you don’t need to be a professional sports player to know that there are some supplements that will help you to add extra pounds on that bench press or to get bigger in a shorter period of time.
There are anabolic steroids (medicines: androstenedione, ephedrine, stanozolol and nandrolone just to mention a few) for humans and even for animal use, human growth hormone (HGH, somatrotopine), and design laboratories drugs (tetrahydrogestrinone – THG) that have been used to improve the performance of athletes, but even some food supplements are banned; the hyperbaric chambers could be considered as a non natural way to increase your performance in some cases.
The use of performance enhancement drugs gives an illicit advantage to the user, it is shameful and disgraceful, and in some cases it could be even a coward attitude to take that illicit edge on your opponent.
Some argue that PEDS wont give you the skills but they do will give you extra strength, stamina, resistance, speed and power, so if I am a fighter who has average boxing skills I might be able to improve my physique so much that I could end up beating guys who are better naturally gifted than me and even also the ones who are more skilled than me.
There are medical symptoms related to the abuse of steroids and also are different criteria in the tests used to detect his use by the different sports leagues or sports disciplines, urine or blood test are the most common, but there is no doubt that confessed users have been successful cheating different tests by long periods of time no matter which was the test that they took.
What about the obvious signs of its use? If I am forty years old and have not exercise my self in over five years, then I am not expected to be able to get back in top shape in just a couple of months of training, but if I use supplements or even get extra help from banned substances I might be able to reach my goal, and the results might look suspicious.
If a boxer who starts to show signs of aging or have showed to start diminishing his physical abilities just for the sudden looks incredibly dominant in his next fight defeating a younger lion who was the huge favorite we all might think that he won because of his vast experience and because he really did a good preparation for that fight. But what if he keeps on improving? If instead of showing signs of deterioration he looks even better than when he was a youngster? Now he looks stronger and faster, and his power is even better, is this fighter a freak of nature? Or is this a sign that will make some suspect he is cheating?
Money could be a factor too; a multi million dollar purse might be able to tempt some fighters to cheat.
Marion Jones was never detected by test during his prime but she confessed to have used PEDS, others athletes had admitted to have used them in the past, so professional boxing can not be the exception.
The Evan Fields issue, Shane Mosley, James Toney, Roy Jones Jr., Fernando Vargas, does this names rings a bell? Just to name a few that might be examples of the reason of why boxing fans are talking about the performance enhancement drugs use nowadays. Some fans wonder if a certain boxer use PEDS, others fans accuse a boxer without any prove, on times fighters are defamed but no one has the certitude to affirm or to deny the use, and less to prove it and that motivates a rumor to spread.
Is it possible that a boxer can be born with outstanding physical attributes that puts him above the majority of his peers, there are some great fighters that have been gifted by nature with amazing endurance, strength, stamina, power, speed or an iron chin, others have a special charisma and magnetic personality; is it possible to doubt any great fighter that might come in the near future and think that his remarkable performance is the result of use of PEDS?
What are boxing organizations doing about this? They must be aware of this situation and measures might have been taken in the past but is it necessary to take forward actions to prevent the use of PEDS and to protect the boxers that fight clean? Professional boxing is a business and a sport, but it is different to other professional sports such as body building, base ball or tennis because those are not contact sports and its goal is not to defeat his opponent by using fighting techniques. Lets say that a marathon runner use PEDS he will cheat by doing so and also will become a crook but he wont risk the life of his opponents by doing it; in amateur or professional boxing if a contender use PEDS he will put in risk the health and life of his opponent, he will not be considered only as a cheater but also could become a murdered. And if the Boxing organizations don’t do anything to avoid this, they could be considered as accomplishes too for allowing those boxers to be able to cheat the test of control of use of PEDS.
Does boxing need more effective and strict methods to detect the use of PEDS? I believe the logical answer is yes, because the men and women that climb in to the ring to fight are risking his health and life, and they deserve by all means necessary to be protected from those who treacherously cheat by using this banned substances. This duty might be shared with the prize fighters, sports journalist and boxing fans because it is them who can demand that the boxing organizations improve their test to avoid any unnecessary risk on the health or life of the clean fighters.
Perhaps this issue wont go away by its own and might get bigger in a short lapse of time although the fact that it is been talked around will contribute to actions be taken to fix this problem once and for all.
Exclusive: Pernell Whitaker Is THE Greatest Defensive Fighter In History, And Ronnie
By James Slater: Texan Ronnie Shields has worked with many world champion boxers, including Mike Tyson, Juan Lazcano, Vernon Forrest and Evander Holyfield. However, when it comes to sheer skill, particularly defensive skill, one fighter stands out above all others: former lightweight, light-welterweight, welterweight and light-middleweight champ Pernell “Sweet Pea” Whitaker.
Shields worked with Whitaker for ten years, and he was with him right until has final fight in 2001. Whitaker, a lightning-fast southpaw, was seemingly impossible to hit cleanly in his prime years - to the extent that many good judges, Shields included, refer to him today as THE best defensive fighter in boxing’s long history.
During his 17-year career, “Sweet Pea” met the best; with fighters such as Julio Cesar Chavez, James “Buddy” McGirt, Oscar De La Hoya and others finding him a frustratingly hard target. As naturally gifted as he was, though, Pernell, with Shields guiding him, always put in the hard slog in the gym.
Here, Shields talks about a Whitaker training camp:
James Slater: For a typical camp with Whitaker, when you were with him, how long did he train for?
Ronnie Shields: Eight weeks. Camp would be eight weeks. I was with Pernell for ten years. For the first five years I was not the main trainer, I was working under George Benton. For the last five years, which was the final five years of Whitaker’s career, I was the head trainer.
J.S: “Sweet Pea” is known for his amazing defensive abilities more than anything else. How much work did you do with regards to defence in camp, and what drills did you do?
R.S: The first thing we always did in camp, before we did anything else, was I got in the ring with him and I’d throw punches at him. First of all I’d throw jabs at him, then right hands, then body shots, and so on. He would work on avoiding the punches, catching them and then countering them. We would do this at the very start of every camp, and then every day both before and after sparring. We would also do this routine before and after we did pad and bag work. This got Pernell in the right frame of mind - with someone trying to hit him - and he would get his reflexes, which were always great, up to speed.
J.S: The reflexes and the counter-punching skills Whitaker had, were they just God-given talents? How much did you work on his counter-punching technique?
R.S: He was born with the reflexes he had. You cannot teach reflexes. He had so much natural ability. The way he would move his body and his feet; he would turn one way and practice throwing a counter punch from that stance, and then he would turn another way. He would never watch films of an opponent. I would study the films and then he’d ask me what the guy’s best punch was; what the guy did best in general. Then he’d go away and work on what I’d told him - he’d figure out which moves, which turns, would work best against the guy‘s best punch. He’d practice over and over, on which punch would work best as a counter against what the guy was going to do. Pernell is arguably the best defensive fighter in history.
J.S: How much strength and conditioning work did he do?
R.S: He had one of the best strength and conditioning guys ever in my opinion. He worked with a guy called Bob Wareing, who’s dead now unfortunately. Pernell did a lot of work with him. First of all we’d do the boxing workout, and then, in the evening, Whitaker would do two hours of work with Wareing. Bob would have him do running exercises, he’d have him lift weights and he’d have him go on the Stair Master. All this was for his stamina. Regarding roadwork, Pernell would never run more than 3 miles, and he’d do that maybe twice a week. I think fighters want to run too much these days. It’s not all about the running. Pernell never got tired in any fight, and that’s why. Too much running can kill a guy. But he’d do sprint runs. The way he did the sprints was unlike any other fighters. He would run for around 15 to 20 yards, then he’d stop and throw a 15 to 20-punch combination. Then he’d sprint again and the stop and throw punches again.
J.S: How much sparring would Whitaker do, and was it hard sparring - against fellow world champions?
R.S: Oh, Pernell loved to spar! He loved it. He’d spar hard and heavy, too. Pernell liked to spar with bigger guys than himself, because it was too easy for him with guys his own size. He’d send a guy home if he was unable to push him, to make him work. He sparred with fellow champions, such as Meldrick Taylor and Livingstone Bramble. Mostly, he would work on his defence; he would practice his best moves whilst sparring. Sometimes, the sparring was too competitive, in that two guys from the same team were kind of in a competition to be the best. I didn’t like that and if it got like that I’d stop the sparring. I never wanted guys on the same team to become rivals.
J.S: How much work did Pernell do on punching power - developing what power he had?
R.S: Well, you can’t build power. You have to have it already. Whitaker was never a power puncher, but he could KO a guy if he hit them right. So accuracy was what he worked on. He worked on his accuracy every day. He worked on always being in position to be able to throw and land a punch. But the most important thing to him bar none, was his defence. Pernell knew that a guy cannot beat what he cannot hit.
J.S: Was there any aspect of training Pernell didn’t like?
R.S: He loved every aspect of it. The thing was, he wanted to be the best Pound-for-Pound fighter in the world and stay at the top. And he said to do that he would have to make sure he worked harder than anyone else. He always told me to push him; he never wanted me to go at all easy on him. For all the natural talent and skill he had, he never relied on just that. Whitaker was one of the hardest working fighters I’ve ever known.
J.S: And Pernell is a trainer himself now, isn’t he? Will he make a good trainer in your opinion?
R.S: I think he will become a very good trainer, because he knows it all. He knows all aspects of the game. Fighters will listen to him because he’s been there and he’s done it. Pernell is patient, he’ll take his time and he’ll listen. Not every fighter can become a trainer, but he will do fine. It will be easy for him to be a good trainer.
Article posted on 03.06.2011
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By James Slater: Texan Ronnie Shields has worked with many world champion boxers, including Mike Tyson, Juan Lazcano, Vernon Forrest and Evander Holyfield. However, when it comes to sheer skill, particularly defensive skill, one fighter stands out above all others: former lightweight, light-welterweight, welterweight and light-middleweight champ Pernell “Sweet Pea” Whitaker.
Shields worked with Whitaker for ten years, and he was with him right until has final fight in 2001. Whitaker, a lightning-fast southpaw, was seemingly impossible to hit cleanly in his prime years - to the extent that many good judges, Shields included, refer to him today as THE best defensive fighter in boxing’s long history.
During his 17-year career, “Sweet Pea” met the best; with fighters such as Julio Cesar Chavez, James “Buddy” McGirt, Oscar De La Hoya and others finding him a frustratingly hard target. As naturally gifted as he was, though, Pernell, with Shields guiding him, always put in the hard slog in the gym.
Here, Shields talks about a Whitaker training camp:
James Slater: For a typical camp with Whitaker, when you were with him, how long did he train for?
Ronnie Shields: Eight weeks. Camp would be eight weeks. I was with Pernell for ten years. For the first five years I was not the main trainer, I was working under George Benton. For the last five years, which was the final five years of Whitaker’s career, I was the head trainer.
J.S: “Sweet Pea” is known for his amazing defensive abilities more than anything else. How much work did you do with regards to defence in camp, and what drills did you do?
R.S: The first thing we always did in camp, before we did anything else, was I got in the ring with him and I’d throw punches at him. First of all I’d throw jabs at him, then right hands, then body shots, and so on. He would work on avoiding the punches, catching them and then countering them. We would do this at the very start of every camp, and then every day both before and after sparring. We would also do this routine before and after we did pad and bag work. This got Pernell in the right frame of mind - with someone trying to hit him - and he would get his reflexes, which were always great, up to speed.
J.S: The reflexes and the counter-punching skills Whitaker had, were they just God-given talents? How much did you work on his counter-punching technique?
R.S: He was born with the reflexes he had. You cannot teach reflexes. He had so much natural ability. The way he would move his body and his feet; he would turn one way and practice throwing a counter punch from that stance, and then he would turn another way. He would never watch films of an opponent. I would study the films and then he’d ask me what the guy’s best punch was; what the guy did best in general. Then he’d go away and work on what I’d told him - he’d figure out which moves, which turns, would work best against the guy‘s best punch. He’d practice over and over, on which punch would work best as a counter against what the guy was going to do. Pernell is arguably the best defensive fighter in history.
J.S: How much strength and conditioning work did he do?
R.S: He had one of the best strength and conditioning guys ever in my opinion. He worked with a guy called Bob Wareing, who’s dead now unfortunately. Pernell did a lot of work with him. First of all we’d do the boxing workout, and then, in the evening, Whitaker would do two hours of work with Wareing. Bob would have him do running exercises, he’d have him lift weights and he’d have him go on the Stair Master. All this was for his stamina. Regarding roadwork, Pernell would never run more than 3 miles, and he’d do that maybe twice a week. I think fighters want to run too much these days. It’s not all about the running. Pernell never got tired in any fight, and that’s why. Too much running can kill a guy. But he’d do sprint runs. The way he did the sprints was unlike any other fighters. He would run for around 15 to 20 yards, then he’d stop and throw a 15 to 20-punch combination. Then he’d sprint again and the stop and throw punches again.
J.S: How much sparring would Whitaker do, and was it hard sparring - against fellow world champions?
R.S: Oh, Pernell loved to spar! He loved it. He’d spar hard and heavy, too. Pernell liked to spar with bigger guys than himself, because it was too easy for him with guys his own size. He’d send a guy home if he was unable to push him, to make him work. He sparred with fellow champions, such as Meldrick Taylor and Livingstone Bramble. Mostly, he would work on his defence; he would practice his best moves whilst sparring. Sometimes, the sparring was too competitive, in that two guys from the same team were kind of in a competition to be the best. I didn’t like that and if it got like that I’d stop the sparring. I never wanted guys on the same team to become rivals.
J.S: How much work did Pernell do on punching power - developing what power he had?
R.S: Well, you can’t build power. You have to have it already. Whitaker was never a power puncher, but he could KO a guy if he hit them right. So accuracy was what he worked on. He worked on his accuracy every day. He worked on always being in position to be able to throw and land a punch. But the most important thing to him bar none, was his defence. Pernell knew that a guy cannot beat what he cannot hit.
J.S: Was there any aspect of training Pernell didn’t like?
R.S: He loved every aspect of it. The thing was, he wanted to be the best Pound-for-Pound fighter in the world and stay at the top. And he said to do that he would have to make sure he worked harder than anyone else. He always told me to push him; he never wanted me to go at all easy on him. For all the natural talent and skill he had, he never relied on just that. Whitaker was one of the hardest working fighters I’ve ever known.
J.S: And Pernell is a trainer himself now, isn’t he? Will he make a good trainer in your opinion?
R.S: I think he will become a very good trainer, because he knows it all. He knows all aspects of the game. Fighters will listen to him because he’s been there and he’s done it. Pernell is patient, he’ll take his time and he’ll listen. Not every fighter can become a trainer, but he will do fine. It will be easy for him to be a good trainer.
Article posted on 03.06.2011
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Maidana could be facing Guerrero or Morales in September; Khan rematch not happening
By William Mackay: WBA light welterweight interim champion Marcos Maidana (30-2, 27 KO’s) could be fighting fellow Golden Boy Promotions fighters Erik Morales or Robert Guerrero in August or September. Maidana would like to fight a rematch with WBA light welterweight champion Amir Khan, who beat Maidana by a 12 round decision last December, but Khan isn’t too eager to make that fight happen. Maidana is Khan’s mandatory challenger. Maidana says that Khan is supposed to fight him in September otherwise he should give up his WBA belt.
However, it’s unclear whether the WBA will enforce that. Khan isn’t looking for the rematch with Maidana in September. Khan wants to fight WBC/WBO light welterweight champion Timothy Bradley sometime in 2011, provided that Khan beats IBF champ Zab Judah on July 23 in their unification bout in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Maidana said this in his twitter account about Khan: “I’m told Khan is using lawyers to put pressure on the WBA in order to avoid his mandatory bout with me in September”
“For those who ask, We’re in negotiations. Can be Guerrero or Morales in Aug or Sep. Not Khan, who proves to be scared of me again.”
Maidana also wouldn’t mind facing Paul McCloskey, but that’s not likely because Golden Boy probably won’t want to make that fight. McCloskey doesn’t have the name value that Guerrero or Morales has and he just finished looking horrible in a loss to Khan.
It likely won’t be Morales that Maidana fights next. Morales is said to be wanting a tune-up bout after getting beat and taking a lot of punishment from Maidana last April. That leaves only Guerrero for Maidana, unless he opts to fight someone else like McCloskey.
By William Mackay: WBA light welterweight interim champion Marcos Maidana (30-2, 27 KO’s) could be fighting fellow Golden Boy Promotions fighters Erik Morales or Robert Guerrero in August or September. Maidana would like to fight a rematch with WBA light welterweight champion Amir Khan, who beat Maidana by a 12 round decision last December, but Khan isn’t too eager to make that fight happen. Maidana is Khan’s mandatory challenger. Maidana says that Khan is supposed to fight him in September otherwise he should give up his WBA belt.
However, it’s unclear whether the WBA will enforce that. Khan isn’t looking for the rematch with Maidana in September. Khan wants to fight WBC/WBO light welterweight champion Timothy Bradley sometime in 2011, provided that Khan beats IBF champ Zab Judah on July 23 in their unification bout in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Maidana said this in his twitter account about Khan: “I’m told Khan is using lawyers to put pressure on the WBA in order to avoid his mandatory bout with me in September”
“For those who ask, We’re in negotiations. Can be Guerrero or Morales in Aug or Sep. Not Khan, who proves to be scared of me again.”
Maidana also wouldn’t mind facing Paul McCloskey, but that’s not likely because Golden Boy probably won’t want to make that fight. McCloskey doesn’t have the name value that Guerrero or Morales has and he just finished looking horrible in a loss to Khan.
It likely won’t be Morales that Maidana fights next. Morales is said to be wanting a tune-up bout after getting beat and taking a lot of punishment from Maidana last April. That leaves only Guerrero for Maidana, unless he opts to fight someone else like McCloskey.