WBA champion David Haye's camp has recently denied reports by current WBC champion Vitali Klitschko that a preliminary agreement has been made for them to fight in 2010. Haye's trainer and manager Adam Booth had the following to say:
“There is absolutely no agreement in place for David Haye to face Vitali Klitschko next year. We have had no contact with Vitali Klitschko or his team and were surprised to see him make those comments over the weekend. David’s next fight will be against American mandatory (#1)challenger John Ruiz, and that will go ahead in either April or May. It will take place in England and David will need to be at his best to come through that. The Klitschkos are very much on our agenda for 2010, but nothing is set in place and nothing has been agreed or arranged. We haven’t heard anything from the Klitschko camp since David won the WBA title and subsequently strengthened his bargaining position.”
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Haye Camp Denies Klitschko Haye Deal
Klitschko: Preliminary Agreement For Fight With Haye Made
Current WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko has recently stated to a Ukranian newspaper that a preliminary agreement between him and David Haye has been made for a fight to occur in 2010. Here's what Vitali had to say:
"In the near future I plan to fight Haye and take the title. The preliminary agreement has already been reached.."
Klitschko Might Fight Valuev in 2010
WBC champ Vitali Klitschko is looking to fight the WBA champion David Haye next year, but has said that a fight with former WBA champion Nicolai Valuev would still be intriguing and he would start negotiations with him if a deal with Haye can not be reached.
Valuev Quotes
“I wish to fight against Vitali Klitschko. It’ll be an entertaining fight. It’ll be more interesting than when I fought David Haye. The whole fight he just ran from me. Vitali is a great champion. I guarantee it’ll be a big fight. Vitali, I’m ready to fight. Are you?”
Klitschko Quotes
“For me it’s important to meet with David Haye so the Klitschko brothers can get all the world champion belts, but a fight against Nikolay Valuev would be interesting to millions of boxing fans. But if Haye continues to duck me, my team will begin negotiations for a fight against Valuev in 2010.”
Source
Monday, December 14, 2009
Klitschko and Haye Talk On Potential Fight
Current WBC champion Vitali Klitschko and the newly crowned WBA heavyweight champion David Haye discuss a potential match in the future between them in this video which took place after the last Saturday's fight in which Vitali easily defeated Kevin Johnson by unanimous decision.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Klitschko vs Johnson Post Fight Analysis
This is my post fight thoughts for last Saturday's WBC championship fight between WBC champ Vitali Klitschko and undefeated American contender Kevin Johnson.
Ok, for all the talk that Johnson did before the fight on how he was going to knock out Vitali around 7 to 9 rounds he certainly accomplished the complete opposite of what he was saying he was going to do.
Kevin Johnson's mindset the whole fight was "I don't care if I lose I just want to make Vitali miss and last 12 rounds". That sums up the fight right there. Johnson hardly mounted an attack. He did hit Vitali a couple times. But, most of the power from these punches was from Vitali getting upset at Johnson's antics in the ring, and from loosening up a bit on his defense while coming in.
I think Vitali realized that Johnson might have been trying to bait him for a powerful counter, but he knew that he was winning on points easily so didn't press the action to fall in that trap. I think Johnson is very cowardly in how he fought, and was very immature on how he acted after the fight had ended. If Johnson never fights again, that would be fine by me.
I think if Vitali would have trained for the type of fighter we saw tonight we would have seen a different story. He would have exploited those positions Johnson kept getting himself into where he basically was hiding his body and just showing the back of his head. To me I think the ref should have counted off on this. This is not too far away from an opponent turning his back in a fight. Vitali got a verbal warning for hitting Johnson on the back of the head at one point, but I think if a fighter purposely puts himself in that position then he shouldn't be surprised to be hit in the back of the head. If the ref is going to give a warning then he should give the opponent a warning for putting himself in that position.
Oh, and I also think it would have been sweet if Wladimir would have knocked out Johnson when he pulled his little stunt at the end of the fight.
Johnson should be embarrassed on the way he fought, and if anyone praises him it must be so they can have a little bit of his last big paycheck he made Saturday night.
Check out some of these other post fight thoughts....
Other Klitschko Johnson Post Fight Analysis'
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Klitschko vs Johnson Full Fight Video
This is the full fight video for the WBC heavyweight championship between WBC champ Vitali Klitschko and undefeated American heavyweight Kevin Johnson from Saturday, December 12th at the PostFinance Arena in Berne, Switzerland. The commentary is in German...
Klitschko Johnson Part 1
Ring entrance, introductions, and rounds 1 through 3
Klitschko Johnson Part 2
Rounds 3 through 6..
Klitschko Johnson Part 3
Rounds 6 through 9...
Klitschko Johnson Part 4
*Rounds 9 through 12, decision, and post fight..
*Post fight
Klitschko Wins Unanimous Decision Over Johnson
Tonight, WBC champion Vitali Klitschko retained his title with a unanimous decision over former unbeaten American heavyweight Kevin Johnson. Johnson throughout the fight put up little more than a defensive fight where he tried to make Vitali miss, but put up little offense of his own. Vitali got better and better landing as the fight went on. Johnson became only the second fighter to go the full twelve with Vitali, the other being Timo Hoffmann. In my opinion, Johnson did not win a single round, and judges scorecards read: 120-108, 120-108, 119-109. More information to come!
Friday, December 11, 2009
Klitschko Johnson Weigh-In
Today was the weigh in for the WBC heavyweight championship fight this Saturday between current WBC champ Vitali Klitschko and unbeaten American prospect Kevin Johnson. Vitali Klitschko weighed in at 246.9 lbs (112 kg) while Johnson weighed in at 242.5 lbs (110 kg). The fight will take place in Berne, Switzerland at the PostFinance Arena.
Klitscho Johnson Weigh-in Video
Klitschko Johnson Stare Down
For pics of the weigh in you can go here, and here.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Klitschko Johnson Open Workout
Today was the open workout of WBC champ Vitali Klitschko and undefeated American heavyweight contender Kevin Johnson at the Westside Mall in Bern, Switzerland ahead of their WBC heavyweight championship fight this Saturday, December 12th. Both fighters looked in good shape ahead of their duel.
For pictures you can go here and here, and for a video(in German) of the public workout you can go here.
Here's another video of both Johnson and Klitschko in the public workout preparing for their fight this Saturday...
Klitschko vs Chambers Is On!
It's been confirmed. IBF/WBO/IBO heavyweight champion Wladimir "Steelhammer" Klitschko 53-3(37) will defend his titles against top rated American contender and the WBO #1 mandatory challenger "Fast" Eddie Chambers 35-1(18) on March 20th at a yet to be named location in Germany.
Eddie Chambers received his mandatory status after defeating Alexander Dimitrenko in a fight Alexander assumed was just a tune-up fight for himself to face Wladimir Klitschko(he himself was the WBO mandatory). However, Chambers had other plans and defeated Dimitrenko in a remarkable fashion. Much of his win is credited to Chambers new dedication to his fitness regimen in which he came in at a very slim 208 and 1/4th lbs.
Wladimir's last fight was last June when he defeated the WBA champion in recess Ruslan Chagaev easily. This was a late replacement for David Haye who pulled out of the fight at the last minute. Klitschko has reportedly already started training back in November in preparation to the Chambers fight. Stay tuned for more information.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Kevin Johnson Diary Entry 6
This is the latest Kevin "Kingpin" Johnson diary entry as he enters his last day of training ahead of this Saturdays championship fight against WBC heavyweight champ Vitali Klitschko in Berne,
“Today was a big day here in Berne for me. Started it with my last day of sparring. I was sharp, crisp, focused and in a good place, my body is reacting exactly the way that I need it to so I am good to go.
“I am in the best shape of my life. I had my press conference with Vitali today and got a chance to see him face to face one more time before the weigh-in on Friday.
“He seemed to be in a good mood but all of that is going to change on Saturday when I take the WBC title from him. Its all business from here on out.
“We kept it cool at the presser. No theatrics, no threats just business. We’re both professionals. Nothing personal. I’m focused and ready to shock the world. I made the final arrangements for my friends and family that has come to watch the fight because after today, I won’t have any contact with anyone other than my team. I am in a zone and I plan on staying that way until I accomplish my goal of becoming the next heavyweight champion of the world.
“I know what the naysayers say about my chances but I also know that nobody ever sees the big upsets. They always catch everyone by surprise and come Saturday, they won’t see the Kingpin come in, but they will sure as hell see me when I leave. Too all my fans back in the U.S, especially Atlanta and Asbury Park, pay attention, keep your eyes glued to the TV and watch me do what I do.”
Source
Klitschko vs Johnson Prediction
This is my prediction for the upcoming WBC heavyweight championship fight this Saturday, December 12th in Berne, Switzerland between current WBC heavyweight champ "Dr. Ironfist" Vitali Klitschko (38-2, 37 KOs) and American undefeated heavyweight Kevin "Kingpin" Johnson (22-0-1, 9 KOs).
I think the easiest way to think of this fight is how much of a problem do you think Kevin Johnson is going to be if Vitali was more than willing to choose Johnson as a voluntary defense after only 3 months after disposing of the undefeated American Chris Arreola?
Obviously, he does not think too highly of him as a serious threat. Kevin Johnson seems to think highly of himself though. According to him he thinks he's the next Mohammed Ali. He seems to think he's extremely fast, can't be touched, or hit, etc. But, if you look at his fights, he is NOT that fast. He has good speed with his HANDS, but his footwork is really pretty slow. This is what will be his downfall. Yes, Johnson does have a longer reach in this fight, but Vitali is much taller and is good at not only keeping the distance but keeping out of range with his body. Johnson will need to hit UP to hit Vitali in the face which will take away from his reach.
The other factors are obvious. Vitali has way more experience in general and way more experience in championship fights and against top contenders. I think Johnson's best win was against Devin Vargas who only had a week notice but still did a good job against Johnson and lasted 6 rounds, and Vargas is a pretty small heavyweight. I guarantee if he had more time he would have beaten Johnson.
Vitali will stay at a proper distance easily because he will have the superior footwork, and Johnson will not be able to hurt Klitschko nor will he be able to land the proper combos. The only thing in question in this fight is when will Klitschko win. It will depend on whether Johnson will run or not. I say he will stick and move. At least he will try to, and the fight will probablly last until around round 9. I'd say Vitali Klitschko by TKO/KO (Johnson's chin is in question. I don't know how good it is) in round 9. That's my prediction. What do you say?
Other predictions...
Monday, December 7, 2009
Klitschko vs Johnson Officials
It is now known who will be the acting referee and judges for the WBC heavyweight championship fight this Saturday in Berne, Switzerland between current WBC heavyweight boxing champion Vitali Klitschko and undefeated American heavyweight Kevin Johnson.
Referee: Kenny Bayless (USA)
Judges: Omar Mintun (Mexico), Guido Cavalleri (Italy) and Fabian Kaj Guggenheim (Switzerland).
Valuev Predicts Klitschko KO Over Johnson
Former WBA heavyweight champion Nicolai Valuev has recently stated that he believes Vitali will easily dispose of the American heavyweight contender Kevin Johnson when they meet this Saturday in Berne, Switzerland. Here's what Valuev had to say:
“When I was preparing for the bout with Monte Barrett I worked with Johnson in Chicago. After that he came to Germany to spar with me. To tell you the truth, the American is nothing special as a boxer. We worked with him only because of his speed – he has fast left hand."
“I think that Klitschko will win by a knockout, and a clean one, not technical. Though I won’t predict in which round. Of course I will cheer for Vitali. Why do I have to support Johnson?"
Valuev also thinks that even though he has no belt a fight between him and one of the Klitschko's would still be lucrative...
“Now the most painful issue for the Klitschko brothers is gone - the financial question. I've lost my title, though I don't think that I lost to David Haye. But that happened and now I’m not in the place to dictate financial conditions. But I think that it’s undeniable fact that my bout with Klitschko is still the most desired fight for the post-Soviet countries
Klitschko Johnson Fight Week Press Conference
Today, there was a press conference in Berne, Switzerland ahead of this Saturday's WBC heavyweight championship fight between current WBC heavyweight champ "Dr. Ironfist" Vitali Klitschko (38-2, 37 KOs) and undefeated American heavyweight hopeful Kevin "Kingpin" Johnson (22-0-1, 9 KOs).
In the press conference Kevin Johnson seemed very confident and told Vitali that the only people that could have prepared him for what he is about to face would have been Muhammed Ali and Larry Holmes.
Here's a link to part of the Klitschko vs Johnson press conference here.
Kevin Johnson Quotes
"Thank you i like to thank god 1st for put everything together; putting this fight into proper (inspection?). For me, I thought my toughest fight would actually not be this fight. I remember when I was down in Florida. I was coming from the Dominican Republic and I stopped and I seen Lennox Lewis in the airport, and I walked up to Lennox Lewis and I told Lennox I said do you know who I am? He said you look familiar. So, I went on to tell who I am. He said I heard about you. I told him: I say you're my biggest test. My dream is to fight you . You're the best heavyweight in the world and most dominant heavyweight in the world.
About a couple months ago me and Lennox enjoyed a ride and I asked him a couple questions about the fight with Viatli. How difficult was he? And in his mind he came up with the same answer I came up with: It's not difficult breaking down a robot. It's difficult building up one. My whole life I broken down a lot of things but I never rebuilt it. I can tear down anything. The easiest thing a man can do is tear down anything. The hardest thing another man can do is build up something else.
This is no problem for me. This is not a test nor a task. I've done this all my life. Me being the best boxer from the United States, that's just not being the best boxer. I've been blessed with 3 things that no man can ever beat. I'm standing here undefeated because those 3 things are so dominant. Nobody can ever stop me, nobody can ever touch me if i don't want to get touched, nobody can ever hit me if don't want to get hit. Nobody can ever outbox me. Why? Because I'm too superb. 20 years experience. Very superb. It's a difference. I got something that he don't got. Because when I walk away a winner December, 12th you'll know the things that i have. The whole world will be shocked, because nobody is expecting this. Nobody is expecting a 22 and 0 kid to destroy this guy the way I am going to destroy him. If the bout makes 10 rounds, if it makes 10 rounds; that's a big if, I don't think this bout will make even 9 rounds. I don't like to make predictions. I will say 9 rounds.
He's not ready. How do I know he's not ready. Cuz there's only 2 people in this whole world that can get him ready to fight me and no neither one of them was there to help. that was
Mohammed Ali and Larry Holmes, and if you didn't train(pointing at Vitali) with Mohammed Ali and Larry Holmes you hurt yourself. You're in good shape probably, but you're not ready for me. 1 thing. If you get that ring you better ride(?) it."
Vitali Klitschko Quotes
“You should give me ten percent of your purse, so that I can pay the doctor’s bills for you after the fight.”
Fritz Sdunek Quotes
“Vitali has gone more than 100 sparring rounds in preparation. He’s physically and mentally in top form. If Kevin Johnson does what he promises, at least the fight will go the full twelve rounds.”
Ok, am I the only one who thinks what Johnson said was a little strange Building up a robot? What exactly does that mean. Is he suggesting that he has to get himself motivated in this fight to pretend Vitali is good so he doesn't slack? That's the only thing I can think of. If that's true, who exactly would he get himself motivated to fight in the heavyweight division if he has to "build up" Vitali. Strange. Sounds like he's trying to make himself believe he is good enough to face Vitali.
Also, Mohammed Ali helping Vitali train for this fight? Is he serious? Funny stuff there. Your thoughts?
Kevin Johnson Diary Entry 5
This is last Friday's diary ongoing diary entry by Kevin "Kingpin" Johnson as he prepares to take on the WBC champion Vitali Klitschko this Saturday, December 12th in Berne, Switzerland.
“It’s Friday here in Switzerland and things are starting to heat up. I try to leave the politics too my management team but I’m starting to get a little annoyed. Although the champ is supposed to be a heavy favorite over me, he seems to be trying to gain every advantage he can over me for this fight in and outside of the ring.
“From the announcement of today’s judges, to the selection of the ring size and rumors that I here from his sparring partner about some dirty tricks that he likes to engage in during fights, it looks like I’m going to have to be on my Ps & Qs for this fight.
“Dr. Frankenstein is trying to win this thing by hook or by crook. I’m definitely going to have someone in his dressing room checking his gloves closely.
Today was film day form me. Watched some more film of Dr. Frankenstein to make sure that I had my bases covered in terms of preparing for whatever. I’m so excited about my game plan for this fight that I can barely sit still. This guy has gotten by on sheer size his whole career. He’s not as skillful as people think he is. After watching film, I got in another 6K run. The brisk Bern air is enough to wake the dead. Met some more fans and signed more autographs after my run. Never knew I had so many fans in Switzerland. Maybe Ill run for mayor of Bern after the fight.
“I shadowboxed for 45 mins but no sparring today. I didn’t want to overdo it. Got a chance to check out the arena today for the first time. Wow, there’s going to be a lot of disappointed Vitali fans filling this arena.”
Source
Monday, November 30, 2009
Kevin Johnson Diary Entry Day 4
This is a continuance of the heavyweight contender Kevin Johnson's diary as he prepares to face WBC champion Vitali Klitschko on Dec 12th..
“Today is the big day. There is so much to do before traveling to Berne, Switzerland today. I had hoped to get in a little sparring this morning before getting on the plane, but my sparring partners looked like they need a break so I let them off the hook.
“But I did get in a 5K run on the treadmill (it was raining outside), did some calisthenics and shadowboxed for an hour. After that, I got in a 45 minute workout with my personal trainer, then sat down with my manager and trainers to map out the game plan for the next two weeks.
“They are more on edge than I am and I like it like that. I love it when my team is on the exact same page as I am.
“I watched tape of the Lennox Lewis – Vitali Klitschko fight again with my trainers again and it got my juices flowing. I love watching tape of Vitali – something jumps out at my every time that I do. I wish the fight was tonight!
“I spent the morning signing autographs outside the Total Package Gym here in Douglasvile, Georgia, and talked to some fans who showed up to wish me luck before I took off. Also did some local radio – Atlanta Radio – and TV to plug the fight and I am now in the car headed to the airport.
“I’m 12 days away from achieving my goal of becoming the heavyweight champion of the world. It’s so close I can taste it. Stay tuned, I’m going to shock the world!”
Source
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Where To Watch Klitschko vs Johnson
This is where you will find information on where to watch the WBC heavyweight championship fight between current WBC heavyweight champ "Dr. Ironfist" Vitali Klitschko (38-2, 37 KOs) and undefeated American heavyweight contender Kevin "Kingpin" Johnson (22-0-1, 9 KOs) for December 12th, 2009 at the Postfinance Arena in Bern, Switzerland. Fight will start 8:00 pm their time.
Where To Watch On Television
United States
Looks as though HBO will show the fight free of charge(most likely on delay) ahead of the Juan Diaz vs Paulie Malignaggi rematch.
United Kingdom
UK fans can catch the fight free on Sky Sports 2 at 8pm.
Germany
RTL will be showing this fight.
Elsewhere in The World
This will expand when I get more information. If anyone knows where the fight will be shown other than the US and UK on television please comment!
Where To Watch Online
Check this out to find where you can watch Klitschko vs Johnson online...
Kevin Johnson Diary Entry Day 3
Kevin Johnson is going to keep a diary entry online ahead of his showdown with the WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko on December 12th.
Here's what he had to say for Sunday, November 29th 2009...
“Wrapped up last day of sparring in the U.S., starting the day with another 6k run in the hills of Douglasville, Georgia. I finished by getting another day of great sparring.
“I’ll spend the rest of the day packing and saying goodbye to friends and family who are not going to make the trip to Switzerland.
“I got some great words of encouragement from my pastor, so I’m calm and focused. I can hardly believe it, but 13 days from today and I will be the next heavyweight champion of the world! As my mentor and first trainer, Larry Holmes, would say, ‘I’m prepared to let my hands be the judges.’
“This fight won’t go to the scorecards.”
Source
Kevin Johnson Diary Entry Day 2
Kevin Johnson is going to keep a diary entry online ahead of his showdown with the WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko on December 12th.
Here's what he had to say for Saturday, November 27th 2009...
“Started my day at 7:00 a.m. with a 6K run. I was surprised by the number fans who honked their horns or waved while I was running in downtown Douglasville, Georgia. This fight has made me recognizable everywhere. I ended up signing autographs in the parking lot of a local supermarket at 8:30 in the morning.
“As I do every Saturday that I am in Douglasville, I spoke at the Youth Against Violence program this morning and encouraged at-risk youth to change their circumstances by focusing on getting an education. A lot of the young boys in the group reminded me of myself when I was their age; they have a lot of potential, but lack focus and direction.“Talking to these kids is my passion. Just seeing them react to me and what I’m saying makes me feel like I’m making a difference. I’m thinking about starting a PAL Boxing program here in Douglasville after my fight with Vitali Klitschko.
“Got some great sparring in today, almost 14 rounds of great work by my sparring partners. I want to give a big shout out to Kevin Burnett. This kid gives me great work everyday. Looking forward to one more day of sparring tomorrow before leaving for Switzerland on Monday.”
Source
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Klitschko Johnson Tickets
This is information on where you can get boxing tickets for the WBC heavyweight title fight between current WBC champion Vitali Klitschko (38-2, 37 KOs) and challenger Kevin "Kingpin" Johnson (22-0-1, 9 KOs) ahead of their fight on December 12th 2009 at the PostFinance Arena in Bern.
Seatwave is a popular and reputable online retailer of many tickets for overseas including boxing and have been in business for a long time. You can buy tickets from their UK(English based United Kingdom), DE(Germany), and ES(Spain) sites. Currently their ticket prices on their UK site range from £57.28 to £1817.50. This translates to $94.44 to $2996.70 in US dollars. To go to the country of choice, and for a direct link for tickets, select the site of choice below.UK Klitschko vs Johnson Tickets Direct Link
Vitali Klitschko ist das laufende Comeback des Jahres!
Nach dreijähriger Ringpause kehrte Vitali Klitschko, der Meister, zurück in den Boxring und verteidigt zum dritten Mal seinen WM Titel! Klitschko – mittlerweile mit 37 Jahren im besten Boxalter – brennt darauf den ungeschlagenen Kevin Johnson zu schlagen. Verpassen Sie nicht dieses Box-Highlight des Jahres in Bern, das den Boxfrühling der Klitschkos in Stuttgart fortsetzt.
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Kevin Johnson Diary Entry
Kevin Johnson is going to keep a diary entry online ahead of his showdown with the WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko on December 12th.
Here's what he had to say for Friday, November 27th 2009...
“I am so focused on winning the world title that I am sacrificing everything.
“Yesterday was Thanksgiving day and, for the first time in my life, I had to give up having dinner with my family so that I can train instead. I started the day with a 5K run and finished it by going to war with my sparring partners. I’m ruining my Thanksgiving so that I can ruin Vitali Klitschko’s Christmas. My team and I are focused and are ready to get this fight over with.
“I spoke to a friend who is serving in Afghanistan this morning, so I want to take some time to say thank you to all the brave men and women fighting around the world for our freedom. They are the real champions, so I will dedicate my victory over Vitali to our US Armed Forces.”
Source
Friday, November 27, 2009
Kevin Johnson Interview Ahead Of Klitschko Fight
Undefeated heavyweight contender Kevin "Kingpin" Johnson was recently interviewed on Blog Talk Radio and discussed his career and his upcoming fight with current WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko. You can listen to the interview here and you can skip to the part with the Johnson interview by going to the 85:35 mark of the interview recording.
There's also an interview with Oleg Maskaev if you want to listen to that it's on there too.
Here's some of what was said in the interview with Johnson...
On training and preparations for his upcoming fight with Vitali Klitschko:
“Things couldn’t be any better. Perfect. Wonderful.”
On whether or not he feels he is ready for challenging Klitschko:
“Oh yeah, 100%.”
On fighting outside of the United States for the first time in his professional career:
“It’s making me work harder so I could go over there and clarify this win.”
On being able to get inside on someone as big as Vitali:
“Well that’s the thing about this fight. I don’t have to worry about getting inside for this fight right here, because I don’t have to go to him. I have the reach advantage. I can stand outside and box the hell out of him all day.”
On having a back-up plan in a fight:
“Plan B, C, D, E, F, and G—you’re always supposed to have fifteen backup plans just in case one don’t work, you need another and another and another.”
On implementing his game plan against Klitschko:
“There’s several things I can do to beat the guy. You can’t really say what you’re going to do until you step into the ring and hear that bell ring.”
On what he believes is the key to beating Vitali Klitschko on December 12:
“Not getting hit.”
On his lack of amateur experience:
“If you know me and you do your research on me, you would know I have the best amateur background that anyone else would dream to have.”
Regarding Manny Pacquiao’s impressive run:
“I love the guy, I love watching him. I know he’s always going to give me something. If I could meet the guy I would just like to ask him where does he sleep, in an oxygen chamber? The guy is energetic. I’ve never seen anybody as energetic as this guy.”
Klitschko Brothers Receive 2009 Bambi Award
The Bambi's, which are like the American Oscar's, are a German award ceremony equivalent that have been going on in Germany since 1948. The Bambi's recognize achievement in television, film, music, sport, fashion, and social engagement. Amongst those to receive an award in 2009 were the Klitschko brothers Wladimir and Vitali Klitscho. The Track and field gold medalist Edwin Moses presented the trophy to Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko brothers for excellence in the Sports field.
Here's a video of the Klitschko's accepting their award. They are speaking in German of course, and if anyone would care to translate or give a link to a page with the translation, the English speaking Klitschko fans would appreciate it.
Here's an alternate video which is a little more detailed and longer..
If you interested in seeing some pictures of the Klitschko's at the Bambi's you can go here.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Klitschko Q & A Ahead Of Johnson Fight
Current WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko (38-2, 37 KOs) was recently interviewed ahead of his fight with Kevin Johnson (22-0-1, 9 KOs) which will take on December, 12th at the Post Finance Arena in Berne, Switzerland. Here's the interview...
Vitali, you’ve just scored a victory on September 26th against Chris Arreola, and you’ve already taken on a fight on December 12th versus Kevin Johnson. Doesn’t it frighten you to have two big fights in such a close amount of time?
No, I am physically fine, and because of that, it doesn’t bother me at all to have fights so close together. My preparation time for a fight is about 8 weeks, and as long as I get that, all is in order.
Not much is known about Johnson. Why did you choose this fight?
Johnson and Arreola both have an excellent record, and are dangerous fighters. At heavyweight all you need is one strong punch to win a fight. I’m not going to underestimate him, but at the same time, I’m not going to overestimate him. I can, and will, protect this belt.
This is an unusual venue for your match. More often, you fight in Germany, and you just came back from fighting in America. Now Switzerland?
My brother and I have been invited to fight in Switzerland for a long time now, and Wladimir and I usually prepare for our fights not far from that region, so I’m glad I finally have the chance to hold a bout there.
There are rumors that the WBC president, Jose Sulaiman, has inquired about you fighting in Mexico…
I haven’t heard too much about this, but believe me, it would really be worth it. I’m ready to discuss such an opportunity. It’d be great to fight in Mexico.
When will the Klitschko brothers own all of the world championship titles?
It’s just a matter of time. Believe me, Wladimir and I will do all that is possible to make that happen.
What did you think of David Haye vs Nikolay Valuev?
I congratulate Haye! He won that fight deservingly.
Would you want to fight Haye?
Yes, now that he is a world champion, he is interesting to my brother and I. I hope that now he won’t be able to cancel any fights against us. After Johnson, I am ready to sit down at the negotiating table.
You’re 38-years-old, but you leave the impression that you have many more years of fighting to go. Do you wish to surpass George Foreman’s record?
No, I don’t want to pass up George Foreman. I won’t box until I’m 45-years-old, but I still have more fights that I need to finish in my career.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Sportsvibe Wladimir Klitschko Interview
Sportsvibe recently interviewed the WBO/IBF/IBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko where he talks about all kinds of things like kite surfing, his acting parts in movies, his home country of Ukraine, traveling, his brother and him being champions, and his next opponent Eddie Chambers. Enjoy the video!
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Steward Interview On Haye & Wladimir
This is a new interview with the hall of fame trainer Emanuel Steward after David Haye became the new WBA heavyweight champion with his win over Nicolai Valuev. Steward talks about Haye, about Haye vs Wladimir Klitschko, and how soon we should expect to see Wladimir back in the ring plus much more! Here's the interview:
Q: Emanuel, what was your evaluation of David Haye’s performance in his victory over Nikolai Valuev?
A: I’ll be honest with you, I didn’t get to see it. I didn’t see the fight but it went pretty much like I figured. Valuev was too big for David to really mount any substantial attack with anything to devastating. Valuev is just slow and doesn’t seem to have the excitement and enthusiasm to be exact about anything that he does. He just plods and goes through the motion. And it was the type of fight that there was a champion crowned and David’s got his belt now, but it was the type of fight that I never expected to be much excitement. I think Dave would be more exciting if he fights a Klitschko, particularly Wladimir, because Wladimir out of all those guys is a little shorter at six-five and a half or six-six, and he’ll be a little more explosive.
I just never could see the fight being too much because of Valuev’s size. It was just hard for David just to even reach him up there to try and hit him with something, but I thought his speed and natural athleticism would carry him through the fight. Basically, I was talking to Phil Anselmo on the phone, he was telling me as it was going on because I was over doing my broadcast in Hartford, Connecticut. So I was at ringside and he was giving me an account as the fight was progressing..
Q: Is a fight with David Haye something that you and Wladimir would be interested in, in the year 2010?
A: That’s the fight, that’s the only fight that I would get excited about myself, for Wladimir, because David is still a very explosive puncher, and for somebody more closer to his size, I think he has got tremendous explosive power, good coordination and reflexes, and he’s a smart fighter. I’ve watched his fights, he’s improved a lot from where he was a couple of years ago, and he is a challenge. I know when we were preparing for him it was when of the few times that I really worked with a fighter in preparation that I would have a lot of anxiety myself about him. So maybe he’s a fighter that you could never underestimate.
Q: A lot of Haye supporters and Klitschko critics point to Wladimir’s chin as evidence that David Haye has a really good chance against Wladimir. How would you respond to accusations from Wlad’s critics on that front?
A: Well first of all, I think David is a danger for anybody because he’s a good puncher, with good speed and explosiveness. With the rest of the guys Wladimir can always control them pretty much easy because they didn’t have the speed nor the size, but in David’s case he has the size over David but the speed, David can match him. You know, if David hits anybody he’s going to hurt him. I know a lot of Wladimir’s criticisms came primarily because of the Same Peter fight, but that was a fight that Wladimir had a lot of anxiety going into. He had lost, I think, two of his last four fights and nobody gave him much of a chance so I think a lot of that was due to anxiety more than anything else. And if you ever look at it, the first knockdown was in the back of the head—on his neck, really, it wasn’t on the head—and then he was trying to avoid getting hit by those clubbing punches and I told him, “If he gets close, don’t let him hit you on the back of the head”, and that’s what happened. The second one he didn’t even get hit, really. He didn’t really get hit on the chin. But I’ll tell you what, if he has an iron chin, still, it’s going to be rough with David, because David can punch.
Q: Now David Haye is a former cruiserweight who now has a portion of the heavyweight throne, and another cruiserweight champion Tomasz Adamek is trying to follow suit, and he just recently made his heavyweight debut with an impressive fifth round stoppage against former contender Andrew Golota. I was wondering what your thoughts are on Adamek moving up to the heavyweight division?
A: I just don’t see Adamek as a heavyweight. I always thought that David could be a heavyweight because 215-220, he can carry that. I just can’t seriously envision Adamek as being a heavyweight. I really can’t. Stopping Golota is not something that’s going to impress me at this stage of Golota’s career.
Q: Back to Wladimir quickly, when can we expect Wlad to be back inside the ring?
A: Well he’ll be in the ring in March. His left bicep which was hurt, it was actually hurt going into the fight with Chagaev. He went into the fight with the left bicep, that’s why he couldn’t throw hooks. All he could throw was straight punches. But he’s healing up very good, he’s back doing light training, and we’ve been communicating about every other day.
Q: Now changing things up a little bit, Emanuel, I wanted to get your opinions on some of the on-goings in the Super Six super middleweight tournament, and to start off I was curious what your thoughts were on Arthur Abraham’s twelfth round stoppage against a fighter you worked with in the past, Jermain Taylor?
A: I thought it was a real tremendous performance, and what I liked, he had never thrown a straight right hand through the center the whole night, and kept throwing the right hand more on the side of Jermain’s head and then going into the last round he threw a nice wide hook only where you can see it and then threw the right hand right and it was between the center. It wasn’t just so much the knockout but it’s the way he delivered it. I mean, clean, precision, it looked like it was well thought out. He’s a tough guy. He’s going to be a rough fight for anyone in the division.
The tournament is fantastic for boxing, in this division. There may not have been really any super excitement going on too much, particularly with the retirement of (Joe) Calzaghe, but I think this right here has put a lot of focus on that division and whoever wins it is going to be like a star in boxing. I think it’s a fantastic idea. I think (Mikkel) Kessler going down the stretch is probably going to be the favorite, but I don’t know. I see Andre Ward, his last few fights I saw tremendous improvement in him that I hadn’t noticed before. So Kessler, Ward, Abraham, all of those guys—it’s going to be very good. I’m anxious as a fan to watch all of those fights.
Q: Now you mentioned Ward and Kessler. That fight is obviously coming up very soon, what are your thoughts going into that one?
A: I think it’s a possibility that maybe the winner of that should be the favorite to win. It’s really interesting to have those two fighting each other so soon. The California crowd may be an advantage to Ward, I don’t know, especially with Kessler having fought most of his fights, except for I think Calzaghe and one other one where I think he went to Germany, he’s always been fighting for a home town type of crowd, too. It’s going to be a very, very competitive fight between two sharp, crisp fighters. I can’t pick on them, but I think it will be a good fight.
Q: There’s one more first round fight we haven’t touched on yet, and I was curious if you would share your views on Carl Froch’s victory against Andre Dirrell?
A: I saw the fight and I gave Froch the fight. Maybe Dirrell landed clean punches, but when he landed his punches he was finishing up by grabbing and not looking confident the way he should have. It’s the difference between boxing in a confident matter and the fact that he was letting Froch manhandle him. That was what I thought was the factor in the fight and even though a lot of people thought that it was a bad decision, if I would have been in Andre Dirrell’s corner I wouldn’t have complained. I thought he won the fight from clean blows but just the all around general boxing and mental and physical strength, Froch intimidated him. I thought the decision was fair but I don’t know how Froch is going to hold up with the rest of the guys. Just his mental mindset means that he’s a tough guy, because he’s going to always be up to it all the time because he has supreme confidence in himself. He may have more confidence than anyone in the entire tournament.
Q: Changing things up again here again Emanuel, we have the big mega fight coming up this weekend between Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto and I was wondering if you could share some of your thoughts on that fight?
A: Well I’m not going to pick a winner, but I think the way that most fans feel so strongly for Manny Pacquiao is because he looked so super sensational in his last three fights and the fact that Cotto just struggled in his last two fights, and he took and he took a pretty bad pounding in both fights with (Antonio) Margarito and with (Joshua) Clottey. So he took a lot of punishment, but I think the fact that Miguel is going to be, maybe in solid natural body weight, ten pounds bigger and he won’t make the mistake that Oscar made of trying to come in so super light to dispel the myth that he’s beating up and taking advantage of a smaller guy. I think he’ll come in at 155 to 157 and that just means it’s just going to be a much, much tougher fight.
I think one thing for sure it’s a guaranteed exciting fight, because of just the mental make-up. It’s not one of the guys that’s going to say well I’m just going to win it by boxing. I don’t think that’s going to be the case. Even though both guys can box well, I just think the mindset of both guys is too explosive, and with Manny you got to deal with that explosive power that he has from all kinds of quick angles and turns and pivots. And he’s got pinpoint accuracy and pinpoint eyes where he can see opportunities open up in the middle of the exchanges that most normal fighters can’t see, but Cotto is a little bit bigger with natural strength, so I just think it’s going to be a good fight.
Q: Do you believe the rumors that Margarito may have, in some way, ruined Cotto? Do you buy into that?
A: Not necessarily. He did give him a tremendous beating and he did it all in the last half of the fight. He took a lot of punches himself but it was nowhere near as devastating as the ones that he landed. You really can’t tell because coming back with Clottey, Joshua Clottey is a hard fight for anybody at any time. I mean he’s a very, very difficult opponent. It’s unfortunate. Cotto has had two of those like back-to-back with a real physical big, tough guy who took all of his punishment and just grinded him down and then to come back with one of these strong type defensive guys. He got busted up pretty bad in both fights. On the same hand, Manny was just sliding through looking like twenty million dollars in all of his last three fights, really, when you go back to that David Diaz fight. It’s a fight that he took a lot of punishment, and I don’t think he’s been damaged that bad, still. That’s my opinion.
Q: With Manny Pacquiao, in his last two fights against Oscar De La Hoya and Ricky Hatton, we still don’t really know whether or not Manny Pacquiao can handle a power shot from a full-fledged welterweight, or even a junior welterweight, but there’s a pretty good chance we’re going to find out when he faces Cotto, and I’m curious how you think he will withstand such power?
A: Well I’m just like you, I think he’ll be okay. I personally think he will be. It’s very interesting that they talked about the great fights with Marquez and him, but they were both small guys, and regardless of what they weight on the scales the day before the fight I just think natural size and natural strength that there’s about ten pounds difference in the weight between those two. Going down the stretch if it ends in decision then weight could be a difference. You have a good point. He may not be able to take Cotto’s punches. Cotto is a good puncher, but also, if you’re dealing with adversity, Cotto has shown that he can deal with adversity on probably about six occasions that I can think of—five at least, in the way that he’s been hurt, staggered, cut badly. I don’t know if Manny can deal with it. I know he got that cut with Marquez in one of them where he just totally freaked out for about three rounds. A lot of the intangibles may give Cotto a better shot, but still, it’s going to be hard for him to overcome that tremendous speed and pinpoint punching power of Manny Pacquiao.
Q: Now one fighter who’s going to be interested in the outcome of this fight will no doubt be Floyd Mayweather, Jr. He just had his recent comeback against Juan Manuel Marquez, and I was curious of your assessment of his performance coming off of the layoff?
A: I thought his performance was good. It’s just he’s a bigger guy, and he was smart, too. He didn’t lose a lot of excessive weight. He just said, “Hey, I’m 146. I’m feeling good and strong, I’m down as light as I want to be and I’m not going any lighter than that.” So he just said, “Pay them the money difference and I’ll keep my full strength”. He fought a good fight. I thought he looked very strong, very fast, and when a guy is smaller than another guy like Marquez was and Mayweather usually, he makes up for it by being faster like Mike Tyson used to do with those big heavyweights, but when the bigger guy is also the faster guy it’s very difficult for a smaller guy to do anything.
Q: Do you think that Floyd will wind up taking on the winner of this fight?
A: I think he will. I think that regardless of what the problems may be between people involved, I think it will all be sorted out because it’s the most demanded fight I have heard of in a long time. It’s not a fight that you have to promote ourselves to the public, it’s the public themselves want the fight, just like they wanted (Tommy) Hearns and (Sugar Ray) Leonard before they had their first fight. So the public makes some fights, and when they do that, they are tremendously successful. So I think whatever the difference is, the parties involved will all get it sorted out and the fight will take place, I think.
Q: Where do you think Shane Mosley fits into this picture? He’s obviously expressed interest about wanting to fight Pacquiao, or Mayweather, or a rematch with Cotto. Do you think he’s going to be stuck on the outside looking in?
A: I think so. Well he is that way. In fact, I don’t think he’s had a fight in nearly a year. He’s watching everybody, and he had his best performance in his career with Margarito and still has been unsuccessful in landing a fight with Pacquiao or with Mayweather, and probably even a rematch with Cotto, which he’s wanted. I know that’s got to be very frustrating for him, and it’s going to be a job for him to be mentally up for his fight with Andre Berto which is a very, very dangerous fight for him. In some ways he’s looking at almost a miniature of himself, a guy with fast hands, very explosive, and he could possibly lose if he doesn’t stay focused in this fight. It’s not an easy fight and with him so frustrated with not being able to land one of those other three fights that he wanted, he may get a little relaxed in his focus and intensity and he could lose. But he is definitely the guy on the outside, the guy that’s really probably, I would say ‘suffering’ more than anyone in terms of not being able to make the money or get the recognition that he deserves by being in a big super fight like this.
Q: I recently had a chance to speak with Bernard Hopkins, and this is another thing I’d like to get your opinion on, and it looks like if they both win their upcoming fights in December we might finally get the long-awaited rematch between Bernard Hopkins and Roy Jones Jr., and I was wondering what your thoughts were about that?
A: It will be an interesting fight. I’m not sure when you have two great technical fighters, very smart—I was present at their first fight when they fought in Washington, DC, and Roy won the fight but no one did any significant damage to the other and we could have the same thing here, because both guys are still crafty fighters. It’s a fight that will be an intriguing fight. I’m not completely sure about how exciting it’s going to be, but it will be very interesting, in particular, with Roy still seemingly having his fast hands that he always had. Bernard sometimes has had problems with speed, but this will be very interesting to see how this happens, but Bernard has never brutally knocked out like Roy has, either. But it’s a very compelling fight that I’m very curious to see who’s going to win. I just want to see the match-up between the two smart fighters.
Q: What were your thoughts on Chad Dawson’s performance against Glen Johnson in the rematch this past weekend?
A: I thought Chad Dawson fought a very good fight. It was just, unfortunately for him, he’s fighting these “nobody’s going to knock nobody out” type fights with these veteran guys, you know, Johnson, Tarver, and after the fight he said he would like to fight Bernard and I said, “Oh my God”. But these are guys that nobody is going to knock out, and you’re going to only look so good. These are guys you’re not going to knock out, you’re not going to hit them with three or four clean shots in a row any of these veteran guys. It’s the type of fight that’s not going to create a lot of excitement, but I think he’s improved. I thought he looked a lot more seasoned in this fight here. He placed his punches, he knows what he’s doing—it’s just unfortunate that you don’t have any young fighters that’s hot at the same time. But if he keeps his championships, keeps busy and all of those things, he’s still probably going to get in there with one super fight, whether he goes up or someone else from that super middleweight tournament comes up to fight him. But I was impressed with his fight even though it was not one that was great for the public to watch.
Q: My last question for you Emanuel, do you have anything else you would like to say to all your fans out there and all the fans at East Side Boxing?
A: No, nothing in particular. You know, it’s my favorite website. I like to watch it and keep up with boxing. Tell the fans to keep on supporting, and all of us keep to hoping we can create some kind of new exciting fights for 2010, because right now, we don’t have too much coming up after Pacquiao and Cotto which usually, there’s always one or two fights coming up on the horizon. That you, you know, you say “Well, I want to see this” or “this is a dream heavyweight fight” or “this is a dream fight”. We don’t have anything for one of the few times in boxing, but there will always be somebody that comes up and creates some excitement sooner or later.
Q: Emanuel, I wanted to thank you again very much for the interview. It’s always a pleasure to speak with you.
A: Okay, it’s my pleasure, too. You know, I just hope the Pacquiao and Cotto fight lives up to expectations. It would be great for boxing.
Q: I do, too. I’m very excited about it. I can’t wait to see that one.
A: You know, the thing about it, too, though, both guys have great boxing ability. That’s what people keep forgetting. Miguel, when he’s had to, he can get on his toes and box beautiful, and I saw him do that. So it could start off being a technical fight and then somewhere along the way a brawl will break out and Manny’s very dangerous when you get into those exchanges because he’s got those pinpoint precision punches and he can punch and get in and out and just has great instincts for a fighter. And so Miguel is going to have to try to get him to the ropes and start trying to break him down with the heavier-handed shots and, I don’t know. If he gets hit right on the chin I don’t know if Manny can take it. There’s a difference between hitting guys that can absorb blows because they’re bigger then it is smaller guys, and also getting hit by those big guys when you’re not used to that.
But they tell me that he’s been looking great in the gym, so that’s important, meaning Manny. Also, it’s a fight where he’s fighting a welterweight but it’s not a big welterweight. Most of Miguel’s career has been in the junior welterweight (division), and also, he’s not a real tall guy like six-one or something, like Tommy Hearns or those guys were, and even Ray Leonard was five-ten, so he’s fighting a guy who’s pretty much near his size in terms of height so he’s not fighting a really big welterweight.
But it’s going to be a very interesting fight because both guys can box, punch, mix it up a little bit, and both guys are shown to be warriors. It’s going to be interesting, especially if someone gets cut or gets in serious trouble to see how they survive, because both guys are pretty good finishers once they have a guy hurt. If Cotto does get hurt, it won’t be like it was when he got away with Clottey because Clottey just shut down. If Miguel gets hurt in this fight he’s going to be in big trouble with Pacquiao, and also with Manny, because Manny’s not a guy that knows how to clinch and survive. Manny will fight you. If anybody gets hurt, it’s going to be interesting to see if they could survive.
This interview was done by Ciani @ : Source
Monday, November 9, 2009
Haye Says Bring On The Klitschko's!
After the fight and becoming the new WBA heavyweight champion Saturday night over Nicolai Valuev, David Haye had a few words about how he is ready for a match up with the Klitschko's. He also talked about his performance and how he believed he won the fight 8 rounds to 4 and how he will have to take on the mandatory John Ruiz. Here's the video.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Vitali Klitschko Says He Will KO Haye
After David Haye won the majority decision last Saturday night to become the new WBA heavyweight champion there was a live interview with Frank Bruno, David Haye, and Vitali Klitschkko(over his cell phone). David Haye was congratulated on his win. Frank Bruno congratulated him as well, and Haye talked about how he admired Bruno growing up.
Vitali Klitschko then got on the interview line and when asked said that he would be more than welcome to fight Haye if he is "predictable" and he says he will knock him out. Here's the audio of the interview...
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Haye vs Valuev Video
In a fight that could have been scored either way in my opinion, David Haye came out on top with the win and is the new WBA champion over Nicolai Valuev this Saturday night in Nuremberg, Germany. Here is the video..
Haye vs Valuev Stats
Haye vs Valuev Rounds 1 & 2
Haye vs Valuev Rounds 3 & 4
Haye vs Valuev Rounds 5 & 6
Haye vs Valuev Rounds 7 & 8
Haye vs Valuev Rounds 9 & 10
Haye vs Valuev Rounds 11 & 12
Haye vs Valuev Scorecards
So I honestly was not impressed with Haye's performance. All the things he promised he would do such as making the fight exciting by taking chances and not just sitting back and waiting he did not do for almost all the fight. He sat back and he did not get the knockout as he promised. I actually think Holyfield did a better job against Valuev than Haye, and I still think Holyfield got robbed.
How do I think Haye would fair against the Klitschko's? Not a chance this guy is going to do anything to the Klitschko's. If Haye is smart, he will squeeze out as much money as he can fighting defenses over in the UK, and stay away from the Klitschko's for as long as he can.
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