TalkingBoxing with "CONTENDER" JIMMY LANGE
"to get the exposure of having 8 million people tuning in to watch you, it is great"
by
Julius Stecker
3/14 - ESPN and "Ballroom Boxing" are great avenues for today's boxer. Typically these telecasts help promote your prospect to champion and they do to an extent, but nothing will compare to national exposure on NBC's "The Contender" for a young, taleneted fighter like
Jimmy Lange. "This is bigger then anything I have ever done," Lange told
TalkingBoxing. "When are you going to get the exposure of having 8 million people tuning in to watch you, it is great. I went out today and 3 or 4 people came up to me and they recognized me. I love it."
The Great Falls, Virginia native has mostly fought below the show's middleweight limit, but didn't have any issues with the challenge. "I am really a Jr. Middleweight, or even a Welterweight, but we had some guys who were fighting from 140 and up. I think that Jesse Brinkley fought at light heavyweight before. So yes there were some big guys there...I knew all of this heading in."
The 29-year old came into "The Contender" with a 24-1 record and win or lose, he said it best of this experience, "you can’t even put a price tag on it. I remember watching Rocky as a kid, now I am sitting here with the real life Rocky [Sly Stallone]. I got a chance to sit with Ray Leonard, we watched the first Roberto Duran fight, and I watched him break the fight down. Things like that are priceless. Those are things I can tell my kids about."
Read on for much more with Lange as he discusses his exciting and bright future along with his thoughts on "the other" reality show among other topics...
JIMMY LANGE
Julius Stecker: What is your impression of the show thus far?
Jimmy Lange: As a boxing guy, I don’t like how they don’t show how whole round plays out. It
doesn’t really get into the essence of the fight. But from a guy who doesn’t like reality shows. This is
definitely the best one, and I really like to watch it.
Julius Stecker: What was it like on being part of The Contender, and what did you learn from this
experience?
"We were a very close bunch of guys"
Jimmy Lange: Any good student of boxing can train anywhere. As a professional you learn what to
do and what not to do. One thing that somewhat disappointed me at first was that we weren’t allowed to spar
with each other. But then when I thought about it, it would not have been beneficial for us to be beating up
on each other.
These guys were just great though. I made so many friends, and I still keep in touch with some of them on a
daily basis. We were a very close bunch of guys. But anytime you get 16 guys together there is going to be relationships built.
Julius Stecker: Jimmy, you look at this show, and Fox’s attempt at reality TV, The Next Great Champ, it was night and day, describe the differences you saw?
Jimmy Lange: The fighters were terrible on that show. I think that most of those fighters weren’t any good and that Show lacked quality. Our show had quality and excellent fighters. One drawback I have with our show is that it took most of us fighters out of our element; it took a lot of us out of our routine. They made some 10 round fighters into 5 round fighters.
I mean you saw the log-pulling event we did in the first episode. That was the hardest thing I have ever
done in my life. What they didn’t show you were the guys puking on the side of the road. But I knew what we
were getting into. I signed the contracts, and so I didn’t complain.
Julius Stecker: How did it feel to get a chance to be around Sly Stallone and Sugar Ray Leonard,
two living legends?
Jimmy Lange: You can’t even put a price tag on it. I remember watching Rocky as a kid, now I am
sitting here with the real life Rocky. I got a chance to sit with Ray Leonard, we watched the first Roberto
Duran fight, and I watched him break the fight down. Things like that are priceless. Those are things I can
tell my kids about.
"I knew the show would do good things for my career"
Julius Stecker: Do you think by you being a part of this show, will it make you more marketable?
Jimmy Lange: Absolutely, I am in this business to make money. That is what I am in it for, for an
opportunity to take care of my family. I am working with Buddy McGirt and I have a great team behind me. I
am no dummy; I knew the show would do good things for my career.
It isn’t about the titles the fighter has; it is about the popularity of the fighter. It is about the
fighter who gives the best effort, for example if you look at Arturo Gatti and Mickey Ward, they didn’t
fight for a world title, but people respected the effort they gave. Nowadays in boxing it isn’t about
titles. If you look at football they don’t have 4 Super Bowls a year, but in boxing you have 4 champions. It
doesn’t make sense.
Julius Stecker: So if you look at guys like De La Hoya, Fernando Vargas, and so on, they had
Olympic backgrounds, do you think opportunities were given them a little easier then some others?
Jimmy Lange: Not at all, those guys paid their dues and then some. The amateurs is tough, and I
got nothing but respect for what those guys went through in the amateurs and what they accomplished in their
pro careers. We all take different paths. Myself, I wasn’t a good amateur; my style was more suited for the
pros. Another example you can look at is Bernard Hopkins; he was a guy who came up the hard way. We all pay
our dues in different ways.
Julius Stecker: What is your opinion on promoters like Don King and Bob Arum?
Jimmy Lange: I don’t want to be a follower. I like to form my own opinions. I’ve never had any
dealings with them. Just because the popular opinion is to say these guys are corrupt, and not good for the
sport does not mean I am going to agree with it. I have no reason to think that they are bad.
Julius Stecker: You have had a layoff now for quite a while since the show has been in production,
has it been a benefit or detrimental?
Jimmy Lange: I think it remains to be seen. I had 6 fights in 18 months previous to the show.
But now I can feel my hands getting as healthy as they possibly can be. So it remains to be seen.
Julius Stecker: Tell us how you would describe yourself to people who have never seen you fight?
Jimmy Lange: I have a jab, a fantastic jab. Everything in boxing comes off the jab. I can also
punch a little, but I wouldn’t call myself a big one-punch fighter. I am also a good counter-puncher.
Julius Stecker: You have perhaps boxing’s best trainer in your corner, Buddy McGirt, tell us about
that relationship?
Jimmy Lange: Buddy McGirt, man I love him. I used to follow him when I was young. I remember when
he fought Pernell Whitaker at Madison Square Garden, now he is my trainer. As far as styles go, with other
guys you may see him get in their face, but with me he is on an even keel, and he is always calm. Because he
knows I respond best to him being calm.
Julius Stecker: How was it fighting at the Middleweight for this competition?
Jimmy Lange: I am really a Jr. Middleweight, or even a Welterweight. But we had some guys who
were fighting from 140 and up. I think that Jesse Brinkley fought at light heavyweight before. So yes there
were some big guys there. But I am a tall guy, and I have sparred with bigger guys before. But like I said
before this, I knew all of this heading in.
"this is bigger then anything I have ever done"
Julius Stecker: Tell us about the whole Contender event, I mean you have over 8 million people
tuning in to watch the show.
Jimmy Lange: I have been on ESPN before, and I have been on Ballroom boxing. But this is bigger
then anything I have ever done. Like you said, when are you going to get the exposure of having 8 million
people tuning in to watch you, it is great. I went out today and 3 or 4 people came up to me and they
recognized me. I love it.
Julius Stecker: In closing this short interview, what can the boxing world expect from Jimmy Lange
in the future?
Jimmy Lange: They can expect the same things that I always bring. I will always be in shape and I
will always come to fight. Like Marvelous Marvin Hagler, he never gave a bad fight and he was always in
shape. And that is what I will always do, stay in shape and do my best.
Julius Stecker: Thanks for your time Jimmy
Jimmy Lange: Thank you
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