Talking Boxing with LOVEMORE N'DOU
N'Dou on the Witter fight: "If I can take him out, I'll take him out"
by Evan Korn
2/14 - On Saturday, WBC #4 ranked jr. welterweight Lovemore N'dou takes on top-rated Junior Witter in a WBC eliminator on the Bernard Hopkins versus Howard Eastman, non-televised undercard from the Staples Center. The South African-born, Australian-based N'Dou got a call for this bout after training for a potential showdown with Floyd Mayweather Jr. and is fully prepared for this tilt. N'Dou was labled too difficult a fight for Mayweather, so he continued to stay in shape, training for his next shot. N'Dou, 39-7-1, certainly didn't know an opportunity like this would arise just a few weeks away.

"When I was mentioned as a possible opponent for Mayweather [on Jan. 22nd], I trained very hard," said the 33-year old N'Dou. "When the Junior Witter fight came to me, I was already in shape. I'm always in shape. I'm coming to this fight prepared."

N'Dou proved to the world that he is one of the best 140-pounders after close decision losses to Sharmba Mitchell and Miguel Cotto. N'Dou is moving oon from the setbacks, however, he still remains positive that he beat Mitchell and would love another shot at Cotto. The cahnces that he gets Cotto back in the ring aren't to great, but with a February 19th win, N'Dou could line up a title shot with WBC champion Arturo Gatti and is so confident in a win on Saturday, that he calls out nearly every top jr. welterweight and welterweight contender in this great interview.

LOVEMORE N'DOU

Evan Korn: How's training going for the fight with Witter?

Lovemore N'Dou: Training has been great. I'm in top shape. There's no question about it.

Evan Korn: Have you had ample time to prepare for this fight, considering you're known for taking fights on short notice?

Lovemore N'Dou: I've always been in the gym for this fight. When I was mentioned as a possible opponent for [Floyd] Mayweather, I trained very hard. When that fight didn't happen, I didn't stop training. When the Junior Witter fight came to me, I was already in shape. I'm always in shape. I'm coming to this fight prepared.

Evan Korn: How do you see the fight with Witter playing out?

Lovemore N'Dou: It's going to be a tough fight. He's a top fighter right now. The thing with Lovemore N'dou is that he's willing to fight anybody. I'm prepared to fight anybody. I can handle any style. If you looked at all the people Witter has knocked out, they're all nobodies. They are not as good as Lovemore N'dou. This is what he'll realize when he steps into the ring with me. This a different type of fighter he's fighting.

Evan Korn: You burst onto the American scene with a close decision loss to Sharmba Mitchell. Do you feel you won that bout?

Lovemore N'Dou: I feel that I beat him. I believe I landed the more effective punches. I had him running. I think I deserved the win.

Evan Korn: Do you feel there was a little favoritism, being that Mitchell was a Showtime fighter and the Kosta Tszyu rematch was pretty much a done deal?

Lovemore N'Dou: There was a lot of fishy stuff going on there. I beat the guy, but they wanted him to fight Kosta Tszyu. My only chance of winning was to knock him out. I know I won the fight. To me, that's history. Sharmba is going to move up to Welterweight from what I heard. He was knocked out by Kosta Tszyu. Kosta Tszyu would never knock me out like that.

Evan Korn: You've been mentioned as a potential opponent for Floyd Maywether twice. Do you feel Floyd is ducking you?

Lovemore N'Dou: He doesn't want to fight me. Floyd and his people know that Lovemore N'dou won't be an easy fight. The only chance I see Maywether fighting me is if he becomes champion and I become the number one contender for his title. They don't want to fight me. Even Junior Witter didn't want to fight me. If he had his way, he would be fighting someone else. But he can't. If he wants to fight for the WBC number one position, he has to fight Lovemore N'dou.

Evan Korn: Are you concerned about potentially letting this fight go into the judges' hands?

"If I can take him out, I'll take him out"

Lovemore N'Dou: I'm not really concerned, since he's from England and I'm from Australia, and we're fighting at a neutral site. So I'm not concerned about the judges. I'm going to do what I have to do to win. If I can take him out, I'll take him out.

Evan Korn: If you win this fight, you might be in a position to face Arturro Gatti. Would you like to fight Gatti and do you believe Gatti wants to step into the ring with you?

Lovemore N'Dou: I don't know if Gatti wants to fight me, but if I become number one, he'll have to fight me. I think Lovemore N'dou and Gatti would be a great fight, a fight that people will live to remember.

Evan Korn: With the influx of talent coming into the 147 pound division, is that a possible move up for you at some point?

Lovemore N'Dou: That's one thing I've been looking at. I'll be happy to win the title at 140 and then move up to 147. There some great fighters there, like Zab Judah. Shane Mosley is a good fighter. Oscar De La Hoya, if he moves to 147, would be a great fight. At the moment, I'm just preparing as a 140 pounder.

Evan Korn: In a recent interview with fightnews.com, you said that, "Zab Judah has a big mouth and that you'd like to shut it up for him." Is that still the case?

Lovemore N'Dou: He has a big mouth and I'd love to shut him up. He looked very good the way he beat Corey Spinks, but that wasn't Lovemore N'dou he fought. At the same token, like I said, he talks too much, and I'd love to shut him up. Styles make fights and I have the right style to shut him up.

Evan Korn: Right now, there are a lot of fighters in the 140-147 pound weight divisions. Who is number one you radar?

Lovemore N'Dou: There are a lot of fights I want. After I beat Witter, I would love to mix it up again with Miguel Cotto. Miguel Cotto has knocked everyone out except Lovemore N'dou. He knows that when I fought him, I had other thoughts, with my wife being detained at customs. If he fights me again, believe me, I'll knock him out.

Evan Korn: Do you really think Miguel Cotto's handlers will put him in there with you again, considering you gave him the toughest fight of his career?

"A N'Dou and Tszyu fight in Australia would be a great fight"

Lovemore N'Dou: They won't give me a chance. And the thing is, if Cotto thinks he's the best out there, he should fight Lovemore N'dou again and prove he's the real thing

Evan Korn: What do you feel about an all-Aussie showdown with Kosta Tszyu?

Lovemore N'Dou: A Lovemore N'Dou and Kosta Tszyu fight in Australia would be a great fight. That would be a big, sellout fight. I don't think Kosta really wants to fight me.

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