TalkingBoxing News
Klitschko-Rahman Coming Soon, Margarito Defends vs. Gomez
THU September 15 - WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko and WBC interim heavyweight champion Hasim Rahman will announce their world heavyweight championship fight 'Seek and Destroy!' - at a news conference, Monday, September 19, at the Beverly Hills Hotel's Crystal Ballroom (9641 Sunset Blvd., Beverly Hills, CA 90210), beginning at 11:30 A.M. PT.
Klitschko, 35-2 (34 KOs), from Kiev, Ukraine, will defend his title against Rahman, 41-5-1 (33 KOs), from Baltimore, MD, Saturday, November 12, at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, NV. Promoted by Top Rank, in association with K2 Promotions, Caesars Palace and Wynn Las Vegas, 'Seek and Destroy!' will be broadcast live on HBO Pay-Per-View.
Joining Klitschko and Rahman at the news conference will be promoter Bob Arum, chairman of Top Rank, WBO welterweight champion Antonio Margarito, 32-4 (23 KOs), from Tijuana, Mexico and his opponent, Manuel Gomez, 28-10-2 (20 KOs), from Laredo, TX. The Margarito-Gomez championship bout will also be featured on the PPV telecast. All participants will be available for one-on-one interviews after the news conference.
Jones: I'm There October 1st
THU September 15 - It was reported today in a South Florida newspaper that five-time world champion Roy Jones, Jr. had sustained a hand injury while training for his October 1st bout against three-time world champion and archrival Antonio Tarver.
In response to speculation regarding their highly anticipated rubber match, Roy Jones Jr. emphatically issued the following statement from his training camp in Pensacola, FL:
"I'M THERE. NOTHING STOPS THE RJJ!!!!!"
The Tarver vs. Jones 3 pay-per-view telecast, beginning at 9pm ET/6pm PT on October 1, has a suggested retail price of $49.95, will be distributed by HBO Pay-Per-View and will be available to over 50 million pay-per-view homes. The telecast will be available in HD-TV for those viewers who can receive HD. HBO Pay-Per-View is the leading supplier of event programming to the pay-per-view industry. For your daily Tarver vs. Jones 3 updates, log on to log onto www.HBOPPV.com.
Tarver Takes Questions from Press
THU September 15 - Norman Horton: Good afternoon ....... on behalf of Joe Deguardia's Star Boxing and Antonio Tarver the people's champ we would like to welcome all members of the media for their participation in today's conference call. We will have opening statements from Joe DeGuardia and Antonio Tarver and then we will open for your questions.
Joe DeGuardia: We would like to thank everyone also and we appreciate that you guys all appreciate that this is a mega fight. Ticket sales have been phenomenal and have indicative of the public’s awareness that this fight is part of history. This rivalry has been brewing for 20 years, Tarver and Jones and now this is going to be the third time they will battle within the past three years. It is a fight that both fighters demanded and the fans demanded. It is such a heated trilogy. It is something that the fans can look back on and say Dale-Graziano, Ali-Frazier, Gatti-Ward, Robinson-LaMatta…Tarver-Jones. It has been a hot-hot event down in Tampa. We are sold out of the first five of the seven ticket price categories. The $1,000 seats are gone, the $600 seats are gone, the $350 seats are gone, the $200 are gone and the $100 seats are gone. The only thing that remains is $50 seats and $25 seats. It is an exciting event. We can’t wait until October 1st, live on HBO Pay-Per-View beginning at 9:00 PM ET/6:00 PM PT and we expect Tarver-Jones 3 to go on at approximately 11:00 PM ET. It will be available in over 50 million pay-per-view homes as well as over 100 countries throughout the world. Thank you all.
Antonio Tarver: I would like to thank all of the media for the attention you are giving this fight. I think the bout is well deserving of it and you are doing a great job of taking it to the people. I'm ready to go and training camp has been excellent. The thing from the beginning was that we were trying to grab that intensity and we found that. I really hadn’t had time to get out of shape coming off the Johnson fight. I think you will see that on Oct. 1st. I am always giving credit where credit is due. I had to say the things I said in order to get my opportunity. The media and the politics have made Roy out to be what he is and so be it. When we are judged and compared, I want to be compared to the best. That is my statement to the boxing world. When you compare the two, you can’t put him above me. The bottom line for my legacy and my greatness, when it is all said and done is that I’m the best fighter in Florida right now.
Does the fight being in Tampa provide extra pressure?
Antonio Tarver: I don’t know about the pressure. Every time I step in the ring I am under an enormous amount of pressure. It’s do or die, so I’m used to that. I will be able to have all of the people that supported me over the years won’t have far to travel to celebrate. My whole thing is that when I go in as the champion and I feel that as I am defending my championship, why Antonio Tarver has to do more than win the fight? I will fight my fight and expect to be well ahead going into the later rounds. I know exactly where I am in a fight. If I have had letdowns it was because of lack of conditioning or I knew that I had done more than enough to win that fight. With this heated rivalry, I’m not going to give an inch. You won’t see that happening.
He is the great Roy Jones that the media has made him out to be. I didn’t proclaim him to be the greatest thing since Sugar Ray Robinson, you all did. My job is to get in there and fight my fight. He is the biggest name in the division right now and still he has something to prove and I’m giving him that opportunity. So I think you need to ask him that question, what is he going to bring to the table that is different.
The changing of the guard has occurred and I know where he is at so why not give him the chance to reclaim his glory and vindicate himself. I’m the only man that gives him that. Not Bernard Hopkins, not anyone. Why take this fight? Because it’s the only fight that makes sense. For once in his life he is taking a real risk, a real gamble. He’s not playing it safe. He’s picked the most dangerous fighter in the light heavyweight division. You must commend him for that. Finally, he gets to earn his money.
I have had more focus for this fight than ever. I am ready to take my rightful spot in the boxing world. I have been doing this for so long and I feel that I don’t have the respect that I deserve when you look at all the things I have accomplished. This fight is more about what Roy Jones lost than for what I took. That is a bittersweet pill to me and that is why I must continue to work hard. I won’t be appreciated until I walk away from the game. Then they will appreciate me. They didn’t appreciate Marvin Hagler when he did his thing, but when he stepped away everybody wanted to love him. They are just the cards I have been dealt and on October 1st I will put an exclamation point on this trilogy and when the comparisons are done you will never be able to say he was better than I was.
What about your sparring partners for this fight?
Antonio Tarver: They have been giving me good work – 8 to 10 rounds a day. All of these fighters give me different looks. Some don’t want to get his and I understand why and that’s the type of fight we think Roy Jones is going to bring. I wouldn’t be surprised if he had on track shoes instead of boxing shoes on the night of the fight.
What about the story Roy hurting his hand in training?
Antonio Tarver: I suffer several injuries during camp. This is the hurt business. Anybody that goes through camp without a little pain ain’t working hard. Every skin on my knuckles have come off. But that hasn’t stopped me from hitting the bag. My feet are busted and blistered from the miles I am putting in every day. But it hasn’t stopped me from running. The theme of this fight is “No Excuses” so I don’t care what happens to him. I’m hurting. I soak my feet in Epsom salts three times a week to stop the pain. But you never hear me speak about that – it is irrelevant. So leave all those excuses in Pensacola because I don’t want to hear it. He won’t be able to hit me with that left hand anyway – so he won’t be needing it.
What about Roy Jr. bringing Roy Sr.back?
Antonio Tarver: I think I should be commended to bring family back together again. It is a great story. Big Roy will be needed for this fight, because he will be the only one with the compassion to throw in the towel when needed.
What if you get past Roy...then what?
Antonio Tarver: HA HA HA HA. I think it should be if he gets past me. I am at the top of my game right now. I feel young and I am doing things in the ring that I finally realize that, sometimes when you are a champion, it takes a while to get into that mode. To really know that you’re the best and I have discovered that. So when we get past this and sit down and say I took care of business on October 1st. When I prepare, I will be ready to defeat any fighter.
Will Antonio Tarver ever fight at heavyweight?
Antonio Tarver: The day that Antonio Tarver campaigns for heavyweight, I think that the whole boxing world should stand on its feet and jump for joy. What I bring to the heavyweight division – the charisma, the marketability – that is what they are missing. Change the game – just like I did in the heavyweight division. I think until I arrived, no one took notice of the light heavyweights. However way I can grow, if it is heavyweight so be it, but I am not looking at that right now.
What about Roy not doing interviews or showing up for press conferences
Antonio Tarver: I think it is a slap in the face to all of those people that have pumped him up and glorified him over the years. The guy has given nothing to the game. All he’s been is a bunch of hot air. I don’t understand what makes these people click. It’s politics, that all I can say. I’m glad I didn’t look at Roy of your eyes or I would have been brainwashed a long time ago. It just goes to show that the guy has no compassion for the sport that made him a wealthy man and pretty much an icon in many ways and he has given nothing back. It’s a shame – shame on him. When a guy has been humiliated as he has by his archrival and nemesis, I don’t think he is as confident as people want to make him out to be. When he has finally had his card pulled, this is the reaction that we get. He hides his head instead of really sticking his foot down his mouth and not wanting to be humiliated anymore. Unfortunately that is the guy that we are dealing with and he seems to be very fragile right now. I haven’t changed. I am the same guy and I will be the same guy after October 1st and I want to take my rightful spot in boxing – and that is on top. As one of the greatest fighters today if not the best and continue to bring the big fights to the world.
Do you think Roy Sr. will make a difference?
Antonio Tarver: Don’t know what difference it will make in the outcome, but like I said, when he is getting punished unmercifully, his father will throw in the towel. I don’t think anyone else will have that compassion. But I am focused on this fight and I am ready to seek and destroy.
What about not getting your respect after the first two fights with Roy?
Antonio Tarver: I was just compelled by all of the excuses that he and the media ranted about after the fight. They made every excuse as to why that fight was as competitive and how he survived that fight. I don’t know how you win a championship by surviving. He had his ass handed to him that day and everybody knows that. There is nothing he can say. He was doing nothing but slapping my body. He never hit me with one solid blow and my face indicated that. How he won enough rounds from me to take my championship is bazaar. He told the world how he had to lose weight, but I had to lose weight too. He had all of these excuses and the world let him have them. They justified those excuses but they never looked at me – the champion who gave it to Roy when he was at his highest peak.
Now he won the heavyweight championship of the world. Now he’s going to come to my fight and be less than stellar? It was the guy in front of him. I caused all of those problems. I knocked him out and there’s no one that can take that away. His hand speed was not fast enough because I saw every punch coming. I his reflexes weren’t that great because I hit him when I wanted to. He was throwing punches that were slapping my body and most of them were being blocked by my arm. He did nothing to win that fight and that’s why I was so pissed off at not only the people that justified that controversial robbery, but I wanted to humiliate that guy before I knocked him out.
Do you dislike Roy?
Antonio Tarver: I don’t dislike the man. I respect the guy. It’s either me or him. I’m going to try to build myself up before I build another man. All I look at Roy Jones is for opportunity. So the higher they built him, the higher I would be if I knocked him off. I worked my ass off to get to where I was. I was the mandatory across every single body and when I stood up in the press conference I told him, “You’ve done nothing Roy, until you beat me. I am your worst fear, your worst nightmare.” He knew that since ’83. It wasn’t a secret and I don’t know why the public and the purists didn’t see me coming. You don’t achieve the things I did as an amateur and not be worthy. If the experts didn’t see me coming, then they must have had their eyes closed. Wake up America. He was the pinnacle. I had to fight the best and when I fought the best, I found out I was the best. We have to fight the fight. It shows me that it’s hard for people to admit they are wrong. It’s time for change and the time is now. It’s Tarver’s time. They build a fighter up to be invincible but they never know what the fighter goes through to get the opportunity. Raheem won and everyone is in an uproar like they didn’t see that coming. Stop building these guys as icons – they are just men. The only way you can measure a guy is if you looked into his heart. When I look at any man, I look at him at eye level. I am not in awe at what the media is saying and what HBO is promoting. That’s why I can go in there and do my job. A man will not beat me until he beats me in the ring. That’s what these young guys need to understand when they fight these unbeatable, unstoppable, unknockoutable, icons.
Is there any fighter that you admired when you starting boxing?
Antonio Tarver: Ali was a guy that I always watched and I would aspire to only be half as great as he was. My style is a unique mixture of a lot of people’s styles. When I look at my style I think I have the hunger and determination of an Aaron Pryor, Marvin Haggler, being southpaw and achieving the tings he did in the ring was one of my favorite fighters. Our careers paralleled, each of us had to take a backseat to another. He was always backing his way to the top. He finally got his just do after beating Hearns. It was sweet but at the same time he had that bitterness toward the media.
Do you have any concerns about this fight?
Antonio Tarver: All I’m concerned about is what is happening in Team Tarver’s camp and we are looking good. I have great sparring partners and the greatest trainer in the world in Buddy McGirt. It’s small and there is no entourage. It’s me, my strength coach and Buddy McGirt. That’s all we need. Those two guys are going to walk me to the ring and those are the two guys we are going to leave with. I am focused and I am ready to go. Just like the first fight. You can’t find another guy who has beaten every top-ten guy that was ranked above him in his weight division. I have and I put half of them into retirement. I’ve got one more retiree that is ready to go and that is Roy Jones. This will be his last fight. There won’t be any more need for any comebacks for Roy Jones Jr and I’m going to make sure of that.
Did Roy's fight with Glen Johnson surprise you and do you think your two fights with Roy had an effect on him?
Antonio Tarver: Seeing the Johnson fight unfold, you were waiting for Jones to pull something out of his hat. You never thought it would end like it did. A lot of guys can contest that once they fought Tarver for twelve rounds they never were the same. Guys that have stayed retired for some reason. It’s a brutal sport and I’ll be the first one to admit. I’m a hard puncher and it may not look that way because I do things in a subtle way and I get the job done. Roy Jones knows he has his hands full and I’m not sure if he can pull back the hands of time because that’s the only thing that’s going to save him. And I’m not even sure that would save him. I’m ready to get the respect that I deserve and the only way to do that is finish it with an exclamation point. I’m going in there to find out what he is bringing to the table and if he ain’t equipped, he’s getting out of there. That’s the bottom line.
Did you ever think Roy would come back after the Glen Johnson fight?
Antonio Tarver: I didn’t know what moves he was making. I knew that if he came back, he would have to come through me. It’s the only fight that makes sense and it was the only fight that the public deserved out of Roy. This fight would show what Roy was made of. You are going to see the best Antonio Tarver and if Roy Jones in less than 110% he is getting knocked out. He’s going to have to bring the fight and he’s going to have to come to fight. He’s not the champion, I am. I don’t want it to be misconstrued that he is giving me an opportunity. I’m giving Roy Jones an opportunity.
Do you think you will see the best Roy Jones Jr. and do you think he will use his hand as an excuses?
Antonio Tarver: We are focused on fighting the best guy that shows up. We’re not even thinking about Roy Jones. The guy hasn’t come out and said a damn thing about this fight and we don’t care what goes on in Pensacola. He isn’t going to hit me with the left hand anyway, so he won’t have much use for that. Suck it up like a man and get ready to fight. Whatever Roy Jones shows up – I am planning on destroying. I don’t complain about injuries, that I have to get up at 5:00 in the morning. That’s what we do. We are in the hurt business. Be a man and let’s get ready to fight.
Antonio Tarver: Let me pose a question to the media…When will you be convinced. Roy Jones is not better than me and never was? When I knock him out it will be a feather in my cap. That’s’ that exclamation point that I am looking for. Roy Jones may be everything that everyone says he is, he’s just not better than me. Everybody right now has come to understand Roy Jones. If the guy was seriously coming to get some ass and turn the tables, that’s what you would be hearing out of his mouth. Since you are not hearing that, then you understand where he is at. I’m not buying that. His worst fear will come true on October 1st. If I didn’t believe it, I wouldn’t say it.
Looking for 1st round KO?
Antonio Tarver: That’s why I have a great trainer, that’s his job. I listen to him and follow instructions and that’s what we are working on. We are looking to break this guy down and then knock him out. You don’t go looking for that. But if it happens like that, I’ll take that too. From round one I am going to show this guy that he is not going to stand in front of me and not get hurt. I’m talking about hurting him to the body, to the arms, everywhere. If the shot comes, I’ll take it sure. But I’m not going to go in there…I’m going in with the jab, combinations, hit him to the body…let him know this is going to be a long night and that he really didn’t want this. That’s what I’m going to get in his mind right off the bat. I can’t let him get any confidence that for one day he’s going to be able to turn back the time.
It’s a big fight – it’s a huge fight. It gives him the opportunity to once again to be what you all said he was. It gives him a chance to cement his legacy of being one of the best that was ever in the ring. That is enticing for any fighter. Don’t criticize it, you’ve got to commend it. He is coming back against an interstate rival – a guy that he fought in 1983. He’s coming back to give it one more hoorah.
How much do you think Roy has left, considering he has not fought in almost 11 months?
Antonio Tarver: I don’t know what he’s going to have left. My job is to take whatever he’s got and that’s what I plan on doing on October 1st. I am preparing for the best Roy Jones ever. And if that Roy Jones doesn’t show up and the same goes for whatever Roy Jones shows up it doesn’t matter. I am focused to seek and destroy.
When you look at the scope of boxing, they have not accepted the new and improved. I’m one of those guys and Floyd Mayweather is another one of those guys. Outside of that they have a lot of old names and comfortable names that they keep rolling out. Their glory days are long gone. Now we have this new crop coming in. When a guy get his butt handed to him, let him go. When my day comes…we are going to dim Roy Jone’s light once and for all.
Norman Horton: Are there anymore questions? Anyone wanting additional information on Antonio Tarver, please visit his new website at www.antonio-tarver.com . Again, I want to thank all members of the media for their participation in today's conference call.
Byrd, Williamson Ready for Battle Oct. 1
THU September 15 - In one of three terrific fights on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING on Saturday, Oct, 1, IBF Heavyweight Champion Chris Byrd (38-2-1, 20 KOs) will make the fourth defense of his title against mandatory challenger DaVarryl Williamson (22-3, 18 KOs). In the heavyweight co-feature, James "Lights Out" Toney (68-4-2, 43 KOs) will make his eagerly awaited return to the ring when he defends his IBA crown against Dominick "The Southern Disaster" Guinn (25-2-1, 18 KOs).
Rounding out an excellent SHOWTIME tripleheader that begins at 9:15 ET/PT (delayed on the west coast), talented, hard-hitting IBF bantamweight champion Rafael Marquez (34-3, 30 KOs) risks his belt for a sixth time when he takes on International Boxing Organization (IBO) 118-pound champion/IBF No. 1 contender Silence "African Spice" Mabuza (18-0, 15 KOs).
Opening Comments
Byrd: I am just happy to be fighting again. It has been awhile since I have been back in the ring and knowing DaVarryl how I know him, it is going to be a great fight. So I hope everybody is watching on Oct. 1.
Williamson: I want to thank SHOWTIME for bringing this fight to their network. Byrd, being the champion and being able to offer me a match up with the challenge (has given me a great opportunity). I am looking forward to it. I know Chris very well and his family. It is going to be a very, very intriguing fight. I do not think either one of us is going to leave anything in the ring. I think it is kind of the main event before the main event. At any rate, I am privileged and honored to be in this capacity. I have worked very, very hard and long, many years, getting myself into this and picking myself up by the bootstraps, along with my team. We all worked very hard. We just feel happy and we are up for the encounter and we are excited. We are ready for the challenge.
Question: Chris, can you describe your friendship with DaVarryl?
Byrd: Well, my relationship with DaVarryl started when I was getting ready to fight Maurice Harris and he came in to work with me and then it just blossomed from there. He worked with my son with basketball. I ask about his kids and his wife, and he knows about my kids and my wife, so we call each other periodically. We are just friends. It is cool. But we know in the heavyweight division, even after sparring with each other, we know we are going to have to fight each other eventually.
Question: Chris, you consider boxing a competition and -- friend or no friend -- you let it all hang out in the ring, right?
Byrd: Yeah. We know what is at stake here. It is the heavyweight title and this will be a great fight, but not because I hate DaVarryl. I do not hate anybody. But it is all about competition. Like I said, with my brother (Patrick), we used to try to kill each other (during sparring). Not literally "kill" but go at it every time we got in the ring and I feel in the ring, there is nobody better than me. I feel I have the best skills. I have got the best everything. So I know with DaVarryl, he has the same kind of attitude. We spar, we talk trash, we go back and forth and it is great, great sparring sessions. So I know it is going to be a great fight.
Question: DaVarryl, can you describe your friendship with Chris?
Williamson: I had heard of him and he had heard of me back when I was part of the Michigan (boxing) program. A lot of guys in Marquette, Mich., always spoke very, very highly of Chris. I watched him on Tuesday Night Fights, in a lot of his TV fights. We finally connected in April or May of 2001 before the Maurice Harris fight. It has just been a good relationship. Anytime a person hangs at your house and has dinner and things of that nature, you get a relationship. But we understand this is business and we knew this day would come. This is a huge opportunity for me and my family. It is emotional and it is business. Maybe in a month or two after we will be able to reconvene and have dinner, but you do have to go with thick skin during this time because both of us really want to win. Our relationship goes back a long ways. So it will be the toughest fight I have been in, but I will still embrace him and say, "The best man wins." It is a very intriguing fight because it is very competitive.
Question: Chris, do you have any problems stepping in the ring with your friend or do you share the same attitude he does?
Byrd: I share the exact same attitude as he does. This is certainly a huge business and I want to win. I want to win this fight and he knows that and it will be very competitive. It is going to be a barn burner, I can assure you.
Question: Chris, you had a chance to fight Wladimir Klitschko and DaVarryl wanted to fight him. Could you comment on the situation and how it got to this point?
Byrd: I wanted to get a rematch with Wladimir. But I was not going to go to Germany. It was crazy to go over there being champion. I did not want to just go and hand my belt to the Germans like that. It was crazy for that thought to even come up. I would have fought him here, of course. That would have been no problem.
Question: Chris, what was your take on the fact that DaVarryl came out and said when the court case was filed, "I will fight you in a rematch for the opportunity to fight Chris?" Did that say anything to you about either DaVarryl or Wladimir?
Byrd: DaVarryl wanted to fight his way to the spot. He really deserved to be fighting for the title. Wladimir just wanted to have everything set up in their favor, knowing that fighting in Germany is not a great thing for any American fighter to do, especially when he is fighting for the title. So it spoke volumes for DaVarryl. He could have just sat and waited and said, "OK, I will let those two fight and I will be next in line." But he wanted to fight his way there and that is a true fighter.
Question: Chris, what was your reaction when you heard Lamon Brewster was going to go to Germany to defend his title and did you counsel him against taking that fight for the reasons that you did not take the fight with Wladimir?
Byrd: It was just too late for me to say anything. All I could tell him was to knock him out. There is no U.S. television, nobody is watching and you are fighting on Max Schmeling's birthday. I wish the best for Lamon and I hope he does well.
Question: DaVarryl, can you answer the whole process of going through the court case with Klitschko and what your contention was in trying to force a rematch?
Williamson: Going to court with Wladimir, I was just a victim of circumstance. This is a game of boxing, this is what you do. If you have a dispute, fight. And the judge said, "Hey, pretty much go and sort this out in the hallway. You can sort this out." So I have been assigned as the mandatory challenger and I was willing to suspend my position momentarily and sort this out. Let us have a rematch, let us do it.
Question: Chris, have you ever been offered a fight against James Toney and is that a fight that, if you are successful against DaVarryl, that you would want down the line?
Byrd: When did they say that? Last week? Oh, please James is running scared. James has got the biggest mouth in boxing, but he does not have any heart. He had a chance to fight me when he fought John Ruiz. We thought we were going to make something then. Then it fell apart.
Question: So Chris, you want a chance?
Byrd: I do not care. I just want to box, but he talks all this trash. He keeps bringing my name up, but then will not sign the contract.
Question: If successful against DaVarryl, would you take Toney as your next opponent?
Byrd: It does not matter. He knows I want it, but I do not even know that his people are playing games behind his back. He may want the fight, I do not know, but they sure act like they are running scared. They said this time they needed a tune up. I have not fought since November. Who needs a tune up?
Question: What are your thoughts on the pecking order of the four guys recognized as heavyweight champions?
Byrd: I do not care because it is everybody's opinion.
Question: Do you feel you are the best of the four?
Byrd: Yeah, I do. I feel I am the best heavyweight in the world -- period.
Question: Can you rate the other ones?
Byrd: No, I will not rate them. Everybody has their different styles and everybody can fight and it is all given on that particular night of the fight and who they are fighting. Best man wins. Until you get a unified champion, it is split.
Question: At 35 years old, Chris, do you feel like time is running out on you? Do you think it can be unified by the time you leave this game?
Byrd: I used to be crazy about being the best, No. 1. I wanted to be considered No. 1 heavyweight in the world and everybody know it. But now, at this point in my career, how things have been going in my career and not getting certain fights and people ducking me, I just concentrate on who I am boxing and I do not worry about the unification thing. You cannot make somebody fight you. Whatever happens, happens.
Question: Toney says he feels he is the best in the division period. I know you were trumping for a fight after the Ruiz fight. Do you think Toney should be recognized as one of those champions having beaten Ruiz?
Byrd: Yeah, if his test does not come back dirty. But it came back dirty, so he cannot be champion. You cannot cheat and win. You get caught. He can say he is the best in the world, but now we will see how he looks when he fight Dominick Guinn.
Question: What do you think about fighting on his undercard?
Byrd: He was the headlining fight coming in. We just got added to the card. I guess they did not want to change it. It does not matter.
Question: You do not look at that like a slight?
Byrd: No, I do not care. I am just boxing. As long as the check clears, I do not care if I was the first fight coming out.
Question: So with you holding the championship though, Chris, obviously there is no ego involved in where you place as far as that night is concerned.
Byrd: No, I do not care. It was James Toney fighting Dominick Guinn long before DaVarryl and I were even on the card. So I guess they did not want to change putting the title fight ahead of it. So be it.
Question: Chris, is your style changing? In the Jameel McCline fight, it seemed like a different style than you had really been known for.
Byrd: I do not think it is changing much. I have got a great chin. I can trade with anybody. I do not want to get my chin tested, but certain styles bring out certain things in me. It made for a great fight. Jameel is a close friend of mine, just like DaVarryl. That made a great fight and the same thing will happen in this fight.
Question: So style wise, how will this fight be? What will it be like?
Byrd: I am like a chameleon. When I get in the ring, I can train one way and stick to it the whole camp and then fight another. Knowing DaVarryl and knowing what kind of certain punches he throws “he is a hard puncher “and you never know what you will get. It all depends on when you get in the ring and what feels comfortable to me.
Question: Chris, you mentioned how hard of a puncher DaVarryl is. Can you rate him as a puncher in terms of where he ranks against the Klitschko's that you fought?
Byrd: There is different kind of power with different kinds of punches you throw. With say, David Tua, he is a short stocky guy. He is coming with more of a hook. With DaVarryl, he has a great right hand and a hook. He is a complete fighter when it comes to boxing, but especially punching. He may not look big, but he punches well. So that actually excites me. He is a big puncher and his record shows it. A lot of guys in this division can punch and I try to stand up to everything and be the complete fighter in the ring.
Question: How much has having sparred with DaVarryl helped motivate you?
Byrd: It helps out a lot because the media or anybody else may not think it is a big fight, but going in, I know it is a huge fight because we know each other so well and DaVarryl knows it is a huge fight also. So it makes for a great fight. I think after this fight, boxing fans and the media will respect both of us as top heavyweights in the division.
Question: DaVarryl, how appreciative are you to be in this position after what happened with Joe Mesi a couple of years ago?
Williamson: I am very appreciative. Are you kidding me? I am kicking and screaming. Joe Mesi is not that good. I lost the fight and I cannot tell you what happened, but he is a kid I raised. So I know he is not that good, but it did happen.
Question: Chris, Samuel Peter is interested in fighting you. Are you going to be rooting for him in this next fight?
Byrd: It does not matter. I am only worrying about the fight that I have to fight first. Everybody should be interested in fighting me because I am champion. I am not doing anybody different and I do not care who wins out of any of the heavyweight fights. I have got to fight them eventually, so it does not matter.
Question: DaVarryl, you are in position to be gain another title to add to your WBO, NABO and WBC Continental America's that we understood were vacant when you KO'd Derrick Jefferson. Correct?
Williamson: Yes, but as we speak, I think somebody is already fighting for them without proper notification. So it does not matter. I am just concentrating on Chris Byrd.
Question: Explain what it means for you in having two or more belts at this time then?
Williamson: There are no advantages because those are regional belts. Those are belts that positioned me for the opportunity. The IBF is the heavyweight championship of the world. The other ones are good belts. They are very good stepping stones. At the time when I won those, they were everything to me. At this time, I am at a different tier in my life. I am with the big boys and I am privileged and happy about this opportunity.
Question: DaVarryl, regarding the Mesi fight, you talked about the professional side of it. Is there anything in your professional or personal life that has changed since then that has gotten you to this point?
Williamson: We did some soul searching after the Mesi fight. My wife told me, "Sweetie, you are the truth and in just a matter of time, the truth will be told that you belong here." Chris knows what I am talking about. Chris saw years ago that I was a fighter that could seriously compete for the heavyweight championship. I have the same coach, the same cut man, the same corner guy, the same wife, the same children, the same publicist, the same lawyer. Everybody is still the same. Those guys believe in me when I say this and it is emotional because a lot of people change up a lot of different things. I will always take the blame. I am not going to blame my coach because I froze up or looked like a deer in the headlights. There are no excuses. DaVarryl screwed up. I did not do what I could do and I came back and pulled myself up by the bootstraps and we put ourselves back into the thick of things. We could not be happier about how things are. We have no idea what will happen with the Byrd fight, but we certainly feel good about it. We just like the opportunity and the possibilities of this huge fight.
Question: What is your wife's name, DaVarryl?
Williamson: My wife is Shalisa. My son is Dantel, 8 years old; my daughter's name is Alayana, 6 years old.
Question: DaVarryl, what do you have to do to win this fight?
Williamson: I have to be busy in this fight. I have to be able to outbox Chris, outbang him. I have to be able to hold my ground. I have to be able to create separation with different combinations, with body work. I have to make him always think about certain, different punches. I have to keep him one step behind. It is going to be my toughest fight to date. This is the most talented guy in the heavyweight division and he is a southpaw. I am so thankful that I have had some experiences with Chris over the years to have an assessment of what he has to offer. Those kind of things are going to have to happen in order for me to have success against Chris Byrd on October 1.
Question: Chris, since you have held the championship, has it been disappointing because you had such high expectations when you won the belt that guys would finally want to fight you and you would get the big fights and have everything that goes along with those type of fights?
Byrd: Yeah. I really believe so. To fight three times in three years is crazy. It has been disappointing to the point of sometimes you get frustrated and really just want to retire. I have been to that point, but God is faithful and I just keep plugging along. I just have to remain patient and fights will happen, but it has been disappointing.
Question: Chris, do you feel like you lost your best opportunity?
Byrd: Well, I think more than anything it has been mentally draining. With me, it is a lot of mental. I know I can get my body in the best shape possible because I am always in shape. That is one thing I pride myself on is to be in shape at all times. I get in shape really fast, really quick. I do not have to train that long when I am in training camp. But mentally, it has been a struggle. The business side of this boxing is horrible and I think it has taken my best years of boxing. If I would have been very active these past three years, with two to three fights at least a year, you would have seen some really good fights, really special skills. But I still try to present them in the ring to the best of my ability.
Question: Chris, what do you think are DaVarryl's best assets and how do you plan on countering them?
Byrd: Everyone tells me that DaVarryl has a great right hand. I have experienced it; I have sparred with him. We have great sparring sessions. I just think he is an overall really good boxer, better than people think and that is why I always told him that he was going to be in the mix in the heavyweight division and to take certain fights because he can flat out fight. Anybody with a huge amateur background, I really respect, because he has been around the world, he has traveled and seen every style you want to see and he is a complete fighter. He had one major setback a few years ago with Mesi, but since then, he has been the DaVarryl Williamson that I have thought he would be in the ring. He has become a complete fighter. He is really good technically and smart in the ring. That is one thing I see in him.
Question: Even though you are the longest reigning titlist in the heavyweight division, do you still feel that you have goals that you have yet to accomplish in boxing?
Byrd: Since I have been champion, I have really stopped setting goals because I do not see them realistically happening from the other boxers' point of view. You cannot make certain fighters fight. I will be 90 years old before I see myself unifying any kind of belt. Right now, I am just taking one fight at a time and just see what happens.
Begin Closing Comments.
Williamson: I want to thank SHOWTIME again and Chris Byrd and his family. We look forward to seeing you guys and obviously getting back to work on October 1. God bless you and thank everybody for participating in this phone conference. I need to get back to work myself.
Byrd: I would like to thank SHOWTIME for putting us on the card. It is a great opportunity for more exposure for both of us and I thank DaVarryl for being in that position, knowing him and being a good friend. We will have a good fight. Fighting in Reno “I know there have been two heavyweight titles there with Jack Johnson and Larry Holmes -- and us being the third in this era of boxing. I thank the city for having us there.
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