SHOWTIME® ALL ACCESS FREE PREVIEW WEEKEND INCLUDES COMBAT SPORTS BONANZA

Posted on | March 22, 2010 | No Comments

Thursday, March 25 – Sunday, March 28, 2010

SUPER SIX WORLD BOXING CLASSIC: Andre Dirrell vs. Arthur Abraham Highlights SHOWTIME Sports® Offering

NEW YORK (March 22, 2010)— This weekend, SHOWTIME will be available in a record 54.4 million households for an ALL ACCESS Free Preview Weekend on SHOWTIME, SHOWTIME HD™ and SHOWTIME On Demand. From Thursday, March 25 through Sunday, March 28, viewers across the country will have the opportunity to sample the premium network’s award-winning programming via linear service, On Demand and in HD, including two live events from SHOWTIME Sports.

The Super Six World Boxing Classic headlines the live sports offering. On Saturday, March 27, the Group Stage 2 showdown between tournament point leader “King” Arthur Abraham and Andre “The Matrix” Dirrell airs live at 10:30 pm ET/PT (delayed on the west coast), immediately following the premium television premiere of “Saw V”.

On Friday, March 26, hard-hitting mixed martial arts (MMA) heavyweight Lavar Johnson, completes his remarkable comeback from a near-fatal shooting when he faces undefeated Lolohea Mahe in the main event of the STRIKEFORCE Challengers telecast featuring five live fights beginning at 11:45 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the west coast).

Inside NASCAR, the newest gem in the SHOWTIME Sports crown, will air a weekly episode featuring highlights and analysis of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race—Food City 500—at Bristol, Tenn., on Thursday at 10 p.m. ET/PT (SHO2), on Saturday at 9 a.m. ET/PT (SHO2) and on Sunday, at 9 a.m. (SHO). This episode will be available at SHOWTIME On Demand for the entire free preview weekend.

Beyond this exciting sports programming, SHOWTIME ALL ACCESS Free Preview Weekend includes a dynamic cross section of programming including the season 2 premiere episodes of SHOWTIME original series Nurse Jackie and United States of Tara as well as hit movies Twilight and The Reader.

Visit the SHOWTIME ALL ACCESS Free Preview Weekend webpage for complete details:

http://www.sho.com/site/freepreview/home.do

More on the Super Six World Boxing Classic

The inaugural Super Six World Boxing Classic is a groundbreaking, six-fighter tournament from SHOWTIME Sports featuring the best of the super middleweight (168-pound) division. The field is comprised of world renowned fighters Abraham, Dirrell, Carl Froch (WBC world champion of England ), Andre Ward (WBA world champion of Oakland ), Mikkel Kessler of Denmark , and Allan Green of Oklahoma , competing in two-year tournament for the inaugural Super Six World Boxing Classic trophy.

Two-Time Olympian Daniel Cormier To Face John Devine

Posted on | March 22, 2010 | No Comments

This Friday, March 26, At Save Mart Center In Fresno, Calif.

NEW YORK (March 22, 2010) – An impressive winner in his mixed martial arts (MMA) debut, two-time United States Olympic Games wrestling team member and former NCAA Division I national championship runner up Daniel Cormier will attempt to make it two in a row this Friday, March 26, at Save Mart Center in Fresno, Calif., when he faces John Devine in one of the featured, non-televised fights at STRIKEFORCE Challengers.

“I am looking forward again to fighting and getting back into the cage and showing what I can do,’’ said Cormier (1-0), 31, who won his initial MMA and STRIKEFORCE start with a second-round TKO (punches) over Gary Frazier last Sept. 25 in Tulsa, Okla. “This will be a tough fight, but I’ve been working very hard.’’

A heavyweight prospect who trains at the American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, Calif., Cormier placed fourth in the 2004 Olympics in freestyle wrestling. He was named captain of the U.S. squad for the 2008 Olympics, but was unable to compete due to injury.

Devine (5-1), who fights out of Pacifica, Calif., is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu purple belt. The Cage Combat Fighting heavyweight champion, Devine has won five-in-a-row, including a third-round TKO (punches) over Buddy Roberts in his last outing on July 18, 2009.

“My opponent has more experience than me, but I figure almost everybody I fight from now on will have more fights than me,’’ Cormier said. “I am confident in my ability but I need fights like this to show me where I’m at. I’m still learning and have a ways to go, but every fight is important.

“Wrestling taught me to be strong physically and mentally and it molds you and makes you take responsibility for your actions. If you don’t train hard, it’s going to be you out there getting embarrassed.”

Tickets for the event, priced from $30, may be purchased at the Save Mart Center box office and select Save Mart Supermarkets, all Ticketmaster locations (800) 745-3000, Ticketmaster online (www.ticketmaster.com) and STRIKEFORCE’s official website (www.strikeforce.com).

Save Mart Center doors will open at 6 p.m. PT. The first non-televised, preliminary bout will begin at 6:45 p.m.

In the main event on SHOWTIME®, the amazing Lavar Johnson (13-3) of Madera, Calif., will make his first start since nearly getting shot to death during the last July 4 holiday weekend when he meets Hawaii’s Lolohea Mahe (4-0-1) of Wailua, Maui, in a heavyweight scrap.

Other televised fights: “Abongo” Humphrey (5-1), Atlanta, Ga., vs. George Bush III (5-1), Columbus, Ohio, at light heavyweight (205 pounds); Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt Luke Stewart (6-2), San Francisco, Calif. vs. Andre Galvao (3-1), Brazil, at welterweight (170 pounds); Zoila Frausto (5-0), Fresno. vs. Miesha “Takedown” Tate (8-2), Olympia, Wash., in an excellent women’s matchup at 135 pounds; and American Kickboxing Academy bred wrestling stud Justin “The Silverback” Wilcox (8-3), San Jose, Calif., vs. Shamar Bailey (10-1) of Chicago, Ill., at a catch weight of 160 pounds.

The live SHOWTIME telecast of the STRIKEFORCE Challengers main card will begin at 11:45 p.m. ET/ PT (delayed on the west coast).

STRIKEFORCE Challengers, where tomorrow’s champions are born, is a proving ground for up-and-coming MMA fighters. The series is designed to provide today’s top prospects with the opportunity to step-up their level of competition and demonstrate their ability in a nationally televised event.

In March 2009, STRIKEFORCE signed a multi-year agreement to stage live MMA events on the

premium cable television network. The promotion made its live, primetime debut on CBS with the “Fedor vs. Rogers” mega-fight that it co-promoted with M-1 Global on Saturday, Nov. 7, and generated 5.46 million viewers for the main event between the world’s No. 1 heavyweight, Fedor Emelianenko, and superstar Brett “The Grim” Rogers.

Category: Blogroll, Mixed Martial Arts, MMA, Strikeforce, wrestling
Tags: American Kickboxing Academy > Dan Cormier > Gary Frazier > John Devine > Oklahoma > Olympic Games > San Jose > Strikeforce > Strikeforce Challengers > Tulsa > wrestling

HOPKINS VS. JONES TRAINERS MEDIA CONFERENCE CALL TRANSCRIPT

Posted on | March 22, 2010 | No Comments

March 17, 2010 – 4:30 p.m. ET/ 1:30 p.m. PT

An MP3 of this conference call is available. Please click HERE to download.

Kelly Swanson:

Thanks, everybody, for joining us. We have a very special call today. This is the season for boxing, and we are looking forward to a terrific fight coming up shortly, April 3rd. Today we have some esteemed trainers on the call for both Bernard Hopkins and Roy Jones: Naazim Richardson, Bernard Hopkins’ trainer, Alton “Coach Merk” Merkerson, Roy Jones, Jr.’s trainer. We’re also joined today by Richard Schaefer, Chief Executive Officer, Golden Boy Promotions, and Bobby Goodman, Chief Operating Officer of Square Ring Promotions. Without further ado, I’ll turn it over to Richard Schafer to talk about the fight and the people on the call.

Richard Schaefer:

Welcome, everybody. We have two and a half weeks to go until fight week, so the promotion is starting to heat up. The sponsors are activating all across the country. The movie screens, I just got confirmation this morning, they will start tomorrow with the trailer, so the fight will be promoted in over 10,000 movie screens across the United States, and will be available on pay-per-view and in selected movie theaters across the nation and in pretty much all states as well, so it’s really exciting. You have Hopkins and Jones, two great legends meeting in the ring for a long awaited rematch, great fighters, great athletes, and now a chance to meet each other, to see who really is the best between the two of them.

The fight is April 3rd at the Mandalay Bay Event Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. As I said, live on pay-per-view. Tickets are still available. We have sold a tremendous amount of tickets. There’s about 2,500 tickets left in all price categories, so get your tickets, and make sure you’re going to be part of that legendary night, that legendary event.

It is a pleasure to have two great trainers on the call today with “Coach Merk” Alton Merkerson and, of course, as I said before, one of the very best trainers in the world, in my opinion, a man who has been maybe not as much appreciated by the media as he should be. He has guided the career of Bernard Hopkins for a long time, recently now started to work with Sugar Shane Mosley as well and guided him to a sensational knockout victory over Antonio Margarito about a year ago and is going to be in his corner ago in the Floyd Mayweather showdown.

But here he is. He has guided one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world for a long time with Bernard Hopkins. It is a pleasure for me now to introduce to you Brother Naazim Richardson, who will give you an update on how camp is going, on how well he sees is developing Fight Night as well, and give you some general updates from camp, please, Brother Naazim.

Nazim Richardson:

I’d like to thank everybody for having me, and I appreciate that introduction, Mr. Schaefer, and I look forward to the showdown between Roy Jones and Bernard Hopkins. And camp has been going excellent. It’s a privilege to work with a guy like Bernard Hopkins. He’s been doing it for a long time, so his preparation is down to a science.

And we realize we take nothing for granted with Roy Jones because, in my opinion, and this is my personal opinion, I feel as though the man has gone desperate now, and the desperate man is dangerous, and he’s an exceptional talent, and we look forward to this match up, as many have over the years. I was teasing Bernard. I said, some of these young guys on the under card weren’t old enough to spell boxing the last time these two guys fought. But it should be a great match up, and we feel confident going into this fight.

Schaefer:

Great. Thank you, Naazim. It is the fight, as we all know, is a co-promotion with Golden Boy and Square Ring, and it’s a pleasure now for me to introduce to you Bobby Goodman. You all know Bobby, who is going to be introducing Alton Merkerson. Bobby, please.

Bobby Goodman:

Thank you very much, Richard. It’s a pleasure to be on the call today, especially with two such esteemed trainers, and two legends of the sport in Bernard Hopkins and Roy Jones, Jr. I do want to say that I was present at the first meeting of these two great athletes, and they’ve since demonstrated that they are among the greatest ever, pound-for-pound, in our sport, and it’s a long time coming to have this rematch.

I do want to introduce a guy that has been with Roy since the start, since the amateurs almost, and has done a fantastic job with Roy Jones, one of the great trainers in the world today, M. Alton Merkerson “Coach Merk”.

Alton Merkerson:

Hello, everybody. It’s a pleasure being here on the conference call, and thanks for the compliments on both fighters. Roy Jones and Bernard Hopkins are very seasoned athletes. They’ve been in the game for a while. They’ve been great champions. They’ve been great role models, and they both went down in history already, so in reference to making history, they’ve done it already.

But these two guys fought back in 1993, and Roy beat Bernard, and Bernard feels that he shouldn’t have won and that he can’t beat him now. And Roy feels that he still can beat Bernard, so both of them are going to really prepare for this fight and be the best that they can be, and this competition is going to take place on the 3rd of April.

Camp with Roy is going very well. He’s training just as hard for this fight as he did any other fight that he’s had in the past. He’s mentally and physically focused for the fight. He knows Bernard is going to be ready for the fighting, and know Bernard is really working hard for it.

You know, you’ve got to give credit where it’s due. Bernard is one of the slickest guys out there, and we’re not taking anything for granted either. We’re going to be very versatile, be able to deal with any given situation that occurs in the ring. It’s going to be one great fight. Everybody should come and check this fight out because it’s something that people are going to really want to see. It’s going to be an exciting fight.

Question (Q):

Naazim, I know you have a very strong ethical, moral base. Some of you guys may not know, but what he did with Antonio Margarito, he also did with Felix Trinidad back in 2001 with the illegal hand wraps, and you also work with Bernard Hopkins, who is a real stickler for what he puts in his body, so given those two things, what would you do to change it so that the illegal hand wrap situation doesn’t happen, and given the platform, which Shane Mosley and what’s happened with Mayweather and the Olympic style drug testing? What are your thoughts on both of those things, how you would implement change?

Richardson:

Well, I’m not going to say that I’m at liberty, to really comment on it as far as structure and introduce him to change effectively because that’s really not my area of expertise. But what I will say is, and just being a watch hound, we have to make sure that the commissioners are going to do what they’re there to do. I’m confident in our commissioners. And, like I said, it’s just a matter of – it all … anything can get run down after a while.

After we do something so many times, we start taking things for granted. And what happens sometimes in boxing at this level is that we’ve all been around each other so much that we just start taking things for granted. You know, and sometimes you have to go back and sharpen up the eye and make sure everybody is doing their job, and checking in on these guys. And that’s all it is, is just really making sure to keep our sport clean and keep us in the position where we keep our athletes protected. That’s all we can do because that’s my only goal is to protect my athlete at all times, before, during and after.

Schaefer:

I think maybe what I’m going to add here as well, and you know, we always have to remember that boxing is two guys in the middle of the ring hitting each other. This is not dunking a ball or hitting a ball with the bat. This is not like – this is hitting another person. This is different. This is not about cycling up a hill, you know. This is two people hitting each other and, therefore, playing with each other’s life.

I’m not saying that cheating or having tools available, which are unauthorized is acceptable in any sport, but here in boxing, it really is playing with somebody’s life. It’s not just about winning a game. It’s really playing with somebody’s life, and that’s why I think, in boxing, there should be zero tolerance, be it with illegal hand wraps, be it with performance enhancing drugs or whatever. I think this is really, you know, this is very serious, and I agree with Naazim. This is not up to a trainer or fighter or promoter. It really is up to the athletic commissions to insure that they keep both of their eyes open and, I mean, they see that certain things are happening, that they act accordingly, swift, and strict.

Now, “Coach Merk”, touching on the same two subjects, you had the double whammy in your last fight. I don’t know if it’s been publicized or not, but you had a conversation with me about Danny Green, both in relation to whether or not he was tested before the Roy Jones fight for drugs, and also something about his hand wraps. Could you address that issue and bring it to light, and then talk about how you were able? Have you guys moved on from that?

Merkerson:

Yes, we’ve moved on. We have an appeal and trying to get the fight turned around. You know, it’s very important that everybody know their job in this sport, from the promoter all the way down to the athlete. And I think a trainer’s job is very difficult because he has to know everybody’s job. The main concern of this whole thing is the safety of the athletes.

Everybody has rules and regulations. Just like in Australia with Danny Green, every championship fight, and I’ve worked over 100 world championship fights, you have to take a urinalysis test after or before the bout. And, you know, preferably, you know, and everybody should be required to have it after the fight because if you get it before the fight, you can do anything after you take the urinalysis test.

The test wasn’t conducted. I don’t know why the IBO didn’t actually conduct it. I questioned the commissioner there, and I said, “When are we going to take the urinalysis test?” He said, “We’re not going to take one.” I said, “If you’re fighting for a belt, you have to take a urinalysis test.” So I fought it. I fought it, and nothing happened.

But prior to the fight, I had a young man go over to check out Danny Green’s hand wraps, and I told him exactly what to look for. He complained to the commissioner. The people from Square Ring, John Wirt and also confronted the commissioner and stated that the hand wrap was illegal. First of all, you can’t use any adhesive tape besides one-inch surgical tape and soft gauze. They have something that, some kind of material that they used that once it gets wet, and you put it on, it gets hard afterwards, so the guy actually made a cast out of it.

The commissioner actually didn’t know his job, or they were trying to do something under the table. If in fact I would have knew that prior to the fight actually taking place, I would have told them there was going to be no fight. They actually complained to him, and he said, well, if Roy Jones doesn’t fight this guy, he’s going to be disqualified. I didn’t know anything about this until after the fight was actually over. So to try to do something illegal to inflict punishment or pain or even injure somebody in the right is totally uncalled for an unacceptable in this sport because these guys’ lives are on the line, and it’s totally wrong.

But just like a coach stated, it’s in the commissioner’s hands. Once that guy goes into the locker room, and you’ve got a commissioner there to monitor the hand wrap, he should know exactly what a person can and can’t do. And if he can’t do that and hold people to what the rules and regulations state, he doesn’t need to be in that position as a commissioner.

Naazim, what does Bernard, what does your assessment of his secret to the so-called fountain of youth and why he keeps going? That’s for you. And then for Alton, what would you say to people who say that Roy Jones has been knocked out three times, and even though he sounds good, and his reflects may or may not seem to be there, he still is safe, you know, for fighting in the future? So those are my last questions for each of you.

Richardson:

As far as the question you posed to me, the fountain of youth primarily starts with your youth. Bernard took care of his body when he was a young man. He lived right. He never was one to party, a lot of late night – a lot of unnecessary different activities on his knees and his legs for putting in position for his body to reward him later on in his years.

And what we’ve learned, and I emphasize this to a lot of young athletes. You get kids in boxing, especially in boxing; I’m starting to see it a lot. You have guys that are athletes in boxing. They’re actually athletes. So, I mean, guys, they’re football players, basketball players, baseball players, but they just happen to be able to box. And they bring those attributes to boxing.

Well, that’s well and fine until you start getting older, and then you can’t rely on those attributes. When you can no longer rely on your athleticism, you would have had nothing. You have to have left the sport. If you can no longer rely on your athleticism, you would have left the sport.

Bernard Hopkins learned the sport. When you look at Bernard Hopkins, Bernard is not a football player. Bernard is not a basketball player. Bernard is a fighter, and he’s one of the few out there actually. So … boxing, he’s able to do it a lot longer than a lot of these other guys who rely so much on their athleticism. And now that their athleticism has faded, your fight has to fade.

I mean, once it’s gone, you’ve got to sit down too; you know what I mean, if you didn’t learn the craft. That’s why you have guys who are all time greats like Ray Leonard and them. They had so much athleticism, but you notice when Hearns, when Ray got … with a fighter like Hearns who had more gifts than him, he could go to the fundamentals of boxing. Ray Leonard got his hands high, got behind his jab, and still was able to defeat Hearns because he knew his craft too. And then like the man said earlier, you have to know your craft in this sport.

Thank you. Alton?

Merkerson:

Yes. I agree with the coach totally. You can be a young fighter, but you can be an old fighter. I’m not going to use this guy’s name to criticize him, but let’s take a for instance Kelsey Banks. Kelsey Banks had over 400 amateur fights. After the Olympics in ’88, he turned pro. He had a couple fights. He wilted. He faded away, and people said, well, why did he fade away so soon? He’s so young. He wasn’t young.

You know, any time you have a kid that has 400 and some fights, I don’t care if it’s amateur or pro, that’s a lot of fights. And you have a wear and tear on you. We’re not like an automobile where you can rebuild and re-overhaul yourself.

Once you get to a certain point, you’ve got a beginning stage, a progression stage, a sustaining stage. After you reach a sustaining stage, the only thing you can do is go down hill. But like the coach stated, if you take care of yourself, and you do things the right way, and you don’t get punished when you’re coming up, you’re going to last a lot longer. And I agree with him on Bernard. Bernard has a very good body. He’s taken care of himself over the years.

And getting to Roy and the statement that you made, I’m going to say this, and I’m going to make it short. For the time that Roy has been fighting, Roy is 42 now, and he’s been fighting 32 years. Roy has gotten more in the last four years of his boxing career than he ever did in his whole boxing career, you know. And the reason being, things happen when you get older, you know, reflexes, timing slows down. You can’t do the things that you did before. He hasn’t lost those things, but it’s just that split second that makes a difference in boxing.

Now if you ride a horse long enough, you’re going to fall off the horse. I don’t care how good you are, how good a rider you are. If you ride them long enough, you’re going to get thrown. So it happens, the time that Roy got caught three times, he got caught clean. He got caught clean, and the fact of the matter is, every time that he got caught, he was winning the fight prior to getting caught. So if you get hit right, you’re going to go. His preparation has been the same that it’s been over the years, but he wasn’t getting hit then.

Some people take shots better than other people, you understand? In football, you get guys that make contact on the line all the time. This is a different type thing. You’re not just going straight to the head, but those guys, after years and years of wear and tear, my son played pro ball for six years. Sometimes he can’t get out of the bed in the morning, you know, because of all the injuries and all of the doggone wear and tear he had on his body when he was coming up.

But my concern is the same concern that everybody else has for Roy. We have had brain scans. We have done everything that we’re supposed to do. He doesn’t have any brain damage. He hasn’t had any major injuries to him from the knockouts. Yes, it’s getting close to the time where Bernard and Roy is going to give this thing up because you can’t do it forever. But right now, from a medical standpoint, he’s fine, but the reason I stick with Roy, and I’ve been with him for 20 years, and I’m going to continue to be with him.

I’m not afraid to stop a fight. If in fact that he was getting punished and didn’t get caught with one shot clean, I would stop the fight, and that’s what another young, inexperienced trainer probably wouldn’t do just to worry about their credibility and what people say about them. But it’s not going to be long before we give it up and do some other things, but Roy is fine right now.

Did he pass his Las Vegas test?

Goodman:

Roy had to take a very comprehensive physical, and he did do that. He’s done everything they’ve asked of him and more. Medically, he’s fine. He’s 100%.

Bobby, you mention in your opening remarks that you were present at the first fight 17 years ago.

Goodman:

Yes, I was.

Bobby, what was your role there? Where were you working at that time?

Goodman:

I believe I was with Madison Square Garden, and we had some interest in it because they were talking about Riddick Bowe, who was in the main event who won to fight at Madison Square Garden.

Okay, but you were not associated with either Roy Jones or with Bernard Hopkins on that…?

Goodman:

No, I was not.

You were just sort of like a bystander watching the fight.

Goodman:

Absolutely.

Can you just give me your recollections of that fight? I mean, I’ve seen it, of course. It’s, frankly, not a very good fight, but your thoughts about what you watched that night, if you have any particular remembrance….

Goodman:

Yes. This was two extremely talented fighters who had a great deal of respect for each other just coming into their own in this sport in a big way. It was Roy’s first world championship at middleweight, of course, and Bernard, who had been a middleweight and went on to become the greatest middleweight champion in history, just fell a little short of the mark. Bernard tried to press the action through the fight, and at that time, I just think that Roy Jones’ hand speed was a little bit more than Bernard’s at that time, and it was two fighters showing great respect and great skills, and the right person won that event that night. Now we’re doing it again, and they have been the top of their field, pound-for-pound, for many, many years, and they are two legends of the sport.

Alton, were you also at the first fight, or were you not with Roy at that time?

Merkerson:

I was with him. It was the first world title fight that we had. I was at the fight. Roy trained very hard for that fight. As a matter of fact, I had to cool him down some. I thought possibly he was over-training, and we were over-training. But he actually had an injured right hand in that fight. I tried to pull him out of the fight. I told him, look. I said, let’s not take a chance. And he made a statement to me, and I had a lot of respect for him. You know, if your athlete thinks he can do it, you can’t try to pull him back and say he can’t. I said, “Roy, let’s pull out of the fight because you’ve got an injured right hand. We can do this later.”

He said, “You just get an opportunity like this once in a lifetime. I can beat him.” And when he told me that, I said … you can beat him, let’s go ahead with it. I think it was a very technical fight. We kept Bernard on the end of our jab. We made him pay for the mistakes and stuff, and we got Bernard frustrated in that fight.

But I’m going to tell you what happens with time. You learn from your mistakes, and both of these guys have gotten a lot smarter since that time. They don’t react with their physical abilities as much so as their thinking now, so it’s going to be a very technical fight on the 3rd, and we’re going to see some things different than we did the first fight.

Well, I don’t think anybody else on this call was at the fight. Brother Naazim, you were not at that fight for any reason, were you? You were not yet working in Bernard’s corner, correct?

Richardson:

No, I worked with him in the gym at times, but I wasn’t at that fight.

Got you. Let me ask another question. “Coach Merk,” you addressed a little bit about as far as it might be time to be moving on pretty soon with Roy and his career, and you had been with him for a long, long time. You have been here, seen him be knocked out by some of the fighters that have stopped him. I know that Bobby and everybody on the Square Ring side has talked about, yes, Roy has passed a comprehensive physical in Nevada, and that there’s no issues with the testing. Obviously if there was, they wouldn’t allow him to have a license to do the boxing mach. My question for you, coach, is for somebody that’s had such a longstanding personal relationship with Roy Jones, even though the medical tests may be just fine, don’t you worry when you’ve seen what has happened when he’s been hit, be it against Danny Green or, you know, being completely dominated and knocked out by Glen Johnson, what happened with Tarver? I mean, are you concerned that it’s one too many instead of one too few?

Merkerson:

Like I stated before, yes, I’m concerned because Roy is like a kid, like one of my own kids. I’m very concerned about it. But you know, its one thing about a person when they become an adult. You know, you can lead a guy to the water, but you can’t make him drink. You know, if Roy decides. He has decided that he’s going to fight. I’d rather be here with him than without him because I’m going to look out for his best interests and look out for his welfare.

Yes, I’m concerned, but he’s not going to stop boxing right now. And I’ve talked to him. I haven’t told him to stop, but I’ll always say, when you get a certain age, and certain things happen, you have to know when to hold them and when to fold them. I was concerned when those things happened. We got tested. I’m not just going to keep driving it to the ground. Yes, I’m concerned. I was concerned then, and I’m concerned now. But after all the medical tests, everything came back, and there was nothing wrong. The tests all came back okay. So I can’t keep harping with the guy, and I know he’s going to fight anyway about, well, you need to leave it alone.

You know, a person has to make a decision on his own when it comes to that, just like drugs or alcohol. All the counseling and all the rehab in the world you can take, you’re not going to stop doing drugs until you get ready to stop yourself. So I’ll be the first one to say if I think it’s that time, you totally need to stop. You don’t need to do it anymore. It hasn’t reached that point yet.

Anybody on the call could address this. I’m wondering. You know, there were a lot of people that looked forward to this fight for a long time. The two fighters, Bernard and Roy, for different reasons, the fight never happened for a long time, whether it was arguing about money or percentages or whatever you want to talk about.

The reaction I get from people, and I’m coming to the fight, and I’ve covered these guys forever, and I’ll be damned if I’m missing the last chapter, but a lot of folks that I’ve spoken to over the last week or so, particularly down in Dallas where some of the other media members when I was at the Pacquiao fight just have absolutely savaged this fight. They say it’s a disgrace. They say that nobody cares about it anymore. And I’m just curious.

Do you think that this is just a little bit too late that what’s the point at this time? Bernard is still one of the top fighters out there. We all know what’s happened with Roy the last few years. I’m wondering how in the world do you go about trying to sell a fight that so many people are against? Maybe Richard could talk about it, maybe Bobby.

Schaefer:

Well, you know, you just said it very well. Who wants it? There are people out there who like to miss out on the last chapter, and there are people who don’t like to miss out on the last chapter. And it sounds like you’re one of those who doesn’t like miss out on the last chapter. Those who like to miss out on the last chapter should just stay at home.

Goodman:

These are two of the great legends of our sport who have decided, and they both decided this, that they wanted to do it one more time. And they’ve got all the people surrounding them who care about them, who love them, and they will be there to protect the boxers, as well as the athletic commission, the referee, and other people concerned with the event.

Merkerson:

Let me put a hypothetical situation out. I’m going to say this, and it might sound dumb, but you know, people like excitement. People like revenge. People like to do something that people think they can’t do. Right now, if you came up with Mike Tyson and Buster Douglas because Mike Tyson was supposed to beat Buster Douglas so bad in that fight, and it was a 43 to one odds, and he beat Tyson. What if somebody said today, okay, we’re going to give Mike Tyson a year and a half to get in shape, and everybody said he’s through, and Buster Douglas said, I’ll get down to 270 pounds, and I’ll be ready to fight this bum. Just hypothetically saying it, how many people do you think are going to come and see that fight?

Everybody.

Merkerson:

Of course. See, it’s the same thing. I don’t understand where people get this from. They’re talking about Tyson and … right now.

What I’m getting at though is do you think that two years ago, even before the Danny Green fight, there was still a lot of anticipation about the fight. Do you feel bad that even though it’s still happening, and there are going to be people that want to see it, that it’s just unfortunate that it didn’t happen when it was supposed to happen in the last few years, and that it’s now…?

Merkerson:

I would have loved for it to happen then, but you know, everybody has egos and pride. I’m going to tell you about that because, you know, when Roy was on top, Bernard was on top, Roy has more pride at that time than Bernard did, so they tried to put the fight together. Okay. That’s when the 60/40 thing came up. Okay? It wouldn’t happen because Bernard said, no, I won’t do it unless it’s parity. I’m not going to do 60/40. Then all of a sudden, Bernard is on top. Roy had a few losses. That 60/40 was thrown out to Roy. No, I’m not going to do it.

Now the guys come to a happy medium and said, okay, let’s do 50/50. In my opinion is … that’s my opinion. Okay. If I knock you out, I get 60, and you get 40, and it doesn’t matter. Fifty-fifty is parity. Both of the guys are legends. Both of the guys are great fighters. It’s going to be a good fight. That’s what I want to see. And we can have some closure to this whole thing.

I would have liked to saw a fight eight years ago, but it didn’t happen, but that’s the way business is. You know, if you don’t come to agreement, things just don’t happen. All the way from the promotional parts all the way down to the fighters, so yes. As a coach, I would have liked to have seen it eight years ago. The guys would have been more at their prime. Everybody would have been more excited about it. But still, there’s no closure to the fight. Bernard wants to beat Roy because he don’t think Roy is going to beat him the first time. Roy wants to beat Bernard because he said, well, I beat you then, and I can beat you now. Now….

Richardson:

Let me interject … Bernard had really come to terms with the Roy Jones fight. He really found peace in the fact that two of the guys that destroyed Roy, he destroyed them. He’s the only guy that ever stopped Glen Johnson, and they never speak about that too much in the media and whatnot, and … a lot of people thought … won the first fight, and he definitely won the second fight. Then Bernard walked … gave him harder work than … at the top. So he was comfortable that I can retire knowing that the guys … put it to bed.

Then when the talk came up about it, and … lining it up, he went back into the fight, and he was interested in it. Now I’m going to tell you that I told him, and I tell everybody, and I went on record and said it. I didn’t think the fight was going to happen, and the reason being is, one is, I picked Danny Green. I picked Danny Green by knockout, so I didn’t think that was going to happen. Then when that came to terms, I really didn’t think it was going to go on.

But like Coach Merkerson said earlier, I support Bernard Hopkins. And if a man like him has earned the right to pick a fight that he wants to fight, who has in this sport? This man fought more mandatories than anybody I could name. Every time he fought, he … fight. There was a time when Bernard yelled out he’d fight anything from junior middleweight to light heavyweight, and even … he was overseas … fighting, didn’t call out. But even … coming over later on in Bernard’s years. I still know this, even including….

Every man that Bernard fought … beating or got the win over him. Every one of them wound up on the back after fighting Bernard, every single one of them. So he feels like I can do enough damage to a man that if I get an opportunity to fight them again, the work I put on the first time, the residue will still be there. That’s why he would rather the rematches immediately. …years ago, but like you said, it didn’t work out.

There were 60/40 splits talked about in the media, and then, in private, some of those 60/40 turned to 80/20 in private. Now that makes a man say, you know, a lot of nonsense went in between it, but here it is. Bottom line, like I said, when one guy was on top, it did happen. When another guy got a little more clout, it happened. So that’s all we can look at, and that’s what it is. And my opinion is, I’m telling people, and I’ve told people, and I told Bernard. I would not take this fight.

I told him. I said, if you all want to see Roy Jones like you saw Roy Jones, come to this fight. I know. I’m fully confident, and I told Bernard. Danny Green didn’t see this Roy Jones. Carver didn’t see this Roy Jones. Roy knows he cannot get in front of Bernard Hopkins looking like he’s looking to get those guys. He knows that.

Like I said, Bernard is a wrecking machine. Bernard is not a knockout puncher, get you in one shot. Bernard ruins…. Bernard … fighting guys. And like I said, even with … being as great as he was, the minute after he fought Bernard Hopkins, the next fight he was on his back … win over him. Like I said, you aren’t sure if Bernard is 45 years or old if Jermain Taylor is 45 years old right now.

So he’s the man who put in all this work all those years, and then he says, I want to fight Roy. And I say, like Merkerson said, I’m with you. I said, you know, I support you. I support you, man. I’ve got your back, but a lot of people weren’t interested in that fight. He said, I’m going to fight Roy Jones. And I was like, why?

This question is for “Coach Merk”. Coach, in your opinion, what was the key to Roy’s first victory over Bernard Hopkins? What exactly did he do to control that fight?

Merkerson:

We knew that Bernard was a very crafty fighter. Bernard wasn’t as experienced then as he is now. And neither was Roy, but Roy has always had … he had good hand speed, good ring gentlemenship, ability to make a guy miss and make him pay, all of those things at a young age. Both of those guys were young then, and not taking anything, Bernard just wasn’t at the level. I’m not saying the level, but he wasn’t sharp as Roy then. Roy’s jab was tremendous, you know. Bernard couldn’t handle it. He kept Bernard turning.

It was a thinking game. I didn’t do that much coaching in that fight because they did things by natural instinct. I saw Butch Lewis and Michael Spinks getting very frustrated in the corner because Bernard wasn’t doing some of the things they wanted him to do. You know, you get all these people saying, especially trainers, when they get in the ring after the fight is over talking about, if he wouldn’t have did what I told him to do, or what I showed him. Isn’t not about the I. It’s about we, them, and us because the trainer is not throwing a punch. Roy used good judgment in the fight. Bernard didn’t use good judgment in the fight. Once Bernard got frustrated, it was free sailing then. That’s all I can say about the fight.

Yes. You’re saying Bernard couldn’t make the necessary adjustments to handle what Roy was doing to him, but more specifically, do you think Roy beat him technically speaking, or was it more his natural speed, his reflexes?

Merkerson:

His physical ability, but his ability to think. It’s one thing about any good athlete, you know. If you’ve got a guy that you’re playing basketball against, and he’s not a very good defensive player, and he goes for fake, you’re going to fake to the inside and take the baseline and go and lay the ball up on him. It’s the same thing with boxing. You capitalize on the people’s mistakes. Bernard made some mistakes in that fight, and Roy capitalized on them.

Now Bernard is a much smarter fighter than he was then, and Roy is a much smarter fighter than he was then. What these two individuals are going to do now is use their mental frame of mind more so than their physical ability.

Do you think we will see a fight where it’s more competitive the second time around, given their…?

Merkerson:

I think it is.

…maybe more exchanges?

Merkerson:

Yes. I think so, but both of these guys are not going to make dumb mistakes. The dumbest fight I saw in my whole coaching career was when Nigel Benn fought Iran Barkley in Las Vegas. The bell rung. Both of them were so upset from the press conference, both of them ran out in the middle of the ring. Five seconds in to the fight, both of them threw right hands, and Nigel Benn’s landed first.

These guys are too seasoned to do anything like that. They’re hungry for the fight. They want to win, but they’re not going to make dumb decisions. It might be a defensive fight starting out, but once one of them realize that this person is making mistakes, they’re going to capitalize on them and try to do what they can to win the fight. It’s not going to be an all out brawl if that’s what you’re saying because neither one of the guys fight like that. They never have.

I have a question for Naazim Richardson. Naazim, in your opinion, has Bernard’s style changed from when he first fought Roy Jones?

Richardson:

Yes. His style changed naturally. Like I said, they’re older fighters now, and you have to reinvent yourself. Like I said, if you learn this sport, and then you have to reinvent yourself in order to sustain yourself in this sport. And the people who can’t reinvent themselves, you see the outcomes start to change … in this game. Muhammad Ali was a sticky move guy when he had those attributes, and he was a young guy. He was athletic. Later on, he had to reinvent himself to the robodo in order to sustain himself with the later on years with the guys that came along.

How would you have described Bernard’s style in 1993, mid ’90s compared to his style now?

Richardson:

Seek and destroy. He was a seek and destroy guy, so he was able to run out in the middle of the ring, and Roy was able, with his athleticism, he was able to take advantage of it, you know what I mean, because Bernard was an overly aggressive guy in those days. So anybody who is overly aggressively, you see guys fall back, and you take advantage of them. You know what I mean? So that was….

Like I said, now he takes a different approach as far as assessing the area ands then dissecting the flaws and breaking it down. And that’s what he’s capable of doing, and he’s still. Like I said, he’s taking care of his body where the different in Bernard’s body now is actually his body, he’s in better. I think, condition wise, I’ve always told Bernard. This Bernard Hopkins will beat the death out of that old … Bernard Hopkins and Roy Jones, this Bernard Hopkins will take him to school. He’ll take him to school. He’ll be standing in the center of the ring, and wondering why he hadn’t got picked apart like that. This Bernard Hopkins is better than that Bernard Hopkins of 14 years ago. I feel like that, and that’s what I say. If you ever want to check an athlete and see if they learned their craft, the older guy, a lot of times is a little too smart for the younger version of themselves. Now in terms of if you were dealing with athleticism, athleticism is always going to fall to youth. So I’ve always watched that. With every athlete, I’ve always measured athletes like that, with the young athlete.

I asked one of my guys … but not all the time. What would the young Bernard do with the older Bernard? Then you can assess whether or not how well you’ve learned your craft.

My question is to both trainers. In the first fight, I was fortunate enough to be there at the first fight in Washington, D.C. at RFK Stadium, and now will this second fight be – do you think that this second fight will be similar to the first fight or how do you predict this fight will go? Will it be at the same pace that it was the first go around?

Richardson:

I’m confident it won’t be like the first fight. I’m very confident that it won’t be like the first fight because there’s a whole different approach behind Bernard and it encompass Bernard’s thought process preparing for this fight. And I was around to see how he prepared for the first fight, so I knew what the ideas were. I knew what their approach was, and I wasn’t an outsider looking in, and I wasn’t in agreement with it, so I know it won’t be similar to the first fight. But I do believe, and like I said, when you compare the young athlete to the old athlete, I believe this Roy Jones is going to fight Bernard … stand a chance against the Roy Jones who fought Bernard before. I do believe that. I believe Roy is going to bring that kind of preparation. And I’m confident that everything Roy has, he’ll bring to the table, everything he has. I wouldn’t be surprised if he did retire after this fight because it’s going to take everything he has, mentally and physically, just to get up for this endeavor.

I wanted to ask Alton Merkerson a question. Now let’s just say for argument sake that if Roy is able to come up with a victory, what’s next for him?

Merkerson:

Like I stated earlier, we’re getting ready. We’re in the last chapter of this book that we’ve been writing for over a decade, two decades. I don’t really know. It’s something that Roy and I and his dad probably will talk about after the fight. But you know, with both of these guys, it’s not about them having to prove anything to anybody in the boxing world at all because they both made history. I think it’s all about self-satisfaction now.

When you get to a mountaintop, how high can you go? You can’t go any higher. Only you can do is do things for self-satisfaction, self-gratification. It’s not to prove anything to anybody else. This is boiling down to Bernard, I still can whoop you. Roy, no you can’t. You did it once, but you can’t do it again. So both of them love the sport. Both of them have been in the sport for a long time.

But in reference to this fight and the last fight, it’s totally going to be different for the simple reason, both of these guys are much smarter. Both of these guys can look down the barrel and be able to know when you’re going to pull the trick, and make your miss, and make you pay. There’s not going to be a lot of running and moving and stuff. There’s going to be smart, and ring gentlemenship used in this fight. It’s going to be a good fight, but it’s going to be a technical fight. That’s just the way I see it.

Schaefer:

I’m looking forward to Fight Week. I know this is a fight, which has been in the making for a long time, and I can’t believe we actually are only a little over two weeks away from that. Irrespective of what people say, I am happy for these two fighters, that they’re going to fight each other, and I’m really excited about it. I know that both of them will bring their best to the ring that night, April 3rd, and I’m excited. I’m excited for the fighters. I’m excited for Golden Boy, and for all the fight fans out there to be part of this event. Thank you so much, and I’ll see you all out in Vegas hopefully. Thank you.

END OF CALL

“The Rivals: Hopkins vs. Jones II,” set for Saturday, April 3 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nev., is promoted by Golden Boy Promotions and Square Ring Promotions and sponsored by Cerveza Tecate and AT&T. The event will be broadcast live on pay-per-view beginning at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT.

Category: Blogroll, Boxing
Tags: Bernard Hopkins > Bobby Goodman > Boxing > Jr. > NAAZIM RICHARDSON > Richard Schaefer > Roy Jones > trainer > trainers

HBO Boxing: Pacquiao vs. Clottey – Highlights

Posted on | March 22, 2010 | No Comments

HBO Boxing: Pacquiao vs. Clottey – Highlights

HBO | MySpace Video

Category: Blogroll, Boxing
Tags: Boxing > highlights > Joshua Clottey > Manny Paquia

RIVALS HARRISON AND SPROTT FIGHT FOR EUROPEAN TITLE

Posted on | March 22, 2010 | No Comments

OLD rivals Audley Harrison and Michael Sprott will fight for the vacant European Heavyweight Championship next month.

Ex-Olympic gold medalist Harrison and former British and Commonwealth title holder Sprott will clash for the belt at London’s Alexandra Palace on April 9.

The pair have fought before in February 2007 and Harrison will be keen for revenge after he was knocked out in the third round.

Harrison, 38, who saved his career by winning Prizefighter Heavyweights 3 in October, had been scheduled to meet Poland’s Albert Sosnowski for the title.

However, Sosnowski will now face WBC Champion Vitali Klitschko in May and is set to vacate the European belt to set up the mouth-watering all-British clash.

“When Albert pulled out, I told Matchroom I don’t care who accepts the fight as there are no easy fights at this level and I’d be ready for anyone,” said Harrison.

“To have the opportunity to rectify my loss against Sprott is a blessing that is better than my expectations.

“I’m glad I get a chance to correct the mistakes I made in that fight. In 2007, had I beaten Sprott I would’ve fought for the world title that year.

“Now I’ve gone full circle and I will show I’m finally ready to fulfil my destiny and fight for and win a world title.

“I have nothing or no one to fear in the division and 2010 will be the rise, redemption and glory of Audley A Force Harrison.”

The bout, which will be the main event of Matchroom sport’s next boxing show, gives both fighters one last shot at the big time.

Sprott was due to take part in the same Prizefighter tournament as Harrison before he withdrew following the death of his sister.

After winning Prizefighter, Harrison donated the trophy to Sprott’s family, although there will be no love lost on April 9 in what will be a make-or-break night in both boxers’ careers.

Sprott, 35, returned to the ring after a nine-month absence in stunning fashion on Saturday with a knockout victory inside 60 seconds against German Werner Kreiskoff.

“When I suffered the tragic loss of my sister, I had to pull out of the Prizefighter tournament that Audley went on to win,” added Sprott.

“I have no doubt in my mind I would’ve won that tournament. I’m confident the result against Audley will be the same as last time.”

Matchroom Sport Chairman Barry Hearn was expecting a fantastic contest. He said: “This is a fight the public wants to see between two of Britain’s best heavyweights.

“Albert Sosnowski getting a shot at the WBC belt has shown how close these boxers are to fighting for a world title if they win on April 9.”

Tickets cost £30 and £60 and are available from www.seetickets.com or 0871 230 7148.

NOTES FOR EDITORS

Audley Harrison and Michael Sprott fought in February 2007 and Sprott won with a third round knockout.

Audley Harrison’s career record – Won 26 (19 by KO), Lost 4, Drawn 1. Total 31.

Michael Sprott’s career record – Won 32 (17 by KO), Lost 14, Drawn 0. Total 46.

Category: Blogroll, Boxing
Tags: Albert Sosnowski > Audley Harrison > Boxing > European Heavyweight Championship > Michael Sprott > Vitaly Klischko

Morales ready for Saturday’s comeback

Posted on | March 22, 2010 | No Comments

“El Terrible” headlines “The Champion Returns” PPV Mar. 27 vs. Alfaro

Garay vs. Henry WBA Eliminator in co-feature

HOBOKEN, N.J. (Mar. 22, 2010) – After 2 ½ months of intense training, 3-division world champion Erik “El Terrible” Morales, is ready for his comeback fight Saturday in “The Champion Returns” pay-per-view event, live from Monterrey, Mexico.

Morales (48-6, 34 KOs) has been retired for the past 2 ½ years. The iconic Mexican warrior returns to the ring on a mission to become the first Mexican world champion in four different weight classes. Saturday night in the 12-round main event, Morales takes on former WBA lightweight champion Jose “Jicaras” Alfaro (23-5, 20 KOs), for the vacant WBC Intercontinental welterweight crown.

“I’m happy to be here (in Monterrey) and completely ready to face Alfaro,” Morales said. “Fans will see a different Erik Morales than in my last few fights because now I’m hungry to win this fight and go on towards winning a world title in my fourth division. I want to prove to everyone watching that all of the hard work in training camp will result in a great performance in my return to the ring.”

“The Champion Returns,” presented by KO Entertainment and Box Latino, is being distributed in the United States by Integrated Sports Media for live viewing at 9 PM/ET – 6 PM/PT on both cable and satellite pay-per-view via iN Demand, DIRECTV, TVN and DISH Network, for a suggested retail price of only $29.95.

Morales, the last opponent to defeat Manny Pacquiao, has also beaten Marco Antonio Barrera, Pauli Ayala, Wayne McCullough, Junior Jones, Carlos Hernandez, Jesus Chavez, Guty Espadas, Jr. (twice), Daniel Zaragoza and Kevin Kelly.

In the 12-round co-feature, former 2-time WBA light heavyweight champion Hugo Hernan “Pigu” Garay (32-4, 17 KOs), rated No. 3 by the WBA, faces WBA No. 4 rated Chris “Hard Hittin’” Henry (24-2, 19 KOs) in the WBA Light Heavyweight Eliminator.

Top contender Denver Cuello (19-2-5, 10) meets No. 2 Juan “Churritos” Hernandez (15-1, 12 KOs) in the 12-round WBC Interim Strawweight title fight, while El Paso’s undefeated NABA title-holder David “Nino” Rodriguez (32-0, 30 KOs) and 1996 Brazilian Olympian Daniel Bispo (22-12, 16 KOs) battle in a 10-round Special Heavyweight Attraction.

Tickets are available to purchase at www.superboletos.com.

Integrated Sports Media: North America’s leading distributor of International Pay-Per-View and Closed Circuit sports events has presented World Championship and world-class boxing matches featuring Ricky Hatton, Christian Mijares, Evander Holyfield, Roy Jones, Jr., Ivan Calderon, Rocky Martinez, Nicolai Valuev, Amir Kahn, Marco Antonio Barrera, Arthur Abraham, David Haye, John Ruiz, Wilfredo Vazquez, Jr., and Ruslan Chagaev. In addition, Integrated Sports Media distributed numerous International soccer matches showcasing teams like Club America of Mexico and the National Teams of Argentina, Honduras, El Salvador and the USA, as well as World Championship and world-class mixed martial arts shows featuring Fedor Emelianenko, Tim Sylvia, Bobby Lashley, Bob Sapp, Jeff Monson, and Roy Nelson. For more information on upcoming Integrated Sports events visit www.integratedsportsnet.com.

Category: Blogroll, Boxing
Tags: Amir Kahn > Arthur Abraham > Boxing > Carlos Hernandez > Chris Henry > Christian Mijares > David Haye > Erik Morales > Evander Holyfield > Guty Espadas > Hugo Hernan Garay > Ivan Calderon > Jesus Chavez > John RUiz > Jose Alfaro > Jr. > Junior Jones > Marco Antonio Barrera > Nicolai Valuev > Pauli Ayala > Ricky Hatton > Rocky Martinez > Roy Jones > Ruslan Chagaev > Wayne McCullough > WBA > WBC > Wilfredo Vazquez

SEPARATED AT BIRTH

Posted on | March 20, 2010 | No Comments

Gabriel Gonzaga (above left) went down by way of a vicious KO at tonight’s UFC on Versus event, but Fellow Massachusetts resident John “Doomsday” Howard did not disappoint with his performance. Congrats to Howard, and we know Gonzaga will be back. Gabriel’s resemblance to Law & Order Criminal Intent and “Full Metal Jacket” star Vincent D’Onofrio might mean he has a future in Hollywood whenever he does call it quits in his fighting career.

For More UFC on Versus 1 results, CLICK HERE.

Category: Blogroll, Mixed Martial Arts, MMA, seperated at birth, UFC
Tags: Full Metal Jacket > Gabriel Gonzaga > heavyweight > Law and Order > UFC > Vincent D'Onofrio

SKYLER DUNCAN MMA HEAVYWEIGHT INTERVIEW

Posted on | March 20, 2010 | No Comments

Heavyweight: Lubbock Texas.

ARTICLE COURTESY OF INFORMATIVE SPORTS, CLICK HERE FOR ILLUSTRATED VERSION

Q: So tell our audience- just exactly who is Skyler Duncan?

I am a father of 2 sons Skylen and Rylx and married to my awesome wife Crystal. I have always loved fighting, I mean who didn’t in high school come on. It just continued on. It’s just so much fun.

Q: Does your wife worry about you fighting?

At first yes. She had never seen me fight until here recently. And being in my corner on my last fight she see’s that the fighters aren’t mass murder’s she has relaxed. Plus winning 6 in a row helps to.

Q: The Lunsford fight? Does this mean she’s banned from cageside now? (You don’t have to answer that) I guess it was better for her to see you lose and not be badly hurt, If there is a silver lining in anything.

Well she is not banned for now lol. No she is great, after the fight I went and got in the Hot tub and she came in a told how proud she was. Even though I loss, she made it feel like I didn’t. Which is just what you need when your down.

Q: Did you play any sports or anything in High School?

I played football. I was MLB and boy was it fun. I have always enjoyed contact sports. Nothing better than MMA.

Q: Are you a full time fighter or do you have a normal job also?

I do have a full time job. Me and my wife run a family business on her side of the families. Its called Party Plus Warehouse and we do just about everything for just about any occasion. Sometimes it gets really hard to train as much as I would like, because of all the hours we put in. But its money that we count on, the fight money is just a extra bonus.

Q: How long have you been training in MMA?

I joined the Army after 9/11 and went to various hand to hand combat classes and starting kickboxing. Went I got out of the Army I continued to train. Then starting hearing about MMA and said What the hell lets give it a try. Went 6-0 as an AM and Ready to Rock as a Pro. So I have been training for about 3 years for MMA outside of the Army. I lost my debut and never want to have that feeling again.

Q: Do you see yourself as a kick boxer?

No way. I did kickboxing just learn something new. I never thought I would actually be using it to be a Pro fighter. But I really love Vale Tudo. It’s just something people don’t see everyday.

Q Unless you are Brazilian, you might not be that familiar with VT, would you explain that?

Vale Tudo literally means anything goes and that is what they do down there. no rules no gloves just two men battling it out like true gladiators back in the day. It is one of my dreams to compete in a true Vale Tudo Tourney some day, although I better hurry, that will not be around much longer.

Q: With VT incorporating so many styles how does your normal training schedule consist of?

Well Cardio of course we do about an hour and a half no stops no breaks. Everyday we work on something different than the day before. Stand up, punching techniques and range, ground game shoot everything under the sun. We don’t stay just to one discipline on the ground. We have 7 different instructors that come in once a week to work with me on the ground. It’s more than I need but I lost my last fight on the ground, so I don’t want to let that happen this time.

Q: Is there a different mindset between a Po and an Amateur fight? Or is it still just some dude 25 feet away from you trying to kill you?

To me its all the same. Just a few differences. Money of course is always a good incentive to win. All the lights and smoke are a change for me, when I was an AM your music started to play and you walked out that was it. It is a little more show for the fans than AM fights. But in the end, your are right, just another guy standing in my way of a win.

Q: what made you decide to go pro?

Well, all the phone calls played a major role in that. I had just won my 6th fight in a row in the AM’s and I was on my home and got 2 phone calls from fight promoters wanting me to get my Pro License. So I checked on it and it was a little pricey at the time and I thought I would just wait. The mail came a few days later with a check from a promotion company I had never heard of. The check was for made for well over what it cost me to get all my tests and paper work done. So I call this company and told them that I had some monies left over, the lady said we sent that to you to help out with all costs, and she said just go buy some training gear with the rest. So I did. Sent in all my stuff to the Great State of Texas and they had my license in 2 weeks. I had wanted to go Pro long before that, I thought that I had to have 8 fights before I could, later I found out you don’t.

Q: Would you mind going over exactly what it takes to go to Pro?

It’s a total different mind set for me. Its not the AM’s where the guy you are fighting is some chump off the street, these guys are pro’s thats why they are here, they have done something to make them want to go pro or someone has seen something in them and maybe suggested it., we are all here for one reason or another. As far as the fans go, they are pumped and are here for a great night of fighting and that is what being a Pro means to me. Because with our fans we have nothing. There are no fights without our fans. So thank you, thank you all. From all of us fighters.

Q: What’s it like to see a guy go limp in front of you?- I’ve never fought, But like many MMA fans I played football, I’ve dropped a guy a game but with the uniform, you don’t see the eyes and its not really the same.

Well its exciting and kinda of scary at the same time. The feeling is unexplainable when you hit ’em and see the eyes, and I am excited. But afterwards I always go and check on the other fighter. We are all here to get known and get in the big leagues. But I never like to see anyone get really hurt. Its not good for them or their families. Thats what I think about. But I’m just a big softy. LOL

Q: What goes through your mind the 10 seconds before the ref starts the fight?

Not a thing. Just staring at the other guy. Tryin to get in his head before it even starts. Thats it. Not much, but it works for me.

Q: How far an advance do you get for a fight?

Normally about 2 months notice. And we will train just like normal until we are 30 days out. Then its all on me. No breaks, No days off do it to it. Everyone at our Dojo does everything they can to help whoever is fighting be ready. We do the Vale Tudo circle. That is where I am in the middle and start sparring against one person, then 2 minutes later a fresh person from the circle comes in and so on. You don’t know where they are coming from so you have to be ready for anything. Each guy at the Dojo has their strong suits, and when we do the circle, they show it off. Normally the circle lasts about 15 to 20 minutes, sometimes longer, just depends who all is there at that time.

Q: Since the TUF10 show, with so many fights coming down to cardio- did your training change?

Our cardio has always been our core for training. No gas in the tank you can’t win the fight. Our cardio has changed a little, but not because of the show, we just had to make it harder. If you can stand after our cardio, then you need to do it again.

Q: How do you train Cardio in MMA?

Crazy stuff. We do a little of everything push-ups, jumpin jacks, squats, run, body carries, medicine balls, kettle bells, punching techniques, bear crawls, and more. The thing is like push-ups, we do 8 different kinds, so we work every muscle we can. Its just an hour and a half of what I would describe to another military person as basic training PT. Its rough but its just so much damn fun.

Q: As a heavyweight, what were your thoughts on the TUF show overall?

I was pulling for Darrell Schoonover. He is a Texas boy and I always go for a Texan. He just hit a rough patch, we all do it. Its just how you pull yourself out of it, is how you come back. A champion is made by how they handle their defeats, not by how long they can sit on top of the cage after a win.

Q: Where is your next fight and do you know who you are facing? (http://sharkfights.com/events.html)

My next fight is for Shark Fight Promotions voted best Pro Promotion Co. in Texas. I will be fighting a man named John King in my hometown of Lubbock, Texas. So Train, train, train and we’ll get a win.

Q: Do you know anything about King?

I know nothing about him. I have tried to do some homework but I was un able to find anything about. That just makes it more fun for me. It will be a total surprise for him and me.

Q: Is that difficult for you? I know playing football you have hours of tape to watch, you have practice vs the scheme , etc. How hard is it to go against a guy that all it says is- style: Brazilian Jiu Jitsu/ Taekwondo

For me its all the same. It could say he is a boxer, wrestler whatever. I train as hard as I can to do the Best I can. What he does will only make me adjust myself for him in the ring. I would like to see some video of him just to see how he moves and how he keeps his hands. Other than that no worries.

Q: Is there any additional pressure put on you fighting in your hometown?

A ton. Fighting other places you know no one and no one will probably see you outside of the ring. Fighting at home makes it a little rougher. I see most of the people going on a daily bases, work , neighbors, fight team, friends and family. Who most of my family has not seen me fight, because normally my fights are pretty far away. Not this one. It’s time for a big win in front of Lubbock, Texas, but most important are my two sons, who think daddy is the Hulk. They put more pressure that anyone.

Q: Have your sons watched you fight before?

No they have not. Not that I haven’t let them, but like I said my fights are usually far away so we didn’t want to have to keep them the car 10 hours of driving. They have seen me spar at our Dojo and they just love it. So hopefully, that will stick with them and they will have a great time. They might as well see some of the moves they are learning in action. They are my future Cage Fighters.

Q Finally, is there anything you want your fans to know about you?

Well I have pretty much layed it all out there, but I do what my fans to know, When you come see me fight, I will always give everything I have in the cage. Even if that means I have to be carried out, at least my fans know it was all for them.

Category: Blogroll, Mixed Martial Arts, MMA
Tags: Informative Sports > Mixed Martial Arts > MMA > Skyler Duncan > Texas

« go back — keep looking »

About

This is an area on your website where you can add text. This will serve as an informative location on your website, where you can talk about your site.

SHOWTIME® ALL ACCESS FREE PREVIEW WEEKEND INCLUDES COMBAT SPORTS BONANZA

Two-Time Olympian Daniel Cormier To Face John Devine

HOPKINS VS. JONES TRAINERS MEDIA CONFERENCE CALL TRANSCRIPT

HBO Boxing: Pacquiao vs. Clottey – Highlights

RIVALS HARRISON AND SPROTT FIGHT FOR EUROPEAN TITLE

Morales ready for Saturday’s comeback

SEPARATED AT BIRTH

SKYLER DUNCAN MMA HEAVYWEIGHT INTERVIEW

SEARCH OUR BLOGS

SEARCH THE WEB

RING GIRLS

OUR SPONSORS

Categories

JOIN FIGHT SPACE ONLINE

About

Subscribe to our feed

Search

Admin