Boxing

KING SAM SOLIMAN: I KNOW NADER WANTS THIS FIGHT AS BAD AS ME

By Tony Nobbs

31.05 - Australian boxings Triple A Man, Sam 'King' Soliman says he has prepared for nothing else than a prime Nader Hamden when he defends his IBF Pan Pacific Middleweight Title against the WBC number five 'Lion Heart' on Monday night.

Soliman-Hamden is half of what is a much anticipated double header and will preceed the Danny Green-Jason Delisle clash for the IBF Pan Pac and vacant OPBF Super Middleweight Championships at the Panthers Leagues Club in Penrith, West Sydney.

Speaking from his home town Melbourne on Friday, the 29 year old former Commonwealth 160 lb Champion and four division Australian Champion Soliman said he has benefited from a solid preparation and knows he will also have a one hundred percent fit opponent in front of him determined to leave the
ring with the Belt he won by defeating shutting out New Zealand veteran Sean Sullivan in July and successfully defended against Hamden's stable mate Sakio Bika via majority decision in October last year.

"With Nader, it's pretty much all out. He will give it one hundred percent. He's had six weeks, the same time as me and he will come to win, like he has done in his previous thirty two fights. I've had good sparring and been doing great work on the pads with (trainer) Dave (Hedgecock) and my weight is good, as you know, weight is the most important thing. He will be well prepared by Jeff (Fenech), Billy Hussein and their team. With the quality sparring he has in that gym, he will be in shape".

A month before his superb victory over Jorge Castro in April, WBC number two 175 pounder Paul Briggs told me he had benefited greatly from boxing with the "now you see him, now you don't" Soliman (17-7, 4 KO) and Sam, for this fight has worked with Australian Lt Heavyweight Champ Delisle and Briggs' gym mate John Wayne Parr. Because of Soliman's defensive brilliance he is seldom in a war and this allows him to spar as much as he can to hone his magical craft.

"Sparring Jason is great. He is very strong, hard and sharp and has a very good jab which Nader also has. And with Wayne, his work load is tremendous. He gives you plenty of pressure and with him having had a really good fight with Nader where he pushed him all the way, I've only benefited from sparring him. To be sparring these kind of fighters is better than just going through the motions with easy partners, getting lazy and bored. You need the hard work, that is why a lot of guys shit 'emselves when it gets tough.

And Nader is getting great work too. It'll be a good fight. I fly to Sydney tomorrow, that gives me two days up there and I'm counting the minutes. There is no 'better luck next time mate' or 'ifs and buts' with Nader. He wants this fight as bad as me, he chased for it. He's at a weight more comfortable for him and he's putting his number five ranking on the line. He is a man and he's is not going to give that up without a fight".

Hamden, 29, and with a record of 32-0, 15 KO's was recently rated at two in the WBC's 154 lb listings and was last in action winning a Twelve round UD over rugged Josh Clemshaw in defence of his IBF Pan Pac and OPBF Titles on March 28. Soliman's last outing was a ten round sweep of Mike Cope on December 6. In his fight before that, he defeated Team Fenech's Cameroon Olympian Bika in Melbourne, who now holds the Australian Middleweight Title and is 12-1-1, 9 KO. The fact that Bika was able to win three, four and six rounds against Soliman will certainly give Hamden added confidence.

"That was a good fight. He has a great talent, it was my experience that got him in the end. When I started to up the pace he didn't like it too much. His mouth guard started to pop out late in the fight, well, that is the last sign you have nothing left and you don't want to be there.

But yeah, he is certainly not lacking in the talent department, I take my hat off to him".

An Anyone, Anywhere, Anytime professional who won his first National Title by outclassing Cruiserweight Peter Kinsella (KO 12) on just a days notice in only his second paid boxing bout in 1997, Sam is best known to casual sports fans in this country for finishing all over Anthony Mundine in losing a split decision in September 2001 and to genuine fight fans he is held in the highest regard. He took the fight with Mundine on eight days noticed and flew in from his then base in England and "gave away four kilo (9 lb)". During his six year career Soliman has fought ouside Australia on ten occasions in the U.S, Fiji, England, Germany, Holland and Scotland. Before turning pro he was an Australian Amatuer Champion and a world class pro kick boxer.

Asked if he wanted to talk about the now WBA number two Super Middle who is due to fight Antwun Echols for the vacant WBA Crown in a couple of months, Soliman said "No" before indicating that he wants the man who relieved him of his Commonwealth Title back in September 2000 in Bethnal Green.

"I want you to tell everyone I'm on the go for Howard Eastman. If he was to retire or move up in weight I'd be a shattered man. I don't want to lose that opportunity for revenge. He beat me, I was not robbed, not like Joval, it was a close fight, me and Eastman we gotta do it again. Yeah, I still want Bernard (Hopkins), he's the Champ and with my ranking getting better that fight gets more of a possibility. When you move up in the rankings, guys chase you, but let me tell you, I will always be chasing Howard Eastman".

Soliman is currently sitting at number 15 in the IBF, partially due to his recent inactivity but he and Melbourne based Stuart Duncan manager know how boxing works and realize a victory over Hamden will have him in a much deserved position in two organizations.

"It's only because of Stuart, Dave and the boys at the Underworld gym as well as my sponsors that I'm still in the boxing game. Because the money that's in Australian boxing is nothing to write home about, that's for sure. But the ranking I'll get from this fight will get people talking".

And it should be said, there have not been too many Australian fighter's in recent time more deserving of a World Title opportunity than Sam Soliman!

Monday night's card will be shown live on Main Event and Sky Channel PPV through out Australia from 7 pm with commentary from Grantlee Kieza and Matthew Brooks.

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