Wladimir Klitschko: Good afternoon, everybody.
Q. When you’re at the stage of Bryant Jennings now where you’re climbing, where you weren’t yet the champion, what did life change after you became the heavyweight champion of the world? Also, fighting again in the United States and bringing the belt back here?
A. The first question was how did it feel when I became champion?
Q. How did it change your life?
There’s one more big fight to get excited about before May 2nd, and like last weeks Crawford and Matthysse fights, it’s in danger of being a little overshadowed by this generations “big one”
Dominant lineal heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko (63-3, 53ko) returns to America to face relative novice Bryant Jennings (19-0, 10ko) at the world famous Madison Square Garden on Saturday, and in the opinion of this writer, “By-By” needs a miracle bigger than turning water into wine if he is to be victorious.
Bernie Bahrmasel: Up next and ready to go is number one ranked and undefeated challenger fighting out of the great town of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, home of numerous world champions, including legendary heavyweights Joe Frazier and Tim Witherspoon and returning to Madison Square Garden, site of his two most recent and biggest victories over Artur Szpilka and Mike Perez, both telecast on HBO, with a record of 19-0-1-0 with 10 knockouts, Bryant “By-By” Jennings. Bryant, are you there?
Bryant Jennings: Yes, I’m here. All good.
Bernie Bahrmasel: Can you tell us a little bit about how camp is going so far?
Now we are less than a fortnight away, the time for the focus on the big fight will naturally grow more intense, and as the proposed date looms, figures from all corners of boxing are giving their opinion on the proposed outcome.
Kugan Cassius of iFLtv recently spoke to Britain’s former unified world cruiserweight champion and WBA heavyweight champion David Haye, to ask him his thoughts on the outcome.
One of the hotly debated topics among fans is whether this fight has come too late for both fighters, each arguably displaying their own (small) signs of decline.
Ahead of the proposed “Fight Of The Century” on May 2nd at the MGM Grand, Manny Pacquiao’s trainer Freddie Roach has told respected British fight journalist Gareth A. Davies of The Telegraph, that were it not for his dedication to the sport as a whole, and in particular to training Filipino wizard Pacquiao, he could be a dead man already.
Roach, who has suffered with Parkinson’s for 23 years, explained the medication he takes daily to combat it often induces suicidal thought.
WBC super bantamweight champion Leo Santa Cruz (29-0,17ko) has spoken to FightHype.com ahead of his scheduled “Golden Ticket” appearance on May 2nd’s “Fight Of The Century” under-card, where he is to square off against unremarkable Hungarian fighter Zsolt Bedak (24-1, 8ko)
Santa Cruz, who is looked after by manager Al Haymon, is gushing in his praise of the PBC mastermind, who himself is credited with rejuvenating the career of Floyd Mayweather, at least financially, by helping him out of his prior contract disputes with Top Rank and Bob Arum some years previously.
Last night in Verona, the watching world saw Lucas Matthysse (37-3, 34ko) and Ruslan Provodnikov (24-4, 17ko) deliver twelve brutal rounds that in my opinion adequately delivered on the promise of war. Yet because the much mooted knockout between the punchers failed to transpire, reports by sites like Sky Sports in the UK are saying;
“The predicted slug-fest between the two heavy hitters never really took off”
I guess some folk are never truly happy because in my mind the fight played out much as I thought it would, with the hittable Provodnikov getting banged up by a Matthysse who used more of the boxing skill we knew he had going in. He boxed a sensible fight fight for me and didn’t get caught trading TOO often!!
Essex’s “Rockin” Robin Deakin (1-51, 0kos) often gets referred to as Britain’s “worst” boxer, a label he himself happily revels in. The focus last year of some rather cruel and mocking press in the national newspapers, Deakin, who at the time had his licence suspended by the British board, has taken everything in his stride, even when his right to earn a living was perhaps unfairly taken from him.
Usyk won the WBO Inter-Continental cruiser weight title and his 3rd place in the WBO rankings suggests a showdown with cruiser weight king Marco Huck (Muamer Hukić) in the near future. Tony Bellew and Krzytof Glowacki occupy the top two spots but getting past them should be a formality for Usyk.
Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York was treated to a historic sold out match-up between two of the most exciting gladiators in boxing as Lucas “La Maqina”” Matthysse (37-3, 34 KO’s) took a majority decision victory over “The Siberian Rocky” Ruslan Provodnikov (24-4, 17 KO’s) in a 12-round junior welterweight bout on the split-site doubleheader on HBO Boxing After Dark ®.
Presented by Banner Promotions and Golden Boy Promotions, the action packed night showcased two athletes fighting in the prime of their careers, with a title shot in the 140-pound division likely hanging in the horizon.