Q & A with Klitschko cutman Stitch Duran

29.09.05 – By Scoop Malinowski / Boxinginsider.com: Wladimir Klitschko cutman Jacob “Stitch” Duran elaborates on his man’s big win over Samuel Peter… Scoop: Tell me about how you feel about Wladimir’s performance tonight?

Duran: “Well, I gotta give both guys credit. Sam Peter I thought – and I know Sammy, I’m from Las Vegas – I’ve seen him work, seen him spar, I’ve wrapped his hands, I’ve padded him out – and Samuel Peter showed he’s an A plus fighter.. Wladimir at that point really went beyond the call of a fighter and fought probably the best fight of his career. And fought the baddest guy right now in the heavyweight class – Samuel Peter.”

Scoop: How was Wladimir going into it before the fight?

Duran: “Very confident. Emanuel Steward did a great job of preparing him and it was a bull vs. a matador really. And I think we saw that today, Sam Peter came out with guns ablazing and Wladimir kept that jab and towards the second half of the fight started using that right hand which really was an effective weapon for him. But confidence-wise he knew that he had to win this fight. They both knew they had to win this fight. It defined the heavyweight division.”

Scoop: Do you think Wladimir was a little tentative as some of the critics are saying?

Duran: “Well, you’re gonna be tentative, I don’t care who you are, when you’re fighting Samuel Peter, just with his knockout power and not knowing him and not knowing his style and adjusting. But I think he adjusted very well. Do the knockdowns scare me a little bit? No they didn’t. He got hit behind the head. Weren’t solid shots. I looked at his eyes, I focused on his eyes – I knew he was okay. Emanuel got it back on track as soon as he sat him back down in the corner. And kept his gameplan.”

Scoop: Is he the hardest puncher in the world today, Samuel Peter?

Duran: “Absolutely. No doubt about it [smiles]. But Wladimir Klitschko, he hit him with some devastating shots. And didn’t really show any wear and tear. His face is showing it right now. You know he doesn’t have a neck [smiles] and that helps him absorb the shots. But Sam Peter lost nothing in this game, Really, he gained a lot. I expect him to be a world champion – though he’s not taking either one of the Klitschko’s titles.”

Scoop: You believe Vitali can handle Peter too?

Duran: “I think so. It’s once one Klitschko sees his style, then it’s easier for the second one to come back and implement what he has to do. Now they have something to work with on Samuel Peter, you know Scoop, and know that Sam Peter is probably the most dangerous fighter out there in the heavyweight division. Wladimir got by him. I expect Vitali to do the same thing and I wouldn’t be surprised if Sam Peter fights Vitali Klitschko only because of his great performance tonight.”

Scoop: Describe how Wladimir was in the corner after round 5?

Duran: “Well, the corner was very calm. That’s an important thing and I’m glad you brought that up Scoop. When you go into a fight like this every little element helps. And when you have a great trainer like Emanuel Steward – that really keeps his composure going, he got him back on track. Wladimir was not nervous, wasn’t excited. He got dropped, he came back and you know what? The monkey came off his back now. This was the biggest thing for Wladimir anytime. And I think you’re only gonna see a better Wladimir after this performance.”

Scoop: What did you learn about Wladimir tonight that you didn’t previously know? Anything about Wladimir surprise you tonight?

Duran: “No, not at all. I’ve always known that he has the calibre of being a good fighter. And everybody was questioning his chin and I never questioned his chin. Because Corrie Sanders and Lamon Brewster, everybody throws that, when you didn’t prepare for Corrie Sanders and you get tired with Lamon Brewster, eventhough you beat the crap out of him, you still have good skills to go with that. The main thing is Wladimir Klitschko really showed the heart that the media was criticizing him with so much on that. So I think that’s off, not a problem anymore. To fight the baddest guy in the division in Sam Peter and come out victorious, and eventhough he got dropped three times, he still won the fight, which was a legitamite win. That shows a lot from Wladimir Klitschko.”