February 19, 2007 New York City, USA As April 7th approaches, there is an unmistakable air of confidence in Bobby Gunn’s demeanor. The enthusiasm and excitement are liken to that of a little kid on Christmas morning. On the cusp of the biggest fight of his career, Bobby Gunn is overflowing with confidence and is patiently training down the days until he fights for the WBO Cruiserweight World Title in front of some 40,000 boxing fans in Cardiff, Wales. Never mind that the venue is located in the WBO Champion Enzo Maccarinelli’s very own hometown..
Never mind the fact that Gunn is considered an underdog and will be fighting in a hostile environment literally 1000’s of miles from home. No, Bobby Gunn is not concerned about any of those situations at all. As a matter of fact, he is enjoying his position as he feels it squarely places all of the pressure on his opponent, WBO Champion Enzo Maccarinelli. Bobby Gunn had this to say in regard to this tremendous opportunity:
“Enzo Maccarinelli is a great World Champion and to box him for his Title in his home town is a distinct honor and an opportunity that I have relished for some time now. I am more than happy to return to England where my dear mother was born and participate on what promises to be an historical boxing event in the UK. If she were alive today, I know that she would be very proud of her Bobby. I am dedicating this fight to her memory. I know she is in heaven looking down with pride and love in her heart. Team Gunn has many ties to England and the UK, as we are friends with former World Champion Henry Wharton and boxers Francis and Coleman Barrett. I can’t wait to see them when I arrive in England. Everyone at Team Gunn is simply over the moon with this opportunity and look forward to April 7th with much anticipation. I especially want to meet Welterweight sensation Tony Doherty as I have heard so many wonderful things about this young man. I am very proud to be fighting on this card, as it appears that the event is going to break attendance records for a live gate in the UK. I have a little saying that I use to motivate myself and I refer to it daily but it especially rings true for this fight…’For a man to accomplish something he never dreamed possible, he must first endure something he never thought he could do.’ That is true for most of my life and now I have the chance to show the world what I am capable of doing in the boxing ring. On April 7th, I will be returning to North America with the WBO Cruiserweight Title around my waist. This is my destiny.”- Bobby Gunn, IBA Cruiserweight World Champion
Sharing in Bobby Gunn’s enthusiasm is “Joe Mack” McEwen of Team Gunn. Joe Mack had this to say:
“I met Bobby Gunn in Florida during 1991 and we have been inseparable ever since. I knew when I met Bobby that he had something special, something that goes way beyond just fighting. After his mother died in 1993, he was devastated. Bobby took some time off and with a renewed sense of determination we began working on a master plan in 1996. Under my guidance, we mutually agreed that we would embark on a quest to become the toughest, most devastating and vicious fighter since Jack Dempsey. To do this, we decided to take an unorthodox approach to Bobby’s fighting career. Because of the politics in Professional Boxing and some very negative experiences that Bobby had been exposed to, we made the conscience decision to compete in unsanctioned fights from Europe to Canada to the USA. From 1996 to 2004 we fought 30 “finish” fights and won them all. I have witnessed Bobby Gunn destroy heavyweights that outweighed him by 40 pounds. He is undoubtedly the most devastating and powerful Cruiserweight in the game today. Because of our experiences fighting all over the planet, we are not intimidated in the slightest by traveling to Wales to knockout Mr. Maccarinelli in front of his hometown fans. I can assure you of this, Enzo Maccarinelli will look more like Enzo “Macaroni” when he feels the crippling power of Bobby Gunn. Enzo has not faced a fighter like Bobby Gunn…EVER! We have been studying tapes of Enzo’s recent fights and we see something very telling that will be exposed on April 7th. Maccarinelli has never been hit with the speed and power that Bobby possesses. And while I am at it, please let the boxing writers out there know that Bobby Gunn does not have a nickname. The press has referred to him as “Machine Gunn” and that is incorrect. With a name like Bobby Gunn, who needs a nickname? Just call him Champ! – “Joe Mack” McEwen Team Gunn