Exclusive Interview by Pavel Yakovlev – One week from now, Monte Barrett will face Alexander Ustinov for the vacant WBA International heavyweight title. Ustinov (18-0; 15 kayos), currently rated 11th worldwide by the WBA, is rated as a heavy favorite over Barrett (34-8; 20 kayos), who has been stopped in his last two fights. The conventional wisdom is that the 38 year old Barrett is simply too shopworn to trouble the hulking Ustinov, a 6’7”, 300 lbs. Russian who is rapidly climbing the world ratings under the promotional guidance of K2 East Promotions.
The conventional wisdom is not always correct, though. Sometimes a vast advantage in professional experience, combined with excellent physical conditioning, motivation, and a stylistic advantage enables an aging former contender to beat a hot, but relatively inexperienced up-and-coming prospect.
The older generation of boxing fans, no doubt, will recall Eddie Machen’s upset decision over undefeated Jerry Quarry in 1967. Although Machen was long past his best days, he was a wily veteran of 59 professional fights, and his tricky boxing tactics enabled him to handle the 21-year-old powerpunching Quarry. Quarry, at the time, was a novice fighting in just his 21st professional match..
Will history repeat itself in the Ustinov-Barrett fight? According to Barrett, the answer is a resounding yes. In this interview with Eastsideboxing, Barrett explains why his recent loss to Odlanier Solis is not indicative of his real fighting ability, and why he expects to defeat Ustinov in their upcoming fight.
Monte, thanks for taking the time to talk to Eastsideboxing about your upcoming fight. First, is Ustinov anywhere near as good as your last two opponents, David Haye and Odlanier Solis?
No…of course not. Not at all. Ustinov is just a big, strong, clumsy dude. He’s slow. His only strength is that he’s a solid guy, he’s bottom heavy. But he’s not a good fighter at all.
Last June, Ustinov was not impressive in beating Michael Sprott. He was outboxed for a couple of rounds, then managed to assert himself as Sprott fatigued. Like you, Sprott is a clever, mobile, fast tactical fighter. Does Ustinov’s performance against Sprott encourage you?
I didn’t see the fight, but I heard about it. My trainer saw the fight and he’s talked to me about it. That Ustinov showed weaknesses against Sprott does not impact me personally because I am feeling very confident and very well prepared. I don’t need to know that he has weaknesses to be confident…I already know I am that much better than him. I am going there (to Switzerland) to win. I am going to knock him out. I have a chip on my shoulder because of the Solis fight, and I want to atone for that. That’s what motivates me.
The fight is taking place in Europe, and Ustinov’s promoter, K2 Promotions, is staging it. In Europe, promoters have far more influence on ring officials than is the case here in the United States. How do you deal with the psychological pressure of knowing that the officials will have a bias in favor of your opponent?
I know that they’ve stacked the odds against me. They’ll send him (Ustinov) out there to throw lots of punches every round so they have any excuse to stop the fight. If he puts 30 punches together non-stop, even if they miss, something like that will give them the excuse they need to stop it. That’s the way it is over there. But I’m not worried because I intend to knock him out. I’m not going to let the officials have a chance to steal this fight.
Ustinov is a big guy, weighing over 300 lbs. But he’s not the first really big guy you’ve fought. Nikolai Valuev was well over 300 lbs. when you fought him three years ago. Did your experience with Valuev teach you anything about how to handle behemoth opponents in the clinches?
When fighting these really big guys, it’s important not to clinch with them…stay out of the clinches. But if it happens, then you need to walk them around. Against Valuev, I made the mistake of keeping my head down while I was in the clinches. I won’t make that mistake again. Against Ustinov, if there’s a clinch, I’ll keep my head up…not down.
Has this fight officially been sanctioned for the WBA International title? (note: recent media reports concerning who will promote and fight for the WBA International title have been contradictory).
Yes, it’s officially for the WBA International title. By winning this fight I will establish myself in the ratings again. That also motivates me.
How long have you prepared for this fight? Also, have you selected sparring partners who are really big guys, like Ustinov?
I’ve been training hard for four straight weeks now, sparring with lots of guys in New York. I don’t need to use big sparring partners to prepare for this fight, because for me, it’s all about timing and reflexes. I’m a counterpuncher, so getting my timing and reflexes primed is what will enable me to beat Ustinov. I’m doing a lot of shadowboxing. I’m shadowboxing using five-pound weights with each hand. I’m definitely preparing to knock him out. This is the longest and most intense training camp I’ve had in a year.
What advantages do you have over Ustinov in the ring?
Aside from being faster and a better boxer than Ustinov, the really big advantage I have right now is that I am in peak condition again. I’ve been training so hard that I feel that I’m myself again. That alone gives me an advantage over Ustinov. Against Solis, I definitely was not myself, but I’m back to where I need to be again in terms of conditioning.
Will your recent loss to Odlanier Solis affect you in any way for this fight?
Not at all. I was definitely not myself against Solis. I wasn’t prepared for that fight. I’m much better conditioned and prepared now. People need to understand the circumstances in which I took the Solis fight. I was not in shape for that fight. I only had two days to prepare for Solis…I hadn’t done any sparring for over two months before the fight. My only sparring for Solis was four rounds on Wednesday and five rounds on Thursday (note: the fight took place the following Saturday). I wasn’t in condition, so my legs weren’t under me that night. Also, I sprained my ankle during the fight when he hit me with a right…that’s what led to the knockout. That wouldn’t have happened if I was in shape that night.
Why did you accept the Solis fight on such short notice, under such unfavorable circumstances?
At the time, I was facing a severe crisis. My ex-wife was suing me for $120,000 and I was under pressure to get money fast. I wasn’t even going to the gym at the time, but I had to deal with the financial crisis. That’s the reason I took the fight even though I wasn’t in shape.
To conclude the interview, is there anything else that you’d like to tell the fans?
I want the fans to know that Monte “Two Guns” is still here and that his guns are blazing….that he never left. That was not me in the ring against Solis, but now I am myself again and you’ll see it when I fight Ustinov. It’s my ambition to end my career on a good note…to go out on top. I intend for the final stage of my career to be a successful one, and I’m going to begin by beating Ustinov. I’m going to knock him out.
Best of luck in the upcoming match, Monte.
Thanks for the interview.