James Stillerman: Cruiserweight contender, Matt “Too Smooth” Godfrey (20-1, 10 KOs) will fight World Boxing Organization Champion, Marco “Kapt’n” Huck (29-1, 22 KOs) on August 21 in Thuringen, Germany. The twenty-nine year old Godfrey who hails from Providence, Rhode Island was a former U.S. amateur boxing star and now as a professional is ranked No. 8 by the WBO and No. 10 by Ring Magazine. He has held a number of regional titles including, NABF, NABA, USNBC, WBA Continental Americas and Sovereign Nations Boxing Council. Godfrey`s most significant victories are against Felix Cora, Jr., Danny Batchelor, Shaun George, Shawn Hawk, and Emmanuel Nwodo. I talked with Godfrey and got his thoughts on his upcoming fight against Marco Huck, why his proposed fight with Cummingham fell apart, how significant this fight is for him, and much more.
James Stillerman: How is training going for your fight with Macro Huck for the WBO belt?
Matt Godfrey: Training and sparring has been going really well. I`m right where I want to be with two weeks left in camp and now I`m putting the finishing touches on everything. I`ve been doing most of my training in Bare Bones Boxing Gym in East Hartford, where my head trainer “Iceman” John Scully, (former world light heavyweight title challenger), lives. I`m finishing up training this week and then I`m heading to Germany. I’m extremely excited about fighting Marco Huck for the WBO belt especially since this is my first world title opportunity..
James Stillerman: What can you tell me about Macro Huck?
Matt Godfrey: Huck’s a world champion because he`s always in great shape and has a great deal of power in both hands. He has a great one two punch, with a laser right hand, and his speed is very underrated. He`s consistent and doesn`t do anything unexpected. However, after those first two punches he becomes inaccurate and is not technically sound which is where I need to capitalize. He lacks a strong amateur background and does incorrect things such as backing up and throwing an uppercut. Yet, Huck has been very successful fighting his way and it’s not easy fighting an awkward fighter like him, which is why I need to be on top of my game to prevail.
James Stillerman: How big of a fight is this for you?
Matt Godfrey: This is the biggest fight of my life because this fight is for a world title. This is why I got into boxing and what I train everyday and that is to win a world title and to be considered one of the best boxers in your division. I`ve been training since May for this fight and I`ve always wanted to be world champion and in two weeks I`ll have my chance to complete my goal. If you want to be the best in the world you have to fight around the world, not just on the East Coast. I need to prove myself to everybody and I`ll do that by going to Germany and taking Huck`s belt.
James Stillerman: What happened with your proposed fight with Steve Cummingham in March for the vacant IBF title and why did that fight never materialize?
Matt Godfrey: The promoters for both sides messed that fight up with a series of date changes and miscommunications. There was nothing I or Cummingham could`ve done about the situation because we had no control over the fight happening or not. It `s extremely frustrating that this fight didn`t happen because it was for a world title, but luckily I`m getting the chance to fight for another world title in two weeks.
James Stillerman: What are your thoughts on your current four fight winning streak and how do you think you have fought in those fights?
Matt Godfrey: This four fight streak means nothing to me. I wish I was on a 20 fight winning streak rather than one I`m on now. However, the only streak that matters to me is to be 1-0 in August and have the WBO title.
James Stillerman: What have you learned from your only loss, which was to Rudolf Kraj in 2008 in the WBC title eliminator in Germany that will better prepare you for your fight against Huck?
Matt Godfrey: I started way to slow in that fight and I waited for the fight to come to me instead of bringing the fight to Kraj and when I did it was too late. So for this fight against Huck, I`ve to be more aggressive and take the fight to him. I`m leaving nothing to chance to the judges especially since this fight is in Germany where it`s difficult for American fighters to prevail. So I must be much more aggressive against Huck than I was against Kraj and make sure I control the fight to obtain the judge`s decision.
James Stillerman: Has it been frustrated that this is your first fight of 2010?
Matt Godfrey: It has been extremely frustrating for me because I`m a fighter who likes to fight four to five times a year and yet this is my first fight of 2010. It has been tough because there has been a lot of fights that didn`t happen for me over the last 12-18 months such as the Tomasz Adamek and Steve Cummingham fights that fell apart at the last moment. This is the longest layoff of my career but it will not matter if I can prevail over Huck and obtain his title.
James Stillerman: What are your thoughts on the Cruiserweight division and where do you think you fit in?
Matt Godfrey: I believe the Cruiserweight division is a really good division and it is even bigger in Europe than in the United States because many of the top fighters in this division are from Europe. This weight class offers many athletic and powerful fighters who always come ready to fight. I believe I`m in the top five in this division and by beating Huck I can move into the top three.
James Stillerman: What are your thoughts on your career thus far and what are goals for the future?
Matt Godfrey: I`m happy with how my career has gone. I`ve been fighting for six years and now I`m fighting for my first world title and this is by far the biggest moment of my career and with a victory on August 21 it can definitely help elevate my career to bigger and better fights. I want to win this fight, make multiple title defenses and remain a force in the cruiserweight division for many years.
James Stillerman: Anything you want to say to your fans regarding this fight?
Matt Godfrey: I just want to say that I`m happy that so many of my fans have stayed with me through my loss and their patience and support will be rewarded when I become a world champion on August 21.
A special thanks goes to Matt Godfrey for taking time out of his busy training camp to allow me to speak to him and to Bob Trieger for arranging this interview.