by Fantana : Imagine yourselves, if you will, in my man-shoes. It is a Thursday night, your wife has gone to bed and there is no Match of the Day to watch. You feel strange, almost empty, and so you pick up your mobile phone and decide to collect call somebody. That person happens to be Eddie Chambers, the man who fought Klitschko and was winning on the judges’ scorecards until being prematurely stopped..
Eddie: Hello?
Fantana: Hey Eddie. It is me Fantana. I hope you are well. First of all, let me ask you in a non-gay way, how do you think you would get on in MMA?
Eddie: You know, I would take it seriously. I enjoy watching MMA and I can appreciate the finer points to it, espcailly the grappling. I would train hard and take it very serious, unlike James Toney, not to mention names. I think I could do well, I like the ju-jitsu. I think when my boxing career is winding down, I will take up MMA.
Fantana: You say when it is winding down, when is that going to be?
Eddie: I don’t know, when I am 35 maybe. I mean Hopkins is doing good right now, real good, and to a lesser degree so is Evander (Holyfield), but I don’t think I will be going on that long.
Fantana: Eddie, I have to ask these questions as a real man, such as myself, I don’t shy away from asking questions the fans want to know the answer to. This is from Phillippa, from Llandegla, she wants to know and I quote – Eddie, I love your fighting style and think you are ace, blah blah, how do you think you would do against a police dog?
Eddie: Against a what? Sorry the line broke up then, can you say that last part again please? Hello Phillippa!
Fantana: Sure, I have to ask these questions. How would you do against a police dog?
Eddie: A police dog? (Nervous laughs) You mean like a K9?
Fantana: Yeah, a beast.
Eddie: Well, that is an unusual question. (laughs). I think in such a life threatening situation, and I don’t mean to sound disrespectful, but I think I would do OK. Those police dogs are vicious and trained I understand that…
Fantana: (cutting in) bloody maniacs over here mate…
Eddie: Right, but I think, in a life threatening situation, I would do OK. I wouldn’t succumb to fear. You see, in these situations you need to just bite down and think to yourself I know what can happen here, but bring out your strongest elements. In the back and fourth action between Corrales and Castillo, you can see it all then. One guy tries to stomp his authority, the other comes right back at him.
Fantana: So which fight of yours has been like Corrales vs Castillo?
Eddie: That is a good question, you don’t see it often because, perhaps there is no need. But it is there in exchanges.
Fantana: Like a switch you have?
Eddie: It is kinda like a switch (distracted) Holy!!! What the…(back to the interview) Yeah it is sort of like a switch, everything slows down, you see things, do things, you wouldn’t normally do which is, it is like instinct but what you learned in training.
Fantana: Brilliant. Now, you just rudely talked to someone else while I was asking you stuff, who was it? Spill the beans.
Eddie: (laughs) Oh that? No, I just drove over train tracks or something. It is cool, you are on Bluetooth. I hear ya.
Fantana: Ah ok, why the rush Eddie?
Eddie: I am late for a meeting, like already a minute late. I like to be on time.
Fantana: Eddie, there is a saying in England, please don’t be offended. It goes a little something like this. ‘Bugger them’. Do you understand that, Eddie?
Eddie: (Laughs) Oh yeah, I understand that!
Fantana: I mean, if I was Eddie Chambers, I wouldn’t mind if I was 20 minutes late for a meeting. Got a problem with me? Pow! I just punch them in the mouth. Have some of that.
Eddie: Oh, I know what you mean, but I don’t like to bring out that guy too often.
Fantana: I think you should, like against that big guy, what’s his face, the German looking man, Durmin..Durminak…
Eddie: (very comfortably) Dimitrenko.
Fantana: That’s the fella, cheers mate. I mean on YouTube there is a host of videos of you in the dressing room against Dimitrenko, that guy looked scary. Probably could challenge a police dog. Do you think you could bring him out more?
Eddie: Well you know (laughs) maybe. That was one of my best performances. I did well, like I wanted to. Then there was the Klitschko fight. I didn’t really have a plan B against him, as you know. I think I could do much better now, against either Klitschko.
Fantana: In Europe at the minute there are two words on everyone’s man-lips, Tyson..FURY! You know he got knocked down, but then, with Jedi powers, came back to win!
Eddie: Well, Tyson Fury he is good to watch. But I think he is a bit too green. He, like Klitschko, does well against his opponents because of his size advantage. Not just because of the size, I don’t want to be disrespectful. But like the Klitschko’s, that is an advantage. But I think Tyson Fury, he is too green. I think I would beat him comfortably. Maybe not too easy because of the size, but I think it wouldn’t be my hardest fight.
Fantana: Well, thanks Eddie. It has been great speaking to you, you have been talking to the most handsome interviewer, I’m Maverick “The Man, The Myth, The…The me” Fantana! Thanks.
Eddie: (laughs) Anytime, thanks a lot.
Conclusion: And there it is. Eddie Chambers proves he is ready, for any challenge, or any question.
Yours in manliness,
Fantana