By James Slater: 33-year-old Skipp “Strictly Business” Scott is an athletic and talented heavyweight who stands an impressive 6’8” and weighs a solid 245-pounds. Currently 14-1(9), the former kick boxer who had very little amateur boxing experience is looking for a breakout 2012.
Hailing from Houston, Texas, Scott is set to return to action on May 24th.
Very kindly taking time out to speak with ESB, the articulate big man had the following things to say yesterday evening U.K time:
James Slater: Thanks so much for taking the time to speak Eastside Boxing, Skip! First off all, your next fight – when is it and who will it be against?
Skipp Scott: It’s my pleasure. I’m not sure who I’ll be fighting yet, but it will be May 24th. But I can adjust my style for each fight I have; to whoever it is I face.
J.S: And will the fight be in Houston and will it be eight or ten rounds?
S.S: It will be right here in Houston and it will be either six or eight rounds. And after that, my manager Kerry Daigle and myself will be looking to step up for a ten-rounder.
J.S: Going back to the start: how old were you when you first put gloves on? I know you did some kickboxing before you got into boxing.
S.S: I was kickboxing from the age of nine and ten. I got curious about boxing and first walked into the gym at around 23 or 24. It was a late start for me – I had only three amateur boxing fights – but because of my athleticism, my speed, my ability and my work ethic, I can counteract the late start.
J.S: Just asking you about your team: Kerry Daigle is your manager as you said – and who promotes you and who trains you? I read that former pro Lou Savarese promotes you?
S.S: Yes, Kerry is my manager. Lou, he’s a great friend of mine, but he’s not my promoter. He’s had me on a number of his shows because I sell a lot of tickets, and I’m sure we’ll continue to work together. Bobby Benton is my trainer, while my strength and conditioner, as well as my nutritionist, is Jolene Carter. I want to be busy in the ring, as that’s my style, and I want to have the energy to have lots of movement and power.
J.S: And for those fans that have not yet seen you fight, how would you describe your overall style?
S.S: I consider myself a boxer/puncher, but at the same time I’m very aggressive. You can fight smart and be very aggressive – look at Andre Ward for example. He can switch it up and be a crowd-pleasing fighter. I think of myself as the same; and I have power in both hands.
J.S: Who are your boxing heroes/influences? I read you are a big Lennox Lewis fan?
S.S: I am a big Lennox fan. He beat them all in a great era, and the fights he did lose, he came back and got revenge by demolishing his opponents. And I like Ali of course. But I like a lot of the smaller guys: Sugar Ray Leonard, Floyd Mayweather – I’m a huge Floyd Mayweather fan – and Juan Manuel Marquez. I watch and study those guys a lot; the pure boxers. And of course, with me being so tall (6.8”) I use my size and I use my long jab. But I can fight on the outside and on the inside.
J.S: Just going back to your pro debut, against Arron Lyons in 2006 – you actually lost that one on points. What went wrong?
S.S: Yes, I lost that. I was very green and new to boxing at the time. In a way, it was the best thing that happened to me, that loss. It made me know what it took to make it inside and outside of the ring. I started that fight real fast and I had him hurt, but I wore myself down. That’s a return fight we really want, and will hopefully get this year. He’s a guy who has upset a number of fighters, but I’m pretty sure I’ll stop him this time. I’ve learnt a lot since then. Most of my work has come in sparring – It was hard for me to get amateur fights. I’ve done tons of sparring and I can relax in the ring now.
J.S: Who are some of the guys you’ve sparred with, Skipp?
S.S: Justin Jones, who is 14-0. Fred Allen, who is slick and fast. Eugene Hill, who is like Tyson with his power and his defence, and Nagy Aguilera, a good fighter. And sometimes Lou [Savarese] gets into the ring. He’s a little older guy now, but he has that ring knowledge. As I say, I have that experience now and I want to take the step up and face some names from Europe or maybe some veteran names.
J.S: You had an active 2010, with seven fights, and three fights last year. What is the plan for this year?
S.S: We plan to finish the year strong. I can’t overlook the next fight, in May, but after that I’d like a ten-rounder. Hopefully I’ll have four to six fights this year. I plan on scoring some quick KO’s because I’ve been training so hard – and then I’ll be able to get right back in there. I plan to be back in the gym the day after my next fight. I train super-hard!
J.S: It’s an exciting time for young U.S heavyweights. There is you, Seth Mitchell and Bryant Jennings to name just three guys. Where do you see yourself in that bunch?
S.S: I’m right in that mix. They are all great fighters, guys I’ve got my eye on. They are all good but of course I’m better. They don’t have my speed, my power, my size and my ability to adjust. A fighter can get touched by my jab and then think they’ll go inside but duck into the uppercut. With my style, it looks a lot easier than it actually is to fight me; it’s a lot harder when a guy actually gets in the ring with me. But those guys are good fights for me. Me and Seth Mitchell; I think that could be an HBO fight down the road, and a real crowd-pleasing fight at that. And Jennings, he throws a lot of punches like I do. These fights will bring excitement back to the U.S.A. Also, I’d love to go over to Europe to challenge a guy like Robert Helenius or Tyson Fury. I want to let these guys know, the best young heavyweight is from Houston, Texas! It will be very interesting, me facing fighters like that. I’m tall and I can fight on the outside with my jab, and I can also mix it on the inside. I can beat guys from either approach.
J.S: The critics will point to your age, and say 33 is kind of old for a fighter on the way up. What would you say to that kind of negativity?
S.S: I feel I have tons of years ahead of me. If anyone said anything like that, I’d just name two fighters: Bernard Hopkins and Sergio Martinez. Martinez is 37 and he fights with his hands down, with amazing reflexes. I live a healthy life, I’m fresh, I’ve never taken many punches because I have a good defence – I think I’ve got around ten good years ahead of me yet.
J.S: What would your ultimate dream fight be, for down the road? Do you think the Klitschkos, for example, will still be fighting when you are ready for them?
S.S: This year, I plan on making a huge splash, and then next year, my team and I can do things that I believe will get me those big fights. We have to be smart, of course, and I have to get those ten-round fights. But the Klitschkos want to fight the best, and as soon as they see me as an upcoming contender, they will want to fight me. And of course, when I beat one, the other brother will want to make amends. I think I’m the only fighter who can not only fight them both but beat them both. They’ve never fought a fighter like me – who has the same reach or longer, or with my height, and who is faster than them and who is willing to go to war with them. I’m not just tall; I’m as fast as a middleweight. These will be great, crowd-pleasing fights and I think I’ll get there in the near future. I think the Klitschkos will fight on for another two to four years.
J.S: Well, it’s been great speaking with you, Skipp – and it sure would be interesting to see the Klitschkos fight a guy as tall as you, and not another cruiserweight. To my knowledge, they have never faced a fighter taller than themselves.
S.S: No, they haven’t. I won’t criticise their opposition, but as I say, they’ve never faced a fighter like me before.