It’s an early installment of the FNU Combat Sports Show this week since Co-host “Tornado” Tony Penecale will be busy in his role as the Phillies Superphan tomorrow night at the NFL Draft. We discuss “Raging” Al Iaquinta’s tirade against the UFC and Dana White, recap Bellator 178 and UFC Fight Night 108, and preview the big heavyweight boxing match between Wladimir Klitschko and Anthony Joshua on Saturday. We also discuss the latest season of The Ultimate Fighter and last week’s boxing events.
约书亚VS. 克里琴科 | 星期六, 四月 29
住在SHOWTIME® 在 4:15 P.M. AND/1:15 P.M. PT
From Sold-Out Wembley Stadium in London
点击 这里 对于照片; 信用以斯帖林/欣欣
伦敦 (四月 26, 2017) – Fight Week for 这个星期六的 heavyweight world championship blockbuster began in earnest 周三with a Public Workout in front of an excitable pro-Joshua crowd at London’s Wembley Arena, just steps from sold-out Wembley Stadium where undefeated champion Anthony Joshua and long-reigning kingpin Wladimir Klitschko will square off in the most significant heavyweight event in more than a decade.
SHOWTIME will televise the fight LIVE at 4:15 P.M. AND/1:15 P.M. PT from Britain’s national stadium where a record-setting 90,000 fans are expected to be in attendance.
英国感觉约书亚 (18-0, 18 科斯) and Klitschko (64-4, 54 科斯) will unify the heavyweight division as they meet for Joshua’s IBF World Championship and the vacant WBA World Championship.
Undefeated IBF Champion Anthony Joshua hosted a media conference call to give his thoughts 上周六的 heavyweight blockbuster between him and long-reigning kingpin Wladimir Klitschko live on SHOWTIME® (4:15 P.M. AND/1:15 P.M. PT) from sold-out Wembley Stadium in London.
英国感觉约书亚 (18-0, 18 科斯) and Klitschko (64-4, 54 科斯) will unify the heavyweight division as they meet for Joshua’s IBF World Championship and the vacant WBA World Championship in front of record-setting 90,000 fans at Britain’s largest stadium.
以下是约书亚不得不在电话会议上说， 周三:
ANTHONY JOSHUA:
“This is a good era for boxing so I try to live the life. Over the years when I started boxing until now I’ve been at training camp. The whole time I’ve been training it has been pretty beneficial, 我学到了很多. I’m not a perfect fighter but what I do do, I try to do well. I’m looking forward to the fight.
“If you’re asking about 星期六 夜晚, all roads have led to this and I’ve been training for a long time, I’ve stayed injury free. I’ve ran, I’ve sparred I’ve done my bag work and it comes to a stage in camp when I’m looking for the buy in now and that’s where I’m at really. 精神上, I’m excited.”
On how significant this fight is:
“For the sport in general, come on. For what UK-ers are doing supporting boxing globally, it’s massive. I also feel just to sell out the stadium without having to do the traditional entertainment to make a fight it just shows that kids can fight from different backgrounds …Where me and Klitschko are at, we don’t need to be trash talking and we are two half pieces coming together to lay it down on the line. It’s an amazing time for boxing in that sense that it’s mainstream. I’m not going to say win-or-lose, because the focus is to win, but it’s a massive benefit to Klitschko win-or-lose. Either he has another fight in him, or this time he’s done. I wish him all the best. I’m glad we got through training camp and we actually make it happen because as long as my heart was beating I still want to fight. I’m happy to be involved in such a mega showdown.”
Do you feel there is more pressure on you?
“Definitely not. I knew the significance of this fight before I took it. So I would never put that pressure upon myself if I didn’t want to deal with this pressure. I would have taken another route. But I want to fight guys in the division who are good. I don’t want to wait like eight years, nine years, six years before I start making a move on the heavyweight division – let’s get it on now. So if this is what comes with stepping up a level and a division I’m all for it. I’m not going to start saying ‘because I’m champion I’ve got pressure and I don’t think I’m going to perform.’ For me as a champion I don’t feel that pressure but I can relate to where he is coming from. As a champion you’re supposed to throw down like there’s no 明天 so I’m not going to say because I’m a champion I’ve got so much pressure on my hands.”
How do you bridge the experience gap between you and Klitschko?
“I think it’s just destiny. I’m meant for this. I’m built for this. Let’s say we strip away what you just said, 兴奋, the hype and just put us together. Go at it for 12 发, get down and dirty. I have the ability to come out on top and that’s how I take it. I don’t look at it like, ‘Oh my God, I’m fighting a guy who has been through it’, I don’t look at it that way. I just look at it as ‘I’m going to fight this guy called Wladimir Klitschko’ and we’ve got 12 发. I simplify it.
I practice boxing. Long range jab, jab to the body. I think I’m very capable of hitting someone continuously until they break down. So I think I’ll keep on plugging away, 圆 6, 7 and I should have him in a bad place. I just have to take the fight and break it down round by round.”
How will to deal with Kitschko’s reach:
“I’ve never fought him so I can’t say for sure. But what will I do about his reach? I’ve got my right hand to parry a jab, I’ve got my left hand to shield and protect me, to deflect his right hand. It’s no problem if he wants to grab. I can whip in a body shot and that would definitely slow him down. If you keep getting hit to the body at 41 that will take the fight out of anyone. On the outside I have got ways to deal with the majority of his shots. On the inside I just have to keep on swinging to the body and round-by-round I’ll start seeing an effect.”
What motivated him to take such a significant fight so early in his career:
“It was bound to happen. I felt the division needed it. I’m not doing it just for myself. I’m always about the industry. A lot of my friends from the amateur system have a chance to express their skill on the undercard, and it’s a massive platform. 我认为, as I said, the division needed it … 弗拉基米尔克里琴科, Deontay怀尔德, let’s keep it going. Let’s start mixing it up because we’re in the same division, and it’s our era. What type of era are we if we don’t come together and have some trilogies and bring some excitement. So I’m all for it and that’s why I really wanted to take the fight.”
When was the first time you saw Klitschko and thought you could fight him?
“Not until last year. 在 2015 I wasn’t really focusing on fighting Klitschko. I was moving towards maybe after [埃里克] Molina we could have done [Kubrat] Pulev as a mandatory and gone that route of dominating the European market, but the opportunity came up. 这是一个大的战斗, it’s a good challenge and let’s get it cracking. 就像我说的, it’s good for the division and the attention it has brought is phenomenal. I think it benefits everyone so let’s be a part of that, and let’s be at the forefront of this.”
On earning more money than Floyd Mayweather Jr.?
“Not in boxing. I don’t think I could do it in boxing. Outside, if I make the right investments I think I can because I have some highly intelligent people around me but I think in boxing I don’t think I will but I think there will be a boxer who can because Floyd Mayweather has definitely set the benchmark, and records are only there to be broken. So I think someone could definitely achieve that financial status. But for me, that’s not so much my goal to try to be richer than Floyd Mayweather. The heavyweight division is so different from the welterweight division in the sense that all it takes is one shot, it’s a lot tougher, a lot more wear and tear on the body so I think it’ll be interesting. I definitely think we’ll make money, there’s no doubt about that but I’m not trying to put myself on the same pedestal as Mayweather.”
When do you think Klitschko was at his best?
“When he fought Marius Beck. He was a bit of a bigger guy and he controlled him with the jab and the one-twos. Remember he went twelve rounds. So he had to control a bigger man who was potentially heavier and stronger and he controlled his boxing skill and I think that’s when he was at his best. As I studied him that’s when I saw him at his best so I have watched fights around that era.”
Do you feel it’s a miracle you’re here?
“是. I was talking about it with my coach today. If you would have told me – I’ve only been in boxing eight or nine years – if you would have told me eight years ago, ‘Listen son, if you walk through that door into the boxing gym you’ll do this, 此, 此, this and this’ I would have been like ‘yeah, right’. It’s been phenomenal and why we do all the promotional stuff and get involved in big fights is for motivational purposes. I know there’s some other kids that are going to come up and be phenomenal because he may have seen myself and my journey and wants to get involved in what we’re creating. I’m all for that. 我喜欢它. Today was my last day of training camp and I’m thinking now what am I going to do in my next training camp, how am I going to improve. I’m enjoying the journey. It has been fun, boxing is a good sport.”
What is your history in sparring with Klitschko?
“I’m not a gym fighter so I did not go to try to prove anything with the sparring. I mainly went to go to see how a champion sets up his training camp. While I was sparring, it was good. Wladimir is technical. He will try to maneuver you with his lever hand to put you in a position to throw his right hand. That’s what I got from Klitschko. He is patient, he was just trying to set me up so he could throw his shots and I was just working on moving, jabbing to the body, jabbing to the head and I would go back to the corner and Andy Breshear would say ‘stick it on the champ’ and I would say ‘no I’m not here for that, I’m not here to prove anything.’ I wanted to watch, I wanted to analyze. That’s what I got from sparring with him. To learn how he operates in the ring and I learned how a champion sets up training camp.”
On the strength of Klitschko’s chin:
“He’s got a good chin. How long has he reigned, 10 岁月? 是啊, he’s got a good chin. You can’t be a championship fighter for 10 years if you have a bad chin. That’s the thing about the heavyweight division, it takes one shot. All these fighters that we claim have got good chins are the ones who get knocked out by Wladimir, so he must be doing something right. I remember Samuel Peters had a granite chin but they still end up getting knocked out down the line and they don’t go on to do great things. 所以, regardless of the chin, I think he’s got something right that works.”
Opinion of Klitschko’s Career:
“He is underrated. Heavyweight boxing comes with bigger prize money, more attention. To stay that disciplined for that long is a serious task. He and his brother have done well to reign for that long … I would want to go down as one of the greatest because I reigned for so long. No one could beat me for the last 10 岁月. It’s a good achievement and I would want to be recognized for that achievement.”
On potentially fighting in America:
“I think just fight Wilder, 杰拉尔德·华盛顿, [Bryant] Jeninngs as well. These are the hotshots in America right now. I’ve made sure I fought some Americans on my way up so we could get a buzz out there. But I think I have to come out there for a fight for sure that’s important.
“America is the mecca of boxing. If we can cross over into the states and keep the fan base in the UK I think we’ve cracked it. That’s mega stuff, that’s global boxing. You’ve got a big guy, heavyweight with a name that’s easy to pronounce and speaks English well. I can relate to the U.S. market. All I have to do is get out there show them what my trade is and hopefully they’ll appreciate it and hopefully we can start talking about setting up major fights and bringing the same attention in the UK to the U.S. That would be phenomenal.”
How much of a concern is Klitschko’s holding?
“The holding is natural. But what do you do when someone is holding? How do you fight them off? You bring in the upper cut, you whip in a right hand to the body until the ref tells you to break. It’s a fight so I can’t prevent the holding but it makes it interesting to see what fighter does when they’re being held. When I’m being held I’m just going to throw the right hand to the body, left hook to the body and that will start taking the wind out of Klitschko.”
On Klitschko’s last fight against a British fighter David Haye:
“I think my fights will be entertaining. It is important for me to be entertaining. It’s not only winning, but it’s about how you win. I’ve always tried to go in there and perform to that level. It would be sweet to go in there and knock Wladimir out, because that’s what heavyweight boxing is about. So that would be sweet. I’m not into the 12-round boxing.
“David Haye was up against it because you had Klitschko, who was a champion. 伊曼纽尔管家, who trained the champion. Then you had David Haye, who wasn’t a champion and Adam Booth, who wasn’t a heavyweight championship trainer. He was up against it and he found it tough. It just showed that the bigger, stronger man would win. He just got the job done and that’s what led him to here. He got the win and I’m happy or we wouldn’t be here right now.”
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American Heavyweight World Champion Deontay Wilder hosted a media conference call to give his thoughts 上周六的 heavyweight blockbuster between undefeated IBF Champion Anthony Joshua and long-reigning kingpin Wladimir Klitschko live on SHOWTIME® (4:15 P.M. AND/1:15 P.M. PT) from sold-out Wembley Stadium in London.
怀尔德 (38-0, 37 科斯), who won his WBC belt in January 2015 on SHOWTIME and has since made five defenses, will serve as an analyst for Sky Sports Box Office for Joshua vs. 克里琴科.
英国感觉约书亚 (18-0, 18 科斯) and Klitschko (64-4, 54 科斯) will unify the heavyweight division as they meet for Joshua’s IBF World Championship and the vacant WBA World Championship in front of record-setting 90,000 fans at Britain’s largest stadium.
Here is what Wilder had to say on the call 周一:
Deontay怀尔德:
“I love this fight for these guys. I love it for the sport of boxing. The fans seem to be well in-tune with it and I think this is a super fight for the heavyweight division.
“I can’t wait for it. I can’t wait to see what happens and hopefully those guys go in healthy and come out the same way. This is a very dangerous sport, especially when you’re trying to perform and put on a show.”
On what Wilder sees as vulnerabilities in Joshua…
“There’s a lot of flaws that Joshua has, but Joshua is still young in the game as well. A lot of people look at Joshua and they’re going off of his physique and they’re going off of the hype that their countryman has brought to them.
“If you really look deep down and soul search and look at his resume, with all of the guys he’s fought … that sometimes makes a person look busier than what he is. There’s a lot of flaws in all of us though, 老实说. Nobody will ever be perfect in the ring. We only try to be our best and that’s the only thing you should go off of.
“I am looking forward to this fight and I can’t wait. I want Klitschko to come in and fight. You can always be hyped for a big fight but it’s all going to boil down to what fighter is going to bring what to the fight. I think he’s ready and he’s going to show a lot of things. He’s going to teach Joshua a lot of different things in the ring, 还有, and we’ll see if Joshua has any flaws or not.”
On potentially fighting the winner later this year…
“Hopefully. There are a lot of people that are involved in this. If it were just solely up to me then I’d be 1,000 percent confident, but it’s not just me. That’s what the fans want. I’ve been wanting to give the fans what they want my entire career. 不幸, I am one of those fighters that’s always getting the short end of the stick. I only can work with what I can work with.
“I am very confident that I am the best in this division. I am very confident that I will unify this division. I am very confident that I will retire on top, undefeated as well. I’m just waiting for my moment. I’ve been sitting patiently all of this time, even in the start of my career and I’m sitting patient now. I’m just looking forward to my turn.”
On why it’s important for him to be ringside in London…
“When you have guys that are competing against each other at the top, it’s only right for me to be there. I’m not just going out there to be on Sky Sports, I am for sure going there to scout. All the other heavyweights come to my fights. They’re not just there to be a fan. They’re there to scout and look for different openings and certain signs.
“I am definitely going over to scout. And maybe we can make a mega-unification bout.
“I want to go get [约瑟夫·] 帕克. Parker doesn’t have an opponent right now. I’m fresh. I’m ready and what would be better than me and Parker fighting for the unification and then have another unification where winner takes all at the end of the year? 然后, 2018 you can start off the year with nothing but mandatories.
“The heavyweight division is getting exciting. This is the heavyweight division, and we’re already coming out of that dark place and we finally got light. Don’t take it back. Don’t go backwards when we’re moving so freshly forward. 与, I want to move it more forward. I want to give the fans what they want, and they want a unification. They want one champion and I’m trying to make that happen. So here I am Joseph Parker.”
On breaking down Joshua-Klitschko…
“With Klitschko I definitely feel that the teachings of Emanuel Steward are lacking a little bit, but he’s not to blame. Steward was a very, very smart trainer. The things that he could see and the things that he can get in the heads of the fighters, that was unbelievable. He wasn’t a great trainer for no reason and that’s when I thought Klitschko was the best when he had Emanuel in his corner. Not only when he’s inside of the ring but when he’s on the outside too. 现在, I just feel since he’s gone, it’s more about what Wladimir wants to do, not what his trainers see.
“With Joshua, he’s got the height and he’s got the power. 在重量级, you don’t need skills. As long as you have the power, that’s what makes up the heavyweight division. You’re in the game once you’ve got that power….They’re going to have to play a forward fight to feel a little bit of each other out.
“If Joshua wants to be successful, he’s definitely going to have to move and take angles and be smart with Klitschko. Because Klitschko is very smart, he’s been around the block, he’s got an excellent jab, and he’s going to set Joshua up. His smartness is going to play in a lot.
“Joshua is not as flexible. I don’t think he’s super athletic and doesn’t have that much coordination because of the stiffness. But he definitely has a great shot in this fight and I’d love to see what happens, and hopefully everything comes through with having a mega-fight at the end of the year.”
On Klitschko’s loss to Fury…
“Klitschko didn’t lose by not being able to compete with Tyson Fury, or do the things he had to do. He lost because he didn’t throw no damn punches. I want him to fight in this fight. I don’t want him to hold back, because Fury was bigger than him or this and that. Forget all of that. You got to go in there and fight. You’re the champ. You don’t care about nobody being bigger than you. You go in there and you forget all of that and defend your title because you’re the king and you’re not going to let nobody take it… And that’s how he should come in there.
“There’s a time and a place to be nice. You can’t always be nice. You’ve got to go in there and let them know ‘I’m still a monster, I’m still a beast, I’m still that lion and I’ll eat you up alive when I get you in there.’ And that’s just what he has to come to bring to the table.
“I’m so ready for this fight. I’m looking forward to what’s after this to come. I’m looking forward to unifying this division and bringing it back to America – where it once was and where it’s always going to remain once I bring all the belts. It’s going to be back, 我答应你，.
“Age is only but a number and if you feel like you still have it in you and have confidence in yourself, then that’s what you’re going to do. The mind is a powerful thing to lose. And when you lose your mind, you lose your body.
“With Klitschko, he feels like he’s dedicated himself back to the sport and that’s why he says he’s obsessed. He’s obsessed with retaining his titles, he’s obsessed with rising in boxing again. He’s like a new fighter. He needed that loss to Tyson Fury because he forgot to be humble. He forgot about that.
“Now that he’s rebuilt himself, he’s got that hunger, that fire. 在一天结束时, all that matters is on the night of the fight. He can come to us with another Tyson Fury fight, talking about height and weight, or he can bring that Klitschko like we’ve always seen with the jabs and setting up with the right hands… We’ll see what happens.”
On his prediction for the winner and why…
“I’m going to continue with my statement as I’ve been saying it. My heart is for Joshua, but my mind is for Klitschko. My heart is for Joshua because I would love to fight him – I think that would be a mega-fight. Even though Joshua is fighting Klitschko, people are still talking to this day about a Wilder and Joshua fight. It’s almost demanded. If this kid beats Klitschko it’s like the only fight he can have is me, because it’s been so demanded.
“My mind goes to Klitschko, because he’s very smart. People talk about age, but like I said, age can play an advantage too. Klitschko has seen every style there is…And when you see it again, you know how to handle it and adapt to it. You know what you got to do.
“He knew what he had to do against Fury, he just didn’t pull the trigger because he was scared of being punished. That was his fault. Now that’s a shame on him. Now he’s coming back for a second time for a title, so if he does it again, he’s going to need to give it up. For those reasons, my heart goes to Joshua but my mind goes to Klitschko.”
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