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04/01/2004 Archived Entry: "Welterweight Champ Spinks and challenger Judah discuss their showdown"
Welterweight Champ Spinks and challenger Judah discuss their showdown
Press Release
Spinks and Judah discussed their world welterweight championship fight Saturday, April 10, at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas during the April 1 conference call. Spinks will make the first defense of his World Boxing Association (WBA)/World Boxing Council (WBC)/International Boxing Federation (IBF) 147-pound title against Judah, the current WBO junior welterweight champion. In the co-feature, WBO No. 1 contender Wladimir Klitschko will attempt to reclaim the WBO heavyweight championship when he takes on WBO No. 2 contender and current North American Boxing Organization (NABO) heavyweight champion Lamon Brewster. HBO will televise both championship battles at 9:45 p.m. ET/6:45 PT.
Question: Cory and Zab, how is training going? Spinks: Training is going great. I am very prepared for this fight. Judah: Training is excellent right now. I am mentally and physically ready to go. Question: Cory, have you fought anyone with Zab Judah’s speed? Spinks: It does not matter if they have speed or not. Question: How has your life changed after your victory over Ricardo Mayorga? Spinks: I am finally getting the credit I deserve. I went through a long, hard struggle to get to this. Question: Zab, why are you moving up in weight? Judah: I am getting older. I am getting bigger. I have been 140 pounds since I was 15 years old. My body will not let me be 140 pounds anymore. The last fight I had to struggle to do so much. I just cannot do it anymore. I had to step up to the next level.
Question: If you have another fight with Kostya Tszyu, would you go down to 140 pounds, or meet at a catch weight? Judah: I hope we would be at a catch weight. I would never go back weak. I want to give my best, or invite Tszyu to 147 pounds for the undisputed title.
Question: Can you now put the Tszyu fight into perspective? Judah: It (the Tszyu fight) is behind me now. Everyone has trials and tribulations. That is what life is about. It was a learning experience for me. I do not feel like Tszyu did anything I did not allow him to do. Now, I have bigger and better things to do.
Question: Cory, you just had a fight with a brawler. Now, you have a boxer. Which type do you prefer? Spinks: It (which type of fighter) does not matter. You get to fight all types of different styles in boxing. You just have to train yourself for whatever style.
Question: As a boxer, do prefer showing off your skills or just winning fights? Spinks: My natural talent is to fight any way I chose. That is a natural talent of mine. Question: Zab, is preparing at 147 pounds easier for you? Judah: It (preparing at 147 pounds) is a dream come true. At this weight I can be 100 percent of my talent. Now, I can let it all out because I can train at my boxing weight. I can train for power and speed, and let everything naturally come. It is great that I have a great fight with somebody like Spinks because he’s no pushover. I watched him in the past, and it is about time we both get our due credit. I guess it is for a good cause. At the end of the day, may the best man win.
Question: What about coming back to Las Vegas? Judah: I feel great coming back to Las Vegas. It gives me an opportunity to get back something I lost there. It is like if you lose a diamond on the beach and then you walk along and find another diamond, it is like okay, cool. It does not fill that hole, but it helps with the hunger.
Question: Cory, how do you feel about Mayorga disputing the decision in his fight against you? Spinks: That (disputing the decision) was desperate. He (Mayorga) cannot believe he lost. Some people do some crazy things some times. There is no way he could have won that.
Question: Did Mayorga ever land a good solid punch where he stunned you? Spinks: Mayorga landed a solid punch, but everyone gets hit in a fight. Question: Zab, is Tszyu still in the back of your mind no matter whom you beat? Judah: I think it is out of my mind. I offered him (Tszyu) a rematch time and time again. I have been waiting and waiting at 140 pounds to fight him. It is like a child and he keeps sitting around waiting and waiting, but none ever comes. But, it is just not going to happen. Eventually, you just have to move on and fulfill that hunger. So, now I am moving up and fighting Spinks, who is a better challenger with more at stake and bigger and better opportunities. I am over it. I would never turn down the opportunity if Tszyu did decide to fight.
Question: How is your speed at 147 pounds? Judah: I think I am faster now. Every fighter knows when you are fighting and losing weight and come down to the last pounds, it takes a step out of you. It zapped me. Nobody has seen the full potential of a solid Zab Judah. It is a dream come true. I thank God everyday. I thank Spinks for this opportunity.
Question: Do you think Spinks is the slickest fighter you have ever seen? Judah: I cannot say because the fight has not happened yet. For all we know, the fight could last one round. No one knows what Cory Spinks will do to Zab Judah, or what Zab Judah will do to Cory Spinks.
Question: You saw how much trouble Mayorga’s strength and size gave Spinks. What will you do? Judah: I won money betting on Spinks myself. Mayorga is no Spinks. I put money on him in that fight. I told Don King he is an excellent boxer with good speed and excellent skills. I am no Mayorga, by far. I am expecting the fight to go down in history with Marvin Hagler-Thomas Hearns.
Question: Zab and Cory, who was your toughest opponent? Judah: It is different for each fight, but, at the time, Micky Ward was my toughest fight. It would be different if I fought him today because now I have that experience.
Spinks: I really do not look at it like that because I fought many guys who were a good challenge. I cannot rate it right now. I just fought a big tough guy, but I cannot really rate it right now.
Question: Do either of you have a plan for the next few fights or next few years? Spinks: That is a mistake some fighters make, planning ahead of time. You have to worry about the fight that is ahead of you. I do not move on until I take the fight that is before me, so I do not make future plans.
Judah: Both of us have our hands full with a pretty good fight coming up here on April 10. I am the same way. I am pretty sure Cory Spinks is four or five times harder than Mayorga or anyone else. So, for me to go ahead and make future plans is stupid. If you have great talent, anything can happen. Spinks has such talent. Be prepared for one of the best welterweight fights in history.
Question: Cory, how much input does your dad and uncle have on your training and strategy? Spinks: They (Spinks’ dad and uncle) let my team do their thing. They have not steered me wrong yet. They give me advice when I need it.
Question: Can you talk about the upset over Mayorga? Spinks: Beating Mayorga was a dream come true. Your first dream is becoming a world champion, and the ultimate dream is to be undisputed world champion. It is hard to get one world title, but to be undisputed is just a dream.
Question: Have you done anything different in your training? Spinks: You have to work harder (in training) because a lot of people are gunning for you. Question: Zab, what are you going to do differently this time? Judah: You never had a fighter fight twice for the undisputed championship in two different divisions. I will go down in history as the first fighter to do it. It is my second coming. Everyone knows if you do something wrong before, you do not make the same mistake. I know what to prepare for. I know what to stay away from, and I know what to do to come out of this fight as the undisputed champion of the world. I have a great opponent in front of me, but, come April 10, I will be the undisputed champion of the world.
Question: Do you think you will hit harder with the extra weight? Judah: Oh yes, it is just amazing what you can do with seven more pounds. It is amazing how my hand speed, power and reach have come together. I have been training so hard for this fight. I had to take a couple days off and cool down for a bit.
Question: Cory, how did you feel when you heard that you were going to fight Judah? Spinks: I had the mentality of the old champions, like a Hagler. We are in this sport to let the best fight the best. It is going to be a great fight, which is what we have to do to bring boxing back to the top. I will fight anyone. I want to get boxing back to its rightful place.
Question: Who are you sparring with, and where are you training? Spinks: I am sparring with different guys. I am training in Colorado Springs (Colo.). Question: Zab, how did you feel when you found out you would be fighting Spinks? Judah: First, I spoke to Don King, and I was like ‘I do not know how much longer I can do this 140-pound thing for.’ He was just like ‘hold on.’ Then, I got this call asking if I would like to fight Spinks. In the past, me and Spinks have been very cool after every occasion we met. Our friendship will remain the same after this fight, I guess. This is the opportunity you have two African-American fighters who display talent. The world needs this. You have so many fighters who make the claim they are the best fighter, but they do not fight anyone. When I was called, I was shocked, but it is a blessing in disguise. Nobody has seen a fight like this before. I just thank Spinks again for the opportunity.
Question: Cory’s not considered a big puncher at 147 pounds. Can you walk through his shot? Judah: There is no such thing as a great puncher and a small puncher. Speed is power. It does not take Spinks one punch to knock somebody out. If he just puts a combination together, that is the same. He is the undisputed champion of the world. He has everything to lose. I know he has prepared well. I look at Spinks as a person. He is going to try to maintain his position. Come April 10, I will bring my “A” game, and so will Spinks.
Question: Cory, what is it going to take for the boxing world to recognize you as one of the top fighters in the game? Spinks: Lots of people do not know what boxing means. Boxing is an art. You really cannot worry about some people’s opinions. As long as you get in and win, they cannot hold you back.
Question: Zab, you are a tremendous offensive fighter, but, in this fight, you are giving away height and reach. How will you compensate?
Judah: That (giving away height and reach) always happens. You can look at Hagler when he fought Hearns. Look at Mike Tyson when he fought many guys, or Pernell Whitaker. I do not think height really matters. You just have to get good position.
Question: Your last fight went very quickly. Is that an advantage? Judah: The short fight gave me the opportunity to get this fight. God knows if I had gone the distance in the last fight, they would not have had a Judah-Spinks fight. I mean everybody thought he (Jaime Rangel) was the king over there. In the first round, I knocked him out. That opened the door up for me to get this fight.
Question: Cory, do you plan to use your jab a lot? Spinks: That (whether or not Spinks plans to use his jab against Judah) is a question that has to be answered the night of the fight. I cannot answer that right now. You will have to see what goes on.
