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11/01/2004 Archived Entry: "Holyfield-Donald & Rahman-Meehan Conference Call Transcripts"
Holyfield-Donald & Rahman-Meehan Conference Call Transcripts
EVANDER “The Real Deal” HOLYFIELD & LARRY The Legend” DONALD And Respective Trainers Ronnie Shields and Colin Morgan
EVANDER HOLYFIELD: I think the layoff has helped me. It gave me a chance to realistically go back and look at my past fights and that would let me know if I am willing to pay the price that is necessary. People have to make that decision for themselves if it helped me after this fight.
The adjustment is that I changed trainers, which is a great thing. A lot had to do with it. I have a trainer that knows me. He worked with me back in the George Benton days. He realizes what I can do and he believes in me. It’s amazing when you get in the ring’A lot has to do with what someone expects of you. If someone feels that you are old and don’t feel that you can do it - then they don’t push or have the patience for you to do it. We have to do it at courtside working together. With Ronnie Shields and with my work ethic, I believe that we have the team.
Everybody has a heart. They tend to fight better. I would expect him [Donald] to fight better. He has good skills and he has fast hands and moves a lot. He has a good jab. He is trying to come back so he has something to prove, too. When you have two fighters out there with skills, who feel that they have something to prove on the same day, somebody has to win. That is a threat and I know that I have to put forth my best game and he will put forth his best game and we’ll see on the [Nov.] 13th.
LARRY DONALD: With Evander, they can say anything they want to about Evander, but everybody knows when Evander comes to fight, he comes to fight. So I have to be ready. I have to prepare myself for a war because Evander is a war.
On whether he should have “let his hands go” more in previous fights:
LARRY DONALD: There are a lot of things that I could have done, but I don’t go back into the past. I only deal with what is going to happen on November 13th. I can only prepare for that. You can have a bad day or have a good day, I’m looking to have a good day on November 13th.
Are you fighting for the money?
EVANDER HOLYFIELD: That is [some] people’s opinion. I’m not going to get into that because we will be talking forever. I can’t go against someone’s opinion because I know why I do what I do. With my children and my lifestyle – that is my personal lifestyle and that is what I chose. My work is what I chose. For whatever reason, I choose to box. That should be all right. It is not illegal. People work. So whatever you choose for your work is your choice. I am not concerned with what people were saying for whatever reason I am, I tell them my reason.
They have a choice to believe it. If they choose to believe it, fine. If they choose not to believe it, that’s OK. I’m not going to be upset with anybody and I’m not going to get into anybody else’s lifestyle. I tell them that I didn’t wait till 2004 to say that, I’ve been saying it since 1992, when I lost that to Riddick Bowe. I’ve been saying that I want to come back to be undisputed heavyweight champion of the world again. I got the belts three different times but I still wanted to be undisputed. That’s all. My goal is still out there.
Do you still enjoy training?
EVANDER: Of course it is a little different [now]. I am a lot older and a lot more mature. The ego is not as big as it used to be. But nothing changes the fact that my goal is to be undisputed heavyweight champion of the world. The fact is that, yes, I could be doing something else. But I have been brought up to be able to close the situation out. When I actually retire, I will close the book and never open it up again. Then I will have a press conference and tell everybody that I did everything that I wanted to do in boxing and I’m happy with it and now I will move on to something else. And I will get into whatever I get into the same way and I will set goals and look forward to reaching it.
On former longtime trainer Don Turner:
EVANDER: A lot of time people don’t stand up to a fighter and say, ‘You are too old,’ but you are paid to be my trainer and I don’t think you should train me if you don’t think I can do it. If you don’t think that I can pull the shots and all of that, but I am actually doing what you asked me to do in camp. If you are not pushing me…I felt that I did everything that I was asked to do in camp to be ready. The fact that it didn’t work, I don’t look for no excuses, but the fact of the matter is that it didn’t work. The fact that it didn’t work and against James Toney, he [Don Turner] said I was old and I didn’t work like I used to [do]. When I heard what the trainer said, I’m only doing what you asked me to do. So I just felt that I needed to get someone that felt that I could do it. Now I’m doing what you asked me to do. I just felt that I needed to make an adjustment to find somebody that believes that I can do it and when they ask me to do the things I need to do, they know that I can do it. Now I have somebody with fresh air that knows if I win, you win and it could be good for both.
That was his opinion and I can’t try to criticize someone on his opinion. I’m not mad about it and I have a choice to move on and I made that choice. I’m not upset and I won’t discredit him. When two people are in a disagreement they have to part, they don’t have to be angry with each other. I am not angry with Don. I wish Don Turner well but I don’t know if he wishes me well. It’s OK and there is nothing bad for me to say about it. But that’s what he did and he felt right about it at that time. I felt I made a good decision and I moved on.
On the James Toney fight:EVANDER: The point is that Toney outmaneuvered me in the fight. He was getting his hands off and all this and the only chance I had winning at that point in time I had was if I could get this boy to be still and come up on me so I can hit him because I just can’t get him. He was fighting them back. But you know what? He was hitting me and was getting close, but you know what? It was a 12-round fight. Let me do, in all my power, figure out how could I win? The whole thing is that I am willing to pay, and you don’t lose till you quit. I have told Don [Turner] and Don knows that, hey look, you never lose until you quit. You may never win that fight on that day, because in your mind you are saying there is something else that you could have done. You can make a decision, but you don’t quit. The referee or anybody may stop the fight, but you didn’t quit. And that is the plan. I understand what it takes to be successful and a lot of people don’t know what it takes. So they found themselves quitting a lot. I don’t quit. I realize that there was another day and that maybe today wasn’t my day. The fact is when it happened, it happened. I’m not blaming Don for what he did. But he didn’t see it and I don’t team up with people like that. We left it that way and I still respect him. I respect what he did, but I moved on. I’m happy and I don’t see why anyone should be overly concerned about the decision that I made.
Later on in life I will have prepped myself for what I want to do. All of my life I have been prepping myself to be able to endure whatever it takes. That’s the reason why I got another trainer. The trainer is making adjustments, making everything clear and all of that and being really competitive to see if I can really do this. In all of this, I know that I am good enough not to get hurt.
I realize that, unfortunately, a lot of people don’t think fighters have enough common sense to protect themselves. There is nothing that I do that somebody else doesn’t do. It’s just that there is a different time and I’m a different person in a different place for it and people say that, well, George Foreman did it but he was bigger. But there was a price that he had to pay, too. There was a fight that he fought that he didn’t look too good after the fight, but at 45, he was the champ. So don’t sit here and make people feel sorry for me. I’m happy and I have all of the business I could do but this is what I have decided to do.
RONNIE SHIELDS: The first thing I noticed, from being a fighter myself, is everybody wants Evander to prove it to them that he can still fight. My thing is that he only has to prove it to Larry Donald because Donald is the only person that is going to be in the ring with him, not everybody else. Everybody can criticize what he looked like in the ring [recently], but he’s been training hard and I’m very pleased with the way everything has been going. I’ve been pushing him real hard and I told him from the beginning, this is not going to be easy. In order for you to get back to the top is going to take a lot of hard work. He’s been giving me everything he can in the gym. I am satisfied with it and, like I said, on November 13th the only person he has to prove it to is Larry Donald.
EVANDER: You look at the past fights and you can say that my skills have declined for what you have seen. And I wouldn’t be mad with them. I would tell them, ‘You are absolutely right.’ But what has that got to do with the 13th? If I make the adjustments, then you will get a chance to see. There won’t be any sense in talking about what was in the past. On the [Nov.] 13th, I have a fight, then if I win I have another fight. People will get the chance to see if there was really an improvement. The fact of the matter is that I have a choice. Why would somebody want to take that choice away? Why would I be the only fighter that wouldn’t have a choice? I fight competitive fights. I’m not one of the fighters that fights somebody with losing records. I fight competitive people who will fight. Larry Donald is a good fighter. I don’t plan on fighting guys who don’t know how to fight.
You have to understand that a lot of people that [Holyfield should retire] have never been a winner. I have. They never did. They never completed anything. They never went through that. I came form the ghetto. I always had a rough time and I had to make adjustments. I went through my whole life making adjustments. When I won the heavyweight title they thought I wasn’t going to win anyway. Now why would anybody think that I would win the heavyweight title again when they didn’t think I would win it when I was coming up? I’ve shocked all of the people that didn’t think I could do it. Now why, at 42, would I think they would believe that I could do it again? Now I have to prove again that I can make a difference.
LARRY DONALD: Evander is a war, do you know what I mean? He is a champion. Champions don’t die easy. They keep going. You have to take the fight away from a champion. That’s what I am planning to do. I plan to take the fight away from him. Old warriors are strong. He is strong and I have to use my quickness.
It doesn’t make any difference if Evander is listening or if he is not listening. The truth is the truth. I am not underestimating Evander in no truth or fashion. I will always say that Evander was a great champion, and he always kept himself in great condition. When you keep yourself in great condition that is the majority of it. But in watching the films and what not, I don’t see myself having any problems with Evander. When you fight Evander, you have to be right. You have to be in shape because he is coming.
When you come to fight, you come to fight. I do it on the inside and I do it on the outside. It doesn’t make any difference. I will be very comfortable (fighting on the inside).
COLIN MORGAN: Larry is a real hard worker. He makes adjustments well. He is working on his speed and keeping sharp. He will cause a lot of problems for Evander because it won’t just be the jab coming. It will be a lot of punches.
People always say that Larry just uses his right hand and is not aggressive. From the time I have been working with him he’s been more aggressive. You can see by the boxers that I have trained and they just blow people away. Mentally, I am getting him to be more aggressive-minded. You will see a different Larry Donald.
Larry would always sit when he threw his right hand. I got him to stand up more and raise his elbows and snap off the punches. The sparring partners are feeling it now. Then we will carry it into the ring. We are fighting Evander as if it was the Evander of 10 years ago. We just have to go into this fight as if it was a regular fight, not answering the other questions about Evander.
You’ve go to do what you’ve go to do. That is boxing. Evander is a great fighter and is good for boxing. And that is the attitude we are taking into the ring. It’s not an old Evander. We don’t want to get into that. This is a regular fight. We can’t think like everybody else is thinking—that he is old and finished.
RONNIE SHIELDS: I was with Evander when he won the heavyweight championship of the world. This is not the same Evander that you saw back them. This is the Evander Holyfield of 2004. I’ve been with Evander now for maybe 6 weeks, and I’ve been trying to get him to do some of the things he did back in the old days. So far, everything is working perfect. It is going to pay benefits in the ring. The thing about Evander Holyfield is he needed someone to believe in him, and he needs somebody to push him to the limit and that’s what I have done. I’ve gotten a lot out of him in the gym and it is going to show in the fight.
Evander is an optimistic person and he can feel a lot of positive energy from the people around him. If you don’t feel that then you have a tendency to slack off. If he slacks off on the person that makes him do things then of course he is going to be a lazy fighter. All I am saying is that I pushed him, and I pushed him hard, and he’s doing all of the things he knows he has to do. I told him it’s one fight at a time. This time Larry Donald is the only fighter and the only person that we have to prove that to that means anything.
LARRY DONALD: It’s going to be an exciting fight. Evander will come to fight and that is the only Evander I expect to come to the fight. It is going to be thrilling and chilling. I just want everybody to sit back and expect a great show. This might be the fight of the year.
RONNIE SHIELDS: That has always been Evander’s motivations. We talk about it all of the time, back to when he fought Mike Tyson. I had David Tua sparring with Evander. He said then that ‘nobody is going to give me a shot.’ I told him then, you just be Evander and go out there and do what you know how to do. And he did it. He did it twice. The Evander Holyfield that I know loves [it] when people tell him he can’t do it. This is what I tell him all of the time. Everybody wants you to prove that you can still fight, but the only person you have to prove that to is Larry Donald, and that inspires him every day in that gym. I have to do what I have to do to get him inspired. Evander is no Mike Tyson, and I’ve trained both of them. Tyson doesn’t train half as hard as Evander Holyfield does.
How is Evander’s shoulder?
The shoulder is great now. He had problems before the last fight with Toney. He wasn’t comfortable with the shoulder but he told me, ‘Hey, I went in to fight anyway.’ The shoulder was still bothering him. After that fight, he went back to rehab and it’s been over a year since he fought now. The shoulder is great now. You will see it. You will se everything on November 13th.
HASIM ‘The Rock” RAHMAN and KALI “Checkmate” MEEHAN
On his most-recent opponents:
Hasim Rahman: They haven’t been the worst opponents in the world, and, secondly, I would like to say that they just got me back on a rhythm in terms of keeping my body in shape and taking my body to the next level. And that’s exactly what I did to get to the title in the first place. I had to take those types of fights to work my way up the ladder and do what no other prospect would do. I feel like I am the best prospect in the game, and now I want to be champion [again]. After this fight, I will go on to win the world title.
I was prepared to go the distance in every one of those fights. What I do is prepare to go ten to twelve rounds and then I go in and let my hands go. If I do that it [his fight with Kali Meehan on Nov. 13] more than likely won’t go 10 or 12 rounds.
Regarding his match with John RuizI know I can beat John Ruiz. I know I didn’t fight him at a typical way that I know how to fight. I am ready now, I have no excuses, I am in 100% shape. I am ready to fight this Saturday. I am ready to fight any heavyweight, whether it be Meehan, or Golota, Ruiz or Vitali. I am ready for whoever.
I am giving everybody respect. I normally think that I can beat guys based on my natural ability because I am just too heavy-handed for [most] guys, but I don’t necessarily train 100% or something might go wrong and I may ignore it and go fight anyway.
Everything has gone perfect this camp. I had excellent sparring. I am in excellent shape. I just feel terrific and can’t wait to lay my hands on Mr. Meehan.
I have been dormant since I won the title. I was going through the motions and not taking anything as seriously as I should have. I liken my career to a baseball game. I’ve got two strikes. One more strike and it is over, then I’m out. That means I can’t afford to get a third strike so I have to go out and win. Not only do I have to win, I have to win impressively. I feel that I am the youngest, strongest heavyweight on this card and I feel that I can do more for this division than any of the other guys on this card. Therefore, it is my duty to America and the world and the media, I am going to have to step up and give the world a real strong live heavyweight champion that can step up and fight. And that’s what I am going to give you all.
Has this fight been named a WBC Eliminator?
STEVE NELSON (Rahman’s manager): I don’t think that is the case. But I do think that the winner of this fight, Rock is currently the mandatory challenger for the WBA, will get the winner of Golota-Ruiz. It is because of that and, remember, things always change, the WBC would not name him mandatory challenger.
KALI MEEHAN: In the [my] fight with Danny Williams, I came out and threw some punches at him and I thought to myself ‘he is so easy to hit.’ I had my hands down and he hit me with a good shot. When I went down, I jumped to my feet in a second and he got me again. I went down and I got back up and the referee stopped the fight. I have no excuse—he won fair and square. I wish the ref didn’t stop the figh, but he did, and he [Williams] won, and he was the better fighter that night. I learned a lot from that fight.
This is a true match of two heavyweight fighters. Each fighter should be able to knock the other fighter out because we are trying to knock people out. We are two strong men. I can’t stand here and say there is no way in the world Rock can knock me out because I am only human and he is only human, too. But at the same time. I can say I can knock him out. I know how to box and how to move and knock people out. That’s what makes boxing interesting. It makes good fights.
Do you feel you deserve to be at this level fighting Hasim Rahman?
KALI MEEHAN: First of all, I am honored that I am considered good enough to fight [LAMON] Brewster and Rahman and to be in this mix. A lot of people think that I shouldn’t be, but I like to prove these people wrong. Few people gave me a chance against Brewster, and I excepted that. Few people give me a chance against Rahman. I accept that and I expect that, too.
That was a 12-round fight for a heavyweight title. You have to become a better fighter after that. I had a fight with Damon Reed on the Brewster-Klitschko card, and that was my first fight in over two years, so a lot of the ring rust was gone.
On training at the Parramatta Rugby League Team Training Facility in Sydney, Australia:
KALI MEEHAN: I’ve got a good facility here and I’ve got a lot of support from the club. We’ve got a house here we are camping out of. The players love the fight game. Everyone here loves the fight game.
On his fight with “Relentless” Lamon Brewster on Sept. 4:
KALI MEEHAN: I made a lot of mistakes in that fight and found a lot of things that I can work on differently for this fight than the last fight. I know these things will benefit me here.
Do you think referee Jay Nady should have stopped the fight in round eight?
KALI MEEHAN: The referee has a job to do, but at the same time if it was me being pummeled in the ropes, I wouldn’t want the referee to stop the fight. If it gets stopped, I want to be out cold. I don’t want to walk out. When I look at that fight with Lamon, it will help me into this next big fight with Rahman.
A lot of people here in Australia don’t give me much of a chance, and I don’t blame them. I am a person working two jobs and trying to fight—now for a year as a full time fighter. That’s why a lot of people in Australia were shocked. It means a lot to me.
They love the fight game, especially at heavyweight, especially one who is a battler. That’s what they call someone who goes up there and gives it their all. Where my mom is from, a little island in Fiji, they have the fight on live there and they are all behind me as well. I don’t know if I am a big star here, but I do get a few more phone calls.
On making his first appearance at the famed Madison Square Garden:
KALI MEEHAN: It is awesome. It is everything to me to be able to fight at Madison Square Garden and to fight a former world champion at Madison Square Garden. It means everything to me.
Whom would you prefer to fight, Ruiz of Golota?
HASIM RAHMAN: Obviously I would prefer to fight John Ruiz because he owns a victory over me. If Golota beats Ruiz, I will just exact my revenge on Golota.
What is your opinion of Golota?
HASIM RAHMAN: Good fighter, strong fighter. As long as he doesn’t break down like he has in some fights. He is one of the most dangerous heavyweights out there.
Thell Torrence (Rahman’s trainer): What I see in Rock is that he is a real gentleman and has respect to the point that I am surprised. There are things that I have heard about him. He is a very dedicated and diligent worker. He is open for information that can assist him and improve himself. He not only has big hands, he is a very strong kid. He’s got natural strength. That is where we want to direct some of those things, so it would enhance what he is doing. We work on his fundamentals and make some minor adjustments to benefit him.
He is doing great. I am surprised that he is more agile than I thought he was. You show him things and he picks them up, and I am surprised at how he picks them up and works on them. I don’t expect him to take on all of the things but he is a smart kid. I don’t plan to try and change anything. There are some adjustments we are making that will enhance what he is doing. As time goes along we will make those adjustments.
KALI MEEHAN: I wanted to break on the scene with a knockout. When I lost that fight I wasn’t as busted up about it because the whole world saw the fight. Nobody that saw the fight would have felt bad for me. Everyone saw it so it was good for me. So a month or two later, against Rahman, you can see that I am still fighting these big fights. I’ve got confidence that I am going to get myself a world title.
Like I said before, to be considered able to fight Brewster, and Rahman at Madison Square Garden, means a lot to me. I will continue to prove that I am good enough to be fighting at this level.
HASIM RAHMAN: I’ve never been in a position where I am now. I always could bounce back into a big fight. If I lost a fight, I still had a recourse. Now I have no other choices. I have to win. I have no other strikes. This is it. I know I have said things before. Now I feel like I am learning. I feel good about going into the gym. I just feel so good. My weight is perfect. I am strong. I didn’t have to go on a diet to lose weight. It is going to be a beautiful night for me on November 13th. I’ll tell you what. If I don’t win this fight, you won’t have to hear me say it again, because I won’t fight again. How about that?
Did you hear me say that? I won’t put on the gloves again. I will not put on the gloves again if I don’t win this fight. I am going to win this fight in spectacular fashion. And I don’t want anybody knocking Meehan after he loses this fight. He probably will be at that level of certain guys, but I am just taking it to a higher level.
Not to put a knock on some of my other trainers, but the fact is that me and Thell hooked up at the time where my mind is on the same page as his mind. I am in the best condition I can be in. I am like a sponge, listening to everything he says. I respect him and respect everything he’s done in the boxing game. He’s got me doing things that I don’t normally do. I may go in and say ‘I don’t want to shadow box, I don’t want to hit the speed bag.’ I just tell them I don’t like to do it, so I don’t do it. I told Thell the same thing, but he told me to go ahead and shadow box. After that, you hit the speed bag and after that I may have to shadow box some more. It is about me putting my trust in Thell, and Thell believing in me, and I think it’s a winning combination. So far so good. I can judge by now, based on the gym work, which has been excellent in my mind. Fights are won and lost in the gym preparation. If there is any truth to that, we are going to hit a grand slam.
Optimal weight?
RAHMAN: I will probably come in between 259 and 263. I feel good at about 259. Right now I am about 259, but when I eat I may go up to 263.
Why do you change trainers so often?
RAHMAN: The bottom line is that I’m on a different page. I’m not knocking any of those trainers, but I haven’t always given the best ‘me’ to work with. Now I am on the same page as my trainer. My trainer is giving 100%, and I feel like all of my trainers gave 100%, but maybe I didn’t necessarily give 100%. So the difference is I’m giving 100% along with my trainer giving 100% and I think that’s what makes this a winning combination.
THELL: I am not concentrating on weight at this point here. I am just concentrating on his performance and when we get a little closer to the fight we will pay a little more attention to his weight. Now he is right where I want him.
RAHMAN: I believe that the boxing community is going to judge me on the way I perform and I don’t really think they are focusing on what trainers I have been through. They are looking at where I am now. What can I do now? What can me and this trainer do? Can we take it to another level? Can we win a heavyweight title now? I believe, yes. I know my trainer believes [in me]. So we just have to go out and show the public that.
THELL: Prior to my being with Rock, I had a good look at him. He was honest and he was fair. He attempted to tell me about his past. I am not interested about what he did in the past. I am interested in what he does in the present and what he does in the future. It started the day we started working together. That’s all that I am interested in.
RAHMAN: I feel like all of the momentum I built up in the first Lennox Lewis fight – there were no expectations for me going into that fight – so I feel that what you look like in your fights is what people are going to expect from you. Therefore, all I have to do is show up and do what I know I’m capable of doing in these fights and give the public what they want to see. They want to see exciting fights. I believe I am capable of being an exciting fighter and being the most exciting fighter in the game. If we can do that, then we will just pick up where we left off from the Lewis fight.
The bottom line is there was the one fight, which I thought was a win but it was a loss. I can overcome that. Boxing is a game that you can overcome. If you straighten it out and take care of what they put in front of you and start knocking these guys out, starting with Kali Meehan, then go on to win the title by knockout. Then go on to defend the title a couple of times. It’s all about, ‘what have you done for me lately?’ I feel like lately is now for me.
KALI MEEHAN: I had been fighting the same people that I had already fought. It is just a big headache for me to box in Australia.
I played rugby when I was younger – growing up. But it doesn’t interfere with my boxing at all. I never played rugby professionally.
RAHMAN: I feel like he has enough time to prepare for this fight and so do I. I feel that the better athlete who prepares the best will be the better boxer that night and win the fight.
