By Kamel Messani, netboxe.com

French heavyweight Jean Marc Mormeck will take part in a major fight on December 2 at the Hall Carpentier of Paris against former two-time WBC heavyweight champion Hasim Rahman. At a recent gathering to announce the fight, we took the opportunity to speak with Moremeck about this fight and several other topics.

NB: How is your preparation?

I feel very good physically and I'm at my ideal weight. We worked on everything, including fitness, building on the explosiveness of the punches, and work the bag. Mt trainer runs with me, and sets the challenges. He does a great job. I get to run for 50 minutes and looks very good for someone at my weight. This focused work, is done in collaboration with Ben Mourad Belkacem, who will greatly help with my next fight. I will begin to put gloves early next week. Finally, we just received [a tape with] eight fights involving Hasim Rahman. My coach will review them to draw up the plan for our tactics.

NB: What do you know of Hasim Rahman?

Rahman is a strong class of heavyweight, and more importantly he packs a punch. He faced prestigious and big name opponents. He was a former world champion who faced the some of the best. I do not review the past fights of my opponents because I think that should be the job of my coach.

NB: Why did you choose Rahman?

It was a logical thing to do. For my first fight at heavyweight, I chose Maddalone who is a world class boxer. Back then, I wanted to settle into my new category, so I took on a challenger who was world-ranked in the world federations. My plan was clear from the start: to compete for a world championship at heavyweight after beating an opponent like Rahman who was already a champion and is currently ranked (WBA # 6).

NB: How are you feeling at heavyweight?

It was always my dream to go to heavyweight. I felt it was time for me to become a good heavyweight, and now I've more than halfway toward that goal. My procedure is logical I started to fight Vinny Maddalone and Fres Oquendo and now I choose a boxer who is still tough and more recognized. This shows my determination. I think boxing and the public need this kind of challenge.

NB: Do you think that you can compete with the super heavyweights?

The weight is not always an advantage to a boxer. Even if he plays with his power, he must also be able to move and keep moving. I must exploit the weaknesses of Rahman with speed. Look for example my old adversary David Haye used speed against the Russian giant Valuev. He adopted a tactic that allowed him to win the decision without making it a physical fight.

NB: Apart from Rahman, have you contacted other opponents?

We contacted the Polish fighter [Tomasz] Adamek, and we had been negotiating for some time, but unfortunately we did not come to an agreement. Initially, I wanted to fight the New Zealander David Tua, but he refused my offer because, like me, he was on the list of possible opponents for Wladimir Klitschko. Then the International Boxing Federation appointed me with three other boxers (Denis Boystov, and Johnathon Banks Alexander Dimitrenko) to compete for a playoff tournament to find a challenger to Wladimir Klitschko. This tournament was not interesting to me but a fight against Boystov or Dimitrenko is, because they are ranked by the WBA. But as it turned out, Boystov had just resumed training after undergoing wrist surgery and I have to wait a bit for Dimitrenko. That's why I chose Hasim Rahman.

NB: Talk about why did not accept the offer from Wladimir Klitschko?

Yes, I was offered the opportunity to meet Wladimir Klitschko. He made a financial offer for a fight Dec. 11 in Germany. I gave him a counter-proposal and he did not accept it because he thought I was too greedy. So I'll face Rahman because he takes me to the next step of becoming a world champion heavyweight.

NB: Do you think the Klitschko Brothers think you are afraid?

When you're boxing, you are ready to step into the ring against anyone. But I am realistic, I didn not accept the offer because I'm not ready for him. If I was, I would have accepted the offer for Wladimir. He wants to beat me up (laughs) but if he wants me to accept then he has to give me a lot more money (laughs).

NB: In your speech you mention the "WBA", and your fight against Rahman for the WBA's International belt. Does that mean you're only interested champion David Haye and not by the Klitschko brothers?

(Laughter) It is true that I have a preference for David Haye because we have a dispute. In fact, I've faced him and I was on the verge of finishing him. But unfortunately I could not take my chance in the fourth round when I touched him. He, however, captured his momenth in the seventh. I wonder, moreover, and always question myself about this fight. He owes me a rematch. I gave him his chance and so it in turn he should give me mine. But before that, I must first pass the big obstacle that is Hasim Rahman.

NB: Vitali Klitschko's fight against Briggs, what are your impressions?

I think the referee should have stopped the fight. While the show is essential in boxing, the boxer's health remains the priority. Also, I think men of the corner of Briggs are irresponsible. I do not understand why they did not thrown in the towel, knowing that their fighter had no chance of turning things around. Briggs also has its share of responsibility because it's false pride to take shots for twelve rounds to prove that you have a big heart. This was not smart on his part.