By Rick Reeno
In second part of BoxingScene's interview with the legendary manager and trainer, Emanuel Steward, we discuss a large variety of topics. We discuss the career of Vivian Harris, what should Kostya Tszyu do, the future of Wladimir Klitschko, a third meeting between Tarver-Johnson, De La Hoya facing Wright and so much more.
BoxingScene.com: How long do you think the media will continue to overlook Vivian Harris?
Emanuel Steward:: Hopefully it will be over this Saturday when we showcase him on the undercard of the Gatti-Mayweather pay per view.
BoxingScene.com: Ricky Hatton was overlooked for a long time in the junior welterweight division, now he is the talk of the town.
Emanuel Steward:: I think did what he was supposed to do. It wasn't an impressive fight in terms of technical skills, but it was impressive that he did what he was supposed to do.
BoxingScene.com: Vivian is the supporting bout to the Gatti-Mayweather pay per view, are the higher ups in HBO showcasing Vivian in order to set him up against the winner of that fight down the line?
Emanuel Steward: I don't think that, Vivian took the fight for no money, a small purse. He just wanted to take the fight, he wants to be seen and wants to stop fighting in foreign countries. Vivian will be thrown right in the mix after this and I think HBO realizes this too. It's not so much HBO's fault, it's been a series of things. At the time (when HBO was pumping other fighters) he was mad with his promoter and his management, there was talk of a fight with Ricky Hatton. He was very unhappy, he's real happy now and that makes a difference.
BoxingScene.com: Harris is one of those fighters that would have no problem flying overseas to face Ricky Hatton.
Emanuel Steward: My personal feeling is that he shouldn't go over there. I think right now and Ricky Hatton himself has said this. Keep in mind that I'm real close with Ricky Hatton, I was the only one out of ten writers that picked him to win the fight with Tszyu. Ricky said that he wants to get out of that stigma of being a fighter that can only fight in Manchester. He said that he doesn't mind coming somewhere to break that stigma. If a fight with Harris were to happen, the ideal place would be New York. The people from the eastern countries would come over, they love to travel and they would be here to give him that crowd feel. There would be a big Ricky Hatton crowd feel.
I want Vivian Harris to score an impressive victory next week, very soon a fighter will not be able to yell that they are the best at 140 pounds without dealing with Vivian Harris. Vivian is totally free, he is not under contract with any network, he can fight anybody right now on Showtime or HBO. He can go either way, a lot depends on this fight.
BoxingScene.com: I know you saw the Hatton vs. Tszyu fight, do you think Kostya Tszyu should ever fight again?
Emanuel Steward: I don't think he should fight again.
BoxingScene.com: Judging by Tszyu's mannerisms after the fight, it seemed that Tszyu realized that maybe his time has come.
Emanuel Steward: He was very lucky to come back the way he did against Sharmba Mitchell. He had an ideal situation with Sharmba Mitchell that gave him an image that wasn't real. Sharmba lost the fight, more so then Tszyu beating him, he made Kostya look good. He was killing himself to make the weight and a lot of times when he made the weight he had no confidence in himself. He made Kostya look great. We put too much emphasis on a single victory and get carried away like Trinidad's win over Mayorga.
BoxingScene.com: I think even the experts that picked Winky to win, did not expect the fight to be a one sided domination in favor of Wright.
Emanuel Steward: I thought it would be and I also felt that if Winky would of pressed for it, he would of knocked Trinidad out.
BoxingScene.com: A good example of that is Antonio Tarver. He beat Roy Jones and then lost a decision to Glen Johnson. Who do you think has more to lose if the two men meet for a third time?
Emanuel Steward: I think Johnson has more to lose. Tarver can pull back and do other things while Johnson doesn't have those other things. It doesn't mean Tarver will be the winner, but there are more things that Tarver can pull back and do.
BoxingScene.com: Do you think that if Vivian is unable to secure a fight with another top fighter at 140 pounds, would you consider moving him up to 147?
Emanuel Steward: He will land a fight with one of these guys eventually.
BoxingScene.com: Many of the top fighters at 140 say that Vivian is too much risk and not enough reward. They don't see dollar signs.
Emanuel Steward: That's what everyone says. If Vivian looks impressive next week, people will wonder why everyone is running away from this guy. At welterweight, if Oscar De La Hoya decides to fight again. Oscar is having a hard time finding a safe fight, there is no safe fight.
BoxingScene.com: The rumors right now in the press is that Oscar is considering a fight with Winky Wright. Do you think Oscar should even consider such a fight?
Emanuel Steward: You must be kidding.
BoxingScene.com: Most of the people think he is crazy to even pursue such a fight.
Emanuel Steward: The people are right.
BoxingScene.com: Logic tells us that Oscar will want to fight Winky at a contracted weight. Winky has said that Oscar is creating his own weight class, "the Oscar weight".
Emanuel Steward: Under no condition should he fight Winky Wright.
BoxingScene.com: Many fans out there are wondering as to the status of Wladimir Klitshcko. Are there still discussions going on for a Chris Byrd rematch or is that fight off the table?
Emanuel Steward: With the courts and all the legal issues, it would be a very big effort to make that fight.
BoxingScene.com: Is there anyone Wladimir is looking to face for his next fight or is there a set date for his next fight?
Emanuel Steward: I would say this year. I don't care what anyone says, I stand by that Wladimir Klitschko is the best heavyweight in the world today. In the next 24 months, when it's all over, he will be established and respected as such. I said the same thing about Lennox and got a lot of criticism, but that's just the way it is. I've worked with most of these heavyweights out there today, I've had them as sparring partners in camps, almost all of them and Wladimir Klitschko is the best heavyweight in boxing today. We'll find out real soon.
BoxingScene.com: Where do you rank Wladimir Klitschko with guys like Lennox Lewis and Vitali Klitschko?
Emanuel Steward: Lennox Lewis is the best heavyweight that I have ever worked with, but as far as today's crop of fighters, Wladimir is the best in the world. It's not so much his punching power, technically he is becoming very proficient and he has learned how to use his height and reach, these are things that I had to deal with when I had Lennox.
BoxingScene.com: Someone told me something interesting the other day. The person told me that even though Wladimir was stopped two times and his brother Vitali has the title and a nice string of publicized wins, Wladimir is still the more popular fighter.
Emanuel Steward: He (Wladimir) is exciting. Vitali ends up stopping these guys because its such a mismatch that the referee stops the fight. Wladimir is drama. He has a much more explosive style of fighting and a more muscular body. Even the fights that he lost there was still drama though. Vitali is really good in his boxing skills, he doesn't have the movement but has this real usual ability to sense punches before they get off and move his body the opposite direction to neutralize them. Wladimir is still the one that people want to see.
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