By Keith Terceira
Recently, undefeated heavyweight prospect Chazz Witherspoon ( 18-0, 12KO) inked a promotional deal with DiBella Entertainment that allows him to concentrate and focus even more on his boxing career. Friday at the City Center in Saratoga Springs, New York, Witherspoon moves into another level of competition when he takes on veteran Talmadge Griffis (24-6-3, 16ko).
Griffis is coming off a couple of wins with two first round stoppages since going 9 3/4 rounds with David Tua and giving Clifford Etienne a good 10 round run in 2004.
Chazz won’t blow smoke at you about where he is in his career, he is a straight shooter and knows that he has some rough edges to work on before he is as polished as he desires. Though he admits he isn’t as learned in the sport as he will be, he is taking a good step in raising his profile when he appears on Friday Night Fights (ESPN2) against Griffis.
Before we move on to the interview lets get a couple of things out of the way that the casual sports fan may want to read about.
During our afternoon together I didn’t get into all the casual questions regarding Chazz’s relationship with his cousin that every interviewer goes into when speaking to Chazz but from our conversations I can answer a couple of the casual fans’ normal inquires. For Chazz it was both tough and good going up in Philly as Tim Witherspoon’s cousin with a lot of people expectations being unrealistic.
“Chazz has the potential to be a world champion , he is a great person , and a hard worker in the gym. He may need a little more polish before he takes on the likes of Sam Peter or the Klitchskos," Tim Witherspoon told us today.
Here is what Chazz had to say about his upcoming fight Friday and on how his career is coming along after signing with Lou DiBella.
BoxingScene.com: Chazz do you have any thoughts you want to express to myself or to fans before we get into the interview?
Chazz: One thing that I try to impress upon people is the fact that I know that I’m a work in progress.
I’m a realistic fighter and not one of those guys that is going to try and sell you a bill of goods or some load of bull. I am not going to blow smoke about where I am in the division or anything like that. I try to be as realistic as possible in all the things I do.
BoxingScene.com: Where you are though is taking a bit of a step up in facing Talmadge Griffis, don’t you think?
Chazz: For real, definitely, I got to put it to this guy. This guy can fight. I saw him against the “Black Rhino” and that was a war for the first six rounds, until they started running out of steam. I watched the tapes with his fight against Tua and Talmadge won a few of those early rounds easy, but he looked like he was fighting scared, not as confident as he was with Rhino. This guy can fight for real though.
BoxingScene.com: How do you feel about your signing with DiBella Entertainment?
Chazz: I am definitely happy about that, I am honored that Lou wanted to sign me and bring me in to DiBella. I am hoping I can put on a good performance for him. I was disappointed in my performance when I fought Michael Alexander on television and I want the public and Lou to see that I am a better fighter than that.
BoxingScene.com: Have you had a chance to be in the gym or work with any of the other DiBella fighters?
Chazz: I knew both Berto (Andre) and Jaidon (Codrington) from the amateurs but no I haven’t had the chance to be in the same gym as them. I have spoken to them at a couple of different fights.
BoxingScene.com: How does signing with a major promoter like DiBella affect your training or your comfort level?
Chazz: I don’t know if I actually have a comfort level, I’m one of those guys that always think that other guys are training harder than me, and I try to train harder than him, so I’m never really comfortable as far as training. I’m the type of guy that would over train before he under trained. I know over training is no good so I have to be careful of that. Signing with Lou allows other people to see that I’m serious about the sport and people know that Lou must see some talent here in order to sign me up and take me on. It kind of lets me know that at least some of my work is showing. I do know that people have not seen me at my best, everyone is grading me off that Showtime fight, of course that is the only fight they have to grade me off of.
I think I am a more skilled and capable fighter than I displayed that night.
BoxingScene.com: After the Michael Alexander fight you got on a bit of a roll with five fights by knockout or TKO?
Chazz: Yes, I learned a lot after the Showtime fight.
BoxingScene.com: What is the toughest thing about facing Talmadge this week?
Chazz: Out of the three fights that I have of Griffis, he has fought different in each of them, against Tua he was a boxer and mover. Against Etienne he stood there trading shots and they warred. On the other fight he both moved and worked hard trading on the inside, so it looks like he is a complete fighter. Normally when you watch tape on somebody you can see a weak point or something you can expose. From a skill standpoint he had sound defense, quick hand speed , good movement, so he appears a complete fighter. I’m going to have to just get in there and see what I’m seeing when I’m in the ring with him.
BoxingScene.com: Can you tell us who you have been working with recently in the gym?
Chazz: Sure for this fight I actually got some work with Eddie Chambers and Steve Cunningham. That really helped because the work I was getting before was not really in Talmadge’s style.
BoxingScene.com: You are taking it slow stepping up and Talmadge is who he is in the division, definitely a gatekeeper type in his level. What do you think a dozen fights before you are in the top ten in earnest. Or is it going to take less than that?
Chazz: A Dozen is playing it safe I always say a year and a half maybe two years. I’m not in a rush being only twenty five, I’m not fighting father time here. I tell people all the time that Boxing is a very unforgiving sport. It leaves you very little room, no margin for error. As soon as you lose one fight, all of a sudden your whole career comes into question, and that’s funny to me. You really can’t afford to jump in over your head before your time because one loss and you hear “I told you Chazz Witherspoon was a fraud or "he is going off of Tim’s (Witherspoons) name", and “He is never going to be Tim”. You see what I’m saying. You really don’t have room, you have to be careful. It’s not like the old days where a guy could have a several losses and be in the mix. Back when Robinson fought LaMotta several times people were more into the wars and less into the records, now everything is about that record, the undefeated record, you have to have that O behind you. Seems that is what people care about.
BoxingScene.com: Give us your thoughts on heavyweight boxing in America coming back?
Chazz: It has the potential to with guys like Eddie Chambers, Chris Arreola, Kevin Johnson, Derrick Rossi, I think if all of these guys stay in boxing for the next few years everything is looking bright for American boxing and our division.
BoxingScene.com: I know you want to take one fight at a time but where do you want to go after Griffis should you prevail?
Chazz: I don’t look ahead but if the Taylor-Pavlik fight comes off as I think it will in Atlantic City, I would like to be on that undercard. Of course it would be up to Lou who I would fight but I would love to be on that show. I do want to say that the only thing right now that I lack is experience, I don’t lack the drive or the determination.
BoxingScene.com: Chazz , how many fights as an amateur did you have?
Chazz: I think it was 32 and I was only an amateur for two years and eight months. When I made the Olympic team as an alternate I hadn’t even been boxing two years. When I got to the Olympic trials I had 19 fights. Two months after the Olympic trials I won the National Golden Gloves Title, I was the first person to have 5 stops in all five fights. That was only two years into my career so everything happened relatively fast for me and that’s why I say I’m only a work in progress, kind of rough around the edges. If I had more time to polish my skills as an amatuer, take my time, I could be a more polished fighter, like Eddie Chambers who is polished smooth. You can see how he sets back and sets things up. I come to fight and with strategy but if my strategy doesn’t work and all else fails then we are going to war and we see who wants it more you or me. I am not letting someone outwork me if I can help it. They are going to have to send me out on my back.
BoxingScene.com: If the strategy doesn’t work the street fighting will, right?
Chazz: That’s what its going to come down to and I’m prepared for that. I’m prepared for a rough fight and I’m not looking past Talmadge at all. He can punch to a certain level with 16 stops out of 24 wins. You have to respect that.
BoxingScene.com: Talking about respect I have to give you your props, because of your humility and understanding of your position right now in your career, a lot of guys wouldn’t be so grounded?
Chazz: It’s not who I am, some guys can back the talk up, guys like Floyd and that caliber. They are saying what they want because they are backing it up. Some guys need that talk to build themselves up to get into the ring. It’s a business , and business is to sell tickets, to get people to watch the fight, so I guess some do what they got to do. Some people need that, need their ego stroked and I’m not naming anyone in particular. I’m not one of those guys I guess, boxing doesn’t make me the man that I am, I going to be Chazz Witherspoon, I’m going to be a standup guy, a gentleman with or without boxing. If I lose tomorrow I’m not going to change into a different guy. If I’m ever not considered a top prospect anymore I am still going to be who I am right now. I hate losing though so don’t think I’m going out easy, I’ll have to go out on my back.
With that we wrapped it up and Chazz began his training day , perhaps the relationship between Tim Witherspoon and Chazz in the beginning of Chazz’z career gave this young prospect a truly grounded education in a difficult sport and business. Whatever the outcome of this career I came away with the impression that Chazz Witherspoon will be a success in anything he does.
