By Keith Terceira
 
Last Friday, Heavyweight Owen Beck  said “What the Heck “ and  sent Don King notice that King is in violation of a contract signed last year and  Beck now considers himself a free agent.
 
“ My contract states two fights from January last year to January this and King only provided one, my fight with Valuev. That makes me a free agent.”
 
Beck was adamant about leaving Don King and equally displeased with his management agreement with Carl King.
 
“ They  got me in a situation where I couldn’t pay my bills, I got put out of my house, and other problems” Beck told BoxingScene.com.
 
Last year, Beck fought for the title against Nikolai Valuev losing by a third round TKO, but after six months and no further fights provided by King, he again faced financial problems six months later.
 
“I’ll fight anyone , anywhere, and King knew this but I’m still waiting. “ 

BoxingScene.com: Owen, how are you making ends meet while you wait for a response and release from Carl and Don King.
 
Beck: I’m working two jobs, and trying to get to the gym in between which is wearing me out.
 
BoxingScene.com: Weren’t you scheduled to fight in Tampa in a couple of weeks?
 
Beck: Yeh, but I received a notice from Don King Productions giving me the go ahead to fight on the promoters card but if anything happened to me Don King says they are not responsible. I don’t think its right, Don King needed to be responsible because they owed me fights and money according to our contract. So I decided that I could do as well without them both. Carl had promised to release me anytime I was unhappy with his performance and obviously I am unhappy. Any way my management contract is up in October and I won’t be resigning with Carl King.
 
BoxingScene.com: Have you received any offers for fights?
 
Beck: I have some interest once I am free of King, but see here, there is no way there is no way I can pay someone 33 percent for not doing anything, not even answering my calls.
 
BoxingScene.com: You mean Carl King your manager won’t answer your calls?
 
Beck: No, I guarentee if I call him right now, either at home or on his cell he won’t answer me.
 
BoxingScene.com: In one fight you went from fighting for a world title to neither your promoter or manager returning your calls ?
 
Beck: That’s right, you know how I get them to call me back, I call and leave a message to release me from my contract so I can go somewhere else, then they call me back.  They don’t treat people right, with no dignity. So to get a call I have to threaten them, that’s not right.
 
BoxingScene.com: Where do you go from here?
 
Beck: I’d like to avenge my losses and fight , that simple.
 
BoxingScene.com: Your losses to Barrett and Austin  will be hard to avenge considering  they are with King, wouldn’t Don want options?
 
Beck: That is true, no options, so I guess I will have to live with those losses and move on, (laughter) I will never be signed with King again. I can take it as a man and  go on. (laughter) I guarantee without King things will be different, I won’t say that I am going to be knocking everyone out, but I will say to anyone I fight , “God be with them!” ..I am a different man these things these difficulties have made me stronger and hungrier. I would like to fight Valuev here in the states. Believe me without the games being played that fight will come out different.
 
BoxingScene.com: What games?
 
Beck: Like I was supposed to go into Germany two weeks before the fight to get my body adjusted and instead it was four or five days before. When I was an amateur I would go to other counrties a month in advance of a big game. My Visa even called for me to go two weeks in advance. That was just one of many problems before that fight. I had problems with trainers, etc.  

BoxingScene.com: Owen keep us posted as to your situation and good luck in the future.