Valuev: Johnson is nothing special
By Andrey Krikunov
The former WBA heavyweight champion Nikolay Valuev shared his opinion on the upcoming bout between the owner of the WBC belt Vitali Klitschko and Kevin Johnson. The American used to be Valuev's sparring-partner, that's why he knows Johnson well enough.
“When I was preparing for the bout with Monte Barrett I worked with Johnson in Chicago, - told Valuev to Blik newspaper. - "After that he came to Germany to spar with me. To tell you the truth, the American is nothing special as a boxer. We worked with him only because of his speed – he has fast left hand."
Nikolay, as many others, doesn’t think that Johnson can be a threat for Vitali. “I think that Klitschko will win by a knockout, and a clean one, not technical. Though I won’t predict in which round. Of course I will cheer for Vitali. Why do I have to support Johnson?"
Also Valuev says that he is ready to fight Klitschko and that now that he doesn’t have a belt Vitali can be more interested in that fight because the purse will be divided for his benefit.
“Now the most painful issue for the Klitschko brothers is gone - the financial question. I've lost my title, though I don't think that I lost to David Haye. But that happened and now I’m not in the place to dictate financial conditions. But I think that it’s undeniable fact that my bout with Klitschko is still the most desired fight for the post-Soviet countries," - told Valuev.