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On May 28th we traveled to Hamburg to take part in consultations that are part of the organizational aspect of the July 7th boxing event, where Wladimir will not only defend the IBF/IBO world heavyweight titles for the third time, but will also carry out a rematch against Lamon Brewster. With Wladimir’s permission we visited his training camp, which is located outside a small town of Kitzbuehel in the Austrian Alps.
As we drove through the Alps, we were amazed to find all of the mountains covered in a thick layer of snow. Once we went down into the valley the snow was gone, yet the onboard computer that we had in a car displayed an outside temperature of + 2 Celsius (36 degrees Fahrenheit).
As we pulled, in Wladimir met us with a smile, “you wouldn’t believe that just yesterday, after my morning run I went for a swim in a lake…but by ten o’clock the sky became covered in clouds and snow started coming down. So, I’m sorry for the unpredictable local weather.”
After we checked into a local hotel, we met Wladimir in his training camp, where we sat down to talk over a cup of tea.
Wladimir, such unpredictable weather could have an impact on your training? Maybe it’s time to move your training camp to the island of Majorca?
It would probably be one of the silliest things for me to do is to complain about the weather. The camp is running, and I’m at the end of the first stage of my training for the upcoming fight. Therefore, to transfer camp to another location is quite unreasonable. Since the training process has started, it wouldn’t make much sense to stop everything so we could move to a new camp. Plus according to weather reports everything should be back to normal soon.
And how’s your mood during training?
For me it was quite important not to take a long pause between my last fight and this fight, which I will carry out on July 7th. Due to this, training has been much easier. I like what I’m doing and as you know when you want something bad enough, you can accomplish it.
Wladimir, as we spoke before, your training is divided into two parts. The first part of your preparation consists of physical and endurance training; the second part is directly correlated to the fight itself. We have received numerous requests from our readers to ask you for more details…
The main part of endurance training is cross-country running. And for our cross-country runs we pick terrains that are challenging. Fortunately, we have a lot of mountains here. It starts from three kilometers, then five, followed by ten kilometers. After that the distance goes the other way (10-5-3). In order to constantly move in a ring, and throw punches at a high pace you need to be in top physical form. I also lift weights to build muscle. To accomplish this we use our own work out plan, and to make sure there’s no overtraining. I swim a lot, either in a lake or in a pool. Also in the first stage we work on shadow boxing, punches, combinations, reflexes, defense and other techniques. Of course, we study our opponent and develop both strategic and technical plans for the fight.
The second part of training camp is primary focused on sparing where we can test and use various combinations and strategies for the upcoming fight.
On Monday, from what we understand your training camp enters second stage where you will be sparring. What qualities did your team look for when they selected sparring partners for you?
They have to be physically close to Lamon Brewster and be able to imitate his style.
So you have decided to stop using sparring partners that are in lighter weight divisions?
No. In order to work on movement inside a ring, both attacking and defensive movement, there is nothing better than to work with fighters in lighter weight divisions. Therefore such sparring partners will also be in my camp. But to know how effective my techniques are its necessary to spar with a heavyweight.
Wladimir, what is your day like, when you prepare for this fight?
I wake up at six in the morning, and start training at seven until half past nine. Then breakfast and a little break. After that, together with Emanuel Steward we watch Lamon Brewster’s fights, both recent and old. This allows us to study as much as possible about our opponent, analyze his style in the last fights, and try to predict his plans for the upcoming fight. We also watch other great fights of all time. It allows me not only to review the history of boxing, but also gather a lot of useful information from different styles to various techniques.
After lunch, I rest again. This includes reading a book, power nap, a short walk or sight seeing. Evening training starts at four and last for three hours. Then quick break, dinner, a regular half an hour walk, Internet…so that I’m not completely out o touch with the world…and at ten o’clock I go to sleep.
On Saturday it’s only morning training and I’m off on Sunday.
Lamon Brewster defended his title four times. Only once he was clearly victorious – against Andrew Golota. What do you think of his fights against Kali Meehan, Luan Krasniqi and Serguei Lyakhovich?
In my opinion Brewster does not maintain a constant style through out the fight. However, if we’re talking about the end result, he always finds a way to find an opportunity where he can use his best qualities. That relates to his character and style. It helped him win against Meehan, Golota and Krasniqi.
Then let’s talk about Lamon’s loss against Lyakhovich…what was the reason for his loss?
That was a very technical fight. And to be fair, in the end Lamon didn’t have enough to finish it. Besides Serguei as it seems chose the right tactic for that fight. His left hand already caused damage in the early rounds to Brewster’s left eye. Besides Lamon didn’t have the endurance or desire to take charge at the end of the fight.
It’s hard to judge reasons behind his loss. Just to watch the fight is not enough. We can only see the final result that leads to his loss. Wherefore it’s necessary to know other reason that led to his loss. What was it? Maybe he didn’t get enough sleep the night before? Maybe he was psychologically unprepared for the fight? Maybe he didn’t find mutual understanding with his new trainer, Buddy McGirt?
I think that if Brewster had the chance to face Lyakhovich once more, I’m sure he would clearly beat Serguei.
What could be dangerous about Brewster, when you fight him?
I consider him as a dangerous opponent. His victory in our first fight will certainly give him confidence. He has a character of a fighter, who enters the ring not simply to fight but to transform the fight.
I will not and I don’t want to underestimate him. He’s entering into the ring with only one goal – to win, and take my world championship belts away. Therefore I am very serious about my opponent and my training for the fight. It took a long and difficult way to become a world champion again. Therefore I will not give up what belongs to me.
Wladimir, what do you expect from Lamon in the ring? A quick start, like his fight with Golota or a chess game style – looking for that one opening? Personally it seems he’s like a compressed spring, ready to release all its power at a moments notice…
I expect from Brewster everything that you can expect from an opponent who is entering the ring with only one desire – to destroy you, and take the championship titles.
I consider his calmness to be similar to that, which precedes a storm. Also he’s not wasting his time with name-calling or any other “loud” statements. Lamon held the championship for two years and he knows the price of the championship title. It seems to me his loss to Lyakhovich has made him stronger, wiser, more skilled and highly dangerous.
Wladimir do you feel any pressure, maybe subconsciously, before this rematch with Brewster? Especially after the result of first fight?
I don’t feel any pressure. On the contrary I am very glad that Lamon agreed to carry out this fight, since it was my dream to have a rematch. And I am very grateful to Lamon for accepting my call. Unfortunately another rematch, against Corrie Sanders, never took place due to disagreements with Universum Box Promotion. But that I’m able to have a rematch with Brewster brings me sheer pleasure.
Wladimir don’t you ever ponder, that your devotion to professional sports and all the trainings, deprives you of any pleasure in life?
I’m quite happy with everything in my life. I like to train for fights, and I truly enjoy it. I’m not forcing myself to do it. My life and my professional career go as I want them to.
Wladimir, various experts have different opinions about you and your place in the heavyweight division. What do you think is your place in the heavyweight division?
I’m not at the height I wish to be, but I’m above all others.
Wladimir, your trainer Emanuel Steward stated that your second fight with Lamon would not go the distance. Is it possible to say that you will be looking for a knockout victory?
I can say only one thing – I’m sure our fight will not last all twelve rounds.
Wladimir, on Saturday in Atlantic City, Shannon Briggs will defend his WBO title for the first time against Sultan Ibragimov. The winner of this fight will most likely become your next opponent. Well you never know… But in your opinion who will win this fight?
I would say Ibragimov has a sixty percent chance of wining.
We thanked Wladimir for a chance to interview him. Unfortunately Wladimir didn’t have as much time as we would have liked. Walking away Wladimir thanked all his fans and promised a pleasurable present in the upcoming fight.
As we drove through the Alps, we were amazed to find all of the mountains covered in a thick layer of snow. Once we went down into the valley the snow was gone, yet the onboard computer that we had in a car displayed an outside temperature of + 2 Celsius (36 degrees Fahrenheit).
As we pulled, in Wladimir met us with a smile, “you wouldn’t believe that just yesterday, after my morning run I went for a swim in a lake…but by ten o’clock the sky became covered in clouds and snow started coming down. So, I’m sorry for the unpredictable local weather.”
After we checked into a local hotel, we met Wladimir in his training camp, where we sat down to talk over a cup of tea.
Wladimir, such unpredictable weather could have an impact on your training? Maybe it’s time to move your training camp to the island of Majorca?
It would probably be one of the silliest things for me to do is to complain about the weather. The camp is running, and I’m at the end of the first stage of my training for the upcoming fight. Therefore, to transfer camp to another location is quite unreasonable. Since the training process has started, it wouldn’t make much sense to stop everything so we could move to a new camp. Plus according to weather reports everything should be back to normal soon.
And how’s your mood during training?
For me it was quite important not to take a long pause between my last fight and this fight, which I will carry out on July 7th. Due to this, training has been much easier. I like what I’m doing and as you know when you want something bad enough, you can accomplish it.
Wladimir, as we spoke before, your training is divided into two parts. The first part of your preparation consists of physical and endurance training; the second part is directly correlated to the fight itself. We have received numerous requests from our readers to ask you for more details…
The main part of endurance training is cross-country running. And for our cross-country runs we pick terrains that are challenging. Fortunately, we have a lot of mountains here. It starts from three kilometers, then five, followed by ten kilometers. After that the distance goes the other way (10-5-3). In order to constantly move in a ring, and throw punches at a high pace you need to be in top physical form. I also lift weights to build muscle. To accomplish this we use our own work out plan, and to make sure there’s no overtraining. I swim a lot, either in a lake or in a pool. Also in the first stage we work on shadow boxing, punches, combinations, reflexes, defense and other techniques. Of course, we study our opponent and develop both strategic and technical plans for the fight.
The second part of training camp is primary focused on sparing where we can test and use various combinations and strategies for the upcoming fight.
On Monday, from what we understand your training camp enters second stage where you will be sparring. What qualities did your team look for when they selected sparring partners for you?
They have to be physically close to Lamon Brewster and be able to imitate his style.
So you have decided to stop using sparring partners that are in lighter weight divisions?
No. In order to work on movement inside a ring, both attacking and defensive movement, there is nothing better than to work with fighters in lighter weight divisions. Therefore such sparring partners will also be in my camp. But to know how effective my techniques are its necessary to spar with a heavyweight.
Wladimir, what is your day like, when you prepare for this fight?
I wake up at six in the morning, and start training at seven until half past nine. Then breakfast and a little break. After that, together with Emanuel Steward we watch Lamon Brewster’s fights, both recent and old. This allows us to study as much as possible about our opponent, analyze his style in the last fights, and try to predict his plans for the upcoming fight. We also watch other great fights of all time. It allows me not only to review the history of boxing, but also gather a lot of useful information from different styles to various techniques.
After lunch, I rest again. This includes reading a book, power nap, a short walk or sight seeing. Evening training starts at four and last for three hours. Then quick break, dinner, a regular half an hour walk, Internet…so that I’m not completely out o touch with the world…and at ten o’clock I go to sleep.
On Saturday it’s only morning training and I’m off on Sunday.
Lamon Brewster defended his title four times. Only once he was clearly victorious – against Andrew Golota. What do you think of his fights against Kali Meehan, Luan Krasniqi and Serguei Lyakhovich?
In my opinion Brewster does not maintain a constant style through out the fight. However, if we’re talking about the end result, he always finds a way to find an opportunity where he can use his best qualities. That relates to his character and style. It helped him win against Meehan, Golota and Krasniqi.
Then let’s talk about Lamon’s loss against Lyakhovich…what was the reason for his loss?
That was a very technical fight. And to be fair, in the end Lamon didn’t have enough to finish it. Besides Serguei as it seems chose the right tactic for that fight. His left hand already caused damage in the early rounds to Brewster’s left eye. Besides Lamon didn’t have the endurance or desire to take charge at the end of the fight.
It’s hard to judge reasons behind his loss. Just to watch the fight is not enough. We can only see the final result that leads to his loss. Wherefore it’s necessary to know other reason that led to his loss. What was it? Maybe he didn’t get enough sleep the night before? Maybe he was psychologically unprepared for the fight? Maybe he didn’t find mutual understanding with his new trainer, Buddy McGirt?
I think that if Brewster had the chance to face Lyakhovich once more, I’m sure he would clearly beat Serguei.
What could be dangerous about Brewster, when you fight him?
I consider him as a dangerous opponent. His victory in our first fight will certainly give him confidence. He has a character of a fighter, who enters the ring not simply to fight but to transform the fight.
I will not and I don’t want to underestimate him. He’s entering into the ring with only one goal – to win, and take my world championship belts away. Therefore I am very serious about my opponent and my training for the fight. It took a long and difficult way to become a world champion again. Therefore I will not give up what belongs to me.
Wladimir, what do you expect from Lamon in the ring? A quick start, like his fight with Golota or a chess game style – looking for that one opening? Personally it seems he’s like a compressed spring, ready to release all its power at a moments notice…
I expect from Brewster everything that you can expect from an opponent who is entering the ring with only one desire – to destroy you, and take the championship titles.
I consider his calmness to be similar to that, which precedes a storm. Also he’s not wasting his time with name-calling or any other “loud” statements. Lamon held the championship for two years and he knows the price of the championship title. It seems to me his loss to Lyakhovich has made him stronger, wiser, more skilled and highly dangerous.
Wladimir do you feel any pressure, maybe subconsciously, before this rematch with Brewster? Especially after the result of first fight?
I don’t feel any pressure. On the contrary I am very glad that Lamon agreed to carry out this fight, since it was my dream to have a rematch. And I am very grateful to Lamon for accepting my call. Unfortunately another rematch, against Corrie Sanders, never took place due to disagreements with Universum Box Promotion. But that I’m able to have a rematch with Brewster brings me sheer pleasure.
Wladimir don’t you ever ponder, that your devotion to professional sports and all the trainings, deprives you of any pleasure in life?
I’m quite happy with everything in my life. I like to train for fights, and I truly enjoy it. I’m not forcing myself to do it. My life and my professional career go as I want them to.
Wladimir, various experts have different opinions about you and your place in the heavyweight division. What do you think is your place in the heavyweight division?
I’m not at the height I wish to be, but I’m above all others.
Wladimir, your trainer Emanuel Steward stated that your second fight with Lamon would not go the distance. Is it possible to say that you will be looking for a knockout victory?
I can say only one thing – I’m sure our fight will not last all twelve rounds.
Wladimir, on Saturday in Atlantic City, Shannon Briggs will defend his WBO title for the first time against Sultan Ibragimov. The winner of this fight will most likely become your next opponent. Well you never know… But in your opinion who will win this fight?
I would say Ibragimov has a sixty percent chance of wining.
We thanked Wladimir for a chance to interview him. Unfortunately Wladimir didn’t have as much time as we would have liked. Walking away Wladimir thanked all his fans and promised a pleasurable present in the upcoming fight.
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