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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: SHAUN GEORGE
By Ryan Burton
[img]http://c1.ac-images.*******cdn.com/images01/21/m_b42bd1f1f83b240b0104f46a1a2b317c.jpg[/img]
Ryan Burton: How is training going for Jaffa Ballogou?
Shaun George: Its going good. My timing is there and my conditioning is there so I am good.
RB: What are the keys to victory?
SG: Listen to my corner. I don't know anything about Jaffa. I have actually never watched him fight before. I know he is a tall southpaw and that he is aggressive and a knockout artist. My game plan is strictly to come in there in shape and listen to my corner. I have the best team in the world and all I have to do is follow instructions. That is the key to victory.
RB: Is this the type of fight you need to feel him out for a couple rounds since you don't know a lot about him?
SG: I work on my plan second by second. I heard that is what champions do, adapt second by second. I'm going to feel him out from round one. I don't want to be one of those guys who waits too long. I want to put on a good show. I am going to come right at him.
RB: Lets go back to your last fight when you were an underdog against Chris Byrd. A lot of people were surprised by your performance. Give us your thoughts on that fight.
SG: Anytime I respect anybody when I am in the ring, whether it's a world champion or a legend it is very difficult to beat me. It doesn't matter who you are. If I have that type of respect for you, you can't beat me and I definitely had it for Chris. I have been a fan of Chris for a very long time. I got the game plan to beat him from watching him in the 92 Olympics. That is actually where I got the game plan. Tommy (Tommy Brooks trainer) came up with that great game plan and I just followed it. At that time he was at 165 lbs in the Olympics and to go all the way up the Heavyweight and be a champion I respected him way to much for him to beat me and that is what it came down to.
RB: You dominated that fight from round one till they stopped it.
SG: Yeah like I said we had a great game plan and we had great sparring too. We had Antonio Tarver and Jirov. Both of those guys really came at me. I also went away to training camp for the first time which really helped me too. It was a great experience for me unlike any other experience I had had as a professional fighter.
RB You haven't fought since that fight last May. Are you afraid you may have some ring rust?
SG: Its been a while but no I am not worried. I know how to fight. It is what I have been doing for 19 years. I am not afraid of anyone. I've been sparring. I've been in the gym. I've been doing my miles. I should be ready. I can't think of how long it has been since I have been in the ring. I have to think of what is ahead of me right now. I feel like I will be ready.
RB: Assuming a victory for you in this fight what your future plans. Who do you want next?
SG: Its funny because I feel like I am being frozen out of the division. I let my team take care of that. I let my manager Donna Duva-Brooks and my promoter Lou DiBella handle that. I'm just a fighter. All I want to do is put on great performances and fight. I have called out so many guys in the past and nothing has happened. I want to fight contenders and world champions but I want to do it on premium networks like HBO or Showtime. I am showing my willingness, I am stepping up to the plate and I am being more aggressive. I'm becoming a more fan friendly fighter. I am not asking for the world. I am not asking for millions and millions of dollars. I just want to be compensated right and we can do what we have to do against any contender. I am not saying I will fight Glenn Johnson but I won't fight Tavoris Cloud. I will fight any contender. Just put it on a premium network and I will do it, period.
RB: Do you think people are avoiding you either because you want too much money or you are too tough a fight? Is that why you only fought once last year?
SG: It is crazy to think that I want too much money, seriously. Anybody who says that is dead wrong period. I don't know why they won't fight me, if its because they are afraid to lose I am not sure. I don't know what the real reason is. It could be their promoter or the network. It could be a lot of different things. I don't want to be an ****** and disrespect these guys. But it is fact that I am being frozen out of this division. Like I said I haven't even called out a champion yet. I have been calling out other contenders in the division and nothing happens.
RB: What fight or fights do you think you need to get a crack at the top dogs, specifically the winner of Dawson-Tarver?
SG: I don't know. You tell me! (laughing). Ryan, think about it, if another fighter like a Chad Dawson or Antonio Tarver had a fight against Chris Byrd and they knocked him out they would have a title shot immediately. Better yet it happened to both of those guys. Chad Dawson fought Eric Harding and his next fight was a title shot. Same thing happened to Antonio Tarver. He fought Harding and got the next title shot. I just want the opportunity to fight another top contender on a premium network. That would only be fair. I am just asking people to be fair. I have been coming up. I beat Chris Byrd and I have beaten other contenders. I also fought at cruiserweight where I lost twice but I also won there too. All I am saying is I want to fight the best fighters out there on a premium network. I will fight Chad Dawson tomorrow. Trust me I am not overhyping myself. I am not asking for millions and millions of dollars.
RB: You mentioned Glen Johnson. His last fight wasn't on a premium network. I don't think it was even televised. You asked me what you need to get the title shot. That sounds like the fight to me.
SG: I am not going to criticize anybody. Glen Johnson wasn't on a network but he was complaining about not fighting Chad Dawson again. People are not fighting Glen Johnson because they think he is too tough. I have been calling out Glen Johnson from the moment I stopped Chris Byrd. If you look at the interview after the fight I say that. I have been wanting to fight Glen Johnson ever since then. Even before that I have been wanting to fight Glen Johnson but the fight never happened for whatever reason. I am not looking for the easy way out. I think Glen Johnson is one of the toughest fights out there. Nobody wants to fight him but I called him out. I want to fight the guy nobody else wants to fight.
RB: I would think the winner of a fight between you and Johnson would have some extra clout with the networks to fight the Dawson-Tarver II winner.
SG: You can't count Tarver out. I understand why Dawson is the favorite. I saw the first fight. You can't ever count a guy like Antonio Tarver out. Especially with his history in rematches. He looks spectacular in his rematches. They are like highlight reels. I would fight whomever. It doesn't matter. I believe I would beat Glen Johnson. I believe I would dominate Glen Johnson. I am not afraid of him. I am not intimidated by him and he is a guy I want to fight. If he doesn't want to fight me I am not going to keep calling him out.
RB: Do you have a message for the fans?
SG: I love you guys. Boxing fans are keeping the sport alive. Keep watching boxing. Stay up on it and look at the light heavyweight division, one of the hottest divisions out there. I am focused and stay tuned for February 25th when I fight Jaffa Ballogou.
RB: Good luck in your fight.
SG: Thanks Ryan, I appreciate it.
By Ryan Burton
[img]http://c1.ac-images.*******cdn.com/images01/21/m_b42bd1f1f83b240b0104f46a1a2b317c.jpg[/img]
Ryan Burton: How is training going for Jaffa Ballogou?
Shaun George: Its going good. My timing is there and my conditioning is there so I am good.
RB: What are the keys to victory?
SG: Listen to my corner. I don't know anything about Jaffa. I have actually never watched him fight before. I know he is a tall southpaw and that he is aggressive and a knockout artist. My game plan is strictly to come in there in shape and listen to my corner. I have the best team in the world and all I have to do is follow instructions. That is the key to victory.
RB: Is this the type of fight you need to feel him out for a couple rounds since you don't know a lot about him?
SG: I work on my plan second by second. I heard that is what champions do, adapt second by second. I'm going to feel him out from round one. I don't want to be one of those guys who waits too long. I want to put on a good show. I am going to come right at him.
RB: Lets go back to your last fight when you were an underdog against Chris Byrd. A lot of people were surprised by your performance. Give us your thoughts on that fight.
SG: Anytime I respect anybody when I am in the ring, whether it's a world champion or a legend it is very difficult to beat me. It doesn't matter who you are. If I have that type of respect for you, you can't beat me and I definitely had it for Chris. I have been a fan of Chris for a very long time. I got the game plan to beat him from watching him in the 92 Olympics. That is actually where I got the game plan. Tommy (Tommy Brooks trainer) came up with that great game plan and I just followed it. At that time he was at 165 lbs in the Olympics and to go all the way up the Heavyweight and be a champion I respected him way to much for him to beat me and that is what it came down to.
RB: You dominated that fight from round one till they stopped it.
SG: Yeah like I said we had a great game plan and we had great sparring too. We had Antonio Tarver and Jirov. Both of those guys really came at me. I also went away to training camp for the first time which really helped me too. It was a great experience for me unlike any other experience I had had as a professional fighter.
RB You haven't fought since that fight last May. Are you afraid you may have some ring rust?
SG: Its been a while but no I am not worried. I know how to fight. It is what I have been doing for 19 years. I am not afraid of anyone. I've been sparring. I've been in the gym. I've been doing my miles. I should be ready. I can't think of how long it has been since I have been in the ring. I have to think of what is ahead of me right now. I feel like I will be ready.
RB: Assuming a victory for you in this fight what your future plans. Who do you want next?
SG: Its funny because I feel like I am being frozen out of the division. I let my team take care of that. I let my manager Donna Duva-Brooks and my promoter Lou DiBella handle that. I'm just a fighter. All I want to do is put on great performances and fight. I have called out so many guys in the past and nothing has happened. I want to fight contenders and world champions but I want to do it on premium networks like HBO or Showtime. I am showing my willingness, I am stepping up to the plate and I am being more aggressive. I'm becoming a more fan friendly fighter. I am not asking for the world. I am not asking for millions and millions of dollars. I just want to be compensated right and we can do what we have to do against any contender. I am not saying I will fight Glenn Johnson but I won't fight Tavoris Cloud. I will fight any contender. Just put it on a premium network and I will do it, period.
RB: Do you think people are avoiding you either because you want too much money or you are too tough a fight? Is that why you only fought once last year?
SG: It is crazy to think that I want too much money, seriously. Anybody who says that is dead wrong period. I don't know why they won't fight me, if its because they are afraid to lose I am not sure. I don't know what the real reason is. It could be their promoter or the network. It could be a lot of different things. I don't want to be an ****** and disrespect these guys. But it is fact that I am being frozen out of this division. Like I said I haven't even called out a champion yet. I have been calling out other contenders in the division and nothing happens.
RB: What fight or fights do you think you need to get a crack at the top dogs, specifically the winner of Dawson-Tarver?
SG: I don't know. You tell me! (laughing). Ryan, think about it, if another fighter like a Chad Dawson or Antonio Tarver had a fight against Chris Byrd and they knocked him out they would have a title shot immediately. Better yet it happened to both of those guys. Chad Dawson fought Eric Harding and his next fight was a title shot. Same thing happened to Antonio Tarver. He fought Harding and got the next title shot. I just want the opportunity to fight another top contender on a premium network. That would only be fair. I am just asking people to be fair. I have been coming up. I beat Chris Byrd and I have beaten other contenders. I also fought at cruiserweight where I lost twice but I also won there too. All I am saying is I want to fight the best fighters out there on a premium network. I will fight Chad Dawson tomorrow. Trust me I am not overhyping myself. I am not asking for millions and millions of dollars.
RB: You mentioned Glen Johnson. His last fight wasn't on a premium network. I don't think it was even televised. You asked me what you need to get the title shot. That sounds like the fight to me.
SG: I am not going to criticize anybody. Glen Johnson wasn't on a network but he was complaining about not fighting Chad Dawson again. People are not fighting Glen Johnson because they think he is too tough. I have been calling out Glen Johnson from the moment I stopped Chris Byrd. If you look at the interview after the fight I say that. I have been wanting to fight Glen Johnson ever since then. Even before that I have been wanting to fight Glen Johnson but the fight never happened for whatever reason. I am not looking for the easy way out. I think Glen Johnson is one of the toughest fights out there. Nobody wants to fight him but I called him out. I want to fight the guy nobody else wants to fight.
RB: I would think the winner of a fight between you and Johnson would have some extra clout with the networks to fight the Dawson-Tarver II winner.
SG: You can't count Tarver out. I understand why Dawson is the favorite. I saw the first fight. You can't ever count a guy like Antonio Tarver out. Especially with his history in rematches. He looks spectacular in his rematches. They are like highlight reels. I would fight whomever. It doesn't matter. I believe I would beat Glen Johnson. I believe I would dominate Glen Johnson. I am not afraid of him. I am not intimidated by him and he is a guy I want to fight. If he doesn't want to fight me I am not going to keep calling him out.
RB: Do you have a message for the fans?
SG: I love you guys. Boxing fans are keeping the sport alive. Keep watching boxing. Stay up on it and look at the light heavyweight division, one of the hottest divisions out there. I am focused and stay tuned for February 25th when I fight Jaffa Ballogou.
RB: Good luck in your fight.
SG: Thanks Ryan, I appreciate it.
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