http://www.e a s tsideboxing.com/news.php?p=32613&more=1
Travis Pomposello: Thanks Tony and Wladimir for coming on the call with us and everybody else who's listening. I'm excited to have another heavyweight championship fight on EPIX which has certainly become Heavyweight Central over the past 14, 15 months. This is the second time we have Wladimir on the air, just a mere few months ago we had Wladimir defend his title against Jean-Marc Mormeck. And it's exciting for us that we have a heavyweight champion who fights every few months and that's able to bring an exciting fight to our U.S. audience.
EPIX has been keeping up its multi-platform positioning. We're going to be available on all EPIX enabled platforms again like we were for Froch-Bute in May, along with Xbox, which was a first for us and a first for Xbox, and we're excited to do that again as well as for the liv simulcast on our jumbotron in Times Square once again which has become one of our hallmarks which is exciting. And we're starting to look forward to seeing American Tony Thompson fight a few days after the Fourth of July, larger than life, in Times Square.
I'm sure all the tourists who come to New York for the Fourth of July fireworks and weekend will be excited to see that fight.
EPIX is looking forward to great broadcast and you know giving our fans another great fight, and seeing what happens.
Tom Loeffler: We're really excited about this fight -- going back to Switzerland.
The press conference, we had inside the stadium -- and Tony saw the stadium there for the first time -- it's a great arena – I believe it’s Switzerland’s second-largest soccer stadium. It'll hold just over 30,000 people. It's an outdoor venue.
And the way the production will work -- the Klitschko fights are just huge events in Europe, and we're really happy that we have EPIX as our television partner in the United States so that the fans in the U.S. can see the fight live and as Travis mentioned -- on the jumbotron in Times Square. This is the sixth stadium fight in a row that Wladimir's had and nobody sells more tickets here in Europe than the Klitschkos. They're really big events.
So we're happy that the American fans will also be able to see this fight.
And Tony is the mandatory challenger right now for Wladimir’s titles. And he gave Wladimir a great fight in 2008, and we know he's definitely motivated for this rematch. So I think it'll be a terrific fight coming up on July 7th.
Tony Thompson: Well, camp is good and obviously our expectations are to reverse the outcome of our last match that we had in '08. I think we prepared well. My body's strength and conditioning are coming around at the right time, and it's going to be interesting to see what we look like against Wladimir this time.
Q What is different about this time around? Why would fans or anyone believe that this fight's going to end any differently than the first one did?
Tony Thompson: Well I don't know why the fans would, but I know why me and my team -- you know everybody in my team knew I had an injury in the first fight, it's hard enough to fight Klitschko with two legs, but I really was on one leg.
I had a torn meniscus in my knee. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to train throughout training camp or you know prepare for the heavyweight championship of the world. I think this time, we were able to prepare.
And, you know, with a healthy body we actually have a legitimate shot – I can’t help what anybody else thinks if I have a legitimate shot -- but we know and so that's all that matters to me.
Q: What do you think you bring the table that you know one (inaudible) your height,you're one of two people who are going to be able to look eye to eye to Wladimir and have a similar height and reach.
But in addition to that, what makes you believe that you can do what no one's been able to do in a very long time and overcome his abilities?
Tony Thompson: Well, first of all, (inaudible) fight his ass. You know a lot of people they sit back and they just accept the inevitable, that's not -- that's not what we are coming over to do.
This is going to be a fight, I can guarantee – I’m not going to say to you that I’m going to guarantee victory and all that, and yes I'm going in to this to win but one thing I can guarantee is that I'm going to fight.
I'm going to come forward. I'm going to press the fight. I'm going to try to take the lead in every round. So I'm not going to sit back and let him jab me, right hand me to death.
And he's going to have to do something that he did -- he did really well in '08. He did a lot of different things well, and he was able to overcome. But, you know, again I'm going to be the one to press the fight, I'm going to be the one throwing a lot of punches, I'm going to be the one landing most of the punches. So my willingness to fight I think is the biggest reason I will win.
Q: Tony, if you win the fight you become the first American heavyweight champion in quite a long time, since Shannon Briggs had the title of -- briefly.
Is that in your mind? Does it matter to you? How proud would you be if you could be the one to accomplish that?
Can you talk to us about that aspect since it's basically on July 4th weekend.
Tony Thompson: Obviously it's going to be big for me -- for my family -- for the United States. You know I'm hoping -- I realize I don't have the support of a lot of the United States fans -- they haven't been given somebody they can get behind wholeheartedly for a long time I am hoping after this fight they will.
You know, they going to see that I'm going to be a guy -- I might not have, you know, the biggest punch of fighters out there, I don't have the greatest Holyfield body.
Matter of fact, I've got the early 1990s Larry Holmes body
(LAUGHTER)
So, you know, I got the radio face -- not the pretty face. I understand their unwillingness not to come to this right now. But, you know, when they see my honest effort what they will see is a guy who is going to give an honest effort up in there every time. I’m coming in there to win every time, you know, make no mistake of that.
And -- and for the United States to see a guy like that willing to go into the heat of the battle and actually fight this guy who's been a great champ for so long, I think that's going to convince a lot of 'em to come on inside, especially after they see -- they see the great victory I'm going to pull off.
Q: Tony, you had your opportunity in '08. You're getting a second opportunity, against the same fighter -- which does not happen all the time when the first fight ends the way the first one does. And you're also a 40-year-old guy now.
Is there a little bit of a sense of desperation for you with the idea that there's a very good chance that if you don't get it this time this is probably your last shot?
Tony Thompson: It's not a little bit of chance, it's my last chance. To me my age is not really playing a big part. Yes, I'm (inaudible) guy being 40 years old you deal with some type of issues.
As far as boxing I feel good, man. You know, once I get healthy, totally healthy -- which I think I am close to -- my body feels good. I haven't been in a lot of wars (ph). Obviously, everybody knows I started fighting at 27 so I haven't been, you know, beat up on. I still can hold a good conversation. My head's still intact.
I realize not a lot of TV channels want to put me on -- on every channel for whatever reason. Doesn't matter why. It's just a reality of the situation.
The only way I can change that is to win.
Obviously, I've beaten the guys that are B talents. I've beaten those guys. And it's up to me to prove that I belong on an A talent level. And that's what this fight is about. I want to know and be on that level myself. I don't want to continue to be known as the best American heavyweight or a good B challenger, or anything like that. I want to take the next step to the championship level.
Q: I know that going into this fight there is a legal issue between your camp and -- and the promoter, Dan Goossen.
I'm wondering is it at all a problem in your mind or in your team's mind that while this fight is happening that he's suing you?
Tony Thompson: Dan can do what he wants. I don't even think about stuff like that. Dan’s supposed to be a buddy of mine (inaudible) they tell you what they want you to hear. Soon as they don't get their way they want to bring strife to your life in the terms of suing you (inaudible) like that.
But I'm not going to let that get in the way of what I have to accomplish. I have a job to accomplish. I'll let the lawyers work out the lawyers' stuff; I'll work out the boxing.
EPIX has been keeping up its multi-platform positioning. We're going to be available on all EPIX enabled platforms again like we were for Froch-Bute in May, along with Xbox, which was a first for us and a first for Xbox, and we're excited to do that again as well as for the liv simulcast on our jumbotron in Times Square once again which has become one of our hallmarks which is exciting. And we're starting to look forward to seeing American Tony Thompson fight a few days after the Fourth of July, larger than life, in Times Square.
I'm sure all the tourists who come to New York for the Fourth of July fireworks and weekend will be excited to see that fight.
EPIX is looking forward to great broadcast and you know giving our fans another great fight, and seeing what happens.
Tom Loeffler: We're really excited about this fight -- going back to Switzerland.
The press conference, we had inside the stadium -- and Tony saw the stadium there for the first time -- it's a great arena – I believe it’s Switzerland’s second-largest soccer stadium. It'll hold just over 30,000 people. It's an outdoor venue.
And the way the production will work -- the Klitschko fights are just huge events in Europe, and we're really happy that we have EPIX as our television partner in the United States so that the fans in the U.S. can see the fight live and as Travis mentioned -- on the jumbotron in Times Square. This is the sixth stadium fight in a row that Wladimir's had and nobody sells more tickets here in Europe than the Klitschkos. They're really big events.
So we're happy that the American fans will also be able to see this fight.
And Tony is the mandatory challenger right now for Wladimir’s titles. And he gave Wladimir a great fight in 2008, and we know he's definitely motivated for this rematch. So I think it'll be a terrific fight coming up on July 7th.
Tony Thompson: Well, camp is good and obviously our expectations are to reverse the outcome of our last match that we had in '08. I think we prepared well. My body's strength and conditioning are coming around at the right time, and it's going to be interesting to see what we look like against Wladimir this time.
Q What is different about this time around? Why would fans or anyone believe that this fight's going to end any differently than the first one did?
Tony Thompson: Well I don't know why the fans would, but I know why me and my team -- you know everybody in my team knew I had an injury in the first fight, it's hard enough to fight Klitschko with two legs, but I really was on one leg.
I had a torn meniscus in my knee. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to train throughout training camp or you know prepare for the heavyweight championship of the world. I think this time, we were able to prepare.
And, you know, with a healthy body we actually have a legitimate shot – I can’t help what anybody else thinks if I have a legitimate shot -- but we know and so that's all that matters to me.
Q: What do you think you bring the table that you know one (inaudible) your height,you're one of two people who are going to be able to look eye to eye to Wladimir and have a similar height and reach.
But in addition to that, what makes you believe that you can do what no one's been able to do in a very long time and overcome his abilities?
Tony Thompson: Well, first of all, (inaudible) fight his ass. You know a lot of people they sit back and they just accept the inevitable, that's not -- that's not what we are coming over to do.
This is going to be a fight, I can guarantee – I’m not going to say to you that I’m going to guarantee victory and all that, and yes I'm going in to this to win but one thing I can guarantee is that I'm going to fight.
I'm going to come forward. I'm going to press the fight. I'm going to try to take the lead in every round. So I'm not going to sit back and let him jab me, right hand me to death.
And he's going to have to do something that he did -- he did really well in '08. He did a lot of different things well, and he was able to overcome. But, you know, again I'm going to be the one to press the fight, I'm going to be the one throwing a lot of punches, I'm going to be the one landing most of the punches. So my willingness to fight I think is the biggest reason I will win.
Q: Tony, if you win the fight you become the first American heavyweight champion in quite a long time, since Shannon Briggs had the title of -- briefly.
Is that in your mind? Does it matter to you? How proud would you be if you could be the one to accomplish that?
Can you talk to us about that aspect since it's basically on July 4th weekend.
Tony Thompson: Obviously it's going to be big for me -- for my family -- for the United States. You know I'm hoping -- I realize I don't have the support of a lot of the United States fans -- they haven't been given somebody they can get behind wholeheartedly for a long time I am hoping after this fight they will.
You know, they going to see that I'm going to be a guy -- I might not have, you know, the biggest punch of fighters out there, I don't have the greatest Holyfield body.
Matter of fact, I've got the early 1990s Larry Holmes body
(LAUGHTER)
So, you know, I got the radio face -- not the pretty face. I understand their unwillingness not to come to this right now. But, you know, when they see my honest effort what they will see is a guy who is going to give an honest effort up in there every time. I’m coming in there to win every time, you know, make no mistake of that.
And -- and for the United States to see a guy like that willing to go into the heat of the battle and actually fight this guy who's been a great champ for so long, I think that's going to convince a lot of 'em to come on inside, especially after they see -- they see the great victory I'm going to pull off.
Q: Tony, you had your opportunity in '08. You're getting a second opportunity, against the same fighter -- which does not happen all the time when the first fight ends the way the first one does. And you're also a 40-year-old guy now.
Is there a little bit of a sense of desperation for you with the idea that there's a very good chance that if you don't get it this time this is probably your last shot?
Tony Thompson: It's not a little bit of chance, it's my last chance. To me my age is not really playing a big part. Yes, I'm (inaudible) guy being 40 years old you deal with some type of issues.
As far as boxing I feel good, man. You know, once I get healthy, totally healthy -- which I think I am close to -- my body feels good. I haven't been in a lot of wars (ph). Obviously, everybody knows I started fighting at 27 so I haven't been, you know, beat up on. I still can hold a good conversation. My head's still intact.
I realize not a lot of TV channels want to put me on -- on every channel for whatever reason. Doesn't matter why. It's just a reality of the situation.
The only way I can change that is to win.
Obviously, I've beaten the guys that are B talents. I've beaten those guys. And it's up to me to prove that I belong on an A talent level. And that's what this fight is about. I want to know and be on that level myself. I don't want to continue to be known as the best American heavyweight or a good B challenger, or anything like that. I want to take the next step to the championship level.
Q: I know that going into this fight there is a legal issue between your camp and -- and the promoter, Dan Goossen.
I'm wondering is it at all a problem in your mind or in your team's mind that while this fight is happening that he's suing you?
Tony Thompson: Dan can do what he wants. I don't even think about stuff like that. Dan’s supposed to be a buddy of mine (inaudible) they tell you what they want you to hear. Soon as they don't get their way they want to bring strife to your life in the terms of suing you (inaudible) like that.
But I'm not going to let that get in the way of what I have to accomplish. I have a job to accomplish. I'll let the lawyers work out the lawyers' stuff; I'll work out the boxing.
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