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August 10th, 2011
Keith Terceira
For the first time in his career, long before becoming IBF, WBA, and WBO lightweight champion Nate Campbell is pain free and healthy, ready to campaign at 135 again. The former title holder has recovered from an aggravating back injury that has plagued him for years and forced the Florida boxer to fight above his natural division the last several bouts.
Nate “The Galaxy Warrior” Campbell sat down with 8Countnews and spoke to us regarding his desire to campaign again in the lightweight division.
“I’m walking around now at 146 and for the first time in years I’ve been able to train hard in the gym. When my back was hurting I couldn’t do one pull-up and now I can do them like nothing, I’ll always have back issues but with my rehabilitation I’ve been able to improve dramatically and all I want to do now is fight.”
Campbell surprised us with comments regarding his bout with Victor Ortiz last May, when he lost a ten round decision.
“When I fought Ortiz it was less painful for me to take Victor’s punches than to move out of the way. I saw a left hand coming and I’ll never forget it, I said to myself it hurt so bad to get out of the way let me see what it feels like to take it. I took the shot right on the front of the forehead, Bing, I said man it didn’t hurt nowhere near as bad as it did to move I can take this all night, I just can’t take that movement all night. I could only fight north and south without pain, I couldn’t move east or west ..”
Campbell has always been a slick fighter who created things off his movement and angles, admits he went into all but his last fight without the full abilities he displayed in the past.
“I’ll fight anyone at 135, I’m going to bring it when I do. When I fought Danny Garcia I boxed him, I could move, I could go sideways. Unlike when I fought Ortiz and could only go forward and back. I’m in great shape. All those guys that say that Nate Campbell is washed up then go ahead and put your kids in with me. If you believe I’m so washed up then send me your undefeated kids, come on, send them on to me. I don’t care if I ever win the titles again I just want to fight and prove myself, and then we can talk titles again. I don’t blame anyone for my physical ailments; I stepped off the curb and hurt my back, simple as that. You know it’s serious when you don’t want to have sex. It’s serious when your back is so messed up it hurts to get some, when even that is a strain on you.”
We discussed the likelihood of Campbell being considered a gate keeper.
“No , no , no . Gatekeepers don’t move forward, I don’t believe in gatekeepers. That’s a term that someone made up to make it ok to rob someone. I’m going to go back to what I love to do, hit someone in the face, hit someone in the body. I feel really good at 135; I have love handles at 146. I told my mother that I had love handles and need to lose ten pounds and she said “yeh then you won’t be fat.”
Campbell understands that he may have to claw his way back to where he was, and understands that to do so he may have to give up some advantages he had in the past.
“I’ll go anywhere, at any time to fight someone. I’ll fight them in their front yard, backyard, their living room, in the kitchen. I’ll travel anywhere. We can even do it on the cheap. Not to cheap but on the cheap. I‘ll take anyone on in the 135 division.”
What was unmistakable was the hunger in Campbell’s voice, a return to the old “Galaxy Warrior” that entertained fans for the last decade. Gone is the anger created from the Guzman debacle that financially crushed the former champion. That anger has been replaced with the confidence of old, the drive that Campbell displayed for the last eleven years.
“If it wasn’t hard I couldn’t do it. If it was easy I’d have a hard time with it. I feel good man; I didn’t want to put it out there I was healthy, until I was healthy again. I’ve been fighting to get healthy and it feels so good. I can do squats again; I can lift my weights again. I’ve run my daughter in a footrace, which is something I couldn’t do, and my daughter is a world class athlete. Take off running behind her in the street, something I haven’t been able to do in years. I am so blessed to be pain free again. I’m not calling out any champions yet but give me one or two fights and let me shake up 135 division then we’ll see.
Make no mistake, given the chance, a healthy Nate Campbell can create havoc once again in the lightweight division.
Keith Terceira
For the first time in his career, long before becoming IBF, WBA, and WBO lightweight champion Nate Campbell is pain free and healthy, ready to campaign at 135 again. The former title holder has recovered from an aggravating back injury that has plagued him for years and forced the Florida boxer to fight above his natural division the last several bouts.
Nate “The Galaxy Warrior” Campbell sat down with 8Countnews and spoke to us regarding his desire to campaign again in the lightweight division.
“I’m walking around now at 146 and for the first time in years I’ve been able to train hard in the gym. When my back was hurting I couldn’t do one pull-up and now I can do them like nothing, I’ll always have back issues but with my rehabilitation I’ve been able to improve dramatically and all I want to do now is fight.”
Campbell surprised us with comments regarding his bout with Victor Ortiz last May, when he lost a ten round decision.
“When I fought Ortiz it was less painful for me to take Victor’s punches than to move out of the way. I saw a left hand coming and I’ll never forget it, I said to myself it hurt so bad to get out of the way let me see what it feels like to take it. I took the shot right on the front of the forehead, Bing, I said man it didn’t hurt nowhere near as bad as it did to move I can take this all night, I just can’t take that movement all night. I could only fight north and south without pain, I couldn’t move east or west ..”
Campbell has always been a slick fighter who created things off his movement and angles, admits he went into all but his last fight without the full abilities he displayed in the past.
“I’ll fight anyone at 135, I’m going to bring it when I do. When I fought Danny Garcia I boxed him, I could move, I could go sideways. Unlike when I fought Ortiz and could only go forward and back. I’m in great shape. All those guys that say that Nate Campbell is washed up then go ahead and put your kids in with me. If you believe I’m so washed up then send me your undefeated kids, come on, send them on to me. I don’t care if I ever win the titles again I just want to fight and prove myself, and then we can talk titles again. I don’t blame anyone for my physical ailments; I stepped off the curb and hurt my back, simple as that. You know it’s serious when you don’t want to have sex. It’s serious when your back is so messed up it hurts to get some, when even that is a strain on you.”
We discussed the likelihood of Campbell being considered a gate keeper.
“No , no , no . Gatekeepers don’t move forward, I don’t believe in gatekeepers. That’s a term that someone made up to make it ok to rob someone. I’m going to go back to what I love to do, hit someone in the face, hit someone in the body. I feel really good at 135; I have love handles at 146. I told my mother that I had love handles and need to lose ten pounds and she said “yeh then you won’t be fat.”
Campbell understands that he may have to claw his way back to where he was, and understands that to do so he may have to give up some advantages he had in the past.
“I’ll go anywhere, at any time to fight someone. I’ll fight them in their front yard, backyard, their living room, in the kitchen. I’ll travel anywhere. We can even do it on the cheap. Not to cheap but on the cheap. I‘ll take anyone on in the 135 division.”
What was unmistakable was the hunger in Campbell’s voice, a return to the old “Galaxy Warrior” that entertained fans for the last decade. Gone is the anger created from the Guzman debacle that financially crushed the former champion. That anger has been replaced with the confidence of old, the drive that Campbell displayed for the last eleven years.
“If it wasn’t hard I couldn’t do it. If it was easy I’d have a hard time with it. I feel good man; I didn’t want to put it out there I was healthy, until I was healthy again. I’ve been fighting to get healthy and it feels so good. I can do squats again; I can lift my weights again. I’ve run my daughter in a footrace, which is something I couldn’t do, and my daughter is a world class athlete. Take off running behind her in the street, something I haven’t been able to do in years. I am so blessed to be pain free again. I’m not calling out any champions yet but give me one or two fights and let me shake up 135 division then we’ll see.
Make no mistake, given the chance, a healthy Nate Campbell can create havoc once again in the lightweight division.
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