In only 10 days WBC world heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko and no. 1 contender Juan Carlos Gomez will finally meet at Hanns-Martin-Schleyer-Halle in Stuttgart, Germany. Gomez’ promoter Ahmet Öner thinks that this fight will help bringing heavyweight boxing back into the focus of public interest.
Mr. Öner, what do you think about the upcoming fight?
Öner: “It will be the best heavyweight fight in a long time. Finally one of the big champions, Vitali Klitschko, faces a real challenge in former cruiserweight titlist Juan Carlos Gomez. This will be no walk in the park for Vitali like his so called fight against Peter. I am pretty sure that all the fans at the venue will be delighted by an exciting showdown. And RTL (the TV station broadcasting the fight live in Germany) will most probably have one of their best ratings in the last years. Not long ago Klitschko’s manager Bernd Bönte said nobody would care about this fight. What a bulls**t. As things are heating up all Germany is waiting for Vitali and Juan to step into the ring. And I am convinced that this fight will have the quality to bring heavyweight boxing back onto the map. With this bout coming up and exciting fighters like Povetkin, Haye and Solis waiting in line the division will hopefully recover from years of boredom.”
How did Gomez’ preparation go from your point of view?
Öner: “I have never seen Juan this fired up and this focused in my life. I know him for quite a while now. We have been training together at the Universum gym when I was still a fighter. Juan has worked very hard to finally fulfil his great dream of becoming heavyweight champion of the world. And his whole team around head coach Orlando Cuellar has done a great job. Nobody should think that Juan is just going to Stuttgart for a big payday. He is going there to fight and win. He is determined and ambitious and he found his old speed again.”
Nevertheless he will go into the fight being the underdog…
Öner: “That’s true but we don’t have a problem with this. Lots of people – especially members of team Klitschko – think that they have already won this fight. They think the only question is whether Vitali will knock Juan out in five, six or eight rounds. And they are already planning the next steps. Let them talk about future fights. We don’t care. In fact, this might even be Juan’s big chance. I talked to lots of boxing experts in Germany and all over the world and although the odds are still against Juan I feel that the public opinion is changing. People recognize that Juan takes this fight very serious and that he will be well prepared. And nobody who really knows boxing questions his abilities. You must not forget that he held the cruiserweight title for four years. He has never lost an important fight. His sole loss was a fluke against Yanqui Diaz when he hadn’t trained but partied a lot instead. Vitali on the other has lost his world championship to a southpaw before when retiring against Chris Byrd… However, Vitali goes into the fight being the champion and the favourite.”
So what do you predict for March 21st?
Öner: “I really can’t say what will happen in the ring. Honestly I think the fight is too open to predict anything. I put the fight under the motto ‘MISSION: POSSIBLE’ because I truly believe that it is possible for Juan to take home a decision win and strip the belt from Vitali. In ten days we will all know…”
TERRANCE CRAWFORD: THE NEW HOT PROSPECT IN BOXING!!!!!!
UNDEFEATED LIGHTWEIGHT RETURNS ON MARCH 21ST IN CINCINNATI
Fresh off an outstanding unanimous decision win this past Saturday night in York, Pennsylvania, lightweight prospect Terrance Crawford will head to Cincinnati on Saturday, March 21st, as one of the feature bouts at “3 THE HARD WAY”, an outstanding evening of world class professional boxing at the U.S. Bank Arena, presented by TKO BOXING Promotions and TMAX Events.
“Terrance really impressed in York, it was his second time there and this time fans got a chance to see his full array of world class skills against Travis Hartman in the four round bout. We’ve got big plans for Terrance in 2009 and look forward to his quick return on March 21st in Cincinnati where the fans are in for a real treat” said Chet Koerner, President of TKO BOXING Promotions and creator of the highly regarded “HOMETOWN HEROES TO WORLD CHAMPIONS” national boxing series.
The 21 year old Crawford won a fast paced and aggressive four round decision over Hartman in York this past Saturday, raising his undefeated record to 6-0-0 (3KO’s). He turned pro after an outstanding amateur career in which he was a two time national champion.
Said award winning manager Cameron Dunkin, “The sky is the limit for Terrance. If he stays in gym and continues to develop he can become a world champion.. I want him to stay busy this year and fight often like just like others who became world champions that I’ve handled, Danny Romero, Diego Corrales, Kelly Pavlik and Steven Luevano.”
Details of Crawford’s bout in Cincinnati will be announced shortly.
Also featured at “3 THE HARD WAY” is 2000 Olympic Silver Medalist Ricardo Williams Jr., popular Cincinnati native Rashad Holloway, former amateur standout and pro debuting Ron Siler, two time Olympian and amateur phenom Rau’Shee Warren, Detroit middleweight James Countryman and Cincinnati favorites David Long and Jessie Carradine. (Rau’Shee Warren will be fighting as an amateur).
Advance tickets, priced at $82.75, $43.75 and $26.75, for “3 THE HARD WAY” can be purchased online through Ticketmaster at www.ticketmaster.com or by phone at 513-562-4949.
The U.S. Bank Arena is located at 100 Broadway St. in Cincinnati , adjacent to the Great American Ball Park . Doors will open on the evening of the event at 6:30pm with the first bell at 7:30pm. Further information on the U.S. Bank Arena can be found on their website at www.usbankarena.com.
Formed in early 2008, Chet Koerner’s Las Vegas based TKO BOXING Promotions stable includes; heavyweight Lenroy Thomas, super middleweight Joey Gilbert, middleweights Elvin Ayala, Albert Onolunose and James Countryman, junior middleweights Bastie Samir and Anthony Thompson, welterweight Juan Buendia and Raul Tovar, junior welterweights Jonathan Gover, Francisco Contreras and Hastings Bwayla, lightweights Rolando Reyes and Terrance Crawford, featherweights Matt Remillard, Carney Bowman, Delvin Plascencia, Rafael Lora and Maxwell Awaku, super bantamweights Rafael Valenzuela and Carlos Reyes.
Further information on TKO Boxing Promotions can be viewed at their newly remodeled website, www.tkoboxingpromotions.com
TC Howard and Max Brunis, highly successful Cincinnati businessmen, formed TMAX Events in 2008 to continuously bring world class professional boxing to area fans. Further information on TMAX Events is available at www.myspace/tmaxevents