by Bryce Wilson: Undefeated Polish heavyweight 11(9)-0 is soon headed down under with fellow stable mate Joseph Parker to fight Junior Pati 10(6)-21 on Parker’s undercard taking place on June 13th in Palmerston North, New Zealand.
It has been an interesting 12 months for Izu, transitioning from life as a former professional kick boxer to the paid ranks of boxing. In a relatively unique situation Izu has joined forces with Kevin Barry who now has not one but two up-and-coming heavyweights on his hands. At first glance this may seem like a conflict of interest for all involved but on closer inspection it makes perfect sense. Izu and Joseph both regularly mention how hard they push each other in gruelling training sessions and most importantly it means they have quality sparring on tap.
On the training front Izu has just returned from a tough camp and the steepest of steep learning curves that comes from serving as one of Wladimir Klitschko’s chief sparring partners.
We sat down to get his thoughts on that camp, how he felt Jennings performed against Wladimir, what if any new tricks and tips he picked up from working with the champion and what he hopes to achieve in the rest of the year.
BN: You are due to fight Junior Pati; this is going to be your first 8 rounder. Do you want rounds or do you want a knockout?
Izu: That’s an in interesting question. I want to be ready for 8 rounds, in fact I know I’m ready for 10 rounds. But if the fight goes quick it goes quick. This is more about me knowing I’m mentally ready to fight 8 rounds.
BN: Rounds are good but on the other hand knockouts are what make people sit up and take notice.
Izu: It’s not something you can plan. I’ll be ready for an 8 round fight, but we’ve been working so hard on strategy, technique and sparring lots of rounds with Joseph (Parker) and going very hard.
BN: Have you seen any tape on Pati?
IU: Yes we’ve seen him a couple of times, I think Joe may have even sparred him. At 5 foot 11 what can he do? It’s all about controlling the distance. Maybe he’ll be jumping in trying to swing some shots but that’s about the only option he has. He can’t box me from the outside. You need to know what to do with short fighters.
BN: I it’s something Kevin Barry likes to drill into his fighters, controlling the distance and throwing hard shots to the body.
Izu: Well if you control the distance you control the fight. Even if you are the same size as your opponent as long as you control the distance you can go in when you want to and you go out when you want to and that’s how you get things done. It makes things so much easier.
BN: Does that also mean being on the front foot as often as possible? And does Kevin like you to get your shots off before your opponent, so not so much a countering style but more offense based?
Izu: Yeah once again it’s all about taking control, we don’t wait. Be first, always be first, which can little get bit rough at times when me and Joe get in the ring (laughs.) It makes the sparring a bit more difficult but the fights much easier
BN: Just going back a moment to the end of that training camp with Klitschko and I remember you said something g really interesting. You said Klitschko could come in and knock out Jennings in 4 or 5 rounds but you also said that Jennings could surprise people and put in a real effort. What was your take on that having watched the fight?
Izu: Y’know people were so convinced that Klitschko was gonna take him out in 5 or 6 rounds but I actually believed that while Jennings wasn’t going to win he was going to give it a decent effort. You’ve got to believe in yourself and if you do so you give yourself a chance to win.
BN: At times he made Wlad look human.
Izu: Everyone out there is beatable. Top 10, top 5, top 3. Everyone. It’s about keeping your mind open that anything is possible.
BN: Are you guys swimming now? And is that something you took away from the Klitschko camp or were you thinking about doing it for a while?
Izu: Yes we have started swimming and I wouldn’t lie to you it was at the Klitschko camp that we started thinking about it.
BN: I saw an interesting interview with Alex Ariza once and he said he liked his fighters swimming because it helps them regulate their breath when their bodies are under stress during a fight.
Izu: You know what? You can’t fake it in water, unless you want to drink water or drown! Breathing becomes the better way to help your swimming. We would have to do so much more roadwork to make the same impact.
BN: And you’ve noticed the benefits when you’re boxing in the afternoon after swimming in the morning?
Izu: Yes, we see it from day to day. It’s also good just to change up things. We’re just giving it a try. At the moment the goal is swimming at the Olympics 2016 (laughs.)
BN: Joseph (Parker) mentioned that you guys ran into Tyson at the pool other day.
Izu: Yeah it was great. We had just finished our workout and were sitting down for a smoothie and I turned to Joe and said ‘Joe there’s Mike Tyson.’
BN: Does he still have that kind of charisma, that aura?
IU: For sure, there is something about him. On one hand he doesn’t want to be noticed but you still sense the power.
BN: I know you were able to attend the Mayweather/Pacquiao fight. What was your take on the fight?
Izu: I thought the fight was interesting but I wasn’t surprised about anything. Mayweather showed the kind of great champion that he is and it’s also a lot to do with the boxing IQ. Manny is a great fighter basing things on his instincts but Floyd has so much more, his IQ is so high. He knows when to steal rounds, when to step it up, when to go in. That’s a different level.
BN: It’s quite interesting that you make the distinction between boxing instinct and boxing IQ. They’re different things aren’t they?
Izu: Yeah they are. Under instinct you do certain things and that’s good, there is a lot of good about it but you can’t adjust as much. You can’t change your game plan from round to round. But I believe at the highest level it is the fighter with the boxing IQ that will win and I think that Lennox (Lewis) was also a fighter like that
.
BN: Getting back to your next fight in June, I know Kevin talks a lot about setting goals and you also talk a lot about setting goals. What are some specific goals for the rest of the year?
IU: I want to step up and fight 10 rounds, and that is where I can take off from. Endurance, control and discipline.
BN: Do you have a set number of fights barring injury after June?
IU: Yes, we’d like 2 more fights. Two 10 round fights after June.
BN: I guess for you coming out of 2 camps sparring with world champions in Stiverne and Klitschko plus the regular sparring with Joseph that now gives you the confidence and belief to start stepping it up?
IU: Yes and yes I am. It just doesn’t happen overnight but I’m sure in a couple of months we’ll be having a totally different conversation. All this work has been building up my mental strength and my confidence at the same time. And working with Joseph on an everyday basis there is no way that it isn’t going to make me better and better but I’m also on my own path.
BN: And maybe next year a fight in Poland?
IU: Yeah, that’s very possible, very possible and when you are ready then the opportunity will present itself. Timing is everything.
BN: Well I think with yourself, Joe and Jeff Horn fighting it should be a very interesting card in June and I’m sure there will be some knockouts.
IU: Hey we’ll try to bring the show!
Izu Ugonoh 11(9)-0 faces Junior Pati 10(6)-21-1 at Arena Manawatu, Palmerston North on June 13th. You can follow Izu on his instagram: instagram.com/izuugonoh
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