Firstly you will be fighting Glen Johnson on 5 February. It has the makings of a very good fight. How do you see it?
Yeah I think it will be a great fight both of us know this is it, Glen knows it’s his last chance and I know if I lose I will have thrown away 2 years of hard work and I ain’t going to let that happen. There are a lot of people saying that Glen is past his best and all that but I just think Chad was smarter with him last time and used his boxing skills more than standing with him. The styles make for a good fight he is a come forward fighter and I am a counter puncher, so they tend to make good crowd pleasers. I have worked too hard and not cut any corners I will have just too much for him.
He’s obviously a former world champion with bags of experience but a win will set up a world title fight for you. How hungry do you feel for this fight?
Starving, I have trained hard and made the sacrifices of leaving my family, Glen is going to feel how hungry I am on Friday night.
Can you tell us about your team, who is your manager, your trainer and promoter. Also where you are training for this fight?
I train up in the mountains in a place called Lake Arrowhead near Big Bear, at the Talon Boxing camp, it is perfect for getting ready for a fight no distractions, the gym is private so me and my trainer John Tandy (JT) get no distractions, we had Prince Badi and Kris Andrews up here for sparring but I also spar down in LA, either at Goossens, Wildcard or Fortunes and have had quality sparring from people like Edison Miranda as well. JT has been my trainer for 5 fights now and we are undefeated together, he has changed my whole approach to boxing, we work well together and he has got me into the shape I need to be for a fight like this. My managers are Rory Donadio and Greg Cipriano, they have both been like fathers to me and supported me in getting this far both financially and emotionally. Rory brought JT in after the Andrade loss and things have been perfect since then, I have beaten some of the best opponents of my career and am now looking to fight one of the best guys out there and go on to win a major belt, then start collecting them. My promoter is Lou Dibella, who with Rory and Greg quickly got our fight on another card after the Mosley v Berto card was canceled, also new members of my team are the Armstrong Performance and Treament center, they have been looking after me in regard ensuring my body can take the pounding of hard training. I wouldn’t be where I am now without all these guys and I am thankful to have such a great team supporting me.
Your now fighting up at 175 and have done for your last five fights. How much better do you feel fighting at Light Heavyweight than you did in your Super Middleweight?
So much better, I remember when I first met JT he took one look at me and was like how the hell have you been making super middleweight, I was like 196lbs and there was hardly any fat on me, I used to burn down from like 190+ to 168lbs in the last week, now my preparation is much better I have an on site nutritionist Michele Tandy (JT’s Wife) and she starts bringing my weight down slowly from the start of camp, by the end I am only losing 4-5 pounds in the last week and I feel so much stronger. I am 5-0 at light heavy so that tells the story as well.
Can you tell us about your younger days and how it took you into Boxing?
My dad and first trainer Bus (Percy Custus) got me into it, I remember being 7 years old when I first went into the gym, I remember my first sparring session and this bigger kid hit me in the body and I went down and thought to hell with this, but i went back and eventually kicked the kids ass, I had a successful amateur career then went on to turn pro.
Can you tell us about your amateur career what titles you won and what your final record was?
I was 40-7 I won two Golden Gloves 97 & 98 and a lot of Philly State tournaments, I lost to Jeff Lacy in the finals of the nationals in 2000 and turned pro
You just turned 30 which is still young in the Light Heavyweight division with Hopkins, Roy Jones Jnr, Tarver & Johnson all in there 40’s. Do you think that your maturing as a fighter and entering your prime now?
Yes I think I am in my prime now, I think the heavier guys mature a little later, so I am still relatively young in comparison to those guys, those guys have had their time now and now it is guys like myself, Chad, Cloud etc who are going to take over the division.
What goals do you have in Boxing?
To be a world champion, I want all the belts and I want to be remembered as a great, all the best fighters have lost at some point in their careers it is how you come back from those losses that make you a champion, I lost two fights and it was hard, but I made changes in my life and learned from them and never want to feel what it is like to lose ever again. I also promised JT the WBC belt, so after I get the IBF I will be coming for Pascal or whoever the champion may be then.
Who was your hero growing up?
Evander Holyfield, he was and still is a true warrior
Who is your toughest opponent that you’ve fought so far in either the pro’s or amateur’s?
People may be surprised by this but I think Richie Grant when I was fighting for the USBA at super middleweight, I have fought all my best opponents at light heavyweight Chris Henry and guys like that but I was in great shape for those fights, I fought Henry pretty much with one arm after dislocating my elbow in the 2nd round, my trainer actually clicked it back in between rounds, so that was a tough fight, but Grant was very awkward and no matter what I hit him with he kept coming.
Finally do you have a message for Glen Johnson ahead of your fight with him?
I am coming for you Glen you better be in shape and you better not be looking past me or you will get a big shock, you haven’t seen a fighter like me before I respect you and I have always liked you as a fighter and I am sorry that it has to be me that ends you career, you have had you time at the top, move aside the Mack Attack is coming.
Good luck on the 5 February Yusaf.
Thanks appreciated, make sure you tune in
