Contender to Calzaghe's Throne
The New Year will bring exciting match ups for British boxing fans, none more so than the Cinderella story, which sees Peter Manfredo Junior rise from being a beaten finalist in the million dollar television series The Contender, to challenge Joe Calzaghe, for his WBO Super-Middleweight title, at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, on April 7.
“I’m just happy for this opportunity, I think I’m ready for it. My last two fights have been great, I’m ready for the next step up which is to fight a guy like Joe Calzaghe, and to be the best, you’ve got to beat the best. He’s the best in the game right now at Super-Middleweight,” commented Manfredo Junior.
“Before the reality show I was 21 and 0 and NABO champion. I was working my way up to a big fight like this, and I took the show because it was a million dollar pay day, I think any fighter would have did it. Fighters don’t make a lot of money unless your in a calibre of a Joe Calzaghe or a De La Hoya or Jeff Lacy, we don’t make much money. So I seen an opportunity to make a million dollars, I went for the show.” added. Manfredo Junior
“Why did I go on the show, its so unrealistic to boxing, my performance on the show. We were living with the fighters, five rounds when I’m used to doing twelve. Challenges a day before the fight, when you can get injured. Weigh ins, hours before the fight, which is so unrealistic to this. I’m glad that I did that because people got to know who I was, but I’m also glad that Joe gave me this opportunity because people can see who I am as a fighter,” concluded Manfredo Junior.
Calzaghe ended the year by receiving Best Boxer of the Year in the British Boxing Board of Control annual awards and the Sportsman of the Year, as voted by the Sports Journalists’ Association of Great Britain, as the Welsh fighter made two successful defences of his title in 2006, after points victories over Jeff Lacy and Sakio Bika. Now, with an unbeaten professional fight record of forty two contests, he will be contesting his twentieth world championship fight.
“This will be my twentieth defence and I’m so close to making history and I can’t let any other fighter try and take away what’s going to be history for me. Especially fighting in front of my home fans in Cardiff, its going to be maybe the biggest boxing show that’s ever in Britain, and I’m going to make sure that I’m going to be in the best possible shape, and want to be as good a shape as I was in for the Lacy fight so its going to be a good fight. Peter’s going to fight his heart out, styles make fights, I like the way he fights, his exciting, I’m an exciting fighter and the fans going to be in for a treat,” said Calzaghe
Audley Harrison can next be seen in action on February 17, when he tops the bill at Wembley Arena, and promoter Frank Warren is confident of putting together a world title fight for the 2000 Olympic Super-Heavyweight Champion, who has his eyes on the biggest prize in sport.
“I think it would be good for Britain to have a heavyweight champion and after the Olympics I set that goal and I believed in it. Its been a long road but I’m going forward and I’m really going to give it my best shot, and I honestly believe I’ve got the skills and tools to be a champ,” said Harrison.
The perfect opponent for Harrison would be Vladimir Klitschko, which would be an ideal fighter to face, from the current crop of Heavyweight Champions.
“I’d prefer the best one, who I think is the best one or is regarded as the best one which is Vladimir. The reason why because of the appeal of him being the Olympic Gold medal list, number one. I think the fact that he has boxed Calvin Brock and Samuel Peter, who were both with me in Sydney, number two because there is a benchmark there, and I believe as a Gold medal list one to another, I think that’s a huge fight.”
“I’m just happy for this opportunity, I think I’m ready for it. My last two fights have been great, I’m ready for the next step up which is to fight a guy like Joe Calzaghe, and to be the best, you’ve got to beat the best. He’s the best in the game right now at Super-Middleweight,” commented Manfredo Junior.
“Before the reality show I was 21 and 0 and NABO champion. I was working my way up to a big fight like this, and I took the show because it was a million dollar pay day, I think any fighter would have did it. Fighters don’t make a lot of money unless your in a calibre of a Joe Calzaghe or a De La Hoya or Jeff Lacy, we don’t make much money. So I seen an opportunity to make a million dollars, I went for the show.” added. Manfredo Junior
“Why did I go on the show, its so unrealistic to boxing, my performance on the show. We were living with the fighters, five rounds when I’m used to doing twelve. Challenges a day before the fight, when you can get injured. Weigh ins, hours before the fight, which is so unrealistic to this. I’m glad that I did that because people got to know who I was, but I’m also glad that Joe gave me this opportunity because people can see who I am as a fighter,” concluded Manfredo Junior.
Calzaghe ended the year by receiving Best Boxer of the Year in the British Boxing Board of Control annual awards and the Sportsman of the Year, as voted by the Sports Journalists’ Association of Great Britain, as the Welsh fighter made two successful defences of his title in 2006, after points victories over Jeff Lacy and Sakio Bika. Now, with an unbeaten professional fight record of forty two contests, he will be contesting his twentieth world championship fight.
“This will be my twentieth defence and I’m so close to making history and I can’t let any other fighter try and take away what’s going to be history for me. Especially fighting in front of my home fans in Cardiff, its going to be maybe the biggest boxing show that’s ever in Britain, and I’m going to make sure that I’m going to be in the best possible shape, and want to be as good a shape as I was in for the Lacy fight so its going to be a good fight. Peter’s going to fight his heart out, styles make fights, I like the way he fights, his exciting, I’m an exciting fighter and the fans going to be in for a treat,” said Calzaghe
Audley Harrison can next be seen in action on February 17, when he tops the bill at Wembley Arena, and promoter Frank Warren is confident of putting together a world title fight for the 2000 Olympic Super-Heavyweight Champion, who has his eyes on the biggest prize in sport.
“I think it would be good for Britain to have a heavyweight champion and after the Olympics I set that goal and I believed in it. Its been a long road but I’m going forward and I’m really going to give it my best shot, and I honestly believe I’ve got the skills and tools to be a champ,” said Harrison.
The perfect opponent for Harrison would be Vladimir Klitschko, which would be an ideal fighter to face, from the current crop of Heavyweight Champions.
“I’d prefer the best one, who I think is the best one or is regarded as the best one which is Vladimir. The reason why because of the appeal of him being the Olympic Gold medal list, number one. I think the fact that he has boxed Calvin Brock and Samuel Peter, who were both with me in Sydney, number two because there is a benchmark there, and I believe as a Gold medal list one to another, I think that’s a huge fight.”
posted by Robert Halter at 6:46 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home