"It gave me something to work towards and it inspired me. I was in there and I felt what it was like and I know the adjustments I have to make. I'm ready to step back in there. I had the opportunity to go work with Wladimir Klitschko in Austria for 3 weeks and it was just a wealth of knowledge over there and it took my game to a whole 'nother level. I'm just excited, man, to get back to work and to get back in the ring...It shows me I have to get it right in training. Klitschko goes to work and he's got all of these sparring partners and he's just running through them...It's right there, we touched it and we tasted it, and now we just want it all. We want to get back there and get back in the mix of things. We looking forward to stepping up to the challenges and earning our way back to that position," stated heavyweight contender Gerald Washington, who talked about his future plans and much more. Check it out!
PC: I haven't talked to you since the Wilder fight and although it was a defeat, I wanted to congratulate you on the effort. I think you gained more fans in defeat than any of your wins.
GW: Ah man, the whole experience was big time for me. It meant so much for my career. It gave me something to work towards and it inspired me. I was in there and I felt what it was like and I know the adjustments I have to make. I'm ready to step back in there. I had the opportunity to go work with Wladimir Klitschko in Austria for 3 weeks and it was just a wealth of knowledge over there and it took my game to a whole 'nother level. I'm just excited, man, to get back to work and to get back in the ring.
PC: You had to take away a lot from those two experiences. You gained the championship experience in the ring giving Deontay Wilder all he could handle and then turned around and got that same experience in camp training with one of the best heavyweights of this generation.
GW: It was crucial. It was so vital to where I'm at right now in my career. I had 10 fights as a kid, I came back, and I had 4 amateur fights and then I turned pro. So I'm constantly learning and learning on the job. I'm trying to navigate my way through this thing the best I can. I never turn down any opponent or any challenge. I take it head on because I know that I'm either going to get it done or I'm going to learn from it. Either way, I'm getting better and that's my approach to this game.
PC: I think every fighter believes they belong, but there has to be some doubt until you get in there and go through it. Now that you have been in there and felt it and know that you belong in there, mentally, how does that change your approach?
GW: Yeah, it changes it for sure. To be honest, I was in there surprised because I expected so much more. When you put yourself in front of those guys, it's like, "Okay, my stuff is good here too." You realize you can hang and once you get that lil confidence then you know what it is. I was a little anxious and excited and that's something that I'm going to work on; being a little more relaxed in there. I just gotta go in there and worry about my work because I'm very good defensively and it was just a moment. I mean one moment, man. I was defending the shots all the way through the fight and doing my thing and it was just one moment. But I learned that from the Klitschko camp. He fights from bell to bell. It's a constant battle whether it's getting in position or trying to get punches off he's always on you. He don't go away until the bell rings. That's how you gotta fight. You can't look for time to chill in there. It ain't no chilling in there you gotta fight from start to finish.
PC: How do you apply the experience from the Wilder fight and the experience from the camp with Klitschko to your game and your preparation for your fights?
GW: It shows me I have to get it right in training. Klitschko goes to work and he's got all of these sparring partners and he's just running through them. I was like, "Wow!" It was great to see. And their philosophy is you get better at boxing by boxing. He's in there putting in the rounds and putting in the work and I was like, "Whoa!" It was cool to see and step back and just check it out and see how he goes about it. He's not taking no days off just trying to get through training...nah, he was in great shape. He was working so good and it was real impressive to see and I'm glad I got to test that out.
PC: He went blow for blow with one of the perceived strongest guys in the division and the future of the sport and held it down. What did you think of the way the fight played out and the outcome?
GW: Wlad was able to get off and he went down and he got up and put Joshua down. The world saw it; he fought back and came back in that same round and that was impressive to me. We all know the power that he possesses and that one-two is quick. He was able to catch Joshua and Joshua showed me the same thing. He showed a lot of heart, determination, and will. He was able to elevate his game. He was able to step on the gas and he got Klitschko out of there and that was impressive to me. And the fact that he did it...we talk about me taking my world championship fight with little experience; he has great experience and all, but he fought a legend with only 18 fights and to get that outcome was tremendous.
PC: To see 90,000 people in Wembley Stadium before a guys 20th pro fight is telling to Anthony Joshua's star power, but also I think it's a sign of where the heavyweight division is trending too because you're starting to see fans and media excited about potential matchups again. It's exciting times to be a heavyweight.
GW: Yeah man, it's very exciting to see. It's definitely something boxing and the heavyweight division needed. Me and my team know we just gotta get a couple of key fights, put ourselves in position again, and we will be ready. It's right there, we touched it and we tasted it, and now we just want it all. We want to get back there and get back in the mix of things. We looking forward to stepping up to the challenges and earning our way back to that position.
PC: They definitely had me in the room bobbing and weaving and throwing punches. It was one of those types of fights, so I could only imagine you watching it as a player in the division.
GW: We were watching it with my trainer and we were jumping up and down in front of the TV and we shook the cable loose from the cable box to the TV. The TV went blank. We were freaking out because it happened right around the 5th round when Klitschko was starting to come back. We ran into the bedroom and turned that TV on and started watching it again back there. We was excited to watch that fight and I'm sure everybody watching it was the same way that we were. It was an action-packed fight. We got 11 rounds of action and that's exactly what we needed. Anthony Joshua is an exciting fighter and he is a superstar, as well as Klitschko. It's going to be great to see Deontay Wilder mix it up with him. That's what the world wants to see now. And then you got Joseph Parker. The heavyweights are back in sight now.
PC: Watching Anthony Joshua fight and being that you have actually been in the ring with Deontay Wilder, what's your take on how a potential Wilder-Joshua fight would play out? I know it's hard to say based on just being in there with one of them, but what is your take on that fight?
GW: It's hard to say that because it's all about the matchups and the styles. To me, when I got into the ring with Deontay Wilder and Wladimir Klitschko, it was like a different feel and a different animal. Then you see Anthony Joshua taking all of these right hands from Klitschko. We see that Anthony Joshua is able to get hit and Deontay Wilder lets his hands go. He's good for the one-two as well. So hey...you don't know. Anthony is a little more of a boxer than I think people realize. He'll get on his back leg and jab and let his one-two go from deep. I can't call it, man. It's hard to call fights like that, but it's right there for either one of them. The stronger, tougher, and more aggressive guy is Anthony Joshua. But you seen it and I felt it, Deontay Wilder got the power to do it. It only takes one shot. You see what happens when a heavyweight touches you, man. It don't take much.
PC: I see you in the gym working. Do you have any updates on what your next move may be?
GW: Yeah, I'm looking to fight some time in July. We trying to set it up and get busy. I'm in the gym right now just working on those things that I learned over there. I went over there with my notepad and I took notes. I wrote everything down and I just want to perfect everything. So now, my goal is to...I got a good jab; I'm trying to get a good right hand and a good left hook to go with it. Klitschko don't got a lot of tools, but the tools that he does have, he's perfected them. He has the great jab, that good right hand, and he just lets it go. He just lets it go in a split second. There are no signs of it or any wind up to it, he just fires it. That's what I'm working on right now, as well as a little bit of my footwork and my composure and just getting ready for the next one; that way when I go out there again, I show that I have gotten better and improved. I do that enough, maybe I can get back in there for another shot.
PC: I can't wait to see you back in there. I know you took a lot away from both experiences and I can't wait to see what you've learned on display again. Is there anything else you want to add before I let you go?
GW: Thank you! I appreciate it, man. We still working and we still grinding and on the rise.
[ Follow Percy Crawford on Twitter @MrLouis1ana ]