“Chris Eppleey is a very good opponent. I have a lot of respect for him. For this training camp, preparation went very well. My trainer and I have great chemistry and he’s showing different techniques that I will show everybody on fight night...It’s a very competitive division with a lot of talent. There are 4 titles and 4 titleholders, so it’s a very competitive division. My hope is that one day I will move up the ranks soon enough to challenge one of the belt holders,” stated rising light heavyweight Fanlong Meng, who talked about his upcoming clash with Chris Eppleey. Check it out!
PC: Your alias is “Cold Blood,” so I have to ask where does that come from?
FM: It’s from TV. When I was a kid, I was watching a Chinese TV series and “Cold Blood” is from there.
PC: Tonight, you will be facing Chris Eppley. How did training go for this fight?
FM: Chris Eppleey is a very good opponent. I have a lot of respect for him. For this training camp, preparation went very well. My trainer and I have great chemistry and he’s showing different techniques that I will show everybody on fight night.
PC: The uppercut knockout against Daniel Judah in 2016 went viral and made a lot of people take notice. During the sequence before the knockout, you showed a variety of punches. Is that what we can expect from you, a wide range of punches and some good punching power?
FM: Yes, you can say that because I vary my punches. I go up and down, left to right, and I change my angles.
PC: Eppley has 11 wins and 10 of those wins are by knockout, so obviously he can punch. Have you watched a ton of footage on him to see how he is setting up these knockouts?
FM: My trainer watched his video and he made specific adjustments accordingly in the gym, so I am very confident. All I need to do is concentrate on my part.
PC: You captured the IBF regional title in your last fight by defeating the 28-1 Emmanuel Daso in only your 11th fight as a pro. How do you plan to build off of that great performance?
FM: My last fight was a great fight which got me the IBF International title. That fight was a great experience for me. I accumulated a lot of experience and I know how to calm myself down and when to do it.
PC: Not only are you skillful, but you are a southpaw and sometimes southpaws have a difficult time securing fights. Is this something you see as problematic in the near future?
FM: Right now, I don’t see any sign of securing opponents. My promoter, Roc Nation, is doing a good job of looking for opponents. Right now, there is no difficulty and they are doing their work.
PC: What are your thoughts on the landscape of the light heavyweight division right now?
FM: It’s a very competitive division with a lot of talent. There are 4 titles and 4 titleholders, so it’s a very competitive division. My hope is that one day I will move up the ranks soon enough to challenge one of the belt holders.
PC: You were able to represent China in the 2012 Olympics and I know one of your main goals as a professional is to be the face of Chinese boxing. What do you feel needs to be done to accomplish this?
FM: The only thing I can do right now is train hard, work hard in the gym, and fight regularly; one day win a title and that’s the only way I can make everyone in China proud and I could be the face of boxing in China. It means too much for me to capture that fan base. If I can get that fan base and that market going, that’s my dream. I would like to be a promoter in boxing, and not a promoter that promotes the fights, but an ambassador that promotes the entire sport of professional boxing. I try to get a lot of people involved in professional boxing to become fighters. I do that as much as possible.
PC: What are you looking to showcase on July 20th? What have you been working on that you hope translates into the ring?
FM: I want to show everyone a different “Cold Blood.” I have been working on different strategies and kind of a different style and I really like it. By the time I get in the ring, everybody will see what happens.
PC: I appreciate the time, good luck on tonight, and hopefully we could catch up afterwards. Is there anything else you want to add before I let you go?
FM: I appreciate the opportunity that you gave me to be on a call with you. I will do better and better in my fights because I will work harder and harder and everybody just stay tuned!
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