"I'm looking for Vitali to be aggressive behind a good jab and try to find a home for that right hand. Adamek is a very basic fighter. He comes on early, but the longer the rounds go, the more he settles down and becomes able to be hit. And Vitali will hit him, so we're looking to establish a good jab and control his movement and probably put it on his chest and shoulders to slow him down. Once he [Adamek] slows down where he [Vitali] could land his right hand, Vitali will get him out of there in the 9th or 10th round. I don't expect this fight to go the distance," stated highly regarded trainer James Ali Bashir, who talked about WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko and his upcoming title defense against Tomasz Adamek. You don't want to miss what else he had to say about his work with both Klitschko brothers and much more. Check it out!
PC: How is everything going, man?
JAB: Everything is going well. I'm very optimistic about the future and I'm very happy about that.
PC: You recently picked up a big win with Monte Barrett. He defeated David Tua in hostile territory...
JAB: (Cutting in) It was a big win because he had to go into hostile territory to do it and nobody really gave him a chance; not even people here in the States. He was able to go in there and upset a still very dangerous fighter in David Tua, so he was able to go over there and upset him.
PC: What did you think of his overall performance?
JAB: I would rate him a B+ because I felt that he could do better, but I understood why he fought the fight a little more cautious than what I would have had him doing; I understood why. He was in hostile territory and any mistakes he made, they would have used it against him, so I understood that, but I felt that he could have opened up a little more and did more damage to David. But he fought a very technical fight. He fought the fight to win, but I feel if he would have stepped up a little more, he could have stopped David. David was ready to go. He was frustrated and Monte was making him miss. I felt he could have stopped him, but again, I did understand why he fought the way he fought because he couldn't afford to make any mistakes like he did in the last round when he got knocked down. He got a fractured jaw too. Nobody knows that, but he got his jaw broken. Right now, his jaw is wired shut because of those left hooks. David was able to get through with those left hooks occasionally, but the times he got through, it was clean and they were dangerous shots.
PC: Any left hook from David Tua is a dangerous shot.
JAB: Yeah! And he also has a highly underrated right hand too.
PC: I'm sure you have been heavily involved in Vitali Klitschko's camp. He is preparing for Tomasz Adamek. What are some of the things you guys are looking to accomplish in that fight?
JAB: I'm looking for Vitali to be aggressive behind a good jab and try to find a home for that right hand. Adamek is a very basic fighter. He comes on early, but the longer the rounds go, the more he settles down and becomes able to be hit. And Vitali will hit him, so we're looking to establish a good jab and control his movement and probably put it on his chest and shoulders to slow him down. Once he [Adamek] slows down where he [Vitali] could land his right hand, Vitali will get him out of there in the 9th or 10th round. I don't expect this fight to go the distance.
PC: You were in Wladimir's corner for the David Haye fight. Haye talked more than he fought and the fight wasn't as exciting as people thought it would be. What did you take away from that fight and what are Wladimir's plans for the future?
JAB: Right now, it's up in the air because he has so many belts. Some organizations have mandatories and some are giving him a freebie. When you win the title, you can choose anybody. I know Emanuel's preference is to fight Arreola. Emanuel wants that fight with Arreola. This is the fight that Emanuel thinks makes sense at the time, so if Arreola wants the fight, he will probably be next. I know there are a couple of guys out there that we would like to get in, like Arreola, Tyson Fury, and Derek Chisora is out the picture now because he lost to Fury. It's a gimmie, so it's up in the air.
PC: James Toney is always calling out the Klitschkos and says he is the guy to beat them. Is he a fight that would interest you guys?
JAB: I just don't know. James Toney is just not a big draw. There is no demand for that fight. I think both of the Klitschkos beats him easily; easily. Here is a guy that was beaten by Samuel Peter a few fights ago. There is just no mystery to it. I don't think the public would even want that fight. There are boxing people that might want that fight, but the public don't want that fight.
PC: You were around when Muhammad Ali was in his prime; even the contender's back then were a serious threat. Do you think the Klitschko Brothers are on the verge of cleaning out the heavyweight division?
JAB: I see all of the criticism that comes along. When I come back home and I see a lot of my friends and all of the fans, the first thing they say is, "You know those guys can be beat." My answer to that criticism is, "Get somebody to beat them." It's not their fault that they are tough. They say they are boring, well, get somebody that can make them look exciting. Styles make fights, so I'm sure if there is somebody out there that can bring it to them and make them look exciting, they will be exciting, but it's not their problem. The same could be said about Muhammad Ali, the same could be said about Larry Holmes, and the same could be said about Mike Tyson. I mean, it's an era where they are dominant and controlling things. These guys are workaholics, number one. The guy that is going to beat them is going to have to be somewhat of a machine because these guys work hard. They are like a consistent heartbeat; boom-boom, boom-boom. Nothing ever changes. If they say at 8 in the morning, they are there at 8. If they say 5 in the afternoon, they are there at 5. If they say they are gonna do 12 rounds, they gonna do 12 rounds. If they say they gonna do 5, they gonna do 5. These guys are the consummate professionals. They don't play and the people that are going to beat them...it's going to take more than skills; it's going to take a mentality to beat them. You gotta prepare to deal with a mentality, not just a fighting style. When preparing a fighter, I don't prepare a fighter just to fight a style. I prepare them to fight the mindset of that corner. I look at who is training the fighter and prepare them to not only fight a boxing style, but the mentality of the corner. If you're going against a Freddie Roach, an Emanuel Steward, or a Dundee, if you're going against any of the top guys out there, you gotta prepare your fighter to fight the mentality of the corner. My thinking is, what would the corner do? Those are the pros and cons of winning and losing and I believe it makes the difference in winning and losing. Those are the little adjustments that you have to make. That's the thing with the Klitschkos; it's going to take more than just a guy to come into a fight against them in shape to beat them. These guys are doctors. They know how to get in shape, they know how to lose the weight, they know how to measure their body fat; they know all of those things. You got boxers that are doctors. Who would have ever thought you would see that in boxing.
PC: That's crazy, right?
JAB: That's crazy, right (laughing). And Percy, not only do they know how to do all of these things, they know when to apply this stuff. They know when to take the weight off, when to put the weight on, what nourishment and nutrients they need. You are fighting two guys that are professionals and they are doctors.
PC: And neither one of them are spring chickens. I'm sure their educational background in the medical field has helped their longevity as well.
JAB: When have you ever seen any of them out of shape? They come to the ring and they are always physically fit because these guys are consummate professionals. I try to pass this knowledge, and I'm thankful to have been there with these guys for all of these years, but I try to pass this knowledge on to other guys and they tell me I'm crazy. I tell them, "No, this is what it takes to be on top." That's why these guys have been on top for so long because they are so disciplined in their work ethic.
PC: You guys have another older fighter on the horizon that treats his body like a temple and that's Bernard Hopkins. Chad Dawson has his hands fu...
JAB: (Cutting in) That's right. That's right. I tell everybody, "You do not prepare to beat Bernard Hopkins by looking at his physical attributes. His physical attributes defines logic. You have to try to beat him according to his mentality." You have to try to find something in his social makeup to hang your hat on and that's what you go after. You can't go in trying to overcome his boxing knowledge because it's not gonna happen. You need to find something in his social makeup to hang your hat on and that's how you win. This guy is on top and he's just like a young guy because he's so disciplined. These young fighters today don't have discipline. That's why they can't win.
PC: As a trainer who was around back when Ali was fighting in his prime, how frustrating is it to deal with these young fighters that truly don't understand or get what discipline and hard work is and they don't treat their craft like their job?
JAB: Ah, for instance, I raised a young man and I had him since he was 13 years old and I just got fed up with him and his work ethic; that's Maurice Harris. Very gifted athlete, very gifted athlete, but he just didn't have the work ethic, so I walked away from it. This here is a guy that had it all. Eyes, reflexes, speed, and he could do anything, you know? But he just did not have the work ethic. And that can be applied to another young man who reminds me a lot of Maurice Harris both in his boxing style and his work ethic, and that's Vernon Paris. That kid got skills out the gazoo, but his out of the ring habits is what's holding him back. He's not going to go to the Superbowl until he can change those habits, and that's if he has time to do it. He's been stabbed twice and he has a bullet in him and he's undefeated. So you have to ask yourself, if this guy was really following the rules, what could he do?
PC: That window of opportunity closes really quickly when you're a boxer. You have to strike while the iron is hot.
JAB: They don't understand how quick the window of opportunity closes. You give me a guy that has will...and the old timers would tell boxers a long time ago, "If the boxer in the ring is not Muhammad Ali or Ray Robinson, then will beats skills." And then in some cases, Muhammad Ali and Ray Robinson were beaten by a guy that had more will on that particular night. So if you look at boxing for what it is, will beat skills. You get a guy that doesn't have a lot of skills, but he has that will, a la Joe Frazier. Look what Joe Frazier was able to do with will. He was able to beat guys that were far more gifted than him, but he had that will. In most cases, if you find that guy that has will, he can overcome a guy's skill set. It's sort of like the tortoise and the hare. Dealing with the Klitschkos, you got guys that have the will and the skill. In their own way, they have a lot of skill. They use a lot of European tactics, but they are skillfully applying those tactics and they are winning. You cannot argue with that.
PC: Yeah because at the end of the day, it's about fighting towards your strengths and your opponent's weaknesses.
JAB: That's right, and they are masters at that. They are very focused individuals. Their work ethic inside of training camp is very focused and it's going to take a mentality to beat them. These guys have been on top for a long time. Who would have ever thought that two brothers would dominate the heavyweight division? Not just fly by night champions, these guys are housing the titles. They are sitting on the titles. What are the prospects and the odds of that? That you would have two brothers sit on the heavyweight title for years and then on top of that, the odds that both of them would be doctors? And what are the odds of both of them being from Europe? Who could have ever dreamed of something like this happening?
PC: Sounds like a movie and a book in the making.
JAB: Yes. And I'm so thankful, whether it happens again or not, I'm so thankful that I will be able to say to my great great grandchildren that I was there and that I'm a part of history. These guys are a complete pleasure to work with. They are nice guys, they are respectable guys, and a lot of times, Emanuel has his hands full. He has a lot of fighters and he has a lot of things going on with HBO and a lot of times, I have been given my own space to work with the heavyweight champion. Emanuel will have to leave and I take over and it's just like Emanuel was still there because whatever I tell this man to do or ask this man to do, he has never not one time disrespected me, told me to go to hell, I'm not doing that, or that's too much, man, or I can't do that. Not one time in the 7 years that I have been with this man has he talked to me disrespectfully. He has never said no to nothing I was telling him to do. Anything that I have asked him to do, he did readily. It is a pleasure to work with this kind of mentality. These guys can teach a lesson in humility and discipline to a lot of boxers and respect by just observing these two men. So yes, I would be able to tell my grandchildren years from now that I worked with the Klitschko Brothers and they were a breath of fresh air.
PC: I appreciate your time. I look forward to having you on the site a lot more. I've heard nothing but good about you.
JAB: I'm glad that you have only heard good about me because I try to make my mother proud; even in her death, I try to make her proud so that she can say, "My son did this and that." I never wanted anyone to say anything bad about me, so if people are talking good about me, I thank my mother.
[ Follow Percy Crawford on Twitter @MrLouis1ana ]