"Bute is a very skilled and smart fighter, but I know that I'm very determined and I have a lot of skill I've been using the last 5 years or so, and I'm looking forward to using those skills November 5th. I've been watching myself the last 5 years and the one thing I've been doing is giving a great effort, but I have taken a step back in the boxing aspect, so we're focusing on myself now and not Bute...It's certainly a challenge and it's a tough thing to do, but it's the situation we are given and we can't cry about it. I've built my career on fighting in not perfect situations. Bute is the driver and I'm the passenger. We are going to stay focused on what we have to do and not worry about the judges," stated former light heavyweight champion Glen Johnson as he talked about his upcoming November 5 clash with IBF super middleweight champion Lucian Bute. Check it out!
DK: Glen, how's training camp going?
GJ: Training camp is going real good. We're exactly where we want to be. We're feeling good and looking forward to the fight.
DK: You are training out of Thump Boxing Gym and that's where Bute usually trains when he's getting ready for a fight. He has relocated to Palm Beach Boxing Club. Is that a bit of gamemanship on your end?
GJ: Not necessarily. For me, it's business as usual. I was at Thump before Bute started training there. I didn't expect it to play out any differently. I heard he bought a place up there anyway, so I don't expect he would drive to South Miami.
DK: Without trying to give too much away, what are some of the things you see in Bute that you might be able to expose?
GJ: Bute is a very skilled and smart fighter, but I know that I'm very determined and I have a lot of skill I've been using the last 5 years or so, and I'm looking forward to using those skills November 5th. I've been watching myself the last 5 years and the one thing I've been doing is giving a great effort, but I have taken a step back in the boxing aspect, so we're focusing on myself now and not Bute. At the same time, we're focusing on things Bute does, but we first need to fix what we believe is broken as a fighter that I've failed to do in the last few years.
DK: Are you worried about traveling to Canada and getting a decision?
GJ: It's certainly a challenge and it's a tough thing to do, but it's the situation we are given and we can't cry about it. I've built my career on fighting in not perfect situations. Bute is the driver and I'm the passenger. We are going to stay focused on what we have to do and not worry about the judges. This is the perfect situation for us in our minds.
DK: What are your thoughts on Ward vs. Froch being postponed?
GJ: Unfortunealty, these are the things we face in boxing. It's not a team sport where if somebody gets hurt, the schedule goes on the same. In boxing, you can't go on. I'm disappointed it was postponed because it's a fight I'm excited about. I just hope, and I don't think it is, but hopefully it's not something to just push the fight back.
DK: Does that happen often where a fight is postponed due to a "fake" injury?
GJ: It doesn't happen often. That's one of the things in training camp, you have to be really careful, and I don't think it happened here. But it does happen. It's just a shame that we have to wait because it's going to be a great match-up and hopefully they can get it scheduled early next year.
DK: Any final thoughts, Glen?
GJ: I'm very happy for the boxing fans because they are the big supporters that put food on our table. I'm very thankful for the opportunity to fight for a world title and bring it back, not just to the state of Florida, but to the country.
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