11-02-2016, 10:53 AM
Joshua-Molina set: ‘Just watch me’ says Molina
By Przemek Garczarczyk
It’s official. Anthony Joshua (17-0, 17 KOs) is set to defend his IBF World Heavyweight title against Eric “The Drummer Boy” Molina (25-3, 19 KOs) at the Manchester Arena on December 10, live on Sky Sports Box Office in the UK and on Showtime in the U.S.
“When it comes to fighting Joshua, many of his opponents were done long before they stepped into ring,” said Molina “’He hits harder than Wilder!,’ he’s this, he’s that. They weren’t ready mentally for Joshua or not ready for the event. I’ve never had this kind of problem. I was slugging with Wilder in his home state, in Alabama. I was fighting Adamek in front of 15,000 fans in Poland. I proved my mental strength before, and I will prove it again in Manchester!”
In the last couple of weeks, we had many conversations about a possible Anthony Joshua bout. You were in, you were out…
…but I always believed that I’m the only logical choice after the Klitschko bout fell through. Even when there were media speculations about this or that name being a favorite, I believed that I will be the last man standing. What was the best in this “yes or no” scenario was a fact, that I was already training for weeks, trying to stay busy, putting together a local boxing show in Texas. No matter what, I wanted to fight before the end of the year. I was spending a lot of time in my gym. Two a day training sessions were a norm. You have to remember, that I was out since the April fight with Tomek Adamek. This Joshua vs. Molina fight would already have happened in the summer if I was injury-free. Now I am.
I never saw you in better physical shape than you were in Kraków. Conditioning was a crucial element in your 10th round knockout. You were still fresh, still strong.
You’re probably right about my conditioning. I want to be around the same weight – 235 pounds, maybe even less – when fighting Joshua. I knew that I will be facing a quick opponent in Adamek. It was a risk to go to Poland, but there was a reason I decided to go there. Not money. The IBF Intercontinental belt was on stake, so I decided that it was worth it, I liked my chances. Although Anthony is a totally different fighter, I want still be fast, react quickly to everything happening in the ring. When I fought Deontay Wilder, I had only 35 days to get ready. It’s about the same now, but thank God that I already had plans to fight in December. But, of course, putting training camp for Joshua, all the logistics, is a different story than getting ready for small event in my backyard.
Your take on “Joshua will take care of him quickly. Too easy”…
Whatever. Whoever it would be after Klitschko, many would still be disappointed – we all knew that. But if you look at the IBF rankings, I was the ONLY logical choice. Simply – I deserved this bout. I told that to the entire world, I told that to my promoter, Don King, I told that to Eddie Hearn. They knew that I will be
ready and willing to fight anyone. No BS. When it comes to fighting Joshua, many of his opponents were done long before they stepped into the ring. ‘He hits harder than Wilder!,’ he’s this, he’s that. They weren’t ready mentally for him or not ready for the event. I never had this kind of problems. I was slugging with Wilder in his home state, in Alabama; I was fighting Adamek in front of 15,000 fans in Poland. Critics shouldn’t assume anything before the fight. In the end, it doesn’t influence me a bit. I have the trust of my family, my circle of friends. I proved my mental strength before. I will do it again in Manchester. Just watch me.
By Przemek Garczarczyk
It’s official. Anthony Joshua (17-0, 17 KOs) is set to defend his IBF World Heavyweight title against Eric “The Drummer Boy” Molina (25-3, 19 KOs) at the Manchester Arena on December 10, live on Sky Sports Box Office in the UK and on Showtime in the U.S.
“When it comes to fighting Joshua, many of his opponents were done long before they stepped into ring,” said Molina “’He hits harder than Wilder!,’ he’s this, he’s that. They weren’t ready mentally for Joshua or not ready for the event. I’ve never had this kind of problem. I was slugging with Wilder in his home state, in Alabama. I was fighting Adamek in front of 15,000 fans in Poland. I proved my mental strength before, and I will prove it again in Manchester!”
In the last couple of weeks, we had many conversations about a possible Anthony Joshua bout. You were in, you were out…
…but I always believed that I’m the only logical choice after the Klitschko bout fell through. Even when there were media speculations about this or that name being a favorite, I believed that I will be the last man standing. What was the best in this “yes or no” scenario was a fact, that I was already training for weeks, trying to stay busy, putting together a local boxing show in Texas. No matter what, I wanted to fight before the end of the year. I was spending a lot of time in my gym. Two a day training sessions were a norm. You have to remember, that I was out since the April fight with Tomek Adamek. This Joshua vs. Molina fight would already have happened in the summer if I was injury-free. Now I am.
I never saw you in better physical shape than you were in Kraków. Conditioning was a crucial element in your 10th round knockout. You were still fresh, still strong.
You’re probably right about my conditioning. I want to be around the same weight – 235 pounds, maybe even less – when fighting Joshua. I knew that I will be facing a quick opponent in Adamek. It was a risk to go to Poland, but there was a reason I decided to go there. Not money. The IBF Intercontinental belt was on stake, so I decided that it was worth it, I liked my chances. Although Anthony is a totally different fighter, I want still be fast, react quickly to everything happening in the ring. When I fought Deontay Wilder, I had only 35 days to get ready. It’s about the same now, but thank God that I already had plans to fight in December. But, of course, putting training camp for Joshua, all the logistics, is a different story than getting ready for small event in my backyard.
Your take on “Joshua will take care of him quickly. Too easy”…
Whatever. Whoever it would be after Klitschko, many would still be disappointed – we all knew that. But if you look at the IBF rankings, I was the ONLY logical choice. Simply – I deserved this bout. I told that to the entire world, I told that to my promoter, Don King, I told that to Eddie Hearn. They knew that I will be
ready and willing to fight anyone. No BS. When it comes to fighting Joshua, many of his opponents were done long before they stepped into the ring. ‘He hits harder than Wilder!,’ he’s this, he’s that. They weren’t ready mentally for him or not ready for the event. I never had this kind of problems. I was slugging with Wilder in his home state, in Alabama; I was fighting Adamek in front of 15,000 fans in Poland. Critics shouldn’t assume anything before the fight. In the end, it doesn’t influence me a bit. I have the trust of my family, my circle of friends. I proved my mental strength before. I will do it again in Manchester. Just watch me.