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BADOU JACK ON ANTHONY DIRRELL CLASH: "HE'S GOING TO BRING THE BEST OUT OF ME...I'M EXCITED FOR THE FIGHT"

By Percy Crawford | February 25, 2015
BADOU JACK ON ANTHONY DIRRELL CLASH:

"I respect him. He's a very good fighter. I think he's going to bring the best out of me. The better opponent I face, the better I'm going to be. If I want to become a champion, I gotta fight the best. He's one of the best and I'm excited for the fight. He's a cancer survivor and he survived a motorcycle accident and that says a lot about him. I respect him for that. He overcame all of that and still became a champion. He's always been cool with me, so I don't have nothing against him, but this is the hurt business and we're not friends during the fight," stated super middleweight contender Badou Jack, who talked about his upcoming April 25 showdown with WBC super middleweight champion Anthony Dirrell. Check it out!

PC: April 25th is the date; WBC title shot against Anthony Dirrell. Would you have liked to get in the ring sooner or are you good given the ramifications of the fight?

BJ: Whatever made sense for a big fight. I'm always in the gym and I'm always in shape, so if it would have been a bit earlier, no problem; later, no problem either, so I'm straight.

PC: You have won back-to-back fights since suffering the upset loss to Derek Edwards. Did you go to a dark place after that fight or did you get right back on the horse and into the gym?

BJ: Nah, I was right back in the gym. I wanted to get a rematch. We were scheduled to have a rematch on August 30th of last year, but he pulled out I think 2 weeks before the fight and then asked for too much money and shit, so it didn't happen. We can't chase a guy. If he don't want to fight, what can we do? We gotta move on and go to bigger and better things and that's where we're at right now.

PC: What were you looking for from yourself in the two fights after the Edwards fight?

BJ: For me, it was just...I've never been hurt in my life, so for me, it was just a one-second mistake. I've never really had problems with my defense before, so I brought in my old trainer, Lou Del Valle, and we perfected my defense. My defense is much better and I'm a smarter fighter. So that just woke me up and made me a better fighter.

PC: Looking at Anthony Dirrell, what are your thoughts on him and his skill set?

BJ: I respect him. He's a very good fighter. I think he's going to bring the best out of me. The better opponent I face, the better I'm going to be. If I want to become a champion, I gotta fight the best. He's one of the best and I'm excited for the fight. He's a cancer survivor and he survived a motorcycle accident and that says a lot about him. I respect him for that. He overcame all of that and still became a champion. He's always been cool with me, so I don't have nothing against him, but this is the hurt business and we're not friends during the fight. It's all business.

PC: You are somewhat of the total opposite of what he's coming off of. He had two rough fights with Sakio Bika from a stylistic standpoint and he handled the tactics of Bika well. Do you think your outside boxing will be something he doesn't deal with so well?

BJ: We will have to wait and see. I can do both. I can box and I can fight. I don't take too much from that fight because Sakio Bika makes everybody look bad and I didn't even think Dirrell looked bad. I think he looked good in the second fight for sure. I was ringside for the first fight and I think he did good. Sakio Bika was a tough, rough motherfucker (laughing), you know, so it's hard to look good against him. This is going to be a different fight.

PC: What would capturing that green strap mean to you?

BJ: Ah man, that's a dream come true. That means everything to me. When I started boxing, that was my dream. I'm almost there, but that's why I'm not that excited right now because I got the opportunity to fight for a title. I don't want to be someone that fights for the title; I wanna win it. I just try to stay humble and stay focused on my training.

PC: Are you embracing the underdog role, because I'm sure you know some people aren't giving you a chance in this one?

BJ: I like being the underdog. I perform better in that role. That's fine with me. He's the champion, so I'm supposed to be the underdog. I did one mistake in one fight against a journeyman type of opponent, and that's on me, and if he's overlooking me, that's on him. I'm in it to win.

PC: When you're always in the gym, how do you find that balance between here and April on when to pull back and press the envelope?

BJ: We switch it up. We're going to have a good game plan. We are going to work hard, but we're going to work smarter and not harder. We're going to be in shape and ready to go.

PC: I can't let you go without letting you speak on the mega-fight that is a go for May 2nd. Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao is finally happening. What does this mean for TMT, Mayweather Promotions, and the sport of boxing that this fight is happening?

BJ: Finally! That's all I can say. I've been waiting 6 years for this fight. I just want all of the haters and everybody that's been talking about this fight never happening because of fear, from barbershops to bus stops, it's happening. Even my mom is talking about this fight, so it's huge. It's going to be a great fight for the fans. It's a classic boxer vs. puncher fight and it's going to be a good fight and I'm excited.

PC: Badou, best of luck to you in April and we will definitely be getting camp updates from you. Is there anything else you want to add before I let you go?

BJ: I just want to thank everybody for still supporting me. And shoutout to Floyd for giving me this opportunity, and even Anthony Dirrell for giving me a shot. I respect that also, and also his manager, Al Haymon, for working with Floyd to make this fight happen. It's great!



[ Follow Percy Crawford on Twitter @MrLouis1ana ]

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