"I think with any combat sport, you talk about the heavyweights and you talk about that belt. It's kind of a big deal and everybody pays attention to it. I'm glad to be able to showcase what I can do. I've been working at this for a little while now. I haven't had a long career in boxing; been about 6 or 7 years since I started. I'm trying to make as much headway as I can and make as much of an impression in combat sports as I can with the time I've had. This is just another opportunity to showcase myself and expose myself to the public and I'm ready for an opportunity like this," stated heavyweight contender Julian Pollard, who talked about his upcoming clash with Tyrone Spong on the June 27 Big Knockout Boxing card. Check it out!
PC: How has training been going for your June 27th BKB fight against Tyrone Spong?
JP: It's been real good. I mean, I'm dealing with the unique struggles as any fighters at this stage in their career, balancing my lifestyle and boxing. So aside from that, it's been good. We working hard and getting the sparring I can get, getting the time in the gym I can get, and being as ready as I can be.
PC: Have you had a chance to go out to Vegas and get inside of The Pit and move around a little bit?
JP: Yeah, I'm lucky enough to have been in there a few times. I fought in it a few times. I just came back from Vegas and trained in it and sparred out there a little bit, so I'm comfortable in there.
PC: Did you know anything about Tyrone Spong and his decorated kickboxing career prior to them offering you the fight with him or did you have to do a little research on him once you got the name?
JP: It's funny, I didn't know about him, but it's only because I wasn't exposed to that kind of combat sport. But it was other people's reaction when they were like, "Who are you fighting?" I would be like, "I'm fighting a dude named Tyrone Spong," and they are taken back and everybody gets that wow factor on their face. I didn't even know what they were talking about. I found out about it later just through conversation in my gym during the MMA segments. Those guys are big fans of his and his ability, so I came to know who he was, but it is what it is.
PC: How much of an honor is it to be a part of their first heavyweight title fight?
JP: I'm glad you put it that way because I think with any combat sport, you talk about the heavyweights and you talk about that belt. It's kind of a big deal and everybody pays attention to it. I'm glad to be able to showcase what I can do. I've been working at this for a little while now. I haven't had a long career in boxing; been about 6 or 7 years since I started. I'm trying to make as much headway as I can and make as much of an impression in combat sports as I can with the time I've had. This is just another opportunity to showcase myself and expose myself to the public and I'm ready for an opportunity like this.
PC: You will have a distinct size advantage. Do you feel that will be your biggest asset heading into the fight?
JP: It's funny because some people come up to me and tell me how big he is and it's like, "Man, I must be small compared to him." As far as size advantage, this is not basketball and I'm aware of that. I know I have range on my jab and I will use it the best I can, but the game of boxing is about angles and it's supposed to be done in the center anyway, so we could be in a 30-foot ring or 17-foot ring or whatever it is and you could be in the center of the ring and control the fight. That's my goal every fight is to just control the center of the ring.
PC: They have a lot of bonus money out there that BKB is offering. I'm sure you would like to take some of that home with you.
JP: Anytime that the opportunity is there to end the fight with a knockout, that's what every fighter wants to deliver. It's what the fans want to see and that's why they call it Big Knockout Boxing. So if the opportunity is there, I'll take it, but I trained to win the fight by any means necessary and that's what I plan to do. It will be more of what I'm willing to do and what I'm willing to go through in there.
PC: Have you been able to find his two boxing fights and watch film on him?
JP: Here is my thing on film, because it's not like other sports, I feel like watching too much tape on a guy, you may get caught up in that. He's never going to be the same. Nobody stays the same. I didn't go and research his boxing fights. My coach watched a little more than I did, so there are little things that we will do in training based off of his habits so that you will have that muscle memory so that if that opportunity presents itself in the fight, I will be ready for it. Other than that, I really don't get too caught up in that. I'm sure people do it to me all the time, but I feel like when I go in there, I add levels to my game and I change a bit. The mistakes I made before, you shouldn't base training for me on me making that mistake again. Mike Tyson's saying is still true. Everybody has a plan until you get hit because the shock of being hit changes everything. The shot you got hit with, maybe you didn't see him do that before. You can't plan for what's not known. There are certain things that stay true. He may hold his hand a certain way. I mean, there are things that he has done throughout his fighting career that would be hard to shake in a short time. There is that, but the rest of it, I'm sure he has a great team around him, he has good sparring, and I'm sure we are going to see the best Tyrone Spong. All I can do is bring the best Julian Pollard. As far as the film stuff, I don't get into that. I work on my mistakes and what I need to be doing and God takes care of the rest.
PC: I look forward to the fight. Best of luck to you and we will speak afterwards for sure. Is there anything else you want to add before I let you go?
JP: I really appreciate the call. FightHype is a website that I have always read and it is an honor to be called by you guys. I hope to do bigger things in fighting and I hope to have more calls from you guys. If the fans are looking for a fighter that comes to fight every time, I'm not really about no bullshit, so they can check me out. I'm under @TeamPollard on IG that's where they can find me.
[ Follow Percy Crawford on Twitter @MrLouis1ana ]