"I got fire and thunder behind my punches, so if he want to run in here and make it a dog fight, he gonna get clipped. If he wants to come in there and box, he gonna lose that battle too. I'm working on my inside game, my outside game, my mid-range; everything. I'm working on my defense, my eyes, my feet, and foot position. I'm working on everything and I'm going to have fun with it. It's my coming out party and I'm ready to rock. My trainer and I are ready to take it to the next level," stated heavyweight contender Gerald Washington, who talked about his upcoming October 13 clash with Amir Mansour. Check it out!
PC: G-Man, how is preparation going for your October 13th fight against Amir Mansour?
GW: Training camp is going great. I got some great sparring partners out here that is pushing me. I'm feeling good, the preparation is going well, and me and my trainer, John Pullman, putting it together, man.
PC: Mansour is a southpaw. Any reservations on fighting a southpaw or you're comfortable with facing them?
GW: You know what? It's a new challenge for me, but not one that I'm shying away from. It's all a part of conquering that obstacle and moving on to the next level. It's a big test for me, it's a double test, big fighter, and a big name and he's a southpaw. Once I get this one, it will put me on a new level.
PC: You will have a huge height and reach advantage in this fight. Do you feel that is your biggest advantages or do you think you have an edge in other areas as well?
GW: Just my style. It doesn't really matter what you bring to the table, whether you are tall or short. My ring savvy, and of course my strength and my size, is going to be an advantage to me. And I plan on using them too, to the fullest, but not only that, I got the skills, man. I've been working and just trying to sharpen my skills to prepare for this. I got great sparring. I can't emphasize that enough. I got a guy out here named Constantine who came here from New York. He's a really, really fast southpaw with a lot of energy. He's been helping me a lot. I'm looking forward to it.
PC: I spoke to you when you were just getting into this thing and you always talked about just progressing and getting better. Now heading into a headlining role in your undefeated career, how do you feel you have progressed?
GW: I've always had the physical and the conditioning, but now I'm starting to gain the mental strength and confidence that I need for these big fights. That's something I've always been lacking, the experience and how to deal with different types of fighters. Now I'm starting to understand and putting it all together and we are excited. We are excited for the opportunity and now I just have to step up.
PC: The fight is right around the corner. Are you starting to taper things down or are you still going hard?
GW: (Laughing) We still going hard, man. I got pushed to the max today. It was a real difficult day for me. That's what camp is all about, just learning and putting it all together and just getting stronger and sharper, so by the time October 13th come around, I'm going to be ready to rock.
PC: Anytime you start stepping up in competition, you fight less. You fought 5 times last year and only twice so far this year. Would you like to get a little busier after this fight?
GW: Yeah man, I want to get right back in the ring. This was a long period and a long layoff for me, but it was good. It was something that I needed and we didn't waste this time. We used this time to get better and we just focused on the things that we needed to work on to get better and really take advantage of the time instead of just letting it go by. We really put some work in this time and we got better, so I'm looking forward to letting it out and putting on a show.
PC: Have you seen a lot of Amir Mansour?
GW: I watch his videos every day like 10 times a day. It's just like football practice. I'm looking for his tendencies and what he does, when is a good time to catch him, when he's taking a rest. I'm just trying to get a good feel for him and his body language. Once I'm in the ring with him, I know what it is. I have seen his 4 fights that was televised. I watched those 4 fights and his highlights. I watch all of his stuff all the time. I watch other fighters fight southpaws and I've watched a lot of other southpaws just to understand the whole mechanics and everything that goes into it when you fight a southpaw; that way, I got all of my tools in the bag when I'm ready to rock.
PC: That's gotta be one of the benefits of being an ex-football player because a lot of fighters now tell me they don't like to watch film and I'm not sure that's the best strategy. It's kind of instilled in you to watch film from your football playing days.
GW: Yeah, I watch him and I watch myself to get a feel for when he looks at a tape of me, what does he see, and I watch what I can take away from him. That way, I don't feel he's coming in with any advantages. I know it's going to get tough and I know he's a hard-nosed guy that's going to come to fight and he's got a motor and is going to keep on coming, but then I see him wear down. I seen him get tired and I seen him just try to hold on. Alright, you can be in the best shape of your life, man, I don't care; I know I got fire and thunder behind my punches, so if he want to run in here and make it a dog fight, he gonna get clipped. If he wants to come in there and box, he gonna lose that battle too. I'm working on my inside game, my outside game, my mid-range; everything. I'm working on my defense, my eyes, my feet, and foot position. I'm working on everything and I'm going to have fun with it. It's my coming out party and I'm ready to rock. My trainer and I are ready to take it to the next level.
PC: You have fought a ton of experienced fighters. I'm sure you are viewing this fight as your biggest fight to date though.
GW: Yeah, definitely man. Before this, my toughest fight and biggest challenge experience-wise overall, I had stuff going on in my life during the Nagy Aguilera fight, but that fight was so hard for me. I was able to get through it and get the win, but that wasn't my best performance by any means. But that was my toughest fight up until that point. I think that this guy right here, this opponent is bringing a lot of new challenges. The other two southpaws that I faced in my career, I knocked them out cold; brutal knockouts. Those were my biggest knockouts. The biggest knockouts I ever had was against southpaws. I know this guy has a lot of skills and experience and he's sharp and fast, but I know to keep my range and I'm smart in that ring. I know a lot of people may feel like I'm not exciting or whatever and that's fine. I was just waiting for my competition level to rise and now all of my skills will actually show for what they are. And I have fought some good competition. I'm just excited, man. I know this guy is going to come out and fight and swing hard and try to knock my head off and that's exactly what I want. I'm a fighter, man, I'm a fighter at heart and I love this. I love the challenge. I love to look in a man's eyes and say, "Okay, lets get it on!" I love to get in the ring and duke it out and see who the top dog is. It's nothing like raising your hand at the end of the fight when you know you were in there with another man and he gave it all he had. I'm looking forward to the celebration because we putting in the work. I'm not just saying that; we are actually putting in the work. We putting in hard ass work and I'm ready to ride.
PC: I look forward to this fight. Best of luck to you, big man. Is there anything else you would like to add before I let you go?
GW: I just want to thank all of my followers and tell everybody to follow me @gwgallonegro on Twitter. That's what I'm trying to do, raise my following and my fan base. That's a good way for everyone to follow me and get a feel for the work I put in. I thank you Percy for the time and getting the word out for me, man. Thank you!
[ Follow Percy Crawford on Twitter @MrLouis1ana ]