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RADIVOJE KALAJDZIC PUTS MARCUS BROWN ON NOTICE; GUNNING FOR REMATCH: "I'M PERSONALLY CALLING HIM OUT"

By Percy Crawford | September 19, 2018
RADIVOJE KALAJDZIC PUTS MARCUS BROWN ON NOTICE; GUNNING FOR REMATCH:

"I’m thankful that I get a second chance. I want to thank everybody and keep following me. Big things are going to happen this year. If it’s not Browne, it will be somebody else, but I’m personally calling him out. I don’t think he’ll take the fight by the end of the year, but if not, we’ll have somebody else lined up," stated light heavyweight Radivoje Kalajdzic, who talked about his upcoming return to the ring, his future plans, and much more. Check it out!

PC: How have you been?

RK: Everything is going good. I just fought recently. My hand is doing good. 

PC: The hand injury kept you out for the entire 2017. I know it was a serious injury. How difficult was it to be on the sideline?

RK: It was a really bad hand injury. The doctor told me that I would never be able to fight again, but I’m back. 

PC: Were you apprehensive about throwing it at first or did it feel good in sparring to where you trusted it in the fight?

RK: I was doing a lot of treatment. I did everything you could think of. I did a PRP stem cell surgery and acupuncture. Over time, it got a little bit better. I don’t know which treatment did it now. Then I got an MRI and the doctor saw where there was no damage and everything was fine, but I was still feeling pain. So I just started wrapping it differently and I became able to hit. After I’m warmed up, I don’t feel nothing. It’s not 100%, but I can hit with it and that’s all that matters. I could deal with it. 

PC: Have you moved past that close decision loss to Marcus Browne or is that a fight you want back because that is the only defeat of your career?

RK: I would like that fight, of course, but it doesn’t seem like he wants it. I will take that fight in my next fight. I have been off, but I will fight him whenever he’s ready, but seems like he doesn’t want to. 

PC: Since the Browne fight, you stopped an undefeated guy and got another win under your belt. I’m sure you took some valuable lessons away from the Browne fight?

RK: Yeah! I watched that fight a couple of times and there are a lot of things that I could have done differently. So now, if I fight him again or if I fight somebody else, I can take that into consideration. I feel like the ref was against me in that fight. I could have talked to the referee more often because he was holding a lot. The referee should have at least took a point. I should have been telling the referee about it because as soon as I started punching, he would grab me. I learned stuff from that fight, so if we fought again, it would be way different, but I don’t think we will. 

PC: A lot of moving and shaking in the light heavyweight division. What do you think of the landscape of the division right now?

RK: We have some great fighters in this division. I feel like the light heavyweight division is the second best division in boxing; the welterweights and then the light heavyweight. We have a lot of up-and-coming guys involved. I feel like anybody can be beaten and because of that, I think we are going to see a lot of titles switch hands. Everybody is that good, so I think the titles are going to switch hands. You never know who is going to be champion. 

PC: Andre Ward left a void and anytime there is a great fighter leaving a division like that, there is a void. I’m sure you are trying to position yourself to be in a position to step in. 

RK: Yes, for sure. Right now, they told me by the end of this year, I am going to have a title shot or a big fight. I have been trying to hit my promoter up and see when my next fight is going to be. I just fought about 3 or 4 weeks ago, but I want another date because I want at least two more fights by the end of the year. I’m still in the gym, but I’m not sparring or anything like that. I don’t really have a lot of sparring where I’m at, so as soon as I get a date, I’m going to fly sparring in. But I’ve been in the gym keeping my weight down. I’m pretty much doing everything except sparring. 

PC: Although your last fight wasn’t long, you had to endure a camp for it. I’m sure you needed that time in the gym, although it didn’t transfer to the fight, just to get your feet back wet. 

RK: For this fight, they just gave me an opponent to test my hand out and I was off for almost 2 years. I had got heavy, so I went through this camp to get my weight down. I was up to 215-220. Like I said, the doctor told me that I would never fight again, so I got heavy and got a real job and everything. It was stressful, so when I found out I could deal with it, I started running and got into camp and got off the weight. I lost it pretty quick. I want a top twenty guy by the end of the year. I only went a few minutes, so if they give me something to get some rounds and then after that, maybe get a top ten guy in December. But if they offer me a top ten guy and give me two or three months to get ready, I’ll take that as well too, if the money is right. 

PC: Did the time off and settling with the fact that you had to work a regular job, did that make you hungrier once you were able to box again?

RK: It definitely made me hungrier; just working and experiencing that. I haven’t had a job like that for a long time. Having to wake up and have a 9-5, it’s like, damn, I was doing something I loved. It got taken away from me and now I just look at it differently. Boxing is my job. I’m going to work and having fun, so it’s different than a 9-5. I appreciate it so much more. I’m thankful that I get a second chance. I want to thank everybody and keep following me. Big things are going to happen this year. If it’s not Browne, it will be somebody else, but I’m personally calling him out. I don’t think he’ll take the fight by the end of the year, but if not, we’ll have somebody else lined up. 

Writer’s note: Radivoje Kalajdzic returns to the ring October 5th, in Tampa, Florida.



[ Follow Percy Crawford on Twitter @MrLouis1ana ]

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