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OMAR DOUGLAS WARNS LEE SELBY HE'S "BIGGER" & "BETTER"; LEARNED FROM WARRINGTON & 135 "DIFFERENT BALL GAME"

By John Russell | February 22, 2019
OMAR DOUGLAS WARNS LEE SELBY HE'S

"I just believe that I'm the bigger, younger, and better man. The only thing that works in his favor is me going into his backyard to win...I've learned a lot from the fight with Selby vs. Warrington. He's tough and can take a punch at 126 pounds. I don't know how it's going to do at 135 pounds, it's a whole different ball game," stated super featherweight contender Omar Douglas, who talked about his upcoming showdown with former world champion Lee Selby. Check it out!

JR: Omar, I wanted to ask you if you had a chance to watch the fight of your former opponent, Javier Fortuna, getting the win over Sherif Bogere. Did you happen to see it?

OD: Not really. I was out with my family that night. I have a family member that watched it that's about my age and he called me to give me the round-by-round breakdown. His breakdown was like, "He's all over the place and throwing some wild shit." I'm like, "You know, that's what he does." Javier is a guy that's going to do whatever it takes to win. He scratches and claws his way through this boxing shit. He's a very interesting fighter. 

JR: You have a huge opportunity in front of you that I think is kind of flying under the radar on the DeGale vs. Eubank Jr. undercard; a chance to fight Lee Selby in the U.K. Is it safe to say that this is your biggest fight to date?

OD: Uh, I guess we can say that. With everything being factored in, I think we can say that. 

JR: I recall looking at your social media late December and you sent out something like, "I hope this thing gets done." I'm sure that you were referring to this fight. When was this fight officially made?

OD: The fight was officially made on January 9th. I heard a rumor about it then got a call from my advisor five days prior. We already had a fight on deck for January 26th and it was nowhere near as big as this one. It was just something to stay busy and the opponent was decent. But my advisor said, "We have a bigger opportunity if you want to take this fight. I know you're interested in it, but they wanted me to ask you directly if you want to fight Lee Selby." Before he could say in the U.K. or anything else, I said, "Hell yes!" The U.K. is somewhere I've always wanted to fight. The U.K. has a lot of respect for their fighters and I believe they have a big fan base. Once the opportunity came about, I jumped right on it. I was even more excited once I heard it was in the U.K. To fight in the U.K. is one of few things on my bucket list. 

JR: Regardless of their record or how many belts they have, plenty of fighters never really get the opportunity to fight in the U.K. With that being said, you were already in camp training initially for January 26th, so this works a blessing in disguise for you.

OD: Yes. I was already working, sparring, and doing everything I could to prepare for the 26th. The only thing I did differently was that I rode it out a little bit. I slowed down so I wouldn't peak as fast; so a little over eight weeks.

JR: Let's talk Selby for a second. Selby is a guy who has speed, nice combos, and other assets that have made him a world champion. What do you think sets you two apart? 

OD: I really think that I'm the better fighter. Selby might have some talent here and there and he's a decent boxer. I just don't think he's been in front of somebody like myself. Except for Eric Hunter, he's fought mostly domestic guys. I think our skills are even, but the bigger guy can win. I believe at this point in my career, I'm the bigger guy. I've been boxing at 130 pounds and 135 pounds since I was about 16 years old. I just believe that I'm the bigger, younger, and better man. The only thing that works in his favor is me going into his backyard to win. 

JR: Selby came here to the U.S. for a few weeks to train and get different looks in preparation to face you. Would you say it's tough to find someone that mimics you or tough that mimics him in that respect?

OD: I think for me, I kind of had guys that fight like him always around. I have a guy at my gym that's an up-and-coming professional boxer that's been around me. I feel that his style is something that isn't hard to find. With my style, it can vary. I have different styles that I can bring to the table. I can box, I can punch, it's all about what I choose to do that night. Whatever I decide to do or whatever Lee presents, I'll be ready. I have different styles and I believe I can change and make adjustments. That's one thing I took from the Javier Fortuna fight. I stayed in the same style in the Fortuna fight and then you saw a different Omar Douglas when I fought Edner Cherry. I know what to adjust to after those fights. If I made little adjustments, I would've beat Fortuna. True fans of boxing believe I won the Edner Cherry fight. 

JR: With what you mentioned when you faced Fortuna and Cherry and also going to the U.K., you know you can't relax. You're not known to be a knockout artist, but can outbox someone. How do you overcome those factors and make it work for you?

OD: It depends on what he gives me. But I know I can't let him beat me in any aspect of the fight. I have to outpunch and outbox him. I've learned a lot from the fight with Selby vs. Warrington. He's tough and can take a punch at 126 pounds. I don't know how it's going to do at 135 pounds, it's a whole different ball game. Warrington knew when to box and knew when to fight. At the end of the day, I think I'm a bigger and better athlete than Warrington and Selby. 

JR: There has been a lot of big cards come up around this time in and around Philly. With a lot of guys getting ready for their own bouts, was it tough for you to get the quality sparring and looks to get you prepared for Selby?

OD: Philly is one of those places where you can just pop up and get some great work. It's a fight town, so it's always busy. I had no problem finding work. Everybody came up in the amateurs with each other into the pros. For this camp, I boxed some of my rivals in the amateurs and that always makes for great work. 

JR: In the event everything works out for you and you get your hand raised, is it too early to say what you want next?

OD: It's really no secret. A win in this fight puts me back to where I'm supposed to be and that's as a contender. A big money fight or title fight will be there and that's what it's all about. It's about getting titles, taking care of our families, and being able to provide for them. So I have to handle my business on the 23rd. 

JR: You have anything you want to put out there before your fight this weekend?

OD: I want to say that I've been working hard for a long time. This is a big opportunity for me to show the world who Super O Douglass is. After this, I'll be chasing guys at 130 pounds and 135 pounds. I can't let these guys stand in front of my dreams; a dream I've had since I was a child.



[ Follow John Russell on Twitter @theJ_Russ3ll ]

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