"Right now, I am on the road to being heavyweight champion of the world. I am real close to it. I'm only a fight or two away from being back there and the next logical step for me from where I just went, which is challenging for it, is to win it....Right now, they have no date yet, but yes, they are talking about Jean Marc Mormeck. I'm looking forward to it and I think it would be a good test as a comeback to see where I am at. I'm definitely prepared to fight again. What better way to be than to be right where I want to be with a win getting me back to a title shot," stated heavyweight contender Eddie Chambers as he talked about his return to the ring, which is tentatively scheduled against former cruiserweight champion turned heavyweight Jean Marc Mormeck in a 4-man IBF elimination tournament. Check it out!
EB: How you doing man?
EC: It's been pretty good. Just training as usual; staying in shape. I'm getting ready to get back in there soon.
EB: Yeah I've been hearing rumors of an IBF Heavyweight tournament.
EC: Yeah, they talking about it going down. I just want to make sure I'm ready for it when it happens.
EB: After your fight with Klitschko, there had been rumors of you going down to cruiserweight. What happened with that?
EC: Well, I spoke with some people in boxing and it was an attractive thing at the time, you know, move down and dominate the cruiserweight division and get a couple world titles. You know, you being a world champion, no matter what weight it is in, is a great thing. I would love to have the opportunity to be champion at cruiserweight, which is a division not many people pay attention to, and still being a champion. It looked good, but then you look at the drawbacks to it for me. I'm a top rated heavyweight, only lost two fights, and arguably the one fight I lost, I should've won. It would be like going down...It would almost be like fighting a guy who isn't even ranked, fighting like tomato cans in the heavyweight division just to get back up to get back into the limelight. I mean, they would be expecting me to win there. Everyone is expecting me to go down, win titles and dominate because I've heard it before and people would expect me to if I go there. I mean, the fights are going to be tough regardless and there are some good fighters down there, but they just don't get any press, publicity and things like that. But if I don't win, or say I lose, or I have a split decision, or a bad showing, then they would say, "Oh, he is not as good as we thought he was." I mean, it's like a lose-lose situation for me. For me, going down, it is like a worse idea than me staying at heavyweight and going for one of the big fighters like Klitschko. At least with me fighting Klitschko, I would be #1 heavyweight in the world. As I said before, that's why I want to fight him mainly of all the champions. Honestly, it would just be a better look. I would get paid better for it. If I got an injury, I would be set enough where I could live after boxing.
EB: Yeah, I understand because you would make more money at heavyweight.
EC: Yeah, it would be like a downgrade and not a lot of people pay attention to it. Don't get me wrong, it is not always about the money, but even though this is our career, we want to get paid for it because we get beat up. You get punched in the face, in the body, and you take a lot of physical trauma to your body. You don't want to continue to do that and not get paid for it, no matter how much you enjoy it. So for me, to move down to the cruiserweight division, I would be taking a hit on the pay and my legacy wouldn't be thought of as great. It's been great cruiserweights that move up to heavyweight, and they also found some success there. I feel like I would be moving down just to move back up. I would move down to cruiserweight and win all of the titles, do great things, then the next logical step for me then would be to become more of a household name and move back up to the heavyweight division and hopefully win a title there. I mean, you see it with all the other guys, like David Haye, Mormeck, and there are few guys down there now that are thinking about moving up. So it is like almost a step back for me. It's like taking two steps back to make one step forward. I mean, it's just not a wise decision for me now.
EB: I also heard that you had been thinking about working with Emanuel Steward.
EC: Yeah, actually, he was the one I had talked to about moving to cruiserweight. He thought it would be a good idea because I would be fighting guys more my size, at least in the weight. I would get a shot at dominating and beating anybody. I think anybody in the world, no matter what size, I have a great chance at beating them no matter what. If I move down to cruiserweight, I'm going to be the bigger guy, I'm going to be just as strong, and I think I would be able to dominate with my boxing ability even at that weight. It seemed like a good move, but then we talked to Emanuel and there is just no one looking at that division. I mean, you go down there just to fight and there is no real money down there either. Like we talked about, it is more of the legacy and your rep in the sport than just the money, but I think in the cruiserweight division, it's not going to be much of that either, so I would rather just stay in the heavyweight division where I can get all the glory right there.
EB: I see your point because even though you would be the bigger man, the next place you would go would be back up to heavyweight.
EC: Exactly! So like I said, it would be like taking two steps back to take one step forward. Right now, I am on the road to being heavyweight champion of the world. I am real close to it. I'm only a fight or two away from being back there and the next logical step for me from where I just went, which is challenging for it, is to win it. So why would I go to another division lower than mine. Yes, I would have the advantage there, but it would take me an extra step back because I still have to fight my way back to that fight. Of course I would be rated high because where I was in the heavyweight division, but it is still like, why? I would have 2 or 3 fights there and then win the title, hopefully, then win a couple more titles and defend them. That is no disrespect to the cruiserweight division because there are some really good fighters down there who would do well otherwise if they were in the heavyweight division or somewhere else. But for me, I think it is best for me to stay where I am because that is what I need in the heavyweight division.
EB: With Emanuel Steward, are you working with him or just had a talk with him?
EC: Well, we had some conversations about some things and we just talked about some strategic things that he saw that I need to work on and I need to do. There are times when I get in the ring and I seem a little bored. Having the ability to do so many things, sometimes it just takes a shot from a guy to get me focused again on that aspect. Also, there are some things I can do better with my legs, and move, which I don't do very much. I have great legs and you can see from some of my other fights that I just don't move enough. Also, the hand placement, you would be surprised at how much that makes a difference from just where your hands are held. Just some training methods and techniques, and also the other thing I need to focus on, when we were talking about the cruiserweight to heavyweight division. You know, some of the things we talked about were just minor things. You know, when we actually sit down and actually work together, when that happens, I am definitely going to get more in-depth with him about what I need to do and learn more from the great Emanuel Steward.
EB: So you are going to work with Emanuel then?
EC: Yeah, I am definitely going to take the opportunity to work with him. Absolutely! No Question!
EB: So is he going to be your full-time trainer or just coming to the gym to help you strengthen some things?
EC: At this point right now, he is more of a consultant. He is going to come in and help us with some things, overlook some things to set up some things, set up the sparring sessions and those types of things. He is going to help us see what it is and what it takes to get over that hump. I mean, he has had over 40 world champions in his career, so I'm pretty sure he knows what it looks like. He knows a great camp and how it is ran and the professionalism that he runs it;s...I have been to his camp with Wladimir and it was extremely professional. They were on time, and everything was ran perfectly and smoothly, and those are the kind of things, small things, that most people don't really pay attention to that really really shows what a champion is made of and how important it is for them to win. Something as simple as being on time, which is something I really have to work on in certain aspects of my life. And as far as in the gym, that's where Emanuel will be a very big help to us. Little things like that are going to be pressed upon, I'm sure, from him and just being focused on what it is we need to do. You know, not just through training, but in the fight as well, and the game plan.
EB: I didn't know if it was a conflict of interest since he is Wladimir Klitschko's head trainer.
EC: I mean, he is, but how many more fights is Wladimir going to have? I'm hoping he will be around a little while longer, so I can get my shot again, and obviously Emanuel won't be in my corner in that fight. At least the opportunity for me to work with Emanuel and learn from him and understand what it is, you know, just to understand some of the things he knows, and for us as a team to pick up on. I watched him and Wladimir and how they showed up like an army. They were all dressed the same, with the same attitude and same goals, which was to be there for the champion and to win. It's like a great NBA team. For example, you have the superstar and the supporting cast on the court, and you have the great head coach on the side, one of the best in the game, like the Lakers, and you see them, where Kobe is the superstar, and you got Pau Gasol and Ron Artest with Phil Jackson as the coach. It's that same kind of team they have built around Wladimir, which is why he continues to be successful.
EB: You got a good point because no matter who Emanuel Steward is training, he is dressed just like them.
EC: (Laughs) That's right, and not only that, they have the same goal, which is to win by any means necessary. They don't care how ugly it is or how long it takes, as long as he wins. Now, don't get me wrong, he is a perfectionist like any other top trainer, as you can see in the corner with his fighter. There are certain things he wants to see. Like when he trained Lennox Lewis and he was dominating Mike Tyson, there were just certain things he wanted to see. And that's what makes him a great trainer and the fighters around him continue to win because they are very very hungry.
EB: I think it is a great idea because with his knowledge, you can use that to know how a camp is supposed to be run and when it is going correctly.
EC: That's right, and for us, in the past, we had great camps and things went great and we were on time and we were taking care of business, so we thought, until we saw how a champ's camp was run. The way it is run is a little different. Don't get me wrong, they have the money and the team behind them to push for all those things, but even if it wasn't, it is still ran with a certain kind of attitude. There is no playing around, no joking not to say you can't enjoy yourself, because you have to enjoy yourself, but when it's time to work, it's time to work. After that, you can go out and have fun and look forward to other things. Right when you are in camp, it's a focus thing and concentrated effort towards being the winner, so you got to help that fighter get ready. So all the sparring partners they bring in, they don't just bring sparring partners, they bring in contenders and real fighters, ones that are trying to win just as much as that guy fighting that night. So that makes it that much more competitive in the gym and gets you used to that and raises your competitive edge. So when it is time for you to go into that ring, not only do you have style matchups that you need from camp, they have you ready in that ring. So even if you know the guy's fighting style, you are also constantly tested in camp from different fighters that you bring in, and that's the way it should be. Not to say it is a knock-down-drag-out type of thing in camp, but it is competitive. You have talented fighters in camp because that's what you need. That's what Emanuel brings to the table, as well as a solid game plan on how to prepare for that night of the fight. I think it is really important that you have someone in your corner like him that can set that precedent, that has that mentality of winning in preparation, and all that. It's great to have him and I think we really need him there.
EB: Yeah, I did an interview the other day with K9 Bundrage and he was talking about how Emanuel just changes everything in a positive way.
EC: That's right. I heard he was working with him. There you go, that goes to show you right there. Everyone needs to get with someone who knows the game like that. I had Buddy McGirt before and we didn't work that long or have that much time to prepare for the fight at that time. But even in a small amount of time, you can just see how much knowledge was there and how much you can learn from a guy like that. So just like K9 has Emanuel now, and you can see the difference in those who know your strengths and can help you work with them.
EB: So when are they looking to get this IBF tournament started? I've heard you are going to be fighting Jean Marc Mormeck.
EC: Yeah, that's what I heard they are looking at. Right now, they have no date yet, but yes, they are talking about Jean Marc Mormeck. I'm looking forward to it and I think it would be a good test as a comeback to see where I am at. I'm definitely prepared to fight again. What better way to be than to be right where I want to be with a win getting me back to a title shot.
EB: Yeah, it's going to be a little unusual for you to fight someone your own size.
EC: (Laughs) Yeah, there you go. At the very least, I did get someone my size, although I would like to fight a tall guy, but I think there is going to be one in the tournament. But hey, I will do what I got to do.
EB: What else is going on in your world? Are you still with the same promoter and everything?
EC: Yeah, I'm still with them for now; we still have some time together. Obviously in the future, we will look at continuing that relationship. No problems there. I like Dan [Goossen] and enjoy working with him. As far as the tournament. I'm looking forward to it. Just training and staying in the gym, working on my craft, making sure I'm ready.
EB: Sounds like you have taken your time out of the ring and learned a lot of things to help better yourself.
EC: Got to learn, man! You don't want to go back in there and make the same mistakes you made when you lost. You got to improve on that. This is one sport where you take some trauma and you don't want to continue to take that punishment in more than one fight; actually in any fight. But since it happened, I want to move on with the right game plan and right ideas from now on to continue my career.
EB: Is there anything else you want to say to your fans?
EC: Thanks for supporting me in this downtime. I'm just very appreciative of all my supporters. Even when I'm on Facebook, I see a lot of them get on and speak and I look forward to making them proud. I want to make them proud and not only continue my march as a fighter, but as a world champion.