"Shane had trouble making 147; I knew that going into the fight and with Mayweather's style, it was going to give him problems. The Mora fight I didn't watch and I heard a lot of mixed reviews on the fight. But 154 pounds is not a weight class for Shane to fight at. It's a Catch 22 for him now because he can't make 147 and 154 is not the right weight for him, so what does he do? Now this fight with Pacquiao is at a catchweight. On paper, Pacquiao is a better fighter because he's won the bigger fights and his resume is unbelievable. Shane has the blueprint to beat Manny and I think that Shane is the bigger puncher going into the fight, but I don't know if he can maintain the power throughout the fight at 147 pounds. I give Freddie Roach a lot of credit because he knows that Manny's movement is going to give Shane a lot of problems in the fight. Pacquiao has a funny style, very herky-jerky style, so I have to give Manny the edge. Can Shane win? Of course, but will he? I don't think he will win the fight. One thing that you have to give Pacquiao credit for, whether you love him or hate him, he comes to fight once that bell rings. When he throws punches, he throws them with bad intentions," stated world-class trainer John David Jackson as he shared his thoughts on Shane Mosley's chances against Manny Pacquiao, Bernard Hopkins' performance against Jean Pascal, and much more. Check it out!
JA: Bernard Hopkins recently fought Jean Pascal in Canada. Did you watch the fight John and what was your reaction to Bernard's performance?
JDJ: Yeah, I caught the fight and I thought that Jean is not on Bernard's level. After the third round, when Bernard started to figure him out, Bernard started to take over. I didn't know what Jean thought of Bernard coming into the fight, whether or not he was going to fold after three rounds. I thought the draw was a good decision.
JA: Were you surprised that Bernard went down twice in the fight? Seeing Bernard Hopkins down on the canvas is something that you don't see or expect.
JDJ: The first knockdown, he got hit in the back of the head. The second knockdown, he got caught with a good shot. Listen, when you're 45, you have to expect that. He's still human and he got caught.
JA: Do you think if Bernard started to open up earlier in the fight that possibly he could have stopped him later in the fight?
JDJ: Possibly, but that's not Bernard's style. It takes him a little bit for him to get that engine revved up. Bernard is a very smart and intelligent fighter and that's not his style to open up early.
JA: You've been with Bernard for a very long time. Have you seen him show any signs that he is a 45-year-old fighter?
JDJ: I think the difference for this fight compared to his last fight with Roy was that he was motivated for this fight. Roy was coming off a loss in Australia to Danny Green, so that took a lot of the luster out of the fight. Bernard knew going into the fight that he was going to be the favorite and he was the better boxer, and knew he retained most of his skills compared to Roy. I think that if Roy won by knockout over Green, or won a convincing decision, then the fight would have been more appealing to Bernard. This fight right here, Bernard took the fight a lot more seriously because he wanted to prove to the world that he still had it and that he wasn't this old 45-year-old fighter who couldn't get the job done.
JA: You worked with Bernard in the Roy fight and saw Roy's performance. Would you consider Roy's career to be over?
JDJ: I wouldn't say that he's done, but his skills have deteriorated. I told Roy that he had a hell of a career, and one in which many fighters could only dream of. To me, I say why let someone of lesser talent beat you when 10 years ago, you would have no problems getting them out of there. The problem with fighters retiring, and in Roy's case, he was once on top of the world for so long, it's tough for him to get out of the game. It's hard to tell a fighter who had a great career like Roy's to give it up. If he walks away today, he will receive nothing but praise from the boxing world for what he's accomplished in the ring.
JA: Do you see that often, when it's tough for a fighter to move on or retire from professional boxing?
JDJ: Throughout the history of boxing, Jimmy, people have always had a tough time retiring. I think that a lot of times, people didn't retire due to financial reasons. I don't think Roy has financial problems. I believe he is trying to recapture the youth that he once had to show the people he still has it. I told Roy, with his style and the way he fought, he depended on his legs a lot and his legs are gone now. It's tough for him to be evasive and to get away. Right now, he is on the ropes a lot and that is not where he needs to be. A lot of the fighters that I train now, I use Roy as an example, along with Muhammad Ali, to fight off their legs. Later on in their careers, they didn't use their head movement to slip and catch most of the punches that were coming their way and now, they're in trouble because they don't have the skills to get out of the way.
JA: Roy and Bernard have always been compared to each other as fighters. Do you think the reason Bernard has had a lot of success later in his career is because Bernard has evolved as a fighter and Roy counted on his athleticism?
JDJ: Bernard knew how to fight. When I first got with Bernard, he wanted to knock your block off. He learned how to dissect you, break you down and then beat you up. Bernard had to master his craft. For Roy, everything came naturally to him, with the foot work, the boxing head movement and his lightning fast hands. Roy was never taught how to master his craft; Bernard fought all the tough fighters and really wanted to master his craft. Bernard had a lot of wars in the Philly gym and it made him a better fighter. For example, in this last fight, Bernard got up for this fight and I give him credit for that. He wanted to prove to the whole world that this kid wasn't a great fighter, but a decent fighter, and to expose some of the things that a lot of people didn't see in Pascal's game. But Bernard has elevated his game so much to the point where even at the age of 45, it still works for him. After the Roy fight, Bernard and I talked and he asked me, "Hey John, should I retire? I will value your opinion a lot." I told Bernard, "Yes, I think you should retire." Bernard replied, "I can't do that." I said, "Why you ask me that?" (Laughing) Listen, Bernard is his own man and proved for that night there that he isn't finished. Now, can he duplicate that performance? I can't answer that because I don't know. I don't think they will fight again because I don't think Pascal wants that again. My own personal opinion is that Pascal might fight Dawson again and let Bernard sit a little bit. If these two had a rematch Jimmy, it would all depend on what Pascal does because Bernard is going to come and do what he does. The question would be whether or not Pascal can go 12 hard rounds in a tough fight.
JA: Have you had the chance to talk to Bernard since the fight?
JDJ: I haven't had a chance to talk to Bernard. The last time I talked to him was a week or two after the Roy Jones fight, when he asked me if he should retire or not. To be honest, it was a terrible fight for both fighters. In that kind of fight, it gave people a reason to say that you two need to retire.
JA: Shane Mosley just signed the contract to fight Manny Pacquiao. It could be argued that Shane lost his last fight against Sergio Mora. What do you think about Shane's fight coming up against Manny Pacquiao?
JDJ: I watched Shane's fight against Mayweather. A lot of people asked me how that fight would go and it went the way that I thought it was going to go. Shane had trouble making 147; I knew that going into the fight and with Mayweather's style, it was going to give him problems. The Mora fight I didn't watch and I heard a lot of mixed reviews on the fight. But 154 pounds is not a weight class for Shane to fight at. It's a Catch 22 for him now because he can't make 147 and 154 is not the right weight for him, so what does he do? Now this fight with Pacquiao is at a catchweight. On paper, Pacquiao is a better fighter because he's won the bigger fights and his resume is unbelievable. Shane has the blueprint to beat Manny and I think that Shane is the bigger puncher going into the fight, but I don't know if he can maintain the power throughout the fight at 147 pounds. I give Freddie Roach a lot of credit because he knows that Manny's movement is going to give Shane a lot of problems in the fight. Pacquiao has a funny style, very herky-jerky style, so I have to give Manny the edge. Can Shane win? Of course, but will he? I don't think he will win the fight. One thing that you have to give Pacquiao credit for, whether you love him or hate him, he comes to fight once that bell rings. When he throws punches, he throws them with bad intentions; he throws them with intentions of knocking your block off. One thing that might hurt him, and it started to affect him, is that he is wearing too many hats. He's a politician, singer, boxer, and father. Manny knows that if he slips a little bit early on in the fight, he could get clipped. What Shane needs to do, and I don't care how they take this or what they think of what I say, but they need to find somebody who knows the southpaw style inside and out. It doesn't have to be me, but find someone who knows the southpaw style and knows what this kid does inside and out. Shane can still do it to a degree, but he needs to do it early and needs to break this kid down. If he doesn't find anyone to help him understand the style of a southpaw, I think it's going to be a harder fight for him. One of the other things that I want the public to know is that the body is not meant to take body punches, and Manny throws vicious body punches. Now Shane is going to have to drop down to make the fight and if Manny goes to the body early and hard, it's going to be a tough night for Shane.
JA: Any comment on Nate Campbell's retirement?
JDJ: Nate just had the loss back on November 27th by split decision to Walter Reid. Nate and I talked and we decided it's best Nate hangs it up. He's done a lot in the sport of boxing and he has won the title numerous times. I didn't want to see him fight anymore because his best days are behind him. Right now, he is focused on preaching the word of God. To me, that's his true calling. He knows the Bible frontwords and backwards. To me, that's a gift and not everyone can do that.
JA: What happened to Allan Green?
JDJ: I didn't work with Allan in his fight with Glen Johnson and he ended up getting knocked out in the fight. That's his choice to go out and get someone else if he thinks it's necessary. I texted back and forth, because a few words were exchanged that he didn't particularly care for. The only reason why I said those things is because he said some things on Showtime and I responded because he fired first. Do I think that myself and Allan will be getting back together in the future? I don't think so, but if he thinks that he can find someone else who can help him in his career, go for it. I wish him nothing but the best in his career. I don't know what's on the horizon for him because in his last two fights, he looked horrible. In the Johnson fight, he was firing shots, but they were blanks. What Allan really needs to do is fight at 175, but his promoter is not too thrilled at fighting at 175 because it's not a glamorous division. Tavoris Cloud is trying to bring the division back to prominence. Allan Green is in a tough position because he is a tough fighter. He needs to takes some small fights and work his way back up through the rankings. I wish him nothing but the best in the future.
JA: One of the things that a lot of people like about you is that your not afraid to tell the fighter if it's time to hang it up or tell them the tough words that they might need to hear. Does that come naturally to you?
JDJ: It comes naturally to me because if I'm your friend, I'm your friend and if I can help you, I will, but if I can't help you, I would much rather walk away and be your friend. Sometimes the truth hurts sometimes and people get mad about it. I never go out of my way to verbally dog someone out. I'm the type of person if you have something bad to say to me, say it to my face. If I want that done to me, why don't I give that person the same courtesy. One of the things about today is modern technology is so advanced where people will go on the internet to air their grievances. I don't believe in that stuff where they can be a media tough guy and talk a lot of smack about you behind your back, but when they get in front of your face, they want to love you and say all these great things about you. If I have fallen out with you, I won't have nothing to do with you. It's not that I hate you; I just don't want nothing to do with you. I'm not going to be phony and try to be your buddy when you say bad things about me. All of my fighters know that about me.
JA: Do you feel that Boxing is still taking a big hit with the way the economy is going?
JDJ: Everything has taken a hit and boxing is no exception. Something that a lot of people need to know about is that promoters don't make the fights anymore. TV is your promoter. TV is not like boxing promoters. Promoters are more like boxing agents and I don't know what managers are there for anymore. Promoters are not dominating who fights who because TV dictates who fights who. Most of the time, TV tells the promoters who they want them to fight or what type of style they want to fight. The last time that you saw a good promoter who hustled was Bob Arum. Now a lot of people get mad at me for saying that, but Bob is the only one who really built fighters up from the ground level. I'm not trying to talk bad about Don King, but Don would come in and steal your fighter. Bob would take a fighter who was 0-0 and build him up to a marketable fighter.
JA: Is that a gift, to build a fighter up from the ground level?
JDJ: Yes, it's a gift, but Bob had a lot of people around him who were smart and knew what they were doing. Bob had great matchmakers and people who were smart in marketing their fighters and putting them in the best position to succeed. Another company who did that was Main Events, when they had Lou Duva around. They had great amateurs that they recruited and they recruited the Olympic class of the 1980's. They took all of these fighters and built them into household names. You don't see a lot of promoters do that nowadays. It's so screwed up now because TV dictates the fight and what they really want to see is knockouts. I think most of the time, these kids are rushed into big fights when in reality, they're not ready for the big title shots. They need to take some of these fighters from the ground level and when they're 20-0 or 25-0, not only can they fight for the title, but they can win the title and defend it for a while.
JA: Is there anything that you would like to say before we wrap this up?
JDJ: I would like to say that it's great to chat with you again Jimmy. It's been long overdue and you've been away for a while. I'm glad you're back and FightHype is grateful to have you. For a lot of fighters out there, they should hit you up to get their stories out there. As for 2011, keep your ears out there for Randall Bailey, who will be getting a title shot in 2011. Also, Timur Ibragimov, who is a Russian heavyweight, will be having a huge year in 2011. One other name that you definitely need to keep your ears out for is Brad Solomon, who is 16-0.
[EDITOR'S NOTE: FightHype would like to welcome the talents of James Alden to the team.]