This week?s 85th edition of On the Ropes Boxing Radio featured an exclusive interview with reigning IBF light heavyweight champion Tavoris Cloud who is coming off of his first title defense against former champion Glen Johnson. Cloud made a good account of himself against the tough seasoned veteran, especially considering it had been a year since his last fight. With this weekend?s upcoming fight between WBC champion Jean Pascal and the undefeated Chad Dawson, a potential mega bout looms on the horizon against the winner. Cloud talked about that possibility, provided his views on his win over Johnson, and touched on some other aspects concerning the current boxing landscape. Here is what he had to say:
On how he rates his performance against Glen Johnson:
?I?d give myself a C, C+, or a B. I?m not making any excuses for the fight, no complains like my opponent did but I?m glad to have the win and we?re moving on to bigger and better things.?
On whether he was surprised that Johnson lasted the distance against him:
?No, I wasn?t surprised. Glen Johnson is a durable fighter. He?s a veteran. He had three times as many fights as I have and he?s a good champion. He?s a real good fighter and I didn?t disrespect him after the fight. I gave him his props, but he was having problems giving me my props.?
On how he felt about Johnson saying he felt he did enough to win the fight:
?I think it?s ridiculous because professional boxing is scored on effective aggression and I scored the more effective punches. He threw a lot of punches but they weren?t effective. I hurt Glen Johnson worse than he?s ever been hurt. Everybody?s seen that. I had him wobbling on his feet four or five times. I haven?t even watched the tape yet but I think it?s just making him look bad by protesting the decision.?
On whether he expects to fight more often now that he?s signed with Don King:
?Oh yeah, we?re definitely going to be fighting more often. Like I?ve said, I had some promotional issues that I had to handle and that situation has been handled and now we?re just going out looking for fights. As soon as I?m 100% again, we?ll most likely be in the ring again, hopefully by the end of this year or the beginning of next year.?
On whether he would like to see Chad Dawson win against Jean Pascal so he has the chance to fight Dawson:
?I mean, it doesn?t matter who wins that fight to me. May the best man win. I would love to fight either one of those guys and unify the titles. It really doesn?t matter. May the best man win, and the best man will be the winner and I would like to fight the best man from that fight.?
On who he believes will win the match-up between Dawson and Pascal:
?I don?t know. I think that you can?t predict the fight. You really can?t predict the fight. You never know what?s going to happen in the fight. It all depends on the fighters in the ring that night.?
On whether he feels as if he has a score to settle with Chad Dawson:
?I don?t really have a score to settle with Chad Dawson. It?s just that I think I?m the best and he thinks he?s the best. So like I said on HBO, it?s nothing but a fight. Let?s find out. Let?s make the fight. Everybody?s been asking me about it, let?s make the fight and find out who the best fighter is, and let?s move on.?
On what it was like having his debut fight on HBO which was broadcast to a large television audience:
?That was the most exciting part of it, having a lot more fans see me. As far as fighting on HBO, I?m thankful for the opportunity but I put on the same type of fights on HBO as I put on ESPN or at club shows.?
On whether it was part of his strategy to fight Glen Johnson in the pocket and beat him at his own game:
?Yeah, that was kind of the strategy going in to get in there and try to break him, but Glen Johnson is a crafty fighter and even though I didn?t break him I still beat him at his own game. That?s the difference between me and a lot of other fighters who fought Glen Johnson. They run from him. I didn?t run from him. I went in his house and fought him and I beat him at his own game and I think that makes me a better fighter than a fighter that gets in the ring and tries to run from him.?
On whether he was taking a breather during the ninth round when he was uncharacteristically inactive and Johnson outworked him with pitter-patter combinations:
?Right there in the ninth round, I realized that Glen Johnson?s punches didn?t have any power on them. They didn?t have any steam on them. So I wasn?t really relaxing, I was waiting to land my shots but I waited a little too long and then the bell rang so that?s how that round went.?
On whether he believes his stamina and timing suffered at all as a result of the one year layoff:
?No I don?t. I don?t think so. My stamina was good. In this fight, I was just trying to pace myself a little but more and make sure I didn?t go wild when I hurt my opponent like I did in the Clinton Woods fight. I was making sure I didn?t go wild and get hit with a lucky shot or something like that.?
On how often he believes he needs to regularly be fighting in order to maintain peak form:
?At least twice a year. Defending the title twice a year fighting that caliber of opponents, I think I will be at my absolute best and as of right now, you definitely have not seen the best of Tavoris Cloud.?
His views on the current state of the light heavyweight division:
?I believe the light heavyweight division is coming alive. We have a lot of young fighters coming up and hopefully we can make some of these fights?me and Chad Dawson, me and Pascal, Diaconu. Let?s make these fights. Let?s make some exciting fights and bring some excitement back to the division and let?s get it going.?
On whether he believes boxing needs more high profile elimination tournaments like the Super Six:
?Yeah, I would love for us to have like a Super Six competition in the light heavyweight division to go ahead and get these young fighters to fight each other. That seems like that?s what we?re going to have to do because I don?t know about other fighters but it really doesn?t matter to me who I fight. I feel better sleeping at night if I fought a young fighter. As long as the fighter is a good fighter I sleep good but let?s give the people what they want to see. They want to see young guys going in there evenly matched and fighting. Let?s give them that.?
On what areas of his game that he believes he can still improve on:
?Well I can still improve a lot. Like I said, you haven?t seen the best of me. There is so much on the inside that hasn?t really came out yet as far as my boxing style and stuff like that, but you?re going to get a chance to see it. You?re going to get a chance to see it. I?m not going to let you know what it is because I might give away what I?m working on. So I?ll just let it be a surprise to you, but it?s going to get better.?
His views on the importance of the advice trainer Al Bonani gave him in the corner in between rounds:
?Al Bonani?s words are very good and reassuring in the corner. I knew I had Glen Johnson hurt, but like I said I wasn?t trying to go wild and just throw wild punches when I had him hurt. I was trying to pick my shots and if I could land clean shots and try to get him out of there when he was hurt. But I knew he was hurt. I was just taking my time.?
On Bernard Hopkins? claims that he wants to fight David Haye and whether he believes this is a fight Hopkins could win:
?I don?t know. Skill-wise he is capable, but as far as the weight and taking those types of punches, I don?t know. Normally when a fighter moves up from a lower weight and goes up to heavyweight, he?s a good boxer and he normally doesn?t take punches. As long as he doesn?t get hit, you know maybe he?ll win.?
On whether he is disappointed that Hopkins left his name out when he mentioned David Haye and Chad Dawson as potential opponents:
?I would be interested in a fight with Bernard Hopkins. I?m not disappointed about anything that he says because my time will come when it?s my time. Ain?t nothing no man in the world can do to take that away from me.?
On which fighters in the sport today he enjoys watching:
?No fighters as of right now. I enjoy watching old fights?Marvin Hagler, Sugar Ray Leonard, Duran Duran, Hurricane Carter. I watch old fights. I?m not impressed by any of these young guys out there.?
His views on reigning pound for pound king Manny Pacquiao:
?Pacquiao is good. Pacquiao takes challenges and that?s why I like him. He moves up and fights the best fighters in the division. I?m all for him. I?m with him.?
On whether he believes Don King is the one who can bring fans the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight that fans want to see:
?Hey, if it can be done, Don is the one to do it. If the rest fail, Don may be the man to do it. He put on the ?Rumble in the Jungle? and he put on some of the biggest fights in boxing history so I wouldn?t put it past him.?
On when he sees himself getting back in the ring:
?I see myself getting back in the ring possibly before the end of this year or early next year, hopefully by January.?
On what he would like to say to the rest of the light heavyweight division:
?Yes, I got a message for the whole light heavyweight division?go to the gym and start working on your defense. I?m coming.?
On what he would like to say to all his fans and the listeners of On the Ropes Boxing Radio:
?To all my fans, I love you all! Keep watching. There?s more in store. You still haven?t seen the best of me.?
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For those interested in listening to the Tavoris Cloud interview in its entirety, it begins right at the beginning of the program.
