Face to face
Back to back
Klitschko dons the robe
Edwin Moses
Manny Steward
-Photo Credit: Ricky Ray Taylor/BRC-Two of the world's
most recognizable heavyweight champions squared off Tuesday
afternoon at the Hard Rock Cafe in New York City. Though
their showdown won't be taking place until late February
(23rd), the press conference for "THE UNIFICATION" was ablaze
with anticipation. Evidently, this will be the first
unification match up between two heavyweights since
Lennox Lewis beat Evander Holyfield in their rematch in 1999.
To say that the
fighters behaved themselves like "dignified gentlemen"
would be quite an understatement. And although the meanness
that each fighter possessed was solemnly restrained within an
expensive suit today, trying to downplay the fact that these
two warriors have over 60 KNOCKOUTS between them would be like
trying to hide an elephant behind a potted plant.
Here are some of
today's comments:
EMANUEL STEWARD - (Klitschko's trainer) "You
know when I got involved with Vladimir Klitschko I predicted
that he was going to be one of the all-time great heavyweights
and he has not disappointed me. Our first fight together we
lost to Lamont Brewster but I knew that one day Vladimir was
going to be THE dominant heavyweight. It would be almost
impossible for me or anyone else to train someone to beat
Vladimir Klitschko. If he wants to fight on the inside, he
fights on the inside and won't let YOU fight on the
inside. Both guys are in a position to emerge into a
SUPERSTAR heavyweight. These two guys are solid fighters with
solid amateur backgrounds, two technical guys - I don't think
the fight will go the distance but I think we'll move closer
to a unified champion."
SULTAN IBRAGIMOV, WBO CHAMPION,
(22-0-1, 17 KOs) -
"I want to thank Team Klitschko
for giving me the opportunity for this fight. I just know
that whoever comes to see this fight will see a great
heavyweight title fight."
EDWIN MOSES -
(speaking on behalf of his
charity work with the LAUREUS foundation): "Many people
do not take into account the many similarities between Boxing
and Running. These two original Greek competitions pit man
against man and at the end of the day you're focusing on one
or two people usually.
**After
a brief introduction of his foundation, Moses played a short
video that demonstrated his goodwill and sincerity behind his
involvement in this fight.
Edwin Corley Moses (born in
Dayton, Ohio
August 31,
1955) is an
American
track and field athlete who
won gold medals in the 400-meter
hurdles at the
1976 and
1984 Olympics. Between
1977 and
1987, Moses won 107
consecutive finals (122 consecutive races). He set the
world record in his event
four times.
In
1994, Moses received an
MBA from
Pepperdine University and was
inducted into the National Track and Field Hall of Fame.
In addition to his running, Moses was also an innovative
reformer in the areas of Olympic eligibility and drug testing.
In 2000, he was elected the first Chairman of the
Laureus World Sports Academy,
an international service organization of world class athletes
which seeks "to promote and increase participation in sport at
every level, and also to promote the use of sport as a tool
for social change around the world."
Several dozen Olympic and world champion athletes, through the
Laureus Sports for Good Foundation,
work to assist disadvantaged youths around the world.
VLADIMIR KLITSCHKO, IBF CHAMPION,
(49-3, 44 KOs) -
"Good afternoon
New York. What do you think I am doing now? I'm not
preparing for a fight, I'm preparing for a message. I know
that New York is the most powerful media city in the world.
"At this point, in the heavyweight division, we are
desperate," Klitschko said at Tuesday's news conference
announcing the fight. "We need only one champion and stop all
these conversations when the next unification is going to be.
With this press conference it is over.
This fight is
officially ON!"
{At this point Klitschko introduced what was
was at the outset, and quite blatantly, his
entrepreneurial side). He held up and put on a loud,
silky red robe. He then said that his intentions were to cover
the robe with "your name" (or sponsors) at $199 a pop. He
said that they are expecting 10,000 names on the robe. It was
clear that the American Dream took this guy over, big time.
Yet, as I raised one eyebrow to smirk at a guy who clearly
seemed to have lost focus on his opponent, Klitschko revealed
that EVERY dollar made from the names on the robe was going to
all the underprivileged children in the New York City
area via Moses' charity foundation}.
The unification bout will take place February 23, 2008 at
New York City's Madison Square Garden.
Ricky Ray Taylor
HOTLINE:
917-758-0058
-------------------------
"Preach the Gospel at all times,
use words when necessary"
