"I’m training day in and day out to get to where I was when I was regarded as one of the best."
BoxingTalk: Dominic, how is training going for your fight with Tony Thompson?Dominic Guinn: Training is going really well. I’ve been working on throwing combinations, blocking shots, and my punching. We’re just tightening up some nuts and bolts.
BoxingTalk: You are coming off a big win against Audley Harrison. What do you feel you took away from that fight that you will be bringing in to the ring against Thompson?Dominic Guinn: I am going in there with another big southpaw with one loss. Thompson hasn’t lost in a few years and he’s coming in to win. He’s a good credible opponent and he’s better on his feet then Harrison. It’s going to be a tough fight, but I’ve been in some tough fights before.
BoxingTalk: Can we expect to see the same type of performance against Thompson that we saw you in against Harrison?Dominic Guinn: No, no no. I’m going to let my hands go more. When I fought Harrison, the first two or three punches I threw in that fight went to the body and he made an “oh” sound. We were originally going in there to let my hands go, I just stayed on the body since it worked, so we stayed there. This time we’re going to use the great tools I have and ones that Teddy Atlas wanted to see me use, which was to go outside and use my jab more.
BoxingTalk: You and your trainer Joe Goossen devised a masterful plan to counter Harrison’s southpaw style. Will you and Joe do something similar in this fight with Thompson, who also fights southpaw?Dominic Guinn: No, we’re have come up with some different things for this fight.
BoxingTalk: Dominic, it seems as though you not only fight, but you go after opponents who possess the two qualities most try to avoid: a supersized stature and a southpaw style. Why do you do it?Dominic Guinn: I like the test, and since I consider myself “The People’s Champion” I don’t want to duck any one. The way I see it is I’d rather fight you now instead of stepping aside. I’ll fight whoever I have to to get to the top.
BoxingTalk: You were once heralded as the next best thing in the heavyweight division. Do you feel you are on your way back to becoming just that?Dominic Guinn: Yes, and that’s what I’m trying to do. I’m training day in and day out to get where I was when I was regarded as one of the best. This win will put me where I was before my fight with Montet Barrett.
BoxingTalk: I know you don’t overlook any opponent, but do you feel this fight is a tune-up fight for a title shot in the near future?Dominic Guinn: No. I know I have to go in there to take care of business.
BoxingTalk: It seems right now that every heavyweight title holder has someone penciled in for their next fight. Who do you see facing first in your next title shot?Dominic Guinn: Serguei Lyakhovich. When I fought him I was going in there with an injury after cutting myself on an exercise machine, and I was going in there dehydrated from the medication I was on. I know I had Lyakhovich hurt in the later rounds, but I was tired and I had no push left in me. I’d love to fight Hasim Rahman and the big Russian (Nikolay Valuev), and I want this win to get back on HBO and Showtime.
BoxingTalk: What do we have to look forward to see from you in the second half of 2006?Dominic Guinn: Tune in to see the future of the heavyweight division. I’m “The People’s Champion,” and I’m going to win one belt so that I can put it up against the next belt. I don’t want to win the belt, and then face someone in the top-10. I want to become undisputed champion, and then retire. That has been my goal since I turned pro.
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