"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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Send questions and comments to: DNick@BoxingTalk.com