Many of the fighters scheduled to compete in Thursday's Big Time Boxing USA event at Wayne State Fieldhouse in Detroit appeared for the first time at media training Tuesday at Cronk Gym in Detroit.
The spotlight during training was on American heavyweight contender Jermaine Franklin Jr. (22-2, 14 KOs), who faced off against former U.S. Olympian Devin Vargas (22-10, 14 KOs) in the 10-round main event. 9KO). Joshua James Pagan (9-0, 4 KOs) of Grand Rapids, Michigan, will compete against fellow undefeated super lightweight prospect Roger Hilly (13-0, 8 KOs) of Chattanooga, Tennessee in a televised co-feature. to play against. Almaty, Kazakhstan, Ali Akhmedov (20-1, 15 KOs) of Venice, California was added late and will face Encarnacion Diaz (18-4, 11 KOs) of San Jose, Costa Rica in an interesting eight-fight bout. -Round special attractions.
Akhmedov's trainer, Detroit native Jonathan Banks, was also on hand to train his fighter and take questions, as was Hall of Fame analyst Al Bernstein, who will be part of the broadcast crew that night. Former welterweight titleholder and Cronk mainstay Milton McCrory was also on hand to offer his support.
Training interview quotes:
jermaine franklin
“It feels great to fight in my home state again. I love the energy. It's like an aura and it feels really good.
“What I learned from those two games in Europe is that not everything is fair and don't expect the referee to sort everything out. Fight with all your might and don't pay attention until you're stopped. I've always been mentally strong but those two games in Europe have awakened a new ferocity in me. I don't let big things faze me anymore. If the referee doesn't stop me, it's better to run.”
“I still want a rematch with Joshua, but we're chasing the belt. Hopefully chasing one of the top contenders like Daniel Dubois, Filip Hrgovic, Cassius Chaney, Michael Hunter. can do.
“I only saw it in bits and pieces.” [Tyson] Fury vs. [Oleksandr] As for Usyk, I think my punching power is far superior to theirs. Usyk can match the punching power and movement against bigger heavyweights. He has really good feet. But I think my punching power is much better than most other heavyweights and I can stand up to him.
“Vargas used to be a great boxer and competed in the Olympics. He's a punch-and-move style, so I'm going to beat him with his signature moves, shut him down in the ring, and let him fight. I don't expect it, but he'll end up on his ass.”
“Until now, fighting at the level of my opponents has been a real problem for me. I can't really explain why the better my opponent is, the better I fight. We've been working on increasing the pace and intensity in the gym so that I'm not stuck in that comfort zone anymore and can fight to my limit every time.”
“I still think of myself as a top fighter and my only goal is to get back there. I'm mentally and physically ready for the next big fight. ”
Joshua Pagan
“It's great to be back. We were supposed to play in February and March, but that didn't happen, so I'm glad to be back. It was very frustrating not being able to practice and play, but this was God's timing. I think so. I'm ready and can't wait to bring the belt home.”
“I know he's a crafty southpaw. I've seen some of his matches and I know what he brings to the table. But I don't know what he brings to the table. I'm ready because I know what I'm going to bring. I'm determined and I've been training hard for this and I'm sure we'll win. I'm ready to execute my game plan.
“I knew I would eventually get to the point where I could co-star on TV, but it just wasn't possible this soon. I'm so happy and excited to have this opportunity. My Promoter , thanks to Dmitry Sarita.”
Jonathan Banks
“[Akhmedov and I have] We've had a great time working together since the first day we worked together. We met about five years ago when I started training Gennady Golovkin.
“This is a return home for me. Ali gets to fight in Detroit for the first time and I get to work from home for the first time in a while.
“Kazakh boxing style is similar to Cronk style in that it has a lot of movement. The only difference is that the late Emmanuel Steward taught us to rhythm with the movements. We've worked a lot on Emmanuel's ability to punch while moving, and to punch while moving. is.”
” [Gabriel] The Rosado fight was a tough test for Ali. When we got to the 12th round, I looked him in the eye and I said, 'We've been here before and here we are again.' Now listen to everything I have to say and you won't have to worry.' He said, 'Jonathan, I believe in you,' and kissed me on the forehead. Then he went out and won the title. He listened, he did everything he had to do and it worked.
Ali Ahmedov
“It's been a pleasure working with Jonathan. We have a very good relationship. He understands me and I trust him. I've learned a lot from Jonathan. He's taught me a lot about moving around the ring better.”
“Of course, I've known about Kronk Gym since I lived in Kazakhstan. All fighters around the world know about Kronk Gym. This is my first time training here and I'm excited.”
