<TABLE class=yspwhitebg id=yspTopStoryModule cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=ysptblhdr bgColor=#f6f7f2 height=18>Last update: 04-14-2006 Submitted by <!---------- AUTHOR INFO --------------------->Kevin Kincade <!---------- /AUTHOR INFO ---------------------></TD><TR><TD><TABLE id=table16 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="99%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top><TABLE id=table18 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top>
Owen Beck Interview
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Printable version</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top height=5></TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top><!-------------------------------- NEPHP SLIDESHOW: END ----------------------->By Kevin Kincade (photo by Tom Casino)
It’s hard to think of a time when the question of the Heavyweight Championship was more in doubt. The boxing world was sure we’d be a step closer to solving this mystery when Hasim Rahman and James Toney climbed into the ring on March 18th……WRONG!! Then there was the Brewster-Liakhovich bout in Cleveland on April Fool’s Day; a supposed easy win for Lamon…..FOOLED AGAIN!! Up next, we’ve got a rematch between Chris Byrd and Wladimir Klitschko for the IBF World Heavyweight Title. Surely, we will get a front-runner out of that showdown; but if recent events are any indication, bet on the most unlikely of scenarios, for that seems to be the trend.
Amid all of the hoopla over Toney-Rahman and Byrd-Klitschko and the Liakhovich-Brewster upset, almost forgotten is the mystery man of the heavyweight division; the seven foot, 330 LB “Beast from the East”, Nicolay Valuev, and his defense in June against unheralded transplanted Jamaican, Owen “What the Heck” Beck. Beck was supposed to fight the new WBO Heavyweight Titlist, Sergei Liakovich, last September when “The White Wolf” suffered an injury, supposedly a torn cartilage in his chest, which caused the postponement/cancellation of his bout with Owen. While Sergei remained inactive until his shot at Brewster, Beck ended up taking on another up and comer by the name of Ray Austin, to whom he lost a split decision. Since the Austin loss, Beck picked up a win over Darnell Wilson and ended up securing a title shot of his own against the big Russian.
While covering a local card in Beck’s adopted hometown of Nashville, TN, I had the fortune of running into Beck’s cut man, Mike Wopper of Arellano’s Boxing, who was kind enough to introduce me to Owen, who surprised me with an impromptu interview between bouts at Municipal Auditorium.
BoxingScene.com: Owen, thank you for taking some time to talk to us.
Owen Beck: You’re welcome.
BoxingScene.com: I always start off interviews with fighters with the same question. Was there a particular fighter you watched growing up that inspired you to first put on gloves and why do you do it?
Owen Beck: Ali was my inspiration; he was amazing. I box because I am blessed by God. God has really blessed me. He helped me come back from the car crash and he’s helping me come back from the losses to Barrett and Austin. Losing those fights woke me up and made me hungrier. It made me want it that much more.
BoxingScene.com: Congratulation on securing a title fight with Nicolay Valuev on June 3rd for the WBA Championship. Most people here in the states haven’t had a chance to see Valuev fight yet; but at 7 feet tall and over 300 Lbs, he’s a huge man and seems to have a really good jab. You’ve never fought a man that big in your career. Do you foresee him presenting any unique problems for you?
Owen Beck: Nicolay Valuev is not on the same level as me. I’m not worried about his size or his jab. All he is is big. He doesn’t have nearly the same level of amateur experience as me. I am confident I will win this fight. Confidence helps you benefit from opportunity. I’m gonna come in in top shape, probably around 225 to 230. I’m gonna get inside his head. He doesn’t have the experience I do.
BoxingScene.com: Your fight with Valuev is scheduled to be in Hanover, Germany on June 3rd. How do you feel about fighting a German-promoted fighter in his adopted backyard?
Owen Beck: I’m not worried about going to Germany. The German audience love American fighters because they come to fight and they’re gonna love me because I come to fight.
BoxingScene.com: Valuev recently got questionable decisions over Larry Donald and John Ruiz in Germany. While most people agree the Ruiz fight was close enough it could have gone either way, many people say that Larry Donald deserved a win. Since you’re going into his back yard, are you worried about being on the short end of a decision in a close fight?
Owen Beck: I’m not worried about a bad decision because I believe a miracle’s gonna happen. I’m not saying I’m gonna knock him out; but I believe God’s gonna let a miracle happen that night. It’s my dream to unify the titles and my dream starts coming true on June 3rd in Germany.
(Just then the lights went down and the entrance music started playing for the next fight)
BoxingScene.com: One last question, Owen. Your friend, Chris Byrd, is defending his IBF title in a rematch with Wladimir Klitschko on April 22nd. Wladimir completely dominated Chris when they fought six years ago. Do you see this one going any different?
BoxingScene.com: I really think Chris is going to win. He’s grown a lot since the last fight. He has more experience now and he’s very motivated. I really think he will win.
BoxingScene.com: Owen, thank you again for your time.
Owen Beck: You’re very welcome.
Owen Beck is, if anything, one of the nicest individuals you’ll ever have the chance to meet; and he’s a pretty talented prize-fighter to boot. Remember, Owen put up a hell of a fight against Monte Barrett before the more experience “Two-Guns” closed the show in the 9th; and his loss to Ray Austin was an even closer affair. For Owen, as it is for any fighter, it’s “learning on the job”. Given Valuev’s controversial wins in his two biggest fights and the fact that most of the top fighters in the division are pretty close to on par with each other across the board, a Beck win over Valuev is far from out of the question. Also, the unexpected seems to currently be the norm; Rahman and Toney fight to a Draw, Liakhovich takes Brewster’s best and out punches as well as outboxes Lamon out of his title.
“What the Heck”…..Owen Beck could be the Next WBA titlist. Stranger things have happened.
Questions or Comments
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</TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top>I KNOW THAT I HAVE MENTIONED THIS BEFORE BUT I WAS THE PERSON THAT BROUGHT OWEN OVER FROM JAMAICA. HE IS A GREAT MAN. THIS FIGHT MEANS SO MUCH TO THIS MAN THAT IT'S UNREAL. HIS ENTIRE CAREER IS ON THIS FIGHT. WHEN WATCHING THE FIGHT IF YOU DO NOT HAVE ANY MONEY ON IT ATLEAST PULL FOR OWEN. I WILL BE THERE AND PRAYING HARD. Owen Beck Interview
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<!--webbot bot="HTMLMarkup" startspan --><SCRIPT type=text/javascript> <!-- function Mailit() { var address=prompt("Please enter your friends E-mail address"); if (address){ document.location.href=("mailto:" + address +" ?subject=Check out this boxing article.&body=I found this article at " + document.location.href + ", and thought you might like to read this.") } } // --> </SCRIPT>Recommend this page <!--webbot bot="HTMLMarkup" endspan --></TD><TD vAlign=center width=203>
Printable version</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top height=5></TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top><!-------------------------------- NEPHP SLIDESHOW: END ----------------------->By Kevin Kincade (photo by Tom Casino)It’s hard to think of a time when the question of the Heavyweight Championship was more in doubt. The boxing world was sure we’d be a step closer to solving this mystery when Hasim Rahman and James Toney climbed into the ring on March 18th……WRONG!! Then there was the Brewster-Liakhovich bout in Cleveland on April Fool’s Day; a supposed easy win for Lamon…..FOOLED AGAIN!! Up next, we’ve got a rematch between Chris Byrd and Wladimir Klitschko for the IBF World Heavyweight Title. Surely, we will get a front-runner out of that showdown; but if recent events are any indication, bet on the most unlikely of scenarios, for that seems to be the trend.
Amid all of the hoopla over Toney-Rahman and Byrd-Klitschko and the Liakhovich-Brewster upset, almost forgotten is the mystery man of the heavyweight division; the seven foot, 330 LB “Beast from the East”, Nicolay Valuev, and his defense in June against unheralded transplanted Jamaican, Owen “What the Heck” Beck. Beck was supposed to fight the new WBO Heavyweight Titlist, Sergei Liakovich, last September when “The White Wolf” suffered an injury, supposedly a torn cartilage in his chest, which caused the postponement/cancellation of his bout with Owen. While Sergei remained inactive until his shot at Brewster, Beck ended up taking on another up and comer by the name of Ray Austin, to whom he lost a split decision. Since the Austin loss, Beck picked up a win over Darnell Wilson and ended up securing a title shot of his own against the big Russian.
While covering a local card in Beck’s adopted hometown of Nashville, TN, I had the fortune of running into Beck’s cut man, Mike Wopper of Arellano’s Boxing, who was kind enough to introduce me to Owen, who surprised me with an impromptu interview between bouts at Municipal Auditorium.
BoxingScene.com: Owen, thank you for taking some time to talk to us.
Owen Beck: You’re welcome.
BoxingScene.com: I always start off interviews with fighters with the same question. Was there a particular fighter you watched growing up that inspired you to first put on gloves and why do you do it?
Owen Beck: Ali was my inspiration; he was amazing. I box because I am blessed by God. God has really blessed me. He helped me come back from the car crash and he’s helping me come back from the losses to Barrett and Austin. Losing those fights woke me up and made me hungrier. It made me want it that much more.
BoxingScene.com: Congratulation on securing a title fight with Nicolay Valuev on June 3rd for the WBA Championship. Most people here in the states haven’t had a chance to see Valuev fight yet; but at 7 feet tall and over 300 Lbs, he’s a huge man and seems to have a really good jab. You’ve never fought a man that big in your career. Do you foresee him presenting any unique problems for you?
Owen Beck: Nicolay Valuev is not on the same level as me. I’m not worried about his size or his jab. All he is is big. He doesn’t have nearly the same level of amateur experience as me. I am confident I will win this fight. Confidence helps you benefit from opportunity. I’m gonna come in in top shape, probably around 225 to 230. I’m gonna get inside his head. He doesn’t have the experience I do.
BoxingScene.com: Your fight with Valuev is scheduled to be in Hanover, Germany on June 3rd. How do you feel about fighting a German-promoted fighter in his adopted backyard?
Owen Beck: I’m not worried about going to Germany. The German audience love American fighters because they come to fight and they’re gonna love me because I come to fight.
BoxingScene.com: Valuev recently got questionable decisions over Larry Donald and John Ruiz in Germany. While most people agree the Ruiz fight was close enough it could have gone either way, many people say that Larry Donald deserved a win. Since you’re going into his back yard, are you worried about being on the short end of a decision in a close fight?
Owen Beck: I’m not worried about a bad decision because I believe a miracle’s gonna happen. I’m not saying I’m gonna knock him out; but I believe God’s gonna let a miracle happen that night. It’s my dream to unify the titles and my dream starts coming true on June 3rd in Germany.
(Just then the lights went down and the entrance music started playing for the next fight)
BoxingScene.com: One last question, Owen. Your friend, Chris Byrd, is defending his IBF title in a rematch with Wladimir Klitschko on April 22nd. Wladimir completely dominated Chris when they fought six years ago. Do you see this one going any different?
BoxingScene.com: I really think Chris is going to win. He’s grown a lot since the last fight. He has more experience now and he’s very motivated. I really think he will win.
BoxingScene.com: Owen, thank you again for your time.
Owen Beck: You’re very welcome.
Owen Beck is, if anything, one of the nicest individuals you’ll ever have the chance to meet; and he’s a pretty talented prize-fighter to boot. Remember, Owen put up a hell of a fight against Monte Barrett before the more experience “Two-Guns” closed the show in the 9th; and his loss to Ray Austin was an even closer affair. For Owen, as it is for any fighter, it’s “learning on the job”. Given Valuev’s controversial wins in his two biggest fights and the fact that most of the top fighters in the division are pretty close to on par with each other across the board, a Beck win over Valuev is far from out of the question. Also, the unexpected seems to currently be the norm; Rahman and Toney fight to a Draw, Liakhovich takes Brewster’s best and out punches as well as outboxes Lamon out of his title.
“What the Heck”…..Owen Beck could be the Next WBA titlist. Stranger things have happened.
Questions or Comments
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