Exclusive Boxing Interview: Darrel Madison

© Jim Everett / Saddo Boxing

Sweet Science Events will be hosting an exciting night of boxing tonight, May 30 at Moticello Raceway, Monticello, NY. In the main attraction, Darrel “King David” Madison, 9-1 (3), will face veteran Zuri Lawrence, 23-13-4, for the vacant New York State Heavyweight Title.

After a good amateur career, Madison had his first professional fight in November of 2006 and did what any new prospect should do, he fought four and six round fights facing other new prospects. Over the last year and a half, he stayed busy and fought ten times, facing opponents that had up to eight professional fights.

While some fighters talk about stepping up their level of competition, Madison means what he says. When he steps into the ring tonight, he will face a veteran that has five times the professional ring experience of anyone he has ever faced and who has also been in the ring with past heavyweight champions, contenders and Olympians.

SaddoBoxing had the pleasure of speaking with Madison to talk about his big opportunity and what he has been doing to prepare for his first eight-round main event title fight.

© Jim Everett / Saddo Boxing

Saddoboxing: This is your first main event; does the fight have any different feel to it than your past bouts?

Darrel Madison: “No, just two extra rounds, thats it.”

SB: Is the New York State Heavyweight Title on the line for your fight?

DM: “Yes, Derric Rossy vacated the title when he found out I wanted to fight him.”

SB: Is Rossy someone that you have called out in the past?

DM: “Yes, Derric Rossy, Tony Grano, Horace Ray Grant from Marylan , Steve Collins from Texas, all these guys with winning records I look for to be opponents but they all backed out. Derric and his promoter Sal Musumeci figured they would get together and have Derric vacate the belt from New York and have me and Zuri fight for it. I think Sal figured Zuri could beat me since he has forty fights and he could still keep the belt in his stable, but I’m going to give them a surprise.”

SB: What would a victory do for your career at this point?

DM: “It would definitely open up so more doors. I think I would be looked at more as a prospect rather than a pampered prospect looking for easy fights. I think it would open up the door so I could fight better opposition in the heavyweight division.”

SB: Have you thought about the downside of possibly losing the fight?

DM: “Yeah, but when you really think about it I’m in a win – win situation. I have ten fights and I’m stepping up to the plate. I feel I’m ready for it, I’m not just talking about it, I’m going forward with it and not just talking, I’m doing the actions too.

“I’ve got ten fights and I’m fighting a veteran that has forty fights with a lot of experience, he has lost to a lot of champions and has beaten some top rated contenders and former Olympians. It’s not an easy fight for either one of us; I hope he brings his ‘A’ game and he doesn’t underestimate me like he said in an interview claiming I wasn’t ready for a guy like him because I didn’t have enough fights. I think he is in for a surprise on May 30.”

SB: What have you been doing to train for the fight?

DM: “Sparring, a lot of roadwork, Zuri throws a lot of punches, I throw a lot of punches and I have to definitely outwork him. We added a strength trainer to the program, so we have a little more pop in the punches.”

SB: In regard to your sparring I understand you had the opportunity to work with Nikolay Valuev at his training camp in Germany ; what was it like to be a part of his camp?

DM: “It was beautiful; they treated me just like my name ‘King David’. The accommodations, the coaches, the facilities, I was lucky enough to go to Berlin to the Olympic training center over there and use their facilities. It was really spoiling having pools, saunas, jacuzzis, the gym, the ring, the track, places you can sprint, I had everything I could want in a camp, I had access to everything.”

SB: Did you work specifically with Valuev with sparring or did you get a chance to follow him in other aspects of his training regimen?

DM: “Basically I followed Nikolay around like a puppy chases his mother. Everything he did I basically did. When he went running, I went running, when he ate, I ate, when he swam, I swam we did a lot together.

“It was a beautiful experience for me to be at his camp and his camp to be so open with me and show me things hands on, nothing really secretive. They did their own thing when it came time for their training but other than that they included me in everything and I really appreciate that.”

SB: Was there anything that you recognized that the Europeans did different in their training than you’ve been used to in the States?

DM: “Nothing really, they do throw a few different punches like from different angles and more of looping shots. I was able to work with his coach and he showed me a few things to add to my arsenal which I was able to put in my toolbox.”

SB: When you were originally over there that was to prepare him for his rematch with Ruslan Chagaev that got postponed until July 5; do you have any plans to work with him again after your fight with Lawrence ?

DM: “Yes, probably two days right after the Zuri fight, they asked me to come to their camp in St. Petersburg, Russia. Nikolay and I got a lot of rounds in, he’s a very big guy. He is overwhelming at first when you look at him but other than that once we got to working we got a lot of rounds in. He enjoyed me, I enjoyed him and we both learned something, we were good for each other.”

SB: What was it like sparring with someone of his size?

DM: “Oh my God, when I came back to the states and they put the average 6’4” heavyweight in front of me it was a cake walk, I remember thinking this guy is small!”

SB: Do you think working with someone of Valuev’s size will give you any problems with your timing when you face Lawrence ?

DM: “No, because as soon as I got back to the states I got back in there with the little guys. Shots I would normally just hit them with to faze them hurt them. When you’ve got to beat a guy off you as big as Nikolay you start to hit harder. I threw normal shots just to get these guys off of me and I was really hurting them, dropping them, stumbling some of them back. I stopped quite a few of my sparring partners after this preparation with Nikolay Valuev.”

SB: In facing Lawrence this will be by far your most experienced opponent, all of your other opponents have had no more than eight total professional fights; what are you expecting from him?

DM: “I believe he thinks that I’m a new-comer and I don’t have any ring experience. He thinks I have only been boxing around two years so he’ll probably come out and throw a lot of punches and do things that older guys do to these young guys that have no ring experience.

“He’s probably going to use that against me, he’ll probably come out and try to throw a hundred punches a round and overwhelm me and try to get me to play catch up with him and out punch myself so I lose on exhaustion. I’m ready for him, there is nothing he can do or try to do that I haven’t seen or been in with before.”

SB: With all of Zuri’s experience he has never knocked out an opponent in his pro-career, does that give you a sense of not being worried about his punching power and being able to do things that you wouldn’t be able to do against a knock-out puncher?

DM: “No, Zuri is over 200 pounds. Any man over 200 pounds can punch. He can definitely punch and I think he is going to try and make a statement this time. He hit Hasim Rahman with some good shots and he will probably think that it will be his night for his big knockout. I really believe that he will have a big surprise coming for him.”

SB: What would you like to give as a prediction for this fight?

DM: “An eight round unanimous decision. If Zuri is dumb enough to stand in front of me too long and try to trade with me, hurt me or outwork me he could get dropped himself. But, other than that if I stick to the game plan and it goes the way I have it planned an easy eight round unanimous decision.”

SB: Thanks for taking the time to speak with me today, I wish you the best of luck and look forward to seeing the fight on Friday.

DM: “Thanks a lot Jim; I appreciate you taking the time for me.”

© Jim Everett / Saddo Boxing