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On March 9, American heavyweight prospect Malcolm “Showstopper” Tann, 22-2 (12), is scheduled to take on journeyman Wade Lewis at the Soaring Eagle Casino in Mount Pleasant, MI. SaddoBoxing recently caught up with Tann and got his thoughts and opinions on a myriad of topics. Only at SaddoBoxing!
SaddoBoxing: You had to pull out of your fight on Feb 24 due to a bronchial infection, correct?
Malcolm Tann: “Yeah man, I got sick and had to pull out. I just started working out again. I was like shit, man”.
SB: When do you plan on fighting again and against whom?
MT: “My manager says I should have a date on March 9 against Wade Lewis”.
SB: You just fought him in December?
MT: “Yeah man, it’s going to be like a rematch or something like that. I beat him but I wasn’t too happy with my performance”.
SB: What is this I hear about you and Chris Arreola having some sort of beef?
MT: “You know man, we was supposed to fight for like a year now. I read on the internet that he wanted to fight me, so I was like let’s do this then! He kept pulling out, but I’m like this is the kind of fight I need man. But to be honest, I’m done with that dude. If he wants to fight, then let’s go but I got to focus on my thing”.
SB: That fight would be great on ShoBox. Two up and coming heavyweights trying to make a name…
MT: “That’s what I’m saying, man”.
SB: There is a buzz surrounding you with some of the die hard fight fans. Do you find it difficult to get your name out there to the general public?
MT: “Man, that’s what I’m saying. People put too much emphasize on a zero these days. Plus, you got people like HBO who keep recycling the same fighters. It makes it hard. If you have more than two losses, forget about it. You see, I took a lot of fights injured, just trying to stay busy and get a paycheck”.
SB: You had surgery last year to remove bone spurs in your shoulder?
MT: “Yeah man, but I’m good now. I can throw jabs ,and you know, people say I need to fight from the outside as I am tall and long and stuff”.
SB: They call you the Showstopper. I have to say, great nickname.
MT: “Hahaha! That’s real talk man. The funny think is I brought that joint out in like 2002, and now it seems everybody is using it”.
SB: Give me your thoughts on the current heavyweight scene, which seems wide open at this moment.
MT: “On the scene, you know, there are a lot of talented fighters out there but they don’t want to fight the tough fights. You have to put yourself out there for the glory, man. Back in the day, if a fighter didn’t have like 15 losses, he wasn’t fighting anybody. They fought the tough fights and received the glory”.
SB: You have sparred with some of the top names in the heavyweight game. Who was your toughest outing against?
MT: “Man, I would have to say that I learned the most from Chris Byrd. He was just so fast and kept that constant pressure on your ass. I was like, God damn! Shit man, I learned a lot for that. If you just apply that pressure man, can’t nobody stand up to that”.
SB: What can we expect from Malcolm Tann in 2007?
MT: “You know, now that I have a little one on the way, I have to take this thing serious. My plans are to keep a steady pace. I’m looking to possibly fight like 5-8 times this year, man. I need a top 20 guy to really put my name on the map. My manager said I could possibly fight like three times in March and I was like, bring it on but it looks like I will be fighting on the ninth and then possibly at the end of the month”.
SB: Anything you would like to say to the fans in closing?
MT: “I just want to say, the Showstopper is coming in 2007! People will find that I’m a real dude. I’m down to earth man, I’m from the South”.
