BANKS: I CAN SEE MITCHELL COMING FOR THE KNOCKOUT THIS TIME
Photo: Fightnews.com
Press Release: Heavyweight contender
Johnathon Banks hosted a media workout at Bad Boy Gym in Detroit on Tuesday in
preparation for his upcoming rematch against Seth Mitchell, scheduled to take
place Saturday, February 16th in Atlantic City, new Jersey with HBO
televising. Banks also hosted a roundtable discussion last Saturday 19 in New
York City during which he discussed his upcoming fight. Here’s what Banks had to
say about his upcoming fight at those two media
gatherings:
JOHNATHON BANKS ROUNDTABLE
QUOTES
“Seth Mitchell has contradicted himself. Right after the
fight he was very humble, gave me respect for the win and said he was going to
have to go back to the drawing board, work his way back to the position he was
in. Now I hear him saying things like ‘I didn’t win the fight or knock him out
because I was the better man that night’ and that it was his mistakes that were
the cause of the loss. I find that to be out of character for this guy who
seemed to be humble and respectful of me as a fighter prior to the first
fight. When I lost to Adamek as a cruiserweight, I lost.
“I can see him
coming for the knockout this time. He says he is going to be different this
time. I believe he will be.
“I’ve been doing this a long time and it is
a lonely man’s sport. I’ve experienced the bottom, middle and top. I
experienced hunger and what it really feels like to sacrifice to have your
dreams come true.
“I had a great night that night [November 17th]. I had
a lot of confidence and a special motivation. Once you feel your reason for
being there, you get out there, find your rhythm and go to work. It was a great
night and I do wish Emanuel [Steward] were there physically to see it happen.
He would have been so happy. I miss him everyday still but know he is happy for
me and will continue to lend me his spirit when I am training or getting ready
for a fight.
“After I won I was in a great position and thought, okay,
let’s move on. It took so long for the first fight to happen as it was pushed
back, postponed and now here we are again. I just said to myself ‘I’m just
going to have to stay here a little bit longer.’ I’m fine with that because I’m
confident the results will be the same as the first fight in the sense that I
will come out victorious.
“For me to be fighting back on HBO so soon
after the first fight is a great opportunity. If your goal is to become the
heavyweight champion of the world, you should be fighting on the world network,
which for me is HBO.
“I think fans look at the heavyweight division
differently now. I feel that I can knockout anyone I catch. I feel very
strongly I can do that.
“I think the American heavyweight division is
crawling back from the hole it found itself in these past few years. There are
a lot of talented fighters right now on the scene and that makes the division
very exciting.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve trained for a fight at
home in Detroit instead of overseas, but it’s been exactly the same. I do what
I need to and get ready for the fight in a very quiet, professional atmosphere,
just like it’s always been. I’ve got a job to do and it doesn’t matter where
it’s at.”
JOHNATHON BANKS WORKOUT QUOTES
“Like
all of my camps, I’m working on my balance, my speed and on my defense, making
sure the little things are taken care of.
“I like a quiet camp, even here
in Detroit, no time for socializing with friends leading up to the fight. Just
[trainer] Sugar (Hill) and I like it always is. Wladimir calls all the time so
we talk a great deal as we would at his camps.
“I did two weeks of
conditioning in Los Angeles and now we’ll have four weeks in Detroit until fight
week.
“My schedule is up at 5 a.m., run for an hour, breakfast at 8 a.m.,
nap, lunch at noon and gym at 2 p.m. It almost feels like I should be doing
something else because I was so busy in my last camp training Wladimir while
also preparing for the first bout with Mitchell. Like my plate is only half
full.
“After my first professional loss it took a little while to regain
my confidence, but I’m sure Seth will have his. I’m preparing for the very
best, focused Mitchell.
I expect him to be much better this time and I’ll be
ready.”
Tickets are available for purchase at the Boardwalk Hall box
office, by calling Ticketmaster at (800) 736-1420 or online at www.ticketmaster.com.