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Jason Gavern Q and A

I was given the opportunity to put my questions to heavyweight boxer Jason Gavern who recently stepped in at late notice to face unbeaten heavyweight Deontay Wilder.

 

 

1.       Me: Hi Jason, thanks for agreeing to answer my questions, how are you? Recently you faced off with Deontay Wilder, a man who has knocked out every opponent he has been in with, how highly do you rate him?

 

Gavern:  First I wanted to thank you for this opportunity.

Deontay Wilder is 32-0 for a reason. He has done his job as a heavyweight in knocking everyone out. You know what the boxing critics say about him that he isn't going to be world champion or he has never been tested past 4 rounds.

 First of all the boxing critics can say what they want. I respect what they say but until they step into the ring and actually take a punch to the face I couldn't really care less what they are writing or their opinion.

Well he's knocking everyone out! It's not his fault that nobody has lasted longer with him. I took the fight with him on 6 days notice. I know what my job was. I was to go in there and give him rounds and keep him busy.

 wanted to win but to take a fight of that magnitude on 6 days notice against the #1 heavyweight in the world is a lot to ask of anyone. I feel that I did what was expected of me but I actually felt really good about my performance. I only stopped the fight because I was literally exhausted. No point in going out there and getting hurt. He didn't knock me out, I lasted longer than anyone else has in his 31 prior fights so I was happy to test him a bit.

Give me 6-8 weeks to train and I'm not saying that I would or would not win but he would definitely have had a fight on his hands. But it was a pleasure being in the ring with him and it was a great opportunity

 

 

2.       Me:  Do you believe that Wilder is the next big heavyweight sensation that the sport is crying out for?

Gavern:  At the end of the day this is the heavyweight division, one punch and it's all over for any top heavyweight. This heavyweight division is no joke.

The days of the 6'2, 225 heavyweights are over. These guys today are 6'6, 6'7, 250-260 lbs. Any punch that lands on your chin, call it a night.

 I think that Deontay has the tools to become a champion and the future will answer all of those questions. He's big, fast and powerful so we shall see very soon.

 

Me: You took the fight at late notice and I think it's fair to say that you weren't at your highest level of fitness, what do you think of your performance on the night?

Gavern:  Over the last few years I have never had a set time to train properly for a fight. I am always in the gym in some fashion but there is being in shape and then there is being in boxing shape. It is two totally different worlds.

 I am always getting last minute calls for fights and when you go into someone's back yard on only a few days notice, your being set up to lose.

 Boxing is the most corrupt sport in the world and there is no one that will stop it. Judges are incompetent and have no one to be held accountable to. A fighter trains with all of his heart and soul, spends months away from his family, all to have three judges steal a fight away is criminal! Judges hold your boxing career in their hands. If you win, next fight your going to make some good money. If you lose it's back to the drawing board.

 You see time and time again on national television scorecards from judges that don't even reflect the fight that they just watched. Almost to the point that they had the scorecards filled out even before the fight started.

Take my fight for example with Jonathan Banks. He was the NABF champion. I fought him in Germany on a K2 promoted card. Klitschko was the main event and we were the co-main event. We fought for 12 rounds and I won the fight hands down. 9 rounds to 3 or 10 rounds to 2. At the end of the fight it took a while to give the decision which is always a bad sign.

 The fight was televised in Europe and while we were standing and waiting, the camera was in his corner and heard his team say that they (The judges) were going to give me the fight that I deserved the win. The judges gave us a draw just to save him his title. You know why ? POLITICS !!!!!

After that fight I didn't care anymore. I just took fights on late notice for money and never really trained. That single fight could have changed my life forever but some incompetent judges stole it from me! That fight defined the rest of my career.

 

Me: Recently you sparred with British heavyweight prospect Anthony Joshua, what did you make of him and how far do you believe he will go in the sport?

Gavern: Yes I am a fighter but I am also a fan. I follow the sport and know the big fights and the new up and coming guys. I am definitely a fan of Anthony Joshua.

 I am more impressed with how he carries himself out of the ring rather than inside the ring. He is a Olympic Gold Medallist and has every right to be cocky and carry himself as such but he is a very humble guy.

He knows that he has a lot to learn in the pro ranks and is always looking for knowledge. The little bit of time that I spent with him we talked about boxing and how to do certain things inside the ring and he took these things that we discussed and applied them to our sparring sessions. He seems to be like a sponge and wanting to soak up as much boxing knowledge as he can. His attitude will take him a lot further.

 As a fighter, he is definitely the real deal. He dedicated himself to his craft and the sky is the limit for him. He has a great team behind him in Eddie Hearn and Matchroom Promotions and he will eventually make a big splash on the heavyweight division. There is no luck in boxing so I always say, so I wish him all the best and I would definitely love to go over and spend some more time with him sparring.

 

 

Me: Last year you came over to the UK to fight in Prizefighter and you claimed a win over James Tony, just how much does that victory mean to you?

Gavern:  The Prizefighter opportunity came as always as a last minute thing. I met a super nice guy named Allan Tremblay from Canada at a fight that I had a few months earlier and we started talking and he told me that he had some connections and might possibly be able to get me into the Prizefighter.

Boxing is full of really shady people and if I ever listened to everything that people told me or promised me in this sport right now I would be a multi-millionaire and would have been world champion by now but most people are all talk in this game.

There are only a few real genuine people that I have met in the sport over the years and Mr. Tremblay is one of those guys. I owe the Prizefighter opportunity all to him so thanks again Allan!

The Prizefighter tournament was definitely one of the highlights of my career. The whole night, the fans, the whole trip was a really great time. Coming into the Prizefighter I was feeling really good about it. If boxing was only 3 x 3minute rounds , I would be world champion lol. I am a fast starter and felt that this style of fighting would definitely benefit me.

I was the first fight of the night so that was good. After my fight I knew that I had a lot of time to rest but the first fight took a lot out of me. Larry was a big guy and I knew that I had to win that fight so I spent a lot of energy. I felt that I easily won that fight but even with the knockdown the judges had it a close fight.

After the fight I went back to the dressing room and watched James fight because I knew that I was going to fight the winner. I have been with James as a sparring partner for several years prior to this fight. 2005-2007 I was with him at the Wildcard gym in Hollywood Ca. I learned most of my boxing from James.

He is one of the all time greats in this sport so what an opportunity I had that I wasn't going to let slip away. I soaked up so much knowledge over those few years and I knew that it would all come in very handy if I ended up facing him which I did.

 A win over a future hall of famer is something that no one can ever take away from me. Whether it was a 10 round fight or a three round fight it was still a tremendous win for me. Listen, I was a police officer for 8 years and took up boxing as a hobby. Something to learn to have something extra on the street as a cop. I quit my police career to pursue my boxing career and for me to have been across the ring from James "Lights Out" Toney was very surreal and just proved to myself that all the years of training and sacrifice was in this moment was something very special.

 It was a very fun and fan friendly fight. The fans were going crazy during that fight and it was such a good time in there. Then to have my hands raised after that fight was truly an honour and something very special that I will always have.

 

 

Me: What's next for you and when can we expect to see you in the ring again?

Gavern: Right now I don't have anything scheduled but I am always ready, willing and able to fight anytime so I invite the phone calls.

 I just signed with an advisor who is going to help me find the right fights for the right money but I would like to get a few wins and I would really like to fight for some regional titles. I would like to get a few belts to have in my home but again to fight for these titles on such short notice is always a tough job to have. I am hoping for some more opportunities in the future.

 

 

Me: Finally, is there anything you would like to say to your fans?

Gavern: I absolutely love the boxing fans. If it wasn't for them, then there would be no boxing. I feel that I am a fan friendly fighter and always try my best to put on a great show for the fans.

 The UK fans especially treated me with a lot of respect and really appreciated my fighting so I am very grateful to them. Hopefully I will be back in the UK in the future and put on another great performance.

Anyone can friend request me here on Facebook or hit me up on Twitter @Jasongavern

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