FIGHT CAMP 360 Inside the Super Six World Boxing Classic 11_18_09

As Group Stage 1 of the Super 6 World Boxing Classic comes to a close, two leaders have emerged. Arthur Abraham, with his crushing victory over Jermaine Taylor. And Carl Froch, as he handed Andre Durrell his first loss. Now, relive Fight Week from Nottingham and Berlin with unprecedented access. There are some games I'll play, this game I won't play. To be honest, it won't make a ******* difference. And have an intimate view of Mikel Kessler and Andre Ward, as they look forward to their November 21st showdown. I'm preparing myself mentally and physically, and I'm preparing for battle. He wants to fight. I like people who want to fight. I want to fight them back. Sitting here, waiting, waiting, waiting. I'm gonna knock some heads. Right. Sick of sitting here waiting, man. Hey, Vicky, where's your fighter? Oh, finding him? Man, that's disrespectful. We're respectful. We're here. At 1.15, we're starting the press conference without you. I've done that before. When they're there for five, then they're gonna wait for us for another five. We can play the same game. Annie, isn't this a one o'clock press conference? We're in the UK now. Well, guess what? I don't have control here. And if they don't show? No, no, they're gonna be here in like five minutes. I think it's time to go up to the club room. Where are you guys going? Upstairs. Tell Franch when they're ready to call us. When they're down. In that room. When they're in their chairs. **** that. Seriously. I'm dead serious. There are some games I'll play. This game I won't play. Don't lose this ******* game. I don't play that. Franch said five minutes. **** him. That's why the English people don't like him. He's disrespectful. They can't stand a boy. I'm gonna do them a big favor. They may make you a knight. Yeah. They can't stand a boy. For real. Sir kicks ass a lot. For real. I love it. The curve is coming through. We're gonna get you down the stairs. This is a lot easier than the ring walk. You need some steel balls for the ring walk. Oh yeah, we ready. I'm ready. You're ready, Gary. You ready? I'm ready. You ready? I've been ready. No, you're just coming down the elevator. Keeping me waiting now, he said. And you're just waiting. I'm planning on getting on a flight back to America with a little bit more carry on, man. I'm trying to rattle my cage a little bit. It's impossible to rattle the cage of a cobra. Today, we win the press conference. Friday, we win the weigh-in. Saturday, we win the fight. You got it? I'm on. Okay. Let's go. As the two combatants come face to face, a press conference on the continent starts. Promptly. Welcome to O2 World. Herzlich Willkommen in der O2 World. Bevor wir antworten, haben wir ein kurzes Video vorbereitet, das wir jetzt dort drüben auf den Line einspielen werden. Die Schinderei auf Usedom, vorwarten. King Arthur bricht zu großen Zielen auf. Er will die ganze Welt umarmen. Jermaine Taylor aus den USA. Momentan ist das allergrößte Projekt. Denn der Titel würde seine Fotos zusätzlich veredeln. Vielen Dank, Arthur. Ein interessantes Video von einer Vorbereitung. Tja. We didn't get to really say anything. I'm not used to that part. But, you know, he had a little video showing. I ain't have no video. We don't know what they was saying. Look at them assholes sitting over there. All that deal y'all be shooting. Y'all ain't give me no video on that one. Back in England, the posturing accelerates. Let me get out of here. Let's go. Tuck, tuck, tuck, tuck. I've been practicing with Marvin Jackson. Man, you start getting teary. I'm serious as hell. He's taking me as a joke, so I'm going to act like I wouldn't. I'm going to treat you like one in the ring on Saturday, baby. I promise you that. I'm going to treat you like one in the ring. Just bouncing around like a kid at school, waiting for the tuck shop to open. And that, to me, that's nerves. We're going to meet again, aren't we? You're getting knocked out. You listen real quick. You need to stop. You've been hit so hard. What did you just say? Face the camera. What? Man, **** that camera. Uh-uh. You're knocked out. I've got him jumping around, standing on my feet. Putting his face in my face. Spitting on me when he talks. I'm going to punish him. Make him pay. It's over, boy. It's over. Stop talking to me, man. Don't talk to me. Right here. This is the face of a nervous man who knows he's getting knocked out. Damn. Somebody keep talking. I don't hear nobody. I don't even hear nobody. Thank you. That's it. Excellent. When do you know that it's a real fight? Right now. I never felt so ready in my life. That's nice, no? 14,000 people. Only for one person. We have to rehearse a little. But the boxer, Arthur Abraham, will go from his locker room into this elevator. When Abraham is announced by Michael Buffer, this elevator will go up 15 meters high. And the German rock band, Scorpions, will perform live on stage. We have smoke. We have pyro show. We have big flames will go on the stage. And during this performance, this elevator will come down. And Abraham in gloves, of course. Open the safety belt with his gloves. We don't know how he will do it. But he will go down and then go to the ring. Very nice. Yeah, I see this Madonna concert in Berlin. And Madonna coming to show. And I say, I want this. The same. And I say, please, I want this. And this is more money. And he say, OK, for the fight, Super 6, I give you this. And he give me. It's very good. I am very happy. This is the biggest fight of my career. I must win. Here, for 14,000 people, I must win. And in Berlin, in my home city, I win. We are 5.5 million people in Denmark. And I think 90% of the people knows me. If I walk down the street, somebody wants an autograph. It's good. The small boys are looking up, you know. They want to be like me. It's funny. Suddenly they want to be like me. He never sees this. He never sees this thing. That's good. Yeah, and here. It's a nice picture. It's a very good picture. I fear nobody, it says here. Visiting my family. It's good for me. My mother, you know, she's a nice woman. And she supports me all the way. Then I can say hello and get some of her nice food. When you started boxing, I thought, no. You're not going to stick to it. You're too soft with me. You're a little woozy. Woozy. You were long and thin and bony. I never thought you'd do anything. You went every day. They got an ass kick. Do you remember when he came home from training? Yeah. When he was in front of the mirror. When the muscle began to come. And we were laughing. And when you looked at us, we did. Getting very big, those muscles. I think, wow. I'm big. I was 50 pounds. I was big. I didn't know what really attracted me. But I think it was the hard training. Of course, if you had a bad day, you would always go to boxing. Punch in the back. My coach said that I was long and skinny. And I really couldn't fight that good. But I learned. I took my beatings. And I learned how to fight. It's great for him. Great publicity. And obviously, it's a huge Super 6 tournament. It's brilliant. Good afternoon, everybody. No fashion photographers, please. No, I won't. Just kidding. I've never been to the Nottingham Arena to see him fight before. His last fight was in America. Everyone booed him. It was awful. I was like, shh. What? But this, apparently. I mean, Karel, his mum, was saying, it's electrifying. All 8,500 fans are just cheering his name. It's going to be amazing. Back in his hotel room, Arthur Abraham is preparing to meet with Showtime's on-air talent. All that matters is what happens inside the ring. I want to become a legend in America. I want to have big fights in America. I love America. I want to be in too many fights in America. Which punch does he think will have more impact? Your happiness. Top secret. Would $10 do the trick? This came to Sauerland's hotel. It was a hand letter for you. They didn't open it. They asked me to bring it to you. Dear Jermaine Taylor, it is my wish to congratulate you with all my heart. These are a couple of pictures that you autographed for me. Good luck on your next fight. Y'all got a pen? Here, put a peck on it. Glad it wasn't hate mail. I hate you, Jermaine. Given the fact that you've lost a couple of fights and the other guys in the tournament haven't, do you view this as a blessing? I first heard about the tournament even though I was on my boat. I get a call. They said something about the super six. It's going to be six guys and super middleweight and they're going to put us all in the ring and make the best man win. I was just like, it's a blessing. After this tournament, after I win it, I'll be right back on top no matter what happens. You think that Darrell came here too late. Explain that. Well, it's common knowledge that there's a factor to take into account called jet lag. At the end of the day, he spent 10 hours in the air. It does things to the body. Dehydrates the body, makes it swell up, makes it act in funny ways. I've got a feeling he's struggling at the weight as well. He's going to have no jet lag. I'd still beat him as far as I'm concerned. I'm too strong. I'm too experienced for him. I'm too good. Too good for him. It's as simple as that. Carl, you remind me a lot of myself, you know, being the shy bachelor reserve guy that you are. G-Money. What's up, boss, man? We were on the money. Long time. That's what professionals do. The press conference was interesting. You were more verbal or flamboyant in talking about things. Was there any conscious part of that for you? I might as well put it in his face. I acted a fool, you know what I'm saying? And I believe I got in his head. And pretty much for me, I believe that's phase one, complete. Who were some of your boxing idols growing up? My idol is Muhammad Ali and my grandfather. Them was my two, you know, biggest icons. I really do everything for my grandfather. He's put in work and I feel this is my time to repay him. He's faced adversity in his life. When a father walks out and you're in the slums and you're in the streets and you got no roof over your head, he's felt the pits. I'm sure he's doing it more for his grandfather than he's doing it for himself. Gotta be proud, huh? You know I am. Yep. Long time coming. In Oakland, California, Andre Ward trains not just for personal triumph but for his city as a whole. Oakland is great. The Bay Area is great. I call myself a Bay Area kid through and through and for me to be able to do something positive and shine a bright light on the city of Oakland and the Bay Area as a whole is just an awesome feeling. It's good to be able to train at home and get the support that I need for a big fight like this. You know even though we train in Oakland, you know I did physically leave home so you know it is a training camp for me. This house means a lot to us. We have a lot of history here. It's the same house that I got ready for my first national championship for my gold medal Olympic trials. This is the house I'm getting ready for my first world title in so it means a lot. I mean I love every guy in this house but after six weeks you get tired of looking at them and they get tired of looking at you, you know. Who's a veteran at this Madden football? Me of course. Who's won the most? Three and two. Four and one. No, three and two. I'm the man on the game. It's just hard for them to accept. Wearing a silly hat man it's like I gotta be there with a hat. This is the light side of a competing part in training camp but I think about one person, one thing day in and day out. You know even when I'm going to bed Kessler, what I gotta do is I gotta take this belt from him. That's my theme for this training camp is if I really want it I gotta take it. Here comes daddy. Being away from my 16 month old daughter, my son Malachi, being away from my son and being away from my wife, man that does something to you. Yeah, yeah. Give daddy a kiss on the phone. Daddy kiss? Daddy. Yeah. Did you have a rough day or a nice day? A good kind of rough. The worst part of what daddy's going through it's just missing you guys that's it. You know you look up after eight weeks and mentally you're a different kind of person. You're ready for war. People have called me more science than sensation but we are fighting in a sport called the sweet science and you gotta use your brains. When you're a thinking man's fighter sometimes people take that as if you're a reluctant warrior but my ultimate goal is to become a master of my sport and get to where I can control the other man effortlessly. 167 with room to spare. I've had my breakfast as well. I can have a banana. How many fighters can eat before the weigh-in? Not too many. All this for this little old man. Oh, bless him. Ladies and gentlemen Andre Durell's official weight 168.4 pounds. He has two hours to shed the extra weight. 167 pounds. Let's go. Get right in the bus. Let's go. He's got a bit of food. He's got to go and sweat his balls off. So he took a pan and a bell. Yeah. But it's still a lot when he looks like a boiled chicken. That's good. He's made the weight. The belt's on the line. That's what I want to see. 75.4 kilograms. 76.2 kilograms. I know that Jermaine has done what it takes in the 10 weeks to get himself prepared. And he's done this for many years. So he comforts me in knowing that he has taken care of his business. He's ready to fight. This is my son's profession. We have been in this life for over 15 years. I've taught him to be the tough human being that he is. You know, I have the utmost respect for him. I have faith in him that he is the best boxer in the world. So I'm really OK. My mother cannot see my fight. TV not live. My mother cannot us. She say, I see your fight, my heart is broke. He don't like boxing. You know, I've been at this since I've been nine years old. I'm 25 now. Virgil's my trainer. You know, he's so many things. You know, we have a great relationship. I mean, I knew Andre when he was nine years old. And here we are today. You know, the stakes are higher. It's a lot more pressure on everybody. So he's a little bit more demanding. You know, a lot of people, they get concerned or, you know, even fearful of a guy's name. But we got the call that it was Mikael Kessler. I said, Hey, let's do it. The big super six world boxing classic. You got the young underdog, the young kid, Andre Ward. And you got Mikael Kessler the favorite. We want to shock the world. I'm preparing myself mentally and physically, spiritually, and I'm preparing for war November 21st. This championship fight and winning this belt is everything to me. I can't put it into words. When that first bell rings, I'm going for a dominating performance. Simply put, I just believe within myself that I'm the better fighter. I know what I can do, but I have to prove it. I love boxing. I love to train. I still love to train. Always I'm in better shape, I'm the better fighter. But when we have this big fight, it's like I know I'm living, you know, and I like that. I like that rush. In his hometown, I know it's going to be hard. When you come in and they hate you, and if there's 20,000 people that hate me, it's just better for me. I'm thinking about winning the fight. I'm only thinking about one. In this wrestling room, I'm starting to change. Are you ready? Are you ready? Are you ready? We're going to win this fight today. You better know it. You better know it. I hate going to a fight and my house is in a mess. Because you come back from the fight, you're tired, you're aching, you know, you've got to start tidying up, so I like it to be nice. It's like a ritual. To come over to England in my backyard and fight a world champion of my stature in your first test, it's a very big ask. I just don't see how he can beat me. I really don't. By any means necessary, I want this championship. I will never be as hungry as I am right now. It's my time to make it happen. Every time, win the cleverly, the smart boxer. One boxer is not smart, he lose every time. I'm going to beat him because I can outbox him. I'm going to beat him because I'm more experienced. I'm going to beat him because I've fought the better fights. As a fighter, looking into another fighter's eyes, I've seen what I need to see to know that I've already gotten beat. Andre's hungry. He's a lion and we will win. Trust me. I know what I have on the inside of me. I know what I can do, but I have to prove it. And that's what this tournament is all about. So I'm looking at it like I have something to prove. Only thinking about what? Nobody else. I want to show all of the boxing fans in the world that I'm the best superman weight. In Berlin, in my home city, from 14,000 people, I must win. After this tournament, if I win it, I'll be right back on top because I'm the best of the best. I can't wait to fight. Solace on my mind. Building myself up to the most important fight in my career. It's about a warrior achieving his goal and taking another man's scalp and becoming a champion. I'm taking that belt home. That's a guarantee. Mikel Kessler versus Andre Ward, November 21st, only on Showtime. On the next Fight Camp 360, experience fight night like never before. Go inside the locker rooms. Less than two and a half hours until you're the world champion. Get behind the corners. Feel the emotions. And watch the aftermath of Group Stage One unfold. It was a man versus a boy in there. An amateur versus a professional. I was going back to a miracle with his tail between his legs. Then see how each fighter is preparing for the next stage of the tournament.