April 4, 2007 Cardiff, Wales UK At a special one-on-one press conference Tuesday for IBA World Champion Bobby Gunn and WBO World Champion Enzo Maccarinelli, the press was all about Bobby! Although the presser was scheduled just moments after Bobby arrived in Wales after a 10 hour journey, he appeared fresh as a daisy. Because of the scheduled time of the conference, Team Gunn arrived about one hour late, prompting the press to inquire if Bobby Gunn was attempting to upstage the WBO Champ by making him wait..
Looking sharp and fit in a black suit and bearing a striking resemblance to Jack Dempsey, Gunn’s presence was immediately known when he entered the room. Ever the professional, Bobby Gunn walked right up to Enzo Maccarinelli and introduced himself to the reigning WBO Champion. The two shook hands and the press conference began. Surprisingly, being that Wales is Maccarinelli’s home, all of the questions that the reporters had were squarely for the American Bobby Gunn. While Gunn appeared relaxed and confident, Maccarinelli appeared tense and concerned once he met Gunn face-to-face. Who could blame him? Gunn looked like the strong and solid fighter that he is, his shoulders and back as wide as a doorway, while the awkwardly tall and gangly Macarinelli appeared to have made the first realization that he is in for a real fight on Saturday night.
“Joe Mack” McEwen of Team Gunn got the conference started by stating, “Team Gunn would like to thank Frank Warren, everyone at Sports Network, the citizens of the UK and especially Enzo Maccarinelli for the opportunity to come over here and TAKE the WBO Title. Bobby has trained long and hard for this fight and he is in the best shape of his life, both physically and mentally. Joe Grier and Kyle White have done a tremendous job with Bobby’s training and conditioning. Bobby lost his mother in 1993 and my mother just passed away this March 7th so we are dedicating this fight to them. They will have the best seats in the house. We are on a mission and that mission WILL be completed and that is winning the WBO Cruiserweight Title in dramatic fashion! We have watched video of Maccarinelli’s fights and we see something that we are going to exploit on Saturday night.”
From that point on, Bobby Gunn had center stage, as the cameras and reporters focused on the enigma that is Bobby Gunn.
“I want to thank God for this opportunity and thank my Team for making this fight possible. We were in talks with Roy Jones camp prior to signing for this fight, but once we heard David Haye had pulled out of fighting Maccarinelli, we were on the phone to Frank Warren’s people,” said the IBA Champion. “We pounded away until Joe Mack got the fight signed. Roy Jones WAS a great champion, but Enzo is THE MAN. I want to fight the best. If I’d beaten Jones they’d have said he was washed-up. But Enzo is a great Champion and should I be fortunate enough to win on Saturday night I will have beaten a young and prime champion.”
The press inquired about the crowd of 30,000 plus that will be on hand, virtually in Enzo’s backyard, and if that will have an effect on Bobby’s fight plan.
“I’ve got to go in there and fight the right fight, my fight, and what happens, happens. As for the crowd-if you are worried about them, well you are in the wrong business. Maccarinelli is the ONLY person that matters. We’ve seen numerous DVDs of his fights, especially the Dominguez and Hobson fights, and we know that Enzo is a great Champion. But my grandfather always told me: respect every man, fear no man. I stand by that.”
Gunn’s colorful background is well documented. He comes from a fighting family and has a lengthy fighting pedigree. His great-grandfather was a sparring partner for Jack Johnson, the former great heavyweight champion
While Gunn’s “official” record shows only 19 professional fights, that only tells half the story. Gunn spent a good number of years fighting in unsanctioned fights where he was tested and seasoned. “I had my first fight at 6 years of age. I had over 250 amateur contest – perhaps too many, but it means that I have plenty of experience,” said Bobby. “And while I was “officially” inactive for 10 years, I had over 30 unsanctioned fights all over the place. I learned a lot from them. There was a tremendous amount of betting on them. Once I knocked a guy down 11 times and the referee kept picking him up!”
Gunn is not pinning his hopes on Maccarinelli taking a victory for granted. “A Champion doesn’t underestimate anybody,” he said. “But this is my destiny. I’m fighting for my beautiful wife Rose and my son Bobby and their future. I’ve come here to get that strap.”
When asked by press conference moderator Richard Maynard of Sports Network if there were any questions for Maccarinelli, the room became suddenly silent and the press conference ended on that note.