Sebastian Sylvester and Giovanni Lorenzo clash in Neubrandenburg, Germany on Saturday night for the vacant IBF Middleweight Title which King Arthur Abraham has vacated to participate in the Super Six World Boxing Classic. Boxing-Online.com has caught up with the Hurricane ahead of his second world title challenge.
Q: Mr Sylvester, the fight for the IBF world title against Giovanni Lorenzo is getting closer. Are you getting more nervous?
Sebastian Sylvester: No, not yet. I think that the tension will increase when I see my opponent for the first time and have him right under my nose..
Q: You have certainly seen several of your opponent’s fights on video. Where do you think his strengths lie and what weaknesses could you find?
Sebastian Sylvester: Giovanni Lorenzo can fight on the front and the back foot. He hits very precisely and hard, which is illustrated by his 19 knockout wins. Furthermore, he is somebody who prepares himself very well depending on his opponent. I have got to be extremely careful. I will not reveal his weaknesses. I don’t want him to be able to prepare himself according to what I have seen.
Q: On August 29, you were a guest in Halle (Westfalen). Marco Huck was boxing there against Argentina’s Victor Emilio Ramirez and he won the WBO world title at his second attempt. Has that motivated you?
Sebastian Sylvester: There were two boxers who successfully won the world title at the second attempt in recent weeks. It started with Robert Stieglitz. Then Marco Hulk followed with a sensational win over Ramirez. Both took their second chance and I will also do so.
Q: Are there any things that you think have gone differently ahead of this fight, compared to the build-up to your world title fight against Felix Sturm?
Sebastian Sylvester: Everything has been more relaxed this time, without any bickering. The fight against Sturm had become a hate campaign between us in the weeks before the duel. It is different this time: Lorenzo is the IBF World Rankings number one and I am the number two and the best man, which is I, will win.
Q: Are you happy with your form?
Sebastian Sylvester: There have been fights in the past before which I was not as happy as I am at the moment. Whoever knows me will know, however, that I always want to do things better. Everything should have fallen into place, at the latest, by Friday afternoon before the fight. I haven’t had any black eyes or cuts so far and that is down to the fact that I have simply become more mobile. In addition, the sparring phase has been anything but comfortable. My sparring partners did not take their job lightly and things were done deadly serious.
Q: The Jahnsportforum will be full to the rafters again on September 19 and the fans in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern will be right behind you. Does that comfort you or do you feel more pressure because of this?
Sebastian Sylvester: No, I maybe felt the pressure the first time I was in Neubrandenburg, in April 2008, when the fight with Javier Castillejo was approaching. On my second visit, I already knew what the spectators in the Jahnsporforum are capable of and how they could get behind me. I know what to expect from the fight against Lorenzo and I am looking forward to the atmosphere.
Q: How would you rate your chances of winning the world title as a percentage?
Sebastian Sylvester: 100%.
Lorenzo Ready For Sylvester
Giovanni Lorenzo, 27-1-0, 19 KO’s and his camp spoke of his upcoming September 19th fight which will take place at the Jahn Sport Forum in Neubrandenburg, Germany, against Sebastian Sylvester 31-3-0, 15 KO’s. They are fighting for the vacant IBF Middleweight title on Sylvester’s home turf. At Giovanni’s last training session in Yonkers, NY, here’s what his camp had to say.
Giovanni Lorenzo: “I will tell you that I feel great, I feel ready, but that doesn’t mean anything. My performance in the ring will speak for itself.
“How do I feel about fighting in Germany? Good. It just makes me hungrier. The only thing he has over me is the hometown crowd and that actually works for me. I am from the Dominican Republic so it seems all my fights are on the road, I am used to it. In Germany, Sylvester is fighting for his fans, but I am fighting for my life. You will see the difference.”
“Pastor Ralph told me I am not going to get paid for overtime. I need to be more aggressive than Sylvester in this fight. I think Sylvester is going to be surprised when he actually sees me. He’s going to be blown away by my physical appearance and strength.”
“The Marquez fight did not change how I train. I don’t think he beat me, I think the ref did. In my head I am undefeated.”
Manager, Rich Ryan:
“Giovanni is anxious to get in the ring. We have been preparing for this fight for many weeks. His form is perfect, his degree of mistakes has been minimal, and he’s had no injuries. He is ready mentally and physically.”
“Giovanni’s size and strength are our assets. We probably only have a few more fights at 160, after that we are going up to 168, but for now it’s going to work in our favor.”
“We are very comfortable going to Germany to fight Sylvester. Sylvester will have more pressure to perform; there will be more demands on him because he is fighting in his hometown. For Giovanni there will be no distractions. He’ll have more focus.”
Trainer, Pastor Ralph Farrait:
“Giovanni keeps me on the edge at all times. He keeps me thinking, he challenges me. He likes me as a person but not when I am his trainer, and I like that. I can do my work without cutting corners. I can demand more from him, he doesn’t like it, but he gives it to me!”
“I think this is going to be a tough fight. It’ll come down to who can take more of the other’s shots. The guy who can take the most will win. I think it will be my guy that wins.”
“We have been asked, ‘Do we think we can win a decision in Germany?’ We absolutely think we can. We have faith in the IBF judges; we believe they will do the right thing. We are confident that if the fight goes 12 rounds we can still win a decision in Germany.”