Reigning WBA Intercontinental heavyweight champion Denis Boytsov faces at Rostock the USAmerican Jason Gavern (18-5-3, 8 KOs). Boytsov (23) is currently rated WBA # 5 and WBO # 6.
This Saturday will be your first bout with live TV coverage on ZDF. Is this something special?
Denis Boytsov: “Not really. It shows me that people love my style of boxing. But inside the ring I don´t see any cameras. I just see the fists of my opponent.”
For the past five years you have been living in Hamburg. How is life in this city, in this country?
Denis Boytsov: “People in Hamburg are very friendly. Here you have a lot of water and a lot of churches. It´s a very beautiful city. Russia is my homeplace, but I really love Hamburg. For me it´s the capital of heavyweight boxing right now. The Klitschko’s also live and train here, Ruslan Chagaev – and me..”
What´s your next goal?
Denis Boytsov: “To beat Jason Gavern. But my biggest goal is, to become a world champ. Next year will be my year. In 2010 you´ll see a boombastic Boytsov. I hope I´ll get a world title fight. Universum is working for me in order to realise this dream. They did it with the Klitschko’s, they did it with Chagaev. Hopefully they will achieve it with Denis Boytsov. I am happy here. But I am just 23 years. I know that my time will come.”
You and Vitali Klitschko share the same coach. How is the relationship to Fritz Sdunek?
Denis Boytsov: “To me he is like a father. I like to work with him very much. I learn a lot of him. The Klitschkos, Michalczewski, Grigorian, Erdei, Balzsay – he worked with big champions. For me he is the greatest coach on this planet.“
Highlights of the fight you can see on Sunday morning at www.boxing.de/en.htm
Tickets for the „Universum Champions Night“ on October 10th 2009 at the StadtHalle in Rostock
are still available at all known Ticket Shops