Exclusive interview by Charles White – Taking time out of his busy training schedule, undefeated heavyweight prospect Malik “King” Scott (32-0 with 11 ko’s) kindly answered my questions on his career to date, future plans, and general thoughts on boxing and the heavyweight division. You won’t want to miss this interview! Here is what Malik had to say…
CW: Hey Malik, how’s it going today? MS: What’s up bro…everything is going great…me and my father [Leroy Scott] recently some-what squared things away with my promoter Goossen/Tutor and I recently just got back into the gym with my trainer [The Professor] Joe Goossen, so everything is falling back into place as far as my rollercoaster career is concerned..
CW: You had a great amateur career, ending with a 70-3 record I believe. How did you first get into boxing?
MS: Well it’s no secret I come from the mean streets of North Philadelphia and of course as we all know fighting for your respect there is a mandatory…and on top of that I have a younger brother [Jamel Rucker] who growing up suffered from a “blount disease” which is a bone disease that caused him to being extremely and abnormally bowlegged and it caused him to walk a lot different then the rest of us and people would tease him or try to take advantage of him and I wasn’t having it, so every other day I was putting my foot in somebody ass for thinking they could talk or treat my blood brother any kind of way…so my uncle [Troy] may he rest in peace..took me to the gym one day and I never looked back.
CW: What fighters did you admired as a kid and coming up through the amateur ranks?
MS: WOW..the crazy thing about that? Is the guys that I admired coming up was the guys the was my peers that use to kick my ass everyday in the gym. I’m talking the likes of Zahir Raheem, David Reid, Anthony “The Messenger” Thompson, Mike Melvin, Randy Griffin, Charles Wade, I mean every day my childhood trainer Fred Jenkins put me in there with these guys at A.B.C GYM which is the place that raised me and it wasn’t nothing easy coming up there, watching Rock and Tiger Allen and stealing different things from their trainer and father Nazim Richardson..so I guess you can say I admired my own peers and the guys who taught me how to like brother Nazim say “Swim without getting wet.”
CW: How would you describe your style?
MS: I can do it all Charlie. I don’t even put myself in a box or give myself one style…my style of fighting depends on how motivated I am…I can do it all and more and there are not a lot of heavyweights that can say that about themselves. For example..Sam Peter hits hard but that’s all he does good for the most part..Chris Arreola..can punch but he’s right there in front of you and it’s not much you have to do to off set his style of fighting because it’s only so much he can do..and that’s just to name a couple but that list goes on and on..so I don’t describe my style because there’s so many things I can do in that squared circle..”chuurrch.”
CW: With 11 knockouts in 32 fights, some may consider you to not have heavy hands. Sadly, many people are quick to write off a fighter with a low knockout percentage these days. What would you say to those who don’t appreciate the technical side of the sweet science?
MS: …Charlie there’s no secret I’m a scientist in the ring and that has cost me a lot of times because the sweet science is not as brutal as fans and promoters would like it to be. My sweet science is angles, not moving too much but just enough to make your man pay when he misses, ring generalship, controlling with a good steady and strong jab, staying calm, cool and collective at all times and as far as my knockout ratio is concerned people can say or think what they want but anybody they put in front of me with a high knockout ratio I will treat them the same way I have treated the last 32 snails I fought and beat them with ease.
CW: Back in 2007, you won a unanimous decision over former title challenger Charles Shufford. Tell us about this fight and how it helped you with your own career to have defeated such an experienced opponent…
MS: It’s not really nothing to tell. Charles Shufford is really a actor literally and I basically beat him with Stevie Wonder vision and a messed up knee..case closed!!
CW: Your last win was a UD over Raphael Butler. What did you take away from that fight?
MS: I had a lot of outside distraction that fight and if you see the fight you can tell I wasn’t even there and it cost me in a lot of ways..but once again another guy I beat with Stevie Wonder vision and what I really took from that fight was under any circumstance I have a duty and responsibility to take care of regardless of any mishaps that goes on in my outside life. The job must still get done in great form.
CW: You are still undefeated in the pro ranks at 32-0 with 11 ko’s, yet you haven’t fought since 2008. What were some of the causes of this inactivity?
MS: Charlie anything that can happen to someone has happen to me in the last two years hypothetically speaking. I had a ruptured calf muscle that put me out for a few months…after that I was doing some sparring with Manuel Quezada and anybody that has boxed or fought Manny knows that kid head is as hard as a bowling ball and I really jacked my hand up on his head real tough so that took a while to rehab and heal. After that I had a lot of these snail moving heavyweights pull out of fights against me then me and my father had a ton of disagreements with my manager and promoter and a bunch (of) regular life distractions added on…it’s all just a bunch of trial and tribulations that I believe is a testimony to my strength and character.
CW: Have you been keeping in shape during this inactivity?
MS: For the most part yes I have.
CW: What kinds of things have you been doing in training for keeping you in shape?
MS: I basically live at 24 hr fitness when I’m not at Joe’s working out or I’m in somebody’s camp sparring and keeping sharp and staying on point.
CW: When can we expect you back in the ring, and whom will it be against?
MS: I’m sure Goossen/Tutor has something lined up for me pretty soon we are shooting for early or mid November or maybe even late October. I’m just focusing on getting 6 solid weeks up under Joe’s training cycle and then go from there.
CW: Who will be in your corner when you make your ring return?
MS: “The professor” Joe Goossen.
CW: You were a sparring partner for Adamek as he prepared for Michael Grant. What are your impressions of Adamek and how much farther do you think he can go in the heavyweight division?
MS: First off I want to give a shout out to Main Events and Ziggy Promotions for treating me like a king when I was in camp with Adamek. They are all great people from Adamek’s wife and kids to his trainer Roger Bloodworth, to his promoter and friend big ‘Ziggy’ who can eat a whole porter house steak less then 3 mins (laughs). Adamek is a work horse and more clever in the ring then he gets credit for. Roger is doing a great job with him and I expect to see him do big things in this division and I hoping one day me and him can get it on as well.
CW: Who else have you been sparring with lately?
MS: Lately is just been Adamek. A few months ago I was getting a lot of rounds in with Audley Harrison, Manuel Quezada, and I was in Chambers’ camp for the Wlad fight…and oh yeah about a year ago I was down there in Torrence working with my boys from the Rock at the Michael King program..they got good talent down there.to name a few..Joe Hanks, Lionel Davis, Scott Alexander..them guys keep you sharp and I love working with them.
CW: Did you see the rematch between Samuel Peter and Wladimir Klitchsko? If so, what were your thoughts on both fighters’ performances?
MS: I didn’t see it but of course I received emails and calls about it…but honestly I wanted Sam to win but logically I knew it just wouldn’t happen..here we go again one dimensional Sam Peter fighting a guy who knows how to do more than one thing and of course the guy that has more than 1 trick in his bag will always out do a one trick pony..”chuurrch.”
CW: Two heavyweight title fights coming up are Shannon Briggs vs Vitali Klitchsko and Audley Harrison vs David Haye. How do you see these fights going down?
MS: I see Shannon coming out blazing as usual and if Vitali can weather the storm like I believe he will then he will end up clipping Shannon in 5 or 6 rounds or less. Now as far as Audley and Haye is concerned I don’t know too much about Haye besides he reportedly has a weak chin but is definitely a gun slinger and he comes to get it for the most part, but I’ve been in with Audley and he is constantly doing things to line you up for that big left hand. He is very clever and has a very good trainer in Shadeed (Suluki) that doesn’t take any of his shit and is going to bring the best out of him come fight night..so my prediction is a very logical one; Haye’s weak chin+Audley big left hand=Audley new heavyweight champ..then giving Malik Scott the opprotunity to take the title from him.
CW: What are your thoughts on the state of today’s heavyweight division and where do you see yourself in the mix?
MS: I think the division is a great one..but at the same time it’s so many good matches that could be made that promoters are not making for financial reasons or whatever else reasons…and as far as where I fit in that’s not up to me because everybody knows I got the skills to pay the bills but if none of these snails will fight me then it’s just all for nothing.
CW: So who is on your radar right now Malik? Are you looking to get right back into the mix, or are you looking for a couple of tune ups first?
MS: Let’s just put it like this..I’m looking to get 6 weeks back under Joe Goossen training cycle and then fight whoever is available. Speaking of availability..I hear (Alexander) Povetkin is looking for someone to fight, well let him and Teddy know MALIK “KING” SCOTT will gladly take on the task and we can do it in Germany or wherever he’s most comfortable to taste defeat at. Just send me a contract and a plane ticket…”chuurrch.”
CW: About how long until we see you fight for the heavyweight championship of the world?
MS: A year and a half or less. I’m 29 years old Charlie and I’m not one of these fighters that want to be in this shit until I’m forty. I have a 6 year old son I haven’t had the chance of truly raising the way I want to and he needs me, especially in this day and time and I need him as well so I give myself 3 maybe 4 more years in this game and then it’s off to being the kind of dad I always wanted to be and start talking to and helping kids in the ghetto that think there is no way out besides selling drugs or robbing your neighbor and basically teaching them it’s a much better route to take then those ones. Then it’s off to smoking Monte Cristo’s and Avo cigars and really being a family man without the marriage or matrimony stuff..”chuurrch.”
CW: Do you have a preference as to which champ you would like to face first?
MS: It doesn’t matter to me, they are all my opposition and I don’t really care for any of them…whoever gives me the opportunity first is the one that will get defeated first..”chuurrch.”
CW: If you could fight any heavyweight, past or present, who would it be and why?
MS: Probably my mentor and idol, Lennox Lewis. I was fortunate and blessed enough to have the opportunity to be up under his wing the last three years of his career so matching my skills up against his would be like a dream come true..”chuurrch.”
CW: I’m curious, if not boxing, what career path might you have chosen?
MS: I really have no clue, I really believe boxing is my calling. You would think since I come from the rough streets of Philly I would have had some kind of luck with selling narcotics, but the actual truth is the day I called myself selling cocaine for the first time I brought a ounce of it in the house after trying to hustle it off all night and my mother found it and flushed it all down the toilet and had my uncles come over and whipp my ass for even trying to attempt to do it, so I had no luck there. 9 to 5’s never was my thing so I definitely wasn’t doing that. If it wasn’t boxing I would have been doing something that the typical square wouldn’t even understand so it’s not even worth talking about…”chuurrch.”
CW: Thank you for your time Malik. Any final thoughts for the fans? Perhaps a message to the heavyweights of the world?
MS: As far as my fans is concerned..thank you for the belief you have had in me on getting this mission completed to become heavyweight champion. I promise I will not fail you. To all my lady fans, I’m “allergic to matrimony” but I really appreciate the support..and as far as my haters, I love you guys sincerely and the reason I say that is because whatever you guys are saying or emailing, it’s just your opinions and they are like assholes “we all got one.” I’m a man first, then a boxer and you guys know the boxer and you have my support on saying and emailing anything you like because you will be fans of mine real soon..love ya. Now to all the snail moving heavyweights in the world, which is majority of y’all…stay out of my way because I’m coming through like a mack truck doing 200 mph and my breaks is broke so I’m running over every snail in sight. “CHUURRCH!!!”
Reporter’s note: “Chuuuurrch” is Malik Scott’s unique sign off.
For questions and comments, to schedule an interview, or to just talk boxing, Charles C. White can be reached at cwhite1078@mysvc.skagit.edu or 360-333-5911.