The first heavyweight title fight in 115 years in Brooklyn is happening this weekend, when WBC Champion Deontay Wilder attempts to make his third title defense against Artur Szpilka. The 20-1 Southpaw, with 15 wins by knockout, hails from Poland and hopes to make an upset and become the first Polish heavyweight champion in boxing history.
Members of the media spoke to Szpilka during a scrum after the final press conference in midtown Manhattan to ask him a few question. While Polish is his first language, Szpilka was kind enough to answer the questions in English as often as possible (which I have corrected when applicable), which included his training regimen and strategies for the fight.
The subject of his altercation with Deontay at the World Trade Center photo shoot came up immediately, but Artur is looking past it and is saving his aggression for the ring. "When somebody talks shit every time and has no respect for you, I can fight every time, but nobody paid me. I'm a professional, after this I think wow, why was it like this? But you know, this is emotion. Sometimes you can only say something and just talk shit, but I can wait. I can wait for the fight."
Szpilka also explained his origins into the world of pugilism, which stemmed from his hot-headed temper as a youth. "I was a hooligan, a football hooligan. And he showed me the way because I fought, and he said, come on, you can change your life. But my favorite boxer ever in the world is Roy Jones Jr. I love him, he was the best in the world... He was the best, only one. I can box like him, but I was not the best."
Artur was keen to participate in other sports, but his longevity in them was not so great. "Actually I played everything. Football, basketball, everything. But every time someone knocked him out, because I was goal keeper, and somebody would kick my legs and I would say, what are you doing, and then - Boom! Red card, and I had to go home."
I was able to quickly sneak in one question before Artur had to run off, and asked him his thoughts about the UFC and if he is a fan of MMA. "I watch UFC, Joanna Jedrzejczyk is the Polish champion, you know, I love Polish people, like who is good I watch them. But UFC this is not my....I don't watch like boxing. Boxing I can [watch] in the morning, any time I can [watch]."
WBC Heavyweight World Champion Deontay Wilder and bruising Polish contender Artur Szpilka will meet on Saturday, January 16 inside The Barclays Center. The live telecast will be on Showtime, starting at 10 PM EST. Non-subscribers of the premium channel will also be able to enjoy the fight since this is a preview weekend for the station, and viewers will also be able to watch it for free streamed on Youtube, so there is no excuse to miss this event.