Bryant Jennings (16-0, 8 KO’s) held a media workout today in preparation for his June 14th NBC Sports Network Fight Night clash against Andrey Fedosov (24-2, 19 KO’s). Here’s what Jennings shared during the workout today at ABC Gym in Philadelphia, along with photos and a workout video from the event.
Why take this fight with Fedosov?
Boxing is a business. You have to build yourself, your marketability. This is our business we hit, we get hit, it’s what we do. I’m not gonna just wait around. A lot of it is patience. Patience is very much needed in this sport. As I always say, ‘welcome to the fight game.’
What do you know about this guy you are going to fight (Fedosov)? I don’t know nothing about him. I very seldom know anything about any of my opponents. That’s my trainer’s job.
Were you trying to add new moves during sparring?
No that’s just me. I was trying not to open up against him (sparring partner). Just trying to let him get comfortable punching, just get through the work and conditioning of it. I work on my techniques. We did train early this morning: we did 5 miles, my fastest mile this morning was 6:04; 20 minutes on the pads; then I went in the house and did push-ups, sit ups; drank a smoothie; and then tried to lay down so I could rest up to come back here.
In sparring are you going for the knockout?
No, it’s the push. This way I’ll be able to operate in the later rounds at a high pace, at a fast pace and still be conditioned. And then you go back to the corner, recover for those 30 seconds and come back out and do it all over again. I can do it for 20 rounds.
When you train you seem to go twice as hard than other opponents – you train all day, put in 6 miles a day instead of 3. Was it that way for this camp and why?
It’s that way for every camp. Running is easy for me. You have to remember I started later and didn’t have a big amateur career. I thought I have work twice as hard to get to this point, because I came in the game late. I had to fast track. It’s just my way.
When you are fighting one of these guys (non American) does it give you any extra incentive to win for America?
Yes, in fact sometimes it gives me the extra push. I know how it is for America to have a heavyweight champion, because it hasn’t been here in a long time. I’m a good role model, I have a son and I wouldn’t mind if my son lived the same exact life that I lived, because I don’t do nothing in front of my son or behind closed doors that I wouldn’t have my son do himself when he gets to my age. I just try to be an example for the youth, for the future, just to be that person to look up to. So all in all, being that next heavyweight champion of the world as an American is bigger than anything right now. That’s the goal.
Obviously being on NBC Sports Network is not as much money as being on HBO, but it’s important to you. Why?
You get to be able to showcase on national television. To be able to fight on the national screen is a blessing. People look up to me and NBC Sports like an HBO or Showtime and I feel proud that I can make it appear to be so. Hopefully one day me, my fellow boxers and Main Events can push for that to be as big or even bigger then HBO or Showtime.
