Ahead of his bout on the undercard of Hopkins vs. Kovalev on Nov. 8, Vyacheslav “Czar” Glazkov and his team reflected on his last outing. On Aug. 9, Glazkov defeated Derric Rossy via majority decision, but the fight was much closer than anyone predicted. At the moment Glazkov walked into the ring to face Rossy, he had not heard from his parents in war-torn Ukraine in over two weeks. Physically, his hand had been bothering him since his Mar. 15 battle with veteran Tomasz Adamek.
After the fight, Czar did not want to make excuses but said, “My hand was bothering me. It wasn’t broken, but it did not recover as well as I had hoped. It is not an excuse but it was still bothering me from my fight with Adamek.”
Since Aug. 9, Glazkov has had time to heal physically and emotionally. As the undefeated Ukrainian heavyweight prepares to face veteran heavyweight Darnell Wilson on Nov. 8 on the Hopkins-Kovalev undercard, the hand has greatly improved and the 30 year old knows his family is safe and sound. In fact, his father recently arrived in Ft. Lauderdale to visit Czar and his family at training camp. The elder Glazkov will also travel to Atlantic City, NJ for the fight to see his son take on Wilson.
According to Czar’s trainer, John David Jackson, the same trainer who works with WBO Light Heavyweight Champion and Main Events’ stable mate Sergey Kovalev, “The hand looks good. I can feel the difference when he throws it now. It is definitely a lot better for him at this stage of the camp.”
Jackson also said having Glazkov’s father at camp has helped with his concentration. “Knowing his family is OK has made it much easier for me because it relieves a lot of pressure from his mind,” explained Jackson. “Now that his dad is coming it will probably be good for him. He is in great spirits right now.”
Glazkov’s opponent, Darnell “Ding-A-Ling Man” Wilson, 40, from Miami, FL is coming off a stunning sixth round knockout over then-undefeated David Rodriquez at Resorts in Atlantic City on Dec. 14. Wilson’s KO of Rodriguez snapped a five-fight losing streak for Wilson, who has 45 career professional bouts.
Derik Santos, John David Jackson’s assistant trainer, was pleased that Glazkov came into camp already in shape, saying, “When he came back he was in pretty good shape. He said he had been swimming and running so he could let the hand relax. He was in great shape. He had already done eight rounds of sparring.”
“Czar’s jab is working well and he’s fighting a smaller opponent, so we will feel him out for the first few rounds,” explained Jackson. “We will focus on the body because he has a soft middle. We just have to watch out for him. It should be an interesting fight.”
According to Czar’s manager, Egis Klimas, “Training camp is going very well. We have good sparring with all different fighters. We have some guys that can move and some that can punch so Glazkov is prepared for this fight 100%. We are looking forward to seeing him in the ring on Nov. 8.”
“My hand is feeling much better,” added Glazkov. “I was able to rest it after the Rossy fight and now I am very excited to be on the big card in Atlantic City. John David Jackson and Derik Santos are helping me get ready for this fight.”
Main Events CEO Kathy Duva said, “Czar has been through so much this year. The fact that he got in the ring one month after just barely making it out of Ukraine and having to leave his parents behind is more telling of his character as a fighter and a man than what he did in the ring in August. I’m so happy to hear that things are better for him now because Darnell Wilson is a tough journeyman who scored a big upset in his last fight and is never an easy out.”
