Hayden Bruce Jones on Ringside Talk with David Rajuili | Talkin Fight

David Rajuili on Ringside Talk with special guest Hayden Bruce Jones. Hayden is a journalist/analyst and commentator in South Africa who will be covering ESPN Africa as a commentator and fight analyst.

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Transcribed:

My name is david ritchie, i’m the former wbf international super featherweight champion and former wpf all africa lightweight champion [ Music ] good evening, ladies and gentlemen, it’s your host david ritchie, i’m back with another exciting episode on ringside talk tonight with me.

I’Ve got the one and only hayden jones, all the way from south africa a little bit about hayden jones.

I think he’s done more interviews with me in the past four years than i’ve had fights he’s one man who has you know lifted up south african boxing in terms of speaking to fighters, letting people know what’s happening in the sports of boxing around south africa.

He has done a lot of commentary on the shows in south africa.

He is now one of the main commentaries of espn boxing in south africa.

That’S happening in south africa for 12 months, so you guys around the world can watch that.

So enough of me speaking, let’s introduce you guys to hater, hey then.

What’S up welcome to my show yeah.

Thank you, david for uh, inviting me usually i’m the one asking all the questions, but it seems to be that uh tonight we’re gon na reverse the roles.

I’M i’m rather enjoying that.

So thank you very much for having me on your show.

No, no, no problem! Hayden uh, as i said, hey it’s like uh yeah man tell us more about you.

I didn’t know who you are where you grew up.

What school you went to brother, um, yeah, okay, so obviously a lot of people don’t know this.

I’M actually from kwazulu-natal in durban then grew up for a great portion of my life in johannesburg and i attended jeppy high school for boys.

I know a lot of uh well, not a lot, but some of the boxes at least have have gone through that school, i.

e, probably uh one of the biggest boxes, brian mitchell.

He was a hall of famer, so that’s a good representation on my behalf.

Um yeah.

Look, it was a short-lived time in durban.

I didn’t even watch boxing when i was there.

You know boxing only came to me when i was in johannesburg.

As you know, most of the boxes end up making the trip to johannesburg in order to you know fulfill their dreams.

So i think that’s where you know i caught on.

I was like a typical south african guy rugby cricket soccer.

You name it you know and then boxing fit me and uh it’s been with me ever since.

Okay, that’s also one question i wanted to ask you is: how did you got into boxing i hear at school? You didn’t really do boxing.

You were more in the rugby and the cricket and all uh.

Firstly, actually before we get into the boxing, i know you’re more of a journalist and stuff is this: you started at school or how did this come about? No, so you see it.

I wasn’t an academic i’ll, be honest.

You’Re like it’s true, i wasn’t like a big academic at all.

It came to me like when i, when i attended university, i completed my journalism, qualifications uh.

I then okay just to walk you through because i’ll make it easy for you.

I then started managing a boxing gym from there i or that was after i completed my qualifications after that it made sense for me to do boxing journalism tried this.

The show called sa boxing talk, arts, this internet show and uh.

Obviously, in the beginning it was like you know a couple interviews here and there, but it kind of picked up around 2018 and uh.

That’S when a lot of things in south african boxing kind of picked up and the media went a bit, you know crazy and then obviously what i was doing was traveling to all the gyms around the country which uh i’ve really enjoyed.

Okay, that’s interesting.

That’S very interesting, even uh that you didn’t do boxing at school and uh.

He went on to university to do oh wait hold on.

I skipped one step.

Sorry david! Let me interrupt you.

I was an amateur boxer.

All right.

Let’S not forget.

Let’S not forget.

I was an amateur boxer before someone throws it out there when i’m commentating, because this guy does not know what he’s talking about he’s, never thrown a punch.

I’Ve been punching my face several times.

I know exactly how it feels i was a undefeated amateur boxer, so yeah, oh wow, okay, nice.

How many parts are you only three? I knew you know what i knew when it’s called a day.

You know i knew when when the pen was messier than the sword interesting, and where did you do your amateur boxing in durban? No, so i did my amateur boxing up at uh, boyson’s gym nikki ness all my fights happened out of his table: okay, nice, nice.

Nice, okay, nice man and then the move to the boxing scene uh.

I heard you say that you were studying jonas journalism in university and then that’s where it all came in.

Why boxing uh? Because i remember, as you said in 2018, i think that’s actually when i left south africa is because for me, south africa in boxing was there was no fight.

Unless you were worth the big promotion golden gloves or anything, you were fighting, but there were no fights.

Nothing was happening: okay, we had steep catacoda in in cape town, but there was no boxing in south africa.

Hence i left in 2018.

.

What made you now in 2018, take on the scene that looked dead that looked like there was actually no hope, because there was no boxing on tv.

As i said, there were one promotion company that they were really using the golden gloves boys.

It looked really dead.

There was no funds coming in.

You know why what got you to go into something that looked like it was dying.

Well, that’s an interesting point because you kind of go into why i did get into the sport because it was dying.

You know i got into the sport because i could i could maybe provide something at the time.

My following was very small on social media.

Everything was still you know there, so it was like.

I had nothing to lose by going into an industry where i could go and perhaps give these boxes exposure.

You know go in.

As you said, 2018 you left there wasn’t much fights.

That was that’s exactly the time, but a sort of dying down south africa were limited world champions.

At that stage you know they were like.

There wasn’t much going on so to come into the market.

At that stage there was a massive gap and then no one else has actually stepped up and done anything since then either which i’m surprised about.

To be quite frank, i’m surprised that no one else has actually tried their hand at this.

Perhaps it doesn’t make money and that’s probably why people don’t do it, but you know you got to just look at the the long game and realize that you know it’s more about the benefit of everybody in the boxing scene and i think that’s where we’ve lost A little bit of way in celebrating boxing everyone’s like nitpicking, this guy can’t make it this guy this this guy, that, whereas, like i’m, i was here to band everyone together and not get banned, but you know that happened as things go along.

Yes, and i uh – i will be honest – i saw like i still remember back in the days.

I would hear about your show, and i saw your show and what what grabbed me about um it’s a boxing talk was that you would go to the different gyms and you’ll actually give these boxes exposure because you know uh, i remember it’s boxing is like.

If you want to be a superstar, you need to get out there.

You need to market yourself, you need to you need to put yourself out there.

The people need to know you and yes in south africa that is not as big as we see around the world where fighters are groomed fighters are put out there.

You know and what i saw with your show you kind of set that platform where wow we knew this boxer.

We knew about clamini.

Who is this guy? Who is this guy? Then we knew oh there’s a camp.

It’S got this guy in this guy.

You know, and it kind of opened up – and we even knew okay, there’s this guy, this gym.

This guy’s got this gym, even the gyms kind of opened up.

Oh now, there’s six seven gems, there’s three gems in eastern cape that people didn’t know of because of a show like yours and i think yeah.

It gave a big platform it it for me.

I would say it’s uh.

It’S really really put a mark on essay boxing.

It’S opened up essay boxing and uh yeah how’s how’s everything going so long with your youtube channel um, maybe tell the people yeah, i mean the youtube channel now hasn’t been reached.

I think it’s like it’s almost like just short of four and a half thousand subscribers.

I mean for, let’s be honest and you and you know the south african public really well, it doesn’t have a huge boxing following so that particular subscription base is quite impressive.

For the times i mean it’s growing, ever growing all the time, depending on how much effort you obviously put into it, which i’ve over the last couple of years put a lot of effort into going to different gyms as you’ve seen, i have been through the eastern Cape i’ve been to the western cape.

I’Ve been to kwazulu in itself, uh.

So so far you know that’s four provinces.

I haven’t got to the likes of free states.

Actually, i’ve been to limpopo before so.

Let’S make that five.

So look, look the and and that’s including other countries, swaziland, the uk, tunisia remember you went to saudi arabia, saudi arabia, yeah, so the channels traveled with the south african boxes that go abroad and not every box that goes abroad.

Obviously, we’ve got to be practical about who and when.

But the times that i have gone with, it’s been a hell of an experience and you know obviously the the huge titles at stake: wbc, silver, the ibf world title with mauricio and salani.

Recently, when i was in the uk, so these sort of journeys that we’re capturing and showing everyone ordinarily, we don’t see what happens behind the scenes of these boxes, but we’re giving them the insights into what’s happening behind the scenes.

What’S the boxes going through, i mean sometimes i’m pitching up a week before the fight.

What are you thinking? You know it’s an interesting perspective which you just don’t get.

I mean some promoters do do like little snippets here and there, but it doesn’t give you enough substance to be able to tell exactly what’s going on and that’s where we came in yeah to interrupt you there, and i think this is very important.

You know, i think i wish we had more more more shows like this, where we can actually get into the boxes, minds prior fight and even after the fight, especially if i would say the boxes that lose the fights, uh championship, fights and stuff.

Just you know to get to know what they feel.

What’S the experience before and after a fight you know i’ve watched some interviews of the guys before the fight and stuff like this, and it’s great before you never knew anything.

You just get there, especially here in south africa like before your show, i think, we’ll just watch uh.

What’S all access and stuff like that, you know, then we have your show.

Do you know what it is? You know what it is david i’ll paint it for.

You beautifully why why our show is effective.

Uh is because what we do is we take a scenario where there are two guys getting into a ring that they have a story all of a sudden.

They have a pre-fight build up all of a sudden.

It’S not just two random guys now, stepping in the ring for the amusements of a crowd.

It’S two guys back with with big stories.

Uh, you know uh backing from sponsors all those different elements that go into fights that make it exciting.

Why do you want this person to win and what he wants him to lose? So there’s two different elements to it and i think that’s what makes the show very important.

Yes, yes, that’s that’s! That’S good what you said brother and i i feel you on that.

I feel you on that now, with with regards to interviews what would you say who is excellent, what you so, who has been your your like the top factor of your best interview you’ve had so far in terms of uh, the yeah, the international scale or okay? Your best interview, you’ve had look.

I’Ve had south african interviews are tough at times, because south african guys are extremely reserved, extremely reserved they’re, very humble they stay wish their opponents the best of luck before fights.

So only when i got to saudi arabia, where i met a man called prince patel who uh came in and prince patel had lots to say um.

You know that sort of opened up my eyes to british boxing, because british boxers talk they talk and they lay it on thick, and i think i think without that, being my personal best interview, i think that probably translates to the best interview for the fans on The channel okay, okay, nice, nice and uh.

What would you say your most controversial interview? Oh my oh, my most controversial interview is actually a two-part interview.

It is a part-part interview where colin nathan and rayna liebenberg were having a go at peter smith and rowan campbell.

I remember that, yes, that did serious numbers a lot of viewers.

A number of shares.

Everyone was everyone that everyone that watches boxing in south africa wanted to watch those interviews, because that was the sort of catalyst to what started off.

Do you like rowan? Do you like renault, and i can tell you what it was 50 50 down the middle? No, no, no more! No less! Okay, yes! Uh as it would be nice to have another one like that, and i think we are going down along those lines in looking to say boxing right now, we’ve got roy knapp having his rematch, maybe would taser, and with that i think, with the controversial side of It uh roy knapp’s last fight with uh this into mr right and in donbassy.

Yes, so with those three uh.

What did you say that this would now cause a lot of steer and hype in the water? It is welterweight division right uh.

So this is actually a.

What do you call as a what we would say in south africa? Is a junior middleweight division or a super welterweight division for our international audience? Yes, yes and uh.

Yes, i was saying those three would be now: the new uh rivalry.

New new, the three to look at the three that could make the big fights like lydenberg and campbell.

You know what do you think of that? Could we see any controversial with those would because i see that they really want this rematch, also in cape town.

They really want this rematch, the chaser.

They want the rematch with the roy knapp, you know um, you know this is this.

Is the most unwanted love triangle possible out there at the moment, because indonesia and rock nap needed to sort out their business before the taser? Now fight even came about you know they needed that second fight.

First now, indombassi is going to stay idle on the sidelines, while uh rook and brandon battle of darts and fair enough.

That’S a big fight, i’m not taking anything away from a huge fight that rematch for for both guys and obviously brandon says.

I had won that fight, but uh there’s still that little question mark about indombasi.

Where does he fall into this picture? Because, because now you have these two guys and he was there, he had a big, controversial fight which we’re gon na speak about just now, yeah very, very uh, uh, crazy fight.

I watched it which we’ll touch on.

I really want that fight and yes, as you said now, the guy will be on the sidelines and he has to watch this even now.

I think it his team.

You know to see the headlines that there is a match happening with taisei and york.

It’S like he is sidelined, you know and my my opinion.

I think he should get the chance first before the taser and uh your cream edge.

Look, i think it’s.

I think i i think it’s like this right.

So if we look at that, does stick that situation, it’s like you know in donbassy it’s called three knockdowns right, so it’s like it’s like you.

Are i’m gon na put like a football reference for you just to make it easy for you.

It’S like you score.

A hat-trick in this game this week and you get benched for the next weekend.

It doesn’t make sense.

You should be entitled to that rematch automatically.

Yes, yes, yes, exactly exactly! Yes, that’s why.

I think you should have that first before they go to the trilogy or whatever it is.

They want to do.

Tell me now going back to that fight.

Okay, a lot! I’Ve spoken to a lot of a lot of analysts, a lot of guys that box myself as a fighter – let’s just i’m just gon na explain to the fans now that are watching um, [, Music ].

I think uh yeah, so the guy got knocked down uh.

Four times in one round, wba africa title right: yes, wba, wba, pan african fights.

Look.

He got knocked down officially three times, although he did get knocked down four times, he did get knocked down four times the one knockdown wasn’t counted.

So it was three three knockdowns uh per wba rules.

You know three knockdown rule the fight’s over the referee should have stopped it there.

Big mistake in donbassy did not protest immediately.

This is the problem that i have with this fight now, so in donbassy.

At that stage felt aggrieved, he went back to his corner.

He still decided to come out in round number four after this all occurred in round number three.

The issue is, he started getting destroyed, coming back, yes, yeah rockstar, coming back in round number four.

So why quit in round number five there’s a bit of suspicion for me he saw the fight wasn’t going his way, and you know he looked at that as a way out now, although the rules weren’t applied, it’s still, you still chose to come out and protest Around too late, which is a bad look on you as a boxer, you should have definitely come out and enter the fight then, and look to the referee question on that.

One hate is whose job is it, though, is it the boxer’s job to know the rules? Is it the referee’s drop or is it my corners job, because i’m here fight, okay, i’m knocking out my opponents three times down.

I don’t think as a fighter, i’m thinking hey the oak’s going down three times, i’m busy thinking.

Okay, go to my corner! Look! What’S going on catch composer catch your breath, we’re going back heads i’m asking who here should of said: okay, three knockdown rule? Is it the ref which we do rules meeting prior the ref always knows the rules.

The coach should always know the rules of a fight.

Anything for the fighter or the fighter as a fighter.

You should always know this what the rules are, but i will take the fighter away to say because i’m gon na say as a fighter, i’m not thinking about rules and stuff.

I’M thinking hey would like to you know what did we learn chad this and that you’re not thinking rules, three knockdown you’re, not thinking that you’re, not even if you get a cut you’re, not thinking of what round? Am i in how they’re going to take points away and stuff you’re just think you are going forward winning this round winning this round? So what do you think of that brother? So i mean we all know that the referee’s responsibility is to call the fights after the three knockdowns the referee can use to call the fight.

However, in that instance, the referee didn’t do that, and we all know that the referee was incorrect in the decision.

I think that’s a worldwide standard, wba, three, not gun rules or if you should have stopped her after the third knockdown.

However, the referee didn’t do that right.

So now, you’ve got to just continue with the fight, because you know you’ve got to fight on.

You can protest it after the fight.

You know that that sort of thing is out of your hands, but when you come into the situation where you essentially quit, because that’s what happened, he ended up quitting and a little bit.

It’S a bad look and i’m not saying – and i’m not saying that the decision is right by any stretch of the stretch of the imagination.

The decision is definitely wrong.

It should have been a a loss after the third knockdown.

However, you’ve got to keep going as a boxer.

You can’t just stop.

You can’t just stop and be like okay, i tried, but okay, it’s not working out.

No, no! No! It’S never going to go your way because at the end of the day, even if even and you know this, even if that fight gets overruled down the line, it’s still not a victory for you.

It’S a no contest.

You don’t there’s, there’s nothing that you can benefit from it.

Apart from this fight been now being declared a draw, but you know at that point in indonesia’s career.

You know he should have either continued fighting if he knew he was going to finish on his feet or he should have entered it straight after the third knocked down.

He should have celebrated and gone to his corner and you know showed that he won the fight.

Yeah yeah, like spoke, that’s what i saw there is when you went down in the corner.

He should have said yo coach.

I knocked him down three times.

Do we go back? What’S the story? That’S what i feel um.

You know every box is different.

Really.

I would wish i would love to see that fight again.

I think it to be a crack of a fight because they both have something to prove uh, there’s only four rounds.

People got to see, i think growing map is a lot to prove and the mice has got a lot to prove and i really hope they make this fight.

Um yeah man also uh.

Let’S think about some african fights.

Some hot stuff is happening, even though i think to my wife.

I want to go back on a road.

The tuna light division got a new south african champion, he’s been very active in the past four years.

Um okay, he’s had some bad runs overseas.

Now uh locally he’s doing so well, um.

What do you say about singa uh? You know, i think it’s a for me.

It would be a great, even a lightweight, to see him go up to lightweight to challenge for that title, but before we get to that, what do you think about the new essay junior lightweight champions courses? Yeah? I think sun gange has come on in leaps and bounds.

Obviously we all know that he’s found his challenges.

Uh he’s taking some.

You know, desperation fights in like russia, and you know some of those unnecessary fights that you know due to inactivity.

You’Re just going to have to go abroad sometimes, but i think for him.

At the end of the day, his goal is always to become the south african champion uh.

He had his eyes set on pillar and panchana for a very long time who he deemed to be ducking him.

I don’t know what the case is and what the scenario is, but at the end of the day the zen ganga that i saw get in the ring against pilar and panchana was an absolute different man to what i’ve seen duration’s whole career.

I think he’s leveled up his game.

He he there’s certain aspects.

You can’t change about your game like he isn’t a power puncher or you know anything anything spectacular in that department, but he is upskilled he’s getting a lot more attention.

A lot more regular action – and that means a lot to a fighter to be active, is is extremely uh is extremely big a bit.

It’S a big thing, because you know you you can put on your skills so long as you keep winning that’s the other thing you got to keep winning as well to keep that momentum going very, very true and uh.

We look at you know for me.

It’S this is there’s three divisions that could be exciting because you got some boxes that could either go up, they could go down, they could make the uh the divisions exciting.

So it’s a yes, the junior lightweight the lightweight division.

You’Ve got um who’s the champion again.

The lightweight champion the lightweight champion, is chifforo.

Yes, are you itching to come back and fight what’s going on here, uh we’ll get to that just now, brother, oh okay, yeah! But yes, even him very, very excellent box.

I went to england for a few years.

Did he’s boxing in england came back to south africa.

Also came back as i left what you doing.

Man came back to south africa doing very well.

Uh unstoppable he’s been defended three times.

No one can stop him.

Well, no he’s on his third defense.

Now! Yes, he’s on his third defense.

Now no one can stop him.

He looks unbeatable uh he’s looking very strong, uh yeah tell us more about him.

What do you think uh? So i think i think so so here’s what it is right.

So we got chiffon who’s.

The reading lightweight champion, we had four the four kings.

You called them in south african lightweight division who were supposed to be in the tournament uh chipotle um luciano comenisi moved up in weight, so we’ve taken him out of the equation and then you still got an inactive, ayunda and corsi hovering around somewhere.

But the fact that everyone wants to see david, the fight that everyone wants to see in south africa, and i think it will happen really soon – maybe not the next part, because uh munya is being booked for a fight, but the fight after that is uh.

Chapiro munyay versus disunder kombinisi.

I think that’s the big lightweight clash at the moment.

It’S a power puncher versus a as you know, munya is a very skilled operator and uh.

What do you think if singapore had to step up a few kgs, come to lightweight? You think that he could bring some excitement to the lightweight division.

Look, i think it’s premature.

You know, i think, that’s in gange.

Obviously you know he’s on the he’s on the higher side of his 20s.

Now so wait will become a question very soon.

You know after 30 that you know things.

Obviously the the clock stops and you start putting on a little bit extra pounds but uh look, i don’t think he’s ready for lightweight yet there’s there’s a lot of big names there and sorry.

I forgot to name it.

Zinger fusilla, because fusilla is a lightweight now he’s just moved up as well, but he’s on the international part.

So i don’t.

I wouldn’t want to see that fight.

I think it would be quite quite the step up in competition uh.

He can look at fights, maybe against some of the guys towards you know.

I don’t think he beats the lightweight champions right now.

I think he needs to defend his belt.

A few times establish himself get that championship rounds in because it’s a big difference when you’re fighting for belts.

When you start, when you start getting to belt level, that’s when the challenges, step up and you’ve got no easy fights, and that’s where he’s at now he’s got to sort of walk before he can.

He can run yes very true, very true.

Then we look at the featherweights uh.

We’Ve got the nine millimeter there he’s on my show the other day as a ibo world champion uh, lumi lumati, also brilliant boxer, big things happening for that man.

That’S why i say these three divisions for me are very exciting divisions because either guys can actually go up or because there’s not much weight division, but i know they’ll stay in their ways.

But if nine millimeter had to maybe come up a division to junior lightweight, what do you think about that? So you know what at the moment david, i’m just going to quickly correct you la duma, la mate is actually a super bantamweight um he’s super bad yeah.

He’S 55 yeah.

Sorry! So it’s not he’s a super bandsaw, but i mean the transition from bantam to featherweight is relatively a small small difference.

So whether he could step up look featherweights, i mean that’s a whole different ballgame as well.

So everybody’s got some talents and featherweights at the moment um we we are seeing the sahm the sa champion asunder yinky he’s uh, he’s he’s been taunted he’s a good amateur boxer lights out mini, i think, he’s mindful, but his head, the head and shoulders yeah he’s On that’s how anyone speak about that, like he’s on another level, he’s on a he’s, not back he’s on the uh he’s on the way to a wbc world title i mean.

That’S, that’s ballpark! You know like that’s, that’s the thing and that’s that’s! That’S a a common trend with celebration boxes.

You got like one or two special boxes and then you got the rest, and i think that that’s when you mentioned uh zaganga earlier, i felt that he still hasn’t got to that.

You know icon level where he’s yeah, but now tell me something about that.

So would you say sunanga hasn’t got to that level.

Now with me, he’s got at least a team that can get him to that level.

You know he’s got to call him.

Nathan he’s got that backing; he can.

You know he can be good.

He doesn’t have that kind of backing.

Now, wouldn’t you say that actually hurts a bit of south african fighters who should be fighting at it at international level because they don’t have that management and that backing that could get them into the international level? It just keeps them locally.

Do you think? That’S a bit unfair for some fighters, especially in south africa.

Like a african country.

Look, i i i see where you coming from like in terms of the connections, because inevitably ratings and opportunities come through connections, you know and it can happen the wrong way because you could literally come in as an opponent and as an opponent to someone that’s connected.

You usually been, you know, stitched.

They already know what the results going to be they’ve already plotted and planned for you well ahead of time.

You know they’ve been preparing for you for years, almost sometimes with a guy like zing gange i’ll, tell you what i’ve been very impressed with his training team.

I think his team has done a remarkable job with him, because there was a stage where he was inactive and he went back to his old gym, which he is now he’s well effectively.

His new gym where’s, his old gym and uh he’s picking up from there, and i think that singa before he was you know he was he was in a gym where you know he was not the sort of the top guy.

I think he was a top guy and uh that was sort of the the flagship of the of of that stage around the german nova and maurice matamba.

I think zungunga was falling behind with regards to that.

So now he’s getting the attention the much needed attention and he’s you know he’s flourishing yeah yeah.

That’S that’s very good! That’S very good! Um yeah! So let’s talk about some upcoming fights here in the world and you’re very good.

At this, i’ve got two of my favorite flights coming up.

I’Ve got the canelo i’ll, be really honest with you, okay, i’m over i’m very like i’m very.

If i like a fighter, i just watch, i know about that fighter.

Are we starting with the canelo? Fights? Is [ Music ], but you know what you know what you know what i i have i i agree with you.

I have canelo alvarez winning the fight uh, the other.

The other thing is like before he’s not the best guy in the light heavyweights dude yeah.

So before’s number two i’d, say: b balls number two uh number one is arthur: better beef is got 100 knockout ratio.

Much like gennady golovkin had for a very long time in his career as well and uh as we’re talking now like.

Do you think? I’M a canelo fan, okay, but do you think these fights a little bit get chosen for these guys, like i’ll, be honest for him to go up to fight true number kabu? I think that was a quick decision made to say.

Okay, this we can do this.

We can do very fast.

We can do very quick, it’s uh, it’s a quick belt.

This is what i feel.

Maybe it’s different.

Okay uh, even for this kind of fight, because if you look canelo had three options and he chose this option.

Do you think he chose his options? They go in to say, okay, this fight would be an easier win.

Then we get ready for the next one, because he’s got charlo and he’s got.

Oh do they say? Okay, let’s take a chance here, because there is a 50 50 here.

You know the problem with you know.

The problem with canelo alvarez is that he does fight the best guys right so he’s put himself in a position where he doesn’t back down from fights, but there are so many fights that are linked with canelo alvarez.

So if he picks charlo he’s ducking beval.

If he picks golovkin he’s ducking better beef, you know there’s so many like guys that you pick one and you’re ducking someone.

That’S what the fans say and i think that’s the difficult position canelo is in.

To be honest.

I don’t think canelo really cares.

His paycheck is like substantial and i think people watch him regardless.

The whole of mexico are going to watch him regardless and america.

You know he’s got a huge fan base.

I’M not upset that he didn’t pick charlo.

I think that uh at times, pbc dragged their feet and they don’t necessarily put on fights like then, and there we often see the pvc fighters only fighting once a year.

To be honest, i think canelo went for the safe option on the zone and he said okay, at least this year, i’ll be guaranteed to fight dimitri bruval.

And then, after that finish the year strong with gennady, golovkin, yeah, yeah, very, very interesting and then my favorite fights.

I think this is going to be fights of yeah and i think i also want to talk more about this fight with you valdez versus stevenson, wow gold medalist in olympics uh, two great warriors, i would say in boxing terms, while this is the more old uh, More experienced fighter, i think, uh more older, more experienced in that way.

Um stevenson yeah.

What first? Let me hear from you.

What do you think of that fight? I think that this is a fight that we don’t often see because fights like this don’t usually get made the best versus the best right uh and we’re seeing that in the form of shakur stevenson and oscar valdez now valdez.

Okay, so ivald is a comfort fighter.

We know that he’s all action.

You know he’s not going to let up with 12 rounds, but then you’ve got a guy like shakur stevenson, who’s man have we seen skills like this in a very long time.

I don’t think so, because trucker stevenson brings something completely different, that we haven’t seen and that’s not to say he’s boring because more more often than not skillful fighters get labeled boring fighters, not the case with shakur stevenson he’s got an all-around ability he’s much he’s a Much needed breath of fresh air.

We needed someone like shakur stevenson to to walk up and change the the planes of boxing and a lot of people have debated with me.

They said no oscar valdez is going to run through stevenson.

I’M on the country.

I think stevenson will win this fight really, okay.

I really think if valdez fights like that mexican, he beat that he knocked out.

We came forward and he came to hurt him and he hurt him if he fights like that very good.

If he fights like he’s his last fight, not so good different levels of boxes, though the guy compared to stevenson, you know that’s the other thing.

Yes, that’s another thing, and if stevenson i don’t know yes, as you say for me, he’s not boring.

Okay, i’ll be honest, he’s not boring it’s just it’s a different style, it’s a yeah and for me i’m a comfort fighter.

I love that come forward.

Action were you’re just going that mexican style of fighting now.

How long can folders keep that up and can stimulation? Take are you there, david yo david, you there hey yeah, it looks like his and yeah.

You know what the internet in south africa gets blamed a lot, not the case.

Today.

That’S correct looks like his internet’s just a little bit shoddy today.

Sorry about this.

Some viewers here too uh stand by.

He should be back any second.

Thank you.

Tell us uh tell us who you got for the next uh fight coming up yeah.

Well, when we’re talking about the shukka stevenson fights, i wasn’t sure what uh, what the third fight for for david rajuli is but uh.

You know shakur stevenson uh.

I i i personally picked for that one as just a it’s just a matter of a preference, because you have the comfort fighter against the sort of the skillful fighter, uh, that’s the that’s the the pikmi fight, depending on what style you like, i think, they’re, relatively The same level, so i don’t know if that’s necessarily going to you know change people’s opinion, because when you have a legitimate 50, 50 fight, just in with a matter of different styles, i think that’s what makes it interesting.

It’S not like.

You know one guy’s, a comfort fighter and the the skillful fighter is just so much better as we see with a lot of the grooming and the beginning of people’s careers.

This is completely different as an and – and you know same with valdez he’s been steamrolling guys that haven’t been on his level now.

This is when two world champions collide.

This is the next level of boxing and i’m so glad this is happening because, typically these fights don’t get made.

You know and uh in the past uh boxing well in the past yeah.

Actually, in the past boxing i was actually doing a podcast the other day.

We’Re talking about uh the best fighting the best three four times over, you know doing the doing a service for the fans, and it’s not the same now, but boxing has become a pure business yeah who can sell tickets? Who can who can become? Who can keep the o? You know, floyd mayweather has has created that you know keeping the o so important.

That’S why, when these both these fighters come up against each other, they both have o’s.

One of them is going to lose their o or they won’t.

So they get a draw, but you know hypothetically they they should be a winner and a loser in this fight, and that’s the risk that they incur now back in the day is not a big risk right now.

Huge risk for for the way boxing has been modeled, so that’s the the interesting elements and why i’m happy this fight has been made is because it’s kind of proving that two world champions can unify quite early in their career, no problem.

They both seem to be on the trajectories to go to the top and become a major force in the world.

So again, that’s just you know testament to both of those guys and their promoters for for going ahead with that fight, and i was hoping that david would be on right now, because uh i’m waiting for that third fight to to be presented to me, it would Have been nice to hear his opinion on that as well, but uh just stepping back uh.

While we wait for david and talking about the canelo alvarez versus dimitri bivol fights, i thought that was an interesting match up.

I also mentioned that jamal charlo earlier in the piece would have been an interesting match up as well.

However, i don’t know if financially it made sense for canelo to take on charlo, and i think it was benavidez as well.

That was offered in the the other contract on pbc, so he took the zone option which was uh a fight against pivotal first and then obviously went ahead and did the uh and wolves will finish up with triple g? Should he get through dimitri bhupal? Welcome back david rajuli to your show very much brother.

Thank you very much we’re having some problems here in germany not low shedding, though yeah.

No, you see south africa there’s no problems yet yeah, but i was saying that uh, so we were speaking about valdez and stevenson.

Sorry about that yeah.

So i kind of informed the fans why i thought stevenson would be were your viewers, rather not the viewers uh, that why i thought uh shakur would would become the victim fight, although it is a 50 50 fight in terms of the skill sets.

I just feel, like you know, secure, has a little bit of an edge but uh yeah.

It’S interesting.

What was that? Third fight of yours? The third fight, is composer.

First, before we get into that white.

Let’S speak about this one man for me, he just came out of nowhere.

He just popped into the scene.

Uh never heard of him didn’t even think to be honest, that there’s boxing on that side of the world in a little island called new zealand.

This guy came out of nowhere.

I’Ll be honest.

He reminded me of ethereal getty the way he fought and um yeah kemboza that man you want to speak about him and him alone i mean he’s the most wanted man, yes just in the division and then we’re gon na go on to the fight that has Been proposed because yeah yeah, so george cambros, is obviously getting a surprise victory.

I don’t think many people would have predicted him being t, but t tier female lopez lopez is was deemed to be the number one in the division.

Obviously he had all the belts and uh he had beaten, vasila machenko as well, so when when george camposes had beaten him, he then put a big mark on his back as the biggest fights in the division.

Now he has all the belts.

Now i like the fact that he’s an underdog and he’s got an underdog story and he came out of nowhere.

It’S uh.

It’S not often we see those stories nowadays because we often see them coming.

They get built up really well, they get groomed and they get promoted really well and up and coming not him.

He was a relatively unknown boxer coming into this fight.

He yeah there wasn’t much to him.

He’S got popular now, he’s making the most of it and the fights that he’s been proposed.

Now i don’t know man, they are hard fights yeah.

This is what i’m saying like uh.

You know.

Is this a good thing? Is it because you know these guys are groomed? You are prepared for for champ, okay, you you slowly built up you fight him.

Then you find a bigger name.

Then you fight a big name.

Then you become undisputed champion.

This is what i would say now you come out of nowhere.

Yes, you come you fight a big name.

You win, you become undefeated undisputed champion now now every fight have is these guys have been on a long road to become undisputed they’ve beaten, big champions to come to you yeah, the fight is just harder and harder and harder.

You know, as he’s got uh henley after him he’s got la machenko.

I thought i think he was going to fight le mochenko until this whole thing happened now in the ukraine, so muchenko’s out of the the the equation and now and now it’s they’re looking at cambodia versus heine fight yeah, it’s a good fight right there, that’s a Good fight, that’s a good fight, good fight right there, that’s a good fight for devin haney.

I think uh devin haney yeah stylistic, because it will be a dancer promotion.

Does this make it a good fight for henley? In that way, look technically worked his way up to a fight like this.

Well, you know i mean, as you know, the first uh where he won the belts on design.

Did cambodia’s junior.

You know he beat tia fema lopez who eddie hearn was representing.

In this instance.

I know lopez is a top ranked guy, but in this fight eddie hearn put on the fight because he won the first bit for this fight.

So he had the rights to to put it on and i’m sure he i’m sure, he’s celebrating at the thoughts of having another big fight.

And this will be a unification about as well, because there’s one more belt outstanding and that’s the one that devon haney currently holds and when they get this done, there will be a unified lightweight champion of the world.

Huh, i don’t know cambodia’s.

I mean he put on a hell of a performance against lopez, but we’re in the same breath i mean he’s, got a great story.

I don’t know.

Heny is for me the obvious contender to win the fight, the obvious contenders.

Hey but again i i said the same thing about cfma lopez, so you know that’s that’s where the the questions are coming in is.

Does cambrosus jr give you the confidence that he’s going to be going on a tear? I don’t have that confidence as i had in like a lopez or a lomachenko or even a haney.

I didn’t have that.

I don’t have even to this day that feeling, but in saying that the way he he came and beats tiffany lopez – i mean, i can’t argue against his credentials.

He’S a fantastic world champion.

He’S definitely got the source to be able to beat a guy like hey.

It’S not that he can’t win that fight.

I’M not saying he can’t i’m just saying like if i, if you had to put me on the spot and tell me to choose one i’d, probably go hani yeah yeah.

For me.

I’Ll, be also honest.

I would go with hayley because for me, as a fighter as well, i would say how he’s built himself up to get there for me is important.

Also with with the low-paced fights a lot of people asked me about lopez and la machenco.

I went to machenko also he built him.

Yes, he won the world title, it’s like his first fight or in the pro ranks, but he built himself to get there.

You look at lopez, do you say now him beating lamochenko? That was a fluke.

Do you say now combos are beating lopez.

Was that a fluke? You know these two fighters, i don’t think they’re flukes.

I don’t think they’re flukes, okay, you don’t think so.

No, i think they’re situational it came down to the nights.

What happened on the nights? You know loma lomo had some discomfort in his shoulder and no excuses.

Injuries are part of the sport, but you know lopez made full.

He took full advantage of that as well on the night and i think i think i don’t think but look at look at what tia fimo did to richard comey like you can’t dispute that he’s not a great that he was a great champion and i think He will bounce back uh a female lopez.

I think he would bounce back another fight that uh just for interest fights.

I think uh ryan, because he’s coming back little ryan uh he’s fighting richard comey to fight.

Is he fighting comey next time, richard comey? I don’t think i don’t know, i don’t know yeah, but anyway i mean him coming.

Oh no he’s fighting emmanuel to go from ghana.

That’S that’s what he’s that’s their through fighting! I remember this to go relatively unknown from ghana.

He’S got a 32 in one record.

Uh he’s he’s he’s surprising because he he hasn’t come out to the states early enough.

You know he’s kind of been sitting back in ghana and you often wonder when a fighter gets to like 33, you know 32 and one why they why they haven’t taken the big trip.

Yet it’s weird because, like at that stage, surely that the talent scouts have identified a guy, that’s going to become a world champion, or do you just sit at home for long enough and just you know build your name solely in one country.

This comes down to to be really honest and what i’ve seen around here, especially in europe and stuff, it’s your team that you got your team is very important with the strong team.

You can go all the way you you know with a strong team.

You can be what i’ve seen in europe with a strong team you can in six fights they can make it a world champion.

You can, you can become actual champion.

You know, because your team builds, your team puts you out there.

If you look at places like ghana and stuff – that’s third world countries like african countries, we don’t have that kind of exposure that gets the fighters out there.

That people are talking about the fighters out there, for instance clamini south africa.

He was number he was under wrestle, but if you go on to you speak about him in america and stuff like that who’s, this, like you know some american guy, he’s a silver champion, he’s not he’s not in no one really knows him because he’s not there He’S not in the people’s faces he’s not so i’ll.

Give him david i’ll.

Give you i’ll give you a great example right, and maybe it is because he has good connections but solanity, relatively unknown worldwide before he knocked out paul butler in in the uk, and that’s when he made a name for himself.

You know that’s an extreme example of uh.

That’S an extreme example of you know a guy baking his mock and i think he ended up making.

He ended up getting rather sorry a huge fan base in liverpool and they ended up putting him on at the eco arena more often than not, and that’s why he built a name now.

You can’t do that in south africa, you just you, you simply can’t do it so guys pick the wrong fights to take when they go overseas.

I, and that is down to management, you’re right management connections.

They take the wrong fights they taking this olympic gold.

Medalist he’s five and oh relatively unknown, and they end up getting pumped knock-downs destroyed because they’re taking the wrong fights they’re, not taking the right fight to the right level and they’re getting often put into bad situations, they’re in terrible hotels.

You know the whole shebang like the it’s a whole experience that and some people don’t have a choice but like i’ll just be honest, like some people, just don’t have a choice like they take what they can get yeah.

It’S true and i think for that ghanaian guy.

He said yeah 31 and 31 and one he’s from ghana – and nobody knows about him.

He will fight ryan.

It will be it’s his chance now to make his mark because he beats iran cashier he’s now.

In a top four, you know well, look i mean that’s, that’s, that’s that’s what it’s down to, because ryan garcia has a status.

You know he’s got like 10 million followers on instagram i mean to beat a guy like that.

You know you can cut it.

You know you: can you you’ll cut your armor for opportunity like that, because ryan garcia isn’t a world champion? I think i think, what’s happening with that.

My opinion is he’s kind of actually dropping too much of what’s happening.

I think with him, leaving eddie’s term and doing anything and not taking fights, and then it’s this far again instagram stories and all of this it’s like bruh.

We want to see fights already through.

We don’t wan na hear stories.

You know what i’m saying, so i think people are sir, i’m just changing my position.

No problem people are starting to lose interest in the guy.

They want to see him fight more than him having a lot to say or him pulling out of fights or yes, there is a this mental health situation.

There is this, then recover, take time off, don’t come back, say we’re gon na fight, then no i’m not fighting then coming back then changing germs then coming back then i’m sick.

Again, then people lose interest.

It’S what’s happening, dude.

What are you really doing? You know what you know, what like to be fair to ryan right, he’s, obviously had his problems.

He’S changed, trainers again, uh what we’ve seen, but he’s got a huge social media following so he never goes quiet completely.

He does like his.

You know.

I mean we as boxing purists, and this is our no way i know exactly where you’re coming from we’re losing track of his boxing career.

I think his relevance won’t go away similar to like in the same mould as an oscar de la hoya is a bit of a party boy he’s a bit of a you know, someone that’s always going to be an interesting character.

So, no matter what you do, you’re always going to take an interest in his career.

You know he’s one of those guys that he’ll walk into a room and you can feel the aura.

You know you’ll immediately say: hey, that’s ryan, garcia! That’S you know that you can’t mistake yourself to do that, even though he’s not a world champion, he has that aura, which is um.

It’S an amazing feat.

Yes, oh yeah man uh, but yeah brother and uh.

Just a few more questions, my bro uh.

Besides the boxing and stuff, just some more about hayden, if you had to give you, if you had uh, the yeah world was ending.

You had 30 seconds to pack your three favorite foods.

What would that be brother, too? Sorry what to to pack away food? Three favorite foods quickly, oh man, but that food’s gon na go off like sushi.

I love sushi man love sushi uh, but these foods are not sustainable david.

They will not last very long.

What did you pick? You got 30 seconds.

You choose quickly on three times all right 30 seconds to choose my three forever fruits: sushi yeah yeah, like with lamb, curry, and i like pizza straight up.

Okay, lovely, three, oh, and none of them are healthy in all time, three favorite farts of all time.

I still let me think about this one actually, because they are, i i’ve watched a lot of fights and i enjoy a lot of fights uh.

I enjoyed the first fight between gennady, golovkin and canela alvarez.

I enjoyed uh sugar, ray leonard against jiran number two.

The second fights between those two – and i actually it’s gon na, be strange, but i actually enjoyed the second fight between tyson fury and deontay wilder, just like the whole uh.

You know tyson fury coming back and dominating after all that stories about his mental health, and everything like that, like you know, i’m by the way, i’m not even a fan of the other guy.

I just i just love heavyweight boxing: okay, lovely yo, [, Music, ].

Three times south african legend boxes, top three legend boxes, not current legend.

So what what? What year does that cut off? Okay, so baby jake was my first baby.

Jake was my first yeah love baby jake.

He was my number one legend.

Obviously um.

My dad watched a lot of him because my dad was uh from quesadilla natal, so you know he watched a lot of baby check uh sure i used to like corey saunders as well.

You know again there’s the heavyweight connection he used to used to like uh.

Some of that and uh actually more recently because i’ve been watching some of the legends.

You know sebastian rothman.

You know, although he’s a great coach now he was a very good fighter as well: okay, nice, nice, nice and uh yeah brother we’ve actually come to the end of our show and any closing uh comments.

You want to do or even tell us how we can watch your show and before we close actually we’re going to go a little bit over.

I need to know about espn.

Oh, i thought you were forgetting about it.