Exclusive Yuri Romanov interview by James Slater Mar 11th 2008

25-year-old Yuri Romanov of Belarus faces Jonathan Thaxton on April 4th in the Englishman's home town of Norwich. At stake will be the 20-2( 13) Romanov's European lightweight championship. Experienced scribe and BBN new boy James Slater heard from the danger man himself. Fighting in the UK is an experience Romanov is both used to and enjoys. Yuri has fought here a previous three times, most noticeably back in January 2003, when defeating Bobby Vanzie via eighth round RSF. As a result, Thaxton, 33-7(18) had better not feel Romanov will be at all phased due to their match-up taking place in his backyard. What may be of significance in the bout's outcome, however, is the considerable age advantage the visiting fighter holds. At 25, to Thaxton's 33, Romanov just might be too fresh and too hungry for Thaxton to cope with. Still, only a foolish person writes off the always ultra-fit and ready to fight boxer known as "Jono." Romanov is certainly not cutting any corners in training, a fact he shared with me via exclusive interview over the phone late last week. Speaking to me through his translator, Valery Kaplia, Romanov had the following answers to my questions. James Slater:  Firstly, how has training been going for the Thaxton fight? Yuri Romanov:  Training is going very well. I have been training up in the mountains, actually. J.S:  Who have you been sparring with? Y.R:  I have been having some excellent sparring, working with undefeated Russian light-welterweight Denis Shafikov - who is a southpaw like Thaxton. J.S:  You have had some good fights in the UK before. Do you enjoy boxing over here? Y.R:  Yes. I enjoy fighting in the UK very much. In fact, I am quite popular over there, because I regularly receive letters and autograph requests from British people. J.S:  In your last fight here, you lost on points to Graham Earl. Do you think the decision was a fair one? Y.R:  I feel I did enough to have been given at least a draw, but at the same time I was not at my best physically. You see, I had been out of the ring for well over one year, and was ring rusty as a result. I had not fought due to a contractual dispute with Sports Network. I do believe, though, that my fight with Earl took a toll on him, while it gave me the experience I needed to become the European champion I am now. J.S:  What do you think of Jon Thaxton as a fighter? Y.R:  I have the utmost respect for Thaxton. I consider him to be the very best lightweight in all of Europe - after myself. J.S:   What type of fight do you expect on April 4th? Y.R:  I expect Thaxton to come at me and be aggressive like he always has been in fights. J.S:  Are there any concerns with Thaxton being a southpaw? Y.R:  Well, I boxed the tricky Bobby Vanzie, who was a southpaw. I had no problems there. So no, I'm not concerned with the southpaw stance. J.S:  Do you feel you are at your peak now, at age 25? Y.R:  I feel I am improving all the time. I want to have more experience at international level, so as to be able to become a genuine world champion in the near future. J.S:  Speaking of age, do you think Thaxton's 33 years will maybe catch up with him in the fight? Y.R:  I don't think about that really. I know Jon Thaxton will be giving the very best of himself, like he's always done, which is why I consider this fight to be between the two best lightweights in Europe. We will decide who is the best. J.S:  Your last three fights have all been European title fight wins, do you feel you have really been on top form recently? Y.R:  Yes, for sure. I was in top form when I knocked then undefeated European champion Juan Carlos Diaz Melero out clean (in three rounds) right in his own backyard. I was also in excellent shape when I stopped Tontcho Tontchev (also in three rounds). My fight with Stefano Zoff (in Yuri's last fight, in October) was not my best performance. I had a bad cold going into that fight, but I still won (on points) and kept my title. J.S:  You KO'd Diaz Melero, do you think your power will be too much for Thaxton as well? Y.R:  I certainly feel I've got the tools to handle Thaxton. Sharpness and clean power shots will be the key to my success. J.S:  Have you ever been down as a pro? Y.R:  Yes. I was down in the third round against Diaz Melero, but got straight back up and then KO'd him. J.S:  And who has given you your toughest fight? Y.R:  I would say Diaz Melero. He was very highly ranked by both the WBA and the WBC at the time. J.S:  Was that your best-ever win then, do you feel? Y.R:  I feel my win over Bobby Vanzie, who was very tricky and very experienced, was my best-ever win. I had Vanzie down about six or seven times (actually five times). J.S:  Getting back to the Thaxton fight, when will you arrive in the U.K? Y.R:  I will arrive on April the 1st. J.S:  Not looking too far ahead, but assuming you win, would you then like to fight for a world title? Y.R:  Yes. I am rated number number two by the WBA, and the number one rated fighter is Paulus Moses, who my manager Philippe Fondu has a promotional contract with. Moses is set to face WBA champion Jose Alfaro, and Philippe has promised me a shot at the winner of Alfaro vs. Moses. J.S:  Thank you for taking the time to speak with me. Finally, do you have a prediction for the Thaxton fight? Y.R:  I believe I will stop Thaxton in the late rounds.

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