Heavyweight Contender Travis Kauffman Interview: I Want To Fight Everybody!
By Robert Brizel, Head Real Combat Media Boxing Correspondent
*Photo Credit: Robert Brizel, Real Combat Media
Heavyweight Travis Kauffman, coming off a disputed 12 round No-Contest against Chris Arreola, in a new 2016 ringside exclusive interview with Real Combat Media recently in Atlantic City, says he wants to fight every contender there is, and will accept all challenges.
Robert Brizel: “You want to fight everybody. When will you fight next?”
Travis Kauffman: “June or July (of 2016).”
Robert Brizel: “Alright. Charles Martin, Artur Szpilka, Chris Arreola, Luis Ortiz. Do you want to fight everybody?”
Travis Kauffman: “Absolutely. I’ve got a point to prove. I beat Chris Arreola. They gave him the win, and his knucklehead ass blew it by testing positive for marijuana. Whatever he does in his personal life is his own business, but not when you are an elite athlete. I want to fight everybody. I have to prove a point. I’m not afraid to fight Luis Ortiz. I’ll fight Luis Ortiz. He wins a lot of respect. I thought Bryan Jennings was outmatched in that fight. Bryan Jennings stepped up to the plate when nobody else would.”
Robert Brizel: “Would you fight Bryan also?”
Travis Kauffman: “Absolutely. He’s a friend of mine too.”
Robert Brizel: “If there anybody you wouldn’t fight?”
Travis Kauffman: “If there was anyone I said I shouldn’t fight, I wouldn’t be fighting.”
Robert Brizel: “You knocked down Chris Arreola. You felt you won the bout. Your opinion on the judges?”
Travis Kauffman: “It was my first 12 round fight. I had him (Chris Arreola) down in the third round, and I could have finished him, but my mental thinking was….. (and) I do a lot of mental thinking in the ring. I thought he’s been there before, he’s been hurt, knocked down, and he always comes back. Let me not jump on him. It’s a 12 rounder. Let me pace myself, and if I hurt him again later, I’m on him. I just wanted to take my time. I still felt I won the bout. I didn’t get the victory, but I don’t have a loss on my record (a No Contest).”
Robert Brizel: “Was Marshall (your dad in the corner) cautious?”
Travis Kauffman: “No! I tried to tell everyone the game plan. Arreola can’t fight backing up. Naazim (trainer Naazim Richardson) wanted me to box him. I hit hard, and I’m a good counterpuncher. I sparred Arreola over 200 rounds, and he cannot fight backing up. If the judges see him doing something he’s not supposed to do, like backing up, how can they give him the fight? I made him back up the whole fight except the ninth and tenth round,, tenth and eleventh rounds, which I took off.”
Robert Brizel: “Did you think you should not have taken off those rounds? You only needed one round (one more round). You still could have won it if you won one more round.”
Travis Kauffman: “One the cards that was the difference, but I thought I was up eight rounds to four. If it’s seven rounds to five, with the knockdown that makes it 115-112.”
Robert Brizel: “What about Dominic Breazeale? You think he’s very much of a challenge for Anthony Joshua?”
Travis Kauffman: “No, he’s gonna get knocked out. I give him three rounds. He thinks if he wins the (IBF heavyweight) belt he’ll bring it back to America. I like Joshua. He reminds me of a young Lennox Lewis. I’d fight Joshua after he fights Breazeale, but I know Joshua. He’s probably going to go after Tyson Fury and Wladimir Klitschko after he knocks out Breazeale.”
Robert Brizel: “The big heavyweights are Tyson Fury, Anthony Joshua, Lucas Browne (and) Deontay Wilder. Where are you in this entire mix at this point? Where do you see yourself?”
Travis Kauffman: “I’m knocking at the door right behind them. I’d like to fight Lucas Browne, even though he tested positive for PEDs (performance enhancing drugs, better known as steroids). I think he’s trying to clear that up. The same thing happened over in Russia. Fres Oquendo, they say he tested positive for a PED when he fought Ruslan Chagaev and he cleared it up. If Lucas Browne did test positive…..I think PEDs are a huge problem. Antonio Tarver who’s here tonight, he’s been a multiple user multiple times who denies it. PEDs are bad for the sport. All of the above. As an athlete, we always have aches and pains. When you take a human growth hormone, it takes the pain away so you can recover. Maybe that’s why I’m always in pain, cause I don’t take them.”
Robert Brizel: “Tell me about Artur Szpilka. You had a chance to fight Szpilka if the right money was on the table. Do you think that fight might still happen? What were the missing elements for Szpilka?”
Travis Kauffman: “I think he just had hand surgery. I like Szpilka, he’s a good friend of mine. We trained together down in Texas. Listen. Money talks. We’re in a business to make money. This is a hurt game. We’re in there getting hurt and hurt. Why not make money doing it? So, I don’t know if h wasn’t ready coming off a huge knockout loss to (Deontay) Wilder. Whatever the reason, I’m sure that could happen and it’s a great fight in the future. It’s a fight Al Haymon would love to have. You have a white American guy and a white Polish guy, and why not make that fight happen. I think that’s an exciting fight for both bangers.”
Robert Brizel: “Great eliminator fight.”
Travis Kauffman: “Absolutely. I would love that fight!”
Robert Brizel: “What about Charles Martin? Martin’s corner wanted the (Anthony) Joshua fight obviously. Some money was there. Would Martin be very much of a fight for you? It doesn’t seem to be very much of a fight on paper, now that Martin’s been exposed. Is he ducking you?”
Travis Kauffman: “Charles Martin is a (Expletive). He talks a lot of (expletive) and can’t back it up. He talked so much (expletive) to Anthony Joshua and laid down, then cried about it afterwards saying he had a broken rib or something, making excuses. You don’t make excuses. If you lose, you take the loss like a man. Me and him, we have been beefing back and forth on social media. He’s a bum!”
Robert Brizel: “Now there are a couple of other fighters out there I think would make an interesting match (for you). Eric Molina or Bermane Stiverne. Would you consider one of those if the money was on the table?”
Travis Kauffman: “Listen, there isn’t one person I wouldn’t fight if the money was on the table (such as) Luis Ortiz, Eric Molina. Joey Dawejko’s my boy, he just had a split decision draw and hurt his hand. Joey has the wrong body for the wrong division.”
Robert Brizel: “I spoke to Joey last night and he told me he was seriously considering moving down to cruiserweight, where his size and frame would be much more effective.”
Travis Kauffman: “I’d have to see it to believe it. I don’t think he can get down there, but if he did he’d be a lot faster.”
Robert Brizel: “We look forward to seeing your next fight. When do you think that will happen?”
Travis Kauffman: “The end of June (or), early July, whatever Al Haymon says, we’re there. I have my kids, I’m just getting back in the gym, I’m a full-time single father of three. Boxing is number one in my life, my kids are number two, but because of this new change in my life (my kids are with me now), my kids are (my) number one (priority). Haymon tells me whenever we get a big fight, we’re ready. We want someone in the top ten. I want the most dangerous fight for me. I want Luis Ortiz, Charles Martin, I’d love to knock him out. Whoever. I’ll fight everybody. Lucas Browne I’d fight him in his backyard, my backyard, in the backyard of the alleyway in Reading, Pennsylvania, I’d love to fight Lucas Browne.
Robert Brizel:” A couple of names have been mentioned on the outside. Erkan Teper. Joseph Parker. Johann Duhaupas. Could any of those names be possible with Haymon?”
Travis Kauffman: “I’m sure. I got a message about Duhaupas on Facebook the other day. I’d fight hi m. I’d fight anybody. There’s not one person I’m not gonna fighter. If I say I’m not gonna fight, I shouldn’t be a boxer. You are not a real fighter if you turn down fights.”
Robert Brizel: “Tyson Fury has a nephew, Hughie Fury who’s on the way up. How do you think the British will reconcile having two Furys (to promote) instead of one? They’ve already promoted Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua. What do you think is one their mind?”
Travis Kauffman: “Too fast, two Fury. They just want two Furys in (public out) there. I actually heard Hughie is better than Tyson Fury. Tyson’s just a big dude.”
Robert Brizel: “What about David Haye? He seems to want to stick his nose in and fight everybody. Where does David Haye fit in, in the current heavyweight picture?”
Travis Kauffman: “He’s in the same position I’m in, knocking at the door. He’s a better known name than me. He’s a former cruiserweight and heavyweight champion. I think he’s fighting a bum now. I never heard of (29-0 Arnold Gjergjaj, a Kosovo boxer fighting out of Switzerland) the guy.”
Robert Brizel: “Nobody wants to fight him (David Haye) unless there is enough money there. What about Shannon Briggs?”
Travis Kauffman: “I’ve called him out. He’s looking for a huge fight, and you can’t blame the guy. He’s forty something years old, he wants to cash out and make a lot of money. He’s not calling out Wladimir Klitschko anymore because Klitschko lost. Now he’s calling out Deontay Wilder. After Wilder he’s gonna call out Tyson Fury or somebody else. He wants a big fight to make a million (dollars) or walk away and make some money. I can’t blame the guy. I don’t think a fight with me makes sense for him. It’s not a half million dollar or million dollar fight for him.”
Robert Brizel: Travis, thank you for sitting down with Real Combat Media, and we wish you all the best.”
Travis Kauffman: “Thank you.”
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