Randall Bailey Interview: Calls Out Keith Thurman and Kell Brook in 2015
By Robert Brizel, Head Real Combat Media Correspondent
In a Real Combat Media Boxing international exclusive interview, former Light Welterweight and Welterweight world champion Randall ‘The Knock-Out King’ Bailey, age 40, stated he expected 2015 to be his comeback year. Interviewed by telephone from his Miami, Florida residence, Bailey, now 44-8 with 37 knockouts, stated he hopes to fight for another two years. Bailey, now detached from his last promoter in New York City, Lou DiBella and DiBella Entertainment, is entertaining fight offers, but wants to fight either IBF World champion Kell Brook of United Kingdom or WBA World champion Keith Thurman of Clearwater, Florida.
Real Combat Media: “Randall, you have been inactive since defeating Humberto Toledo by disqualification in Tampa in November of 2013, over a year ago. why?”
Randall Bailey: “Nobody wants to fight me. I have been getting offers for fights I accept, but the guys would come back and say they don’t want to fight me (after all).”
Real Combat Media: “Where do you train now? Who works with you?”
Randall Bailey: “I train daily at the Contenders Gym in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. My trainer is Chico Rivas, who also trains Dyah Davis. My manager is Si Stern.”
Real Combat Media: “How will things be different for you in 2015?”
Randall Bailey: “2015 is the year of the knockout king. In 2014, a lot of thingshave been going on in boxing. A lot of things have changed. In 2015, when the dust settles with all of the different promotional companies, they are gonna have to use me (on their cards).”
Real Combat Media: “Would you like to fight Floyd Mayweather Jr. in the near future?”
Randall Bailey: “Of course, I would like to fight Floyd. Do I think I will (ever get the opportunity) ever fight him? No.”
Real Combat Media: “Floyd would fight a technical fight against you. Could you knock him out?”
Randall Bailey: “I have the right power to knock anybody out if I get the right punch in.”
Real Combat Media: “Who would you like to fight?”
Randall Bailey: “I would like to fight Keith Thurman. He’s a puncher. I’m a puncher. I don’t think he would be hard to beat. I don’t think he would be moving around the ring that well to where I couldn’t get to him.”
Real Combat Media: “Who were your promoters in the past?”
Randall Bailey: “Don King Promotions, Seminole Warrior Promotions, and Lou DiBella Promotions.”
Real Combat Media: “Randall, have you received any new promotional offers?”
Randall Bailey: “Not yet.”
Real Combat Media: “How many years do you intend to keep fighting?”
Randall Bailey: “Just two.”
Real Combat Media: “Your plans after that?Perhaps becoming a boxing trainer?”
Randall Bailey: “I haven’t decided. I’ve got a couple of ideas going, but I’m not sold on them yet.”
Real Combat Media: “You had a couple of fights in the works which fell through. Who were the fights who backedout of fights with you?”
Randall Bailey: “Timothy Bradley and Frederick Lawson. I just never knew why. They told me the fight was off.”
Real Combat Media: “What are your fight goals at present?”
Randall Bailey: “I want to fight some fights, in 2015, have a good year, and hopefully in 2016, fight for a world welterweight title. I would like to regain my IBF belt, if possible. I would love to fight Kell Brook.”
Real Combat Media:”You were supposed to fight Jan Zaveck. What happened with your bout in terms of Andre Berto involved with the postponement of the match?”
Randall Bailey: “I had a contract with Jan Zaveck. I stopped aside to let Andre Berto fight Zaveck. Berto won the IBF World Welterweight title belt, then let the title go, so he would not have to fight me. He said he was going to rematch against Victor Ortiz, but then berto tested positive for steroids.”
Real Combat Media: “Why did you not find a fight in the last month or two of 2014?”
Randall Bailey: “Right now, all of the boxing shows for December are already put together. The big promoters are not gonna come back with new shows till late January or early February of 2015.”
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