|
Many who have watched
Philly heavyweight Joey Dawejko ply his trade in the ring
know that he’s a bit of a puzzle. Physically, he looks like
a pure puncher – short and stocky, with close cropped hair
and a fixed smirk on his face that implies he’s hiding
something. However when the bell rings, Dawejko is more
boxer than puncher, with surprisingly mobile feet and slick
defensive moves. Perhaps this is the secret that his smirk
keeps.
Or maybe Dawejko’s
biggest secret is that his skillset and potential as a
fighter have always seemed much greater than the story told
by his inconsistent performances and 19-4-4, 11 KOs, record.
On one hand, this discrepancy could be a secret weapon,
potentially making him a spoiler for any fighter, matchmaker
or promoter who takes him lightly. However, Dawejko himself
has always been a full partner in the business of
underestimating his true potential.
You see, with Joey
Dawejko, the only real question is whether or not he’ll show
up on fight night in good enough shape to deliver. His
performances have often been hampered by his spotty
conditioning, and therefore Joey’s prospects for success
have always been held hostage by this missing piece of his
game.
On Saturday night,
Dawejko and his Achilles heel will be tested like never
before in a hotly anticipated collision with fellow
Philadelphian and heavyweight contender Bryant Jennings.
Their 10-round bout, with the PA State Heavyweight
Championship and both of their careers at stake, is
the best Philly vs. Philly bout staged in years and is part
of a mega-watt fight card at the Liacouras Center in North
Philly.
The match is an
interesting one. Despite their geographical similarities and
comparable weight class, Dawejko and Jennings are very
different animals.
Dawejko began fighting
during his childhood, while late bloomer Jennings started as
a grown man. Joey garnered many amateur trophies, while
Bryant got in and got out of the amateur ranks in the blink
of an eye.
As professionals,
Jennings mounted a fast-rising campaign that led him to a
shot at world champ Wladimir Klitschko, while Dawejko rode
his rollercoaster journey to the middle of the division.
Their training
regiments are night and day opposites. Jennings, who splits
his training time between Philly and Florida, has always put
his conditioning first, while Dawejko, who holds camp in
California, has always struggled to commit to the toils of
the gym.
Yet, both of their
paths have led them to Saturday night’s fight, in an
assignment that figures to be “must win” for each
heavyweight.
Dawejko claims that
he’s finally overcome his fatal flaw and that his entire
future will be launched with a win over Bryant Jennings. If
Joey has in fact trained properly, the fight could be his.
However, if he took another shortcut to the ring this time,
it’s a fat chance that he’ll come out on top. We will find
out when the bell rings on Saturday night.
I spoke to Dawejko by
phone at his West Coast training camp.
HOW HAS TRAINING CAMP AT THE WILDCARD GYM BEEN GOING?
“It’s the best camp I’ve put in in my whole
life. We’ve been getting ten to twelve rounds in on our
sparring days. We spar Monday, Wednesday and Friday. So,
like I said, this is the best camp that I ever put in. I’ve
been out here since January.”
HAS IT BEEN HARD TO BE AWAY FROM HOME FOR SO LONG?
“My fiancée, Maria makes it a lot easier for
me. While I’m out here, she handles everything back home.
She’s a bigger trouper than me because she’s taking care of
the kids, holding the house down, paying the bills, doing
everything she has to do so I can come out here and do what
I need to do. So, she has to get props too, because she’s
doing just as much as me.”
SO YOU’VE BEEN TRAINING FOR FOUR MONTHS FOR THIS FIGHT?
“I was supposed to fight in March, and I was
already in shape for that fight. A couple of weeks before
that, this fight happened to come about. So, this gave me a
lot of extra time to be in a lot better shape. It’s been a
great camp and I’m about to prove to the world what I’m
about.”
DO YOU THINK YOUR CONDITIONING HAS BEEN THE MISSING PIECE?
“I always get the people that say I never come
in in shape. But this is a completely different thing. I’m
doing things I’ve never done before. People always
criticized me – ‘oh, he probably never ran’. I might not
have run as much as people think (I should), but now it’s a
steady thing for me. This is a completely different camp. I
know that this is life or death. So I’m doing everything I
need to do. I’m in great shape. I’ve been running every day.
I’m about to prove to the world what who I am.”
NO ONE HAS EVER QUESTIONED YOUR SKILLS
“I have great skills. I’m a good puncher. I’m
fast on my feet. The only thing is if I’m going to show up
in shape or not. So, that’s my biggest thing right now. I’m
in shape. I feel that I’m a better fighter than him. I’m a
bigger puncher.”
WHAT ARE BRYANT’S ADVANTAGES IN THIS FIGHT?
“His strength really for a lot of years has
been that he’s always been in great shape. He’s always been
in super condition. Maybe he has some experience over me in
the pros, but I’ve been fighting my whole life. So, it
doesn’t matter what type of shape he comes in. I’m the
better fighter, and I’m going to prove it on that night.”
IS THIS THE BIGGEST FIGHT OF YOUR CAREER?
“Yes, it is the biggest fight of my career. I
know with a win over Bryant Jennings, where my career can
go. It doesn’t matter who I fought before, because it’s this
fight that’s going to matter. After this fight, I’m going
to get bigger opportunities. Let’s face it. He’s pretty high
in the rankings. So, after this fight, when I beat him, I’m
going to be in that position. I’m going to get the big money
fights. I’m going to get the bigger name fights. So, yes,
this is the biggest fight of my career, and I completely
treated it like that. The whole camp, from the moment my
manager called me, I knew we were going to put it together
and I knew this was going to be the biggest fight of my
career.”
IS JENNINGS THE BEST FIGHTER YOU’VE EVER FACED?
“I don’t know if he’s the best opponent. Amir
Mansour was a great fighter. I’m giving him that respect
now. I don’t know if Jennings is the best. I’ll have to tell
you on fight night.”
THE MANSOUR FIGHT WAS ONE YOU LET SLIP AWAY, RIGHT?
“My manager (Mark Cipparone) brings it up to me
all the time. He says, ‘Joe, you know that you could have
won, and it’s your fault (that you didn’t).’ It is my fault,
and that’s everything I was willing to change. I walked out
of that ring as a better fighter that night. It’s a shame
because it was my fourth loss, but I needed that learning
experience. It was the first time I was going ten rounds,
the first time I was ever cut. I needed that learning
experience. Walking out of the ring, I knew I was a better
fighter. Now I’ve put it altogether to be a complete
fighter.”
HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT FACING ANOTHER PHILLY FIGHTER?
“Everybody criticizes the Philly vs. Philly
stuff, but Bryant Jennings never paid my electric bill. He
never put any money in my pocket to make sure me or my kids
were ok. So, it doesn’t matter where he’s from. I don’t have
any friends in the heavyweight division. There are guys that
I talk to, guys that I’m cool with, but none of them are my
friends, because eventually we’re going to fight someday.
After my career, we can be friends, but as of right now,
it’s about business.”
YOU HOLD A WIN OVER JENNINGS AS AN AMATEUR AND SPARRED WITH
HIM AS A PRO YEARS AGO. DOES THIS MEAN ANYTHING NOW?
“Bryant Jennings knows exactly who I am. Top
Rank gave him, I’m not going to say easy fights, but Top
Rank gave him three fights to get back. I think they might
be thinking they gave him four fights to get back into title
contention. It’s going to be a big upset. Maybe Top Rank was
looking at my record and thinking this is just another
tune-up for Bryant. But deep down inside, Jennings knows
exactly who I am, so he’s going to bring it all. He better
be treating this like it’s a championship fight, because I’m
no slouch. I’m giving it my everything. You haven’t seen my
everything yet, and that’s my fault. But I’m going to give
my everything in this fight.”
HAVEN’T YOU FELT THIS WAY BEFORE IN YOUR CAREER?
“My mind is right. I’m completely focused. I
know the opportunity that this holds, and I’m not going to
give that up. After I beat Bryant Jennings, it puts me in
the rankings. I’m not losing this fight.”
WHAT DOES THE CHANCE TO WIN THE PA TITLE MEAN TO YOU?
“I love Philadelphia; I love Pennsylvania, but
it doesn’t mean too much because I’m moving on to beiger and
better things.
IN PHILLY, THERE IS A LOT OF BUZZ ABOUT THE FIGHT. IT’S NOT
THE MAIN EVENT, BUT IT DOESN’T IT FEEL LIKE IT IS?
“Absolutely! This is an intriguing fight. I
have respect for everybody fighting on this card. The main
event, Isaac Dogboe and Jesse Magdaleno. I’ve known Isaac
for a couple years now. He trains out in California. I know
Jesse Magdaleno from back in the amateurs. I’ve known Jesse
Hart since we were 12 years old. But this is the biggest
fight on the card. This is the best fight on the card.”
TO BEAT JENNINGS, YOU HAVE TO MAKE GOOD ON YOUR PROMISE OF
BEING IN SHAPE
“This is do or die for me. When I win this
fight, it’s going to bring on better money, so I can provide
for my children the way I want to. I want to give them the
world. Like I said, this is the biggest fight for me, and
I’m doing everything I need to get the win and to move on to
a better life for me, my fiancé, and my children. This is
where everybody’s going to see the real Joey Dawejko.”
 |
