Photo by Tom Briglia/Top Rank
Bryant Jennings (19-0 10 KOs), the tough heavyweight from North Philadelphia, finally has what he has been asking for, a date with The Ring Magazine World Heavyweight Champion, Wladimir Klitschko, at Madison Square Garden on April 25, 2015.
This will be the 30 year old’s first fight as since quitting his full time job as a building mechanic last August.
“I’m retired,” said Jennings. At 29 I retired from having a 9-5 job. I’m the first person in my family to really have financial independence.”
Jennings will earn a seven-figure purse for his fight against Klitschko and is thrilled to be getting this opportunity.
This will not be the first time Jennings will be in the ring with a European fighter.
Jennings knocked out Artur Szpilka last January and stopped Andrey Fedosov in 2013, as well as Sergei Liakhovich in 2012. Jennings recognizes a difference between Eastern European fighters and American ones.
“They give up too easy,” said Jennings. All they have is hype, which they try to protect, but when it’s exposed they lack the will and just give up.”
Although Klitschko is coming off his 18th consecutive title defense with a big knockout of Kubrat Pulev last November, Jennings believes Klitschko may lack that same will when he gets hit.
“My job is to challenge him and make him do things he doesn’t want to do,” Jennings said. “Everyone has an end to their road and it’s my chance is make that ending come now. I think Wladimir lost some of his physical ability.”
Jennings believes Klitschko has regressed since the death of his long-time trainer, Emanuel Steward. Klitschko is now trained by Steward’s disciple, Johnathon Banks.
“I see a lot of holes that Emanuel would have tightened up,” Jennings said. “His style changed and I will expose it.”
Klitschko is used to having a height advantage over his opponents and will have a three inch height advantage on Jennings.
“Three inches is the size of my middle finger,” said a confident Jennings. “He doesn’t have any advantage over me.”
Jennings will not look for the knockout, but believes it will be inevitable.
“The way this fight will go, someone is getting knocked out,” Jennings said. “There’s no way it goes the distance. Either him or I will get knocked out and if it’s me I can live with that. I’m ready.”
