Boxing NAV’s Cathal Jennings caught up with the one and only Martin Rogan, in an always candid and interesting chat.
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Getting back in the ring
Martin Rogan has been out of the ring for a while but it now sounds like he is itching to get back in.
Martin has took time to spend time with his family but he is hoping he’ll have an opponent lined up soon, ‘I hope to god I have an opponent soon, I have taken time out with family now, their sick of looking at me’, joked Rogan.
Rogan has his jaw badly broken against Erkan Teper previously, but his jaw has now healed and he is looking for revenge against Teper saying:
‘Training has been fine and I’m starting to get fit. The jaw is still chewing on steak so it’s fine. Erkan Teper I don’t think is technically good, but does carry power and gets the job done. I seek revenge on Teper.”
Teper, David Price, Dereck Chisora and Jason Gavern
David Price also came up short against Teper, but Rogan thinks he can still bounce back and would love to work with the man from Liverpool mentioning:
“David Price is good, I think he has lost his confidence along the way and needs to speed up his force and overcome his opponents with fast hard punches – I would love to work with him.”
Dereck Chisora is on the comeback trail at the minute, and Martin believes his next step should be to take on Teper, with Martin himself facing the winner of that bout:
“I think Derek Chisora should be his next call Derek has things of mirror image like to see that then I will fight either. 1. I want Derek 2. I seek revenge on Teper.”
If you follow Martin and Jason Gavern on Twitter, you will often see them exchanging words (harmless banter really) and it seems that’s as far as it will go according to Martin who joked:
“I spent some time with Jason in Tyson’s camp. I had to look after him, a very untidy person but a good guy! I don’t see me and Jason fighting I don’t want to knock his pride and joy (his teeth) out and I want a test, he would love to say he shared a ring with me.”
Our chat then turned to the heavyweight contenders coming through at the moment from Britain and Ireland.
Anthony Joshua, Sean Turner and Lee vs Saunders
Heavyweight sensation Anthony Joshua faces Gary Cornish on September 12th and should he come through that, he will face his fierce rival Dillian Whyte, but Rogan thinks AJ will continue his undefeated record:
“I think Joshua vs Whyte is an interesting fight for fans. I watched the amateur fight when AJ went down but in my opinion AJ won the fight. I think it will be over quick, a victory for Joshua.”
Ireland’s biggest Heavyweight hope at the moment is Sean ‘Big Sexy’ Turner, who is a good friend of Martin and recently extended his undefeated streak with a win on the undercard of the Matthew Macklin bill in Marbella.
Martin is hoping a fight can be made between him and Turner for the Irish title at some point, saying:
“Big sexy Sean had another win and a very good one at that. Yes I would like to engage with Sean for the Irish title, I hope to speak to him to congratulate him on his win.
Me and Sean have spent a bit of time together sparring in Tyson Fury’s camp and then on some business. I think its a massive fight for Irish boxing and for both of us in different ways.”
Our conversation then switched to Andy Lee vs Billy Joe Saunders, which was dealt another blow recently when the fight was pushed back again, this time due to a cut to Billy Joe Saunders.
But when the two finally face each other ‘Rogie’ can’t pick a winner:
“Billy and Andy fight is a great fight, I like both them guys. Both have different skills, both are great fighters and I can’t call it but as long as they walk out of the ring safe, then that’s a win for all.”
David Haye, Klitschko vs Fury and Next Fight
The Heavyweight division is buzzing once again with the likes of Joshua, Fury, Browne and Wilder, to name but a few.
David Haye is also making a comeback after a career threatening shoulder injury, and it has been reported that is he lining up WBC Heavyweight Champion Deontay Wilder.
However Martin Rogan doesn’t think he should get any special treatment upon his return:
“David Haye has nothing to prove, but I don’t think he should walk in to a title fight, as fighters are all climbing the ladder.
It would be unfair to jump the starting line after been out of boxing for a year or more and then get seeded. David is a class act, but fight the guys in the British top ten first and get your shot.”
As our discussion came towards the end, we inevitably touched on the heavyweight fight of the year between Wladimir Klitschko and Tyson Fury, which is coming up on October 24th.
Rogan feels there will be a new Heavyweight Champion crowned in Germany on the night:
“I’ve only been in with one of those big guy’s and that’s Fury. I think the fight will be cagey at first. I can see Tyson stopping him if he goes forward, keeping Klitschko at the end of his jab and hitting him with over hand right – he is the perfect size for that shot.”
Martin Rogan is a man who wants a fight and doesn’t mind who he faces and finished our chat by saying:
“I would like to fight a lot of people, who ever is there in front of me. No opponent has been confirmed yet, but whoever it is, it will a tough night for him. I just want a successful win next.”
(Images credit: BBC.co.uk and Irish-Boxing.com)
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