'All the British heavys should fight one another' - Big Larry O interview

This Friday the Brentwood Leisure Centre will be showing off several of Britain’s best heavyweight hopefuls. Headlining the show is an eagerly anticipated rematch between Tyson Fury and John McDermott. This fight promises fireworks after their last fight ended with a controversial points win for Tyson Fury.

Also on the card is an interesting clash between two prospects. Larry “War Machine” Olubamiwo is matched against Dave Ferguson. This is another step up in class for Larry who is taking part in only his tenth pro fight after claiming the Southern Area Heavyweight title last time out. The winner of this bout will be next in line for a shot at the English title.

Before Larry started out boxing he was a sprinter (a decent one at that, running 100 metres in 10.7 seconds) and he used to keep his fitness ticking over in a boxing gym when it was close season in athletics. Due to a severe injury, sprinting was no longer an option so Larry decided to move into boxing full time. During a short amateur career he took part in 11 fights.

BoxRec News caught up with Larry to discuss Friday's fight and the future of Britain’s exciting heavyweight scene. Larry has been training hard for this fight at the Peacock Gym and Cook's Academy in London with former classy pro turned trainer James Cook. He certainly sees Ferguson as a threat and is taking this fight very seriously.

“Oh yeah, he’s definitely a good challenge for me, he is experienced and he wouldn’t be fighting in an English title eliminator if he wasn’t a dangerous opponent. I am very wary of him and I have prepared accordingly. I am not taking him lightly at all and I never take any of my opponents lightly. With this fight being an eliminator and it being against Dave Ferguson who has also been touted as a prospect it’s the biggest fight of my career so far.

“I see me winning it. I just know I’m going to win this fight. That’s all I can say.”

Looking at Larry and seeing his daunting six foot four frame you automatically think raw power would be his biggest asset. Larry agrees that his power is an important part of his game but sees something else more vital to his boxing success than his power.

“A lot of people say that, yes power is one of my biggest assets, but I think my biggest asset is my brain. I am a thinking fighter. I know what my weaknesses are and I’m willing to work on these weaknesses. Hence me linking up with lots of different coaches like Freddie Roach for example. A lot of boxers talk up themselves thinking they are they best thing since sliced bread. Its not like that at all, you’ve got to be humble in this game because everything can be taken away from you so quickly in this game, there are so many good boxers out there. I am striving to be the best I can and I have to recognise what I need to work on in the gym."

Our domestic heavyweight scene has the potential for some great match ups over the next year or two. The big question is whether these guys will do battle of will they avoid each other as they evolve into serious contenders for titles. Larry is confident that the fans will get to see this group of heavyweights take each other on.

“Yes, in the very near future we should all be fighting one another. Some people consider me fighting Ferguson as an important domestic fight. When I win my fight on Friday I will be the mandatory for the English title. I could be fighting John McDermott or Tyson fury who ever wins on Friday. Also you’ve got Derek Chisora who holds the British title and Sam Sexton who holds the commonwealth title. These are they guys I’m chasing. I think very soon were all going to be matched up together.

“It’s a great time to be a heavyweight in Britain, I don’t think we’ve had this much strength in depth for years. We are all ambitious fighters and all bring different things to the table which will make the boxing fans interested in us. Compared to a few years ago when you had Audley Harrison, Michael Sprott, Danny Williams and Matt Skelton I feel this new crop are more exciting. There were four of them and there are more than four of us and we are looking at exciting match ups down the line and I’m looking forward to it!”

It’s important for the promoter and the fighter to be on the same wave length where a boxer’s career is concerned. Some fighters over the years have wanted to hurry their careers along while the promoter wants to protect their records for a little longer. These are no such problems in the Maloney camp as Frank and Larry plot their boxing journey together.

“I think we pretty much agree on how my career should be managed. I don’t think I necessarily need to be hurried along but I just need to get a move on a bit a bit quicker than Tom Dallas and David Price who are a bit younger than me. I’m 31 now and those guys are in their mid twenties. I feel I’ve still got plenty of time as heavyweights mature later. I also think I need to get more fights under my belt due to my lack of amateur experience. So in general yes, we agree how my career should move on.”

The Frank Maloney promoted show also features David Price and Tom Dallas. It will be televised live on Sky Sports 2 at 22.30 this Friday evening.