Interview Dated April 2006 Heavyweight Travis Walker Travis Walker is one of the most impressive heavyweights fighting on the Houston boxing scene. Undefeated in 18 bouts, the 6;4", 240 lb., 26-year-old Tallahassee native trains out of the Main Boxing Gym in downtown Houston. I spoke to him before his recent first round knockout of Adam Smith on May 11th. HBS - How'd you get started boxing? TW - When I was in high school a dean in my high school asked me to try boxing and I was like, "Nah, I'm not going to do it," but one day I was just sitting at the house and watching Lennox Lewis fight and Lennox Lewis knocked the guy out in like 50-something seconds and the guy who got knocked out got $300,000. I was like, "That's easy money, I need to be making that kind of money." So I went up to my coach and I asked him could I join, could I try boxing and he said the gym was open between 5-8 Monday through Friday so I've been in and I've been loving it ever since. HBS - So have you made $300,000 for a fight yet? (laughs) TW - No but it's on the way, it's close. I won't make it for losing. HBS - Tell us about your amateur career. TW - I started out my first year I got ranked in the top three in the U.S. Nationals. From there I went to the National Golden Gloves and I won that in 2003. From there I went to the Olympic Trials. I got third place there and I got signed pro shortly after that and here I am. HBS - How'd you end up in Houston? TW - My manager introduced me to Dwight (Pratchett) and I thought Dwight was a great guy and I ran with him. HBS - Tell us a little bit about what you do during your workouts, your training regimen. TW - At 5:00 in the morning we're running six miles daily. Weekend, nine, sometimes 12, according to what my trainer feels, (laughs), because he runs faster. I get a weight workout and I go to the gym and work out with my trainer again at 2:00 p.m. I've got good sparring in the gym with Derek Berry, Abdeen, yeah, Houston's been real good to me for boxing. I've learned it real quick. I've got a great trainer. HBS - What was your hardest fight so far? TW - My hardest fight was the one I got the draw with and the reason why I got that draw was because I tried to force the fight and it was a lesson well learned. I tried to force a knockout instead of letting it come. Usually when I let it come my fights end early. Since I tried to force it, I was on T.V. my first time, I was anxious and I just wanted to put on a good show, but trying to put on a good show made it a bad show. I'm upset with it but it was a learning experience. HBS - So what about football? TW - I tried football in high school. I didn't go to college because of test scores. I could have went to junior college but I decided not to go and sat home for a year and then I started boxing. Everybody finds their calling. I feel like boxing's my calling. HBS - What is it that you enjoy about the sport? TW - Hitting (laughs). I love hitting, I love to work out and I like the attention, the one on one. I like the team thing, with football, the team thing was alright but sometimes with you giving 110 (%) and somebody else giving 70 you could lose. If you lose in boxing you lose. Ain't nobody else lost but you because it's you and that person in the ring with you. HBS - What do you like about working out with Dwight? TW - I've got a trainer that's there with me. I've got a trainer that's putting on the pads with me, I've got a trainer that's getting in the ring with me, I've got a trainer that's running with me, I've got a trainer that's with me. Not just talking, you know, "Go do this and go do that." I've got a trainer that's doing everything with me and he's pushing me to another level. HBS - You worked out, sparred with W.B.O. Heavyweight Champion Sergei Liakhovich last year. Give us your assessment of his skills. TW - He's tough, he's durable, I think he's a great guy because I had a chance to talk to him a little bit and I'm actually hoping to get a chance to see him one day because he's a great fighter and to get him under your belt would be real good so I'm hoping one day to get in the ring with him. HBS - It's clear you're a natural. Real strong but yet you're quick and you seem to have good balance, pretty much the total package. In your mind what is it that separates you from the average fighter? TW - A lot of guys really don't have the heart and I think I've got the heart. So that's the biggest thing in boxing, to have the heart. Sometimes it's better to have heart than skill. HBS - You're fighting a guy tonight who's 6-11. What do you know about him, is there anything in particular you plan to do against him aside from I'm sure knock him out? TW - The quick the better, that's it. HBS - It could be said again that with a record of 16-0-1, someone who's being critical might ask when you're going to step it up against tougher competition. TW - I should be on a card in June, I think June 25th I'm thinking it's here in Houston on ESPN and I'll be stepping it up then. I've done stepped it up a couple of times before but everytime they step it up I step it up. HBS - How far away are you from being ready to fight a top ten contender? TW - I'd say this time next year or a little bit before. I'm prepared to work hard.