Against Any Odds, Campbell Will Bet on Himself

Against Any Odds, Campbell Will Bet on Himself
By Steve Kim (Sep 8, 2008)

As you log on to the various online sportsbooks, you see that lightweight champion Nate Campbell is as high as a two-and-a-half to one underdog against Joan Guzman, who he faces this Saturday night on Showtime from the Beau Rivage Casino in Biloxi, MS. You think that a guy who just soundly defeated Juan Diaz (as a 3-1 'dog) would be getting a bit more respect.

But Campbell himself isn't surprised by these odds.

"That’s because people believe in those glossy records nowadays," he says, referring to Guzman's ledger, which reads 28-0. "They like the zero; that makes you great in their eyes, even if you haven't fought anybody."

The fiery native of Tampa, Florida takes umbrage at how the oddsmakers have set this fight.

"I do, very much so, and I'll address that when the bell rings."

And will Campbell, who made a pretty nice chunk of change betting on himself back in March, put any money down on himself this time around?

"Is an elephant heavy?" he answers rhetorically.

Confidence has never been an issue with Campbell. But his critics - those in the media and on message boards - will point out his lack of consistency in his past performances. He'll tell you he has something to prove, but he points out, "The thing is, I don't have to prove it to them. I prove it to myself everyday in the gym. Every night I lay down, I lay down and I'm happy with the man that I am. Here's the thing; the critics who say I'm inconsistent have never fought a day in their life, and wouldn't know a left hook from a fish hook if they got hit with it. So I don't care what they say. They're the pseudo-experts."

Campbell is a polarizing figure because of his outspokenness. He's the type of individual who's never been afraid to express himself. In the past he's gone on to boxing message boards and verbally sparred toe-to-toe with those who doubt him. But he says criticism from the outside just rolls off him like a bead of sweat.

“Y’know what? There will always be doubters. We live in a world of haters, and for me to worry about what they think about me, I'd be up all night," he says. "I'm just going to do my job and let my fists do the talking. If you notice, I haven't said much of anything. I'm doing my best to only answer questions when they're asked. I'm not saying much, I'm not discussing this fight much. I don't have much to say. It's going to be done in the ring."

It's been a hectic time for Campbell. Shortly after beating Diaz in Cancun, he'd be off on his honeymoon, then he spent some time ringside with Joe Tessitore for ESPN2, calling a few fights over the summer before getting back to the business of boxing. He really hasn't had much opportunity to enjoy his title winning performance.

"I'm not resting on my laurels. I'm there to fight. And all these people asking am I hungry? I haven't made any money. What have I done to not be hungry anymore? I won the lightweight title, the unified titles. But other than that, nobody respects me," he says. "And I don't care if they do or they don't. At the end of the day, I don't care. My daughter and my wife, they're happy with the job I've done and I'm doing."

And he's not getting any easy breaks in facing the talented Guzman, who was made his mandatory defense by the WBO. Guzman possesses a whole different set of problems than Diaz did. But Campbell says of the Dominican, "I think he's a better boxer, I don't think he's a better all-around fighter. Juan Diaz has some intangible stuff you can't teach. He's not the best boxer, but he makes up for everything with heart. I mean, I don't know if this guy’s heart has been tested the way I'm going to test it."

When asked if Guzman has a tougher style to decipher than the hard charging 'Baby Bull', Campbell states, "I don't care; everybody fails to realize something - Juan Diaz said I was a slick boxer, remember? So what's that tell you? I can do more than one thing, right? You've seen me box, you've seen me get down. You've seen me box and punch in the same fight. I can do it all. These guys can only do or the other."

And if Guzman decides to move?

"You cut him off," is Campbell's reply. "Good professional prizefighters don't chase anybody. I'm a good professional prizefighter, solid. I'm a professional. So I'm not chasing anybody. I don't have to."

This bout with Guzman has become more than just a fight to Campbell.

"Here's the thing, my sole focus - when the bell rings, I'm going to make Joan Guzman pay for every word that was said by everybody affiliated with him," he says. "That's all I'm thinking about. It's not personal - it's personal business. And that's all I'm thinking about right now. My every waking moment is centered around Joan Guzman. I don't think about anything else. And it's been a long time since I've been so focused.

“See, I want to beat Joan, I want to do a whole lot of stuff to Guzman. But not because of Guzman - I like him as a fighter, as a person, I don't know anything about him - but his people were real disrespectful to my wife and to my to my family. And somebody has to pay for that."

NO-GO

It looks like Antonio Margarito will not be fighting on November 1st, after all. One of the main concerns was that Margarito would not have enough time to prepare for that date, in addition to the fact that Margarito’s opponent wasn't quite clear. After it looked like Joshua Clottey would not be the opponent, names like Demetrius Hopkins and Carlos Baldomir were kicked around.

Now, Margarito's next bout will take place in early 2009.

Bob Arum still plans on putting on a pay-per-view show on that date, featuring members of his promotional stable.

KHAN KO'D

Breidis Prescott's first round knockout of British sensation Amir Khan might look like a shocking upset on the surface, but it really isn't. Khan has shown shaky whiskers and had been sent to the canvas more than once, in addition to still boxing a bit like an amateur.

You can get a new trainer, be carefully protected by the matchmaking of Frank Warren (nobody does it better), but once that headgear comes off and you have a bad chin, there's not much that can be done about it.

No matter how good a fighter looks as an amateur, you really don't know all that much about him till he gets hit on the beard as a professional.

FINAL FLURRIES

James Kirkland's feet may be set in cement at times and he might be susceptible to being counterpunched, but he's a fun fighter to watch, isn't he?....Urbano Antillon continues to look better and better. If his chin holds up, he's a pretty tough out in the jr. lightweight division....Sean 'the Sixth Sense' Spence is the next great Miami Hurricane linebacker. He's got an Ed Reed-like feel for the game....BTW, why were the 'Canes in a prevent offense the whole game versus Florida?......Rocky Juarez sure is frustrating to watch. He's the very definition of 'one speed'....Diaz-Katsidis wasn't quite the fight I anticipated, but it was still a pretty good scrap.....Let's hope Diaz is continued to be built in Houston as an attraction; that was a great crowd at the Toyota Center....OK, let's try this again, my lock of the week, the USC Trojans to thrash Ohio State next Saturday night. In short, they simply have too much speed.......

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E-Mail Steve: k9kim@maxboxing.com

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