Philly's Bryant Jennings Gets His Chance To Fight Klitschko
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — While Bryant Jennings was waiting for his opportunity of a lifetime, the opportunity of a short time boxing fell right into his lap.
The former Ben Franklin High School football star had been impatiently waiting last year as the mandatory challenger for the WBC heavyweight title, when he was presented with the chance to fight world heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko.
After some twisting and rancorous negotiations, Jennings and Klitschko signed the contract Tuesday to fight Saturday, April 25 at Madison Square Garden on HBO.
It will mark the first time the 38-year-old Klitschko (63-3, 53 knockouts) will be fighting in the United States in seven years, since he beat Sultan Ibragimov in a borefest on Feb. 23, 2008 at Madison Square Garden. Klitschko is on a 21-fight, 10-year winning streak. His last loss came against Lamont Brewster in a stunning fifth-round TKO in Las Vegas on April 10, 2004
But Jennings (19-0, 10 knockouts) knows what he's up against. And the 30-year old knows what the prevailing thought is about the fight.
"I could care less if people doubt me," said Jennings, who began boxing when he was 20. "They can doubt all they want. That just tells me there are a lot of people out there that don't know what they're talking about. I'm going to give Klitschko his biggest test. I'm faster than he is, he'll see I'm also stronger.
"I'm definitely comfortable now, because there were a lot of ups-and-downs with this negotiation, one moment it was made, from my end, the next it didn't look like it would happen, but everyone is happy and everything is signed. My representation fought hard for this. This is the first of many good things to come and I'm just glad that this thing got done. My attorney, Josh Dubin, did a great job, because this fight actually came really close to not happening. It's safe to say that the fight is going to be made."
Jennings was supposed to fight the winner of the Bermane Stiverne-Deontay Wilder fight for the WBC heavyweight title. Stiverne-Wilder underwent a numerous delays, further delaying Jennings' plans.
Wilder wrested the WBC belt from Stiverne Saturday night, becoming the first American to win a portion of the heavyweight title since Shannon Briggs won the WBO heavyweight belt in 2006.
Wilder immediately spoke about fighting Klitschko later this year. A plan Jennings hopes to ruin.
"It's what I want to do, make sure I mess up everything, I was waiting on Wilder and later this year," Jennings said. "He's going to have to wait on me after I shock the world and beat Klitschko."