The situation as of this moment [in Ukraine] there will be very limited time to go outside. You will have to be in your house. You canโt gather more than two or three people. The situation is like you can only take your dog out for a walk or go out for something very serious. Other than that, you have to sit at home. You canโt even walk with your kids outside. Everyone will be on lockdown. This will go on until April 24.
I have a gym [at my house], and of course Iโm still training because itโs my job. Nobody knows when we can start. I always have to be in shape. I have to be ready always.
You have to be active all the time. You have to be training a lot in the downtime between fights. Right now, I am relaxing more. I will need to spend more time training. I will need to spar more and do more work.
The most exciting moment I remember from my trip to the UK is probably when we went on the top of the O2 Arena, and I saw all of London. I could see it and then the very next day I was the champion of that arena. That was the most memorable moment for me.
Of course, I was disappointed a little bit [when the Teofimo Lopez fight was postponed], but everything thatโs happening is happening for the better. The most important thing is for all the people on this planet to get back and get healthy and everything will go back to normal.
I really think [Lopez] is a good boxer. Heโs a top fighter. Heโs young, heโs hungry, he has big power, and I want this fight. Heโs a world champion, and he holds my belt. The IBF title.
Itโs very unpredictable. Nobody can predict what is going to happen, how itโs going to happen. And the people are talking about which round they are going to knock somebody out or stop somebody. I am getting very, very interested. Now, I want to see.
The interesting thing for me, it will be to look into his eyes and his fatherโs eyes and see their reaction [after the fight].
It is not an easy type of fighting. It is not an easy style. It is easier to fight attacking fighters who are coming forward. Itโs much easier. This type of counterpuncher is more difficult to fight. The winner will be who has the better boxing IQ. But that styleย with the shoulder, I think I know what I have to do to win.
Right now, I donโt think [Gervonta Davis] is going to fight me. He might want to fight me, but his promoters are not going to let him. Aside from him, that weight class is getting very interesting. We have a lot of good names in the weight class. Not [just] the champions, but they are in the rankings. So I think itโs a hard weight division.
Itโs unpredictable. If we are going to be sitting here for one year longer, who is going to be coming out and in what weight class will they be?
DAZN posted something about [Devin] Haney, and he said he would knock me out. So that is why I answered him, โHey, listen, are you serious?โ He has not fought anybody and now he is saying he is going to knock me out? I said, โNo problem, letโs do it.โ Then he answered me right away saying, โYes, we can do it.โ I said, โOK, I am ready.โ He knows I am ready. I think he is ready, and we can give the fight for the fans that everybody wants. That is why I mentioned before that this is a very interesting weight class with big names and good names coming to the weight class.