Ruslan Chagaev – Lucas Browne Gets HEATED!

For the second time ever Grozny will host a WBA World Heavyweight Championship this Saturday (March 5th) when Ruslan Chagaev is set to defend his title against Australia’s “Big Daddy” Lucas Browne. At today’s press conference both fighters showed the utmost respect for one another and emphasized the great work done by the promoter and local organizing team in the Chechen capital.

“It doesn’t get any bigger than this”, said Browne. “We didn’t know what to expect coming to Grozny but from day one our whole team has been treated in the best possible way. I want to thank everybody involved in the event for making this possible. The whole city cannot wait for Saturday to come. I am very well prepared and very confident but I also know that Ruslan Chagaev is a true Champion and it will surely be a great and tough fight. I am looking to make history by becoming the first Australian World Heavyweight Champion ever. No matter what happens in the ring on Saturday night I will never forget this fantastic experience and I hope to come back to Grozny one day. The city and the people have been great to us.”

“I’ve been in boxing for 35 years”, adds Hatton Promotions representative Philippe Fondu. “But I have never seen or experienced anything like this. The hospitality of the people and the way we are treated and looked after is outstanding. I wish more people would come to this beautiful place and get to know our wonderful hosts.”

Two-time World Champion Ruslan Chagaev said that it is a pleasure and a great honor for him to fight in his adopted home: “I was very proud to become World Champion in summer 2014 here in Grozny but I wasn’t too happy with my performance in that fight. So I am glad to be back to show the great people of Chechnya the real Ruslan Chagaev. I thank my promoter Timur Dugazaev, the local team with Alexander Fedoseev and, of course, most importantly President Ramzan Kadyrov for trusting in me and giving me this great opportunity. Lucas Browne is a strong opponent. He is the mandatory challenger and still unbeaten so I will surely not underestimate him. But I know that I had a great training camp with my coach Pedro Diaz in Miami. I am ready to go and I will leave no doubt who the real Champion is.”

Asked to whom he would dedicate a possible victory, Chagaev answered after a short break: “If I win I will dedicate my victory to all people in the World who deserve to live in peace.”

Said Chagaev’s promoter Timur Dugazaev, “We wouldn’t be here in this beautiful city without the support of our leader Ramzan Kadyrov. Everybody involved in this event has done a tremendous job. The world will look at Grozny on Saturday night and we are convinced that this will be the best and biggest show the world has ever seen.”

Alexander Fedoseev, head of the organization team who put together a tremendous promotion again turning the whole city of Grozny into a huge boxing gym with gigantic “heavy bags” covering buildings and “ring ropes” between lamp posts, added: “We are very happy and proud to have two of the greatest athletes of our time competing for the World Heavyweight Championship here in Grozny. The way they are respecting each other shows that they are two classy gentlemen and true Champions. They are both very strong, mentally and physically. We are looking forward to an exciting and memorable fight on Saturday.”

Chagaev vs. Browne headlines an event also featuring Russian-German heavyweight contender Edmund Gerber taking on US veteran Brian Minto, Russian heavyweight prospect Apti Davtaev defending his WBC CISBB Championship against unbeaten Georgian Davit Gorgiladze and former K1 kickboxing Champion Tyrone Spong in his third professional boxing fight among others. The show will be broadcasted live worldwide, check your local listings.