BOSWELL – READY FOR “BIG TIME”
(Includes exclusive interview)

By Ron Brashear
Inside Boxing Writer/Columnist

ATLANTA, GA (IB – August 31, 2003) – Cedric “The Boss” Boswell (21-0, 16 KOs) is on a quest to make it to the BIG TIME. This 34-year-old Heavyweight Prospect is trying to achieve a dream that only a few heavyweights get to realize. Making it to the “The BIG TIME”. Cedric thought he was almost there when he put his signature on the dotted line to face Vitali Klitschko, the former WBO Heavyweight Champion as part of the Co-feature on the Lennox Lewis vs. Kirk Johnson card in June of 2003. As we know, Johnson was hurt in training camp and pulled out the fight. This left the Boswell/ Klitschko fight falling off the table as well. Would Cedric Boswell have proved to the boxing world that night that he was a force to be reckoned with in the heavyweight division?

While we do not have that answer, Cedric does get, what appears to be a good opportunity to validate his credentials as being a heavyweight contender. On October 3rd, 2003, live from the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, and televised on Showtime as part of the “SHOBOX: THE NEW GENERATION” series, Boswell will be taking on the WBO’s #6 ranked heavyweight contender Jameel “Big Time” McCline (29-3-3, 17 KOs).

I spoke to Cedric get his feedback on his journey of trying to make it to the BIG TIME:

CB = Cedric Boswell
RB = Ron Brashear

RB: Cedric, what went through your mind when you received the phone call notifying you that the Vitali Klitschko fight was off?

CB: What really went through my mind was; all of this hard work for nothing. I was thinking that I had to start back to square one, back to the drawing board.

RB: I understand you were compensated to step aside and allow the Lewis/Klitschko fight to take place. Was that a difficult decision for you to step aside?

CB: Yeah. I would have rather took the fight than the money. The fight was much more meaningful than the money.

RB: You observed the fight from ringside that night. Give us your opinion of how you would have performed that night against Klitschko.

CB: I would have hit him with combinations of punches & counter punches. He was throwing his punches and dropping his hands a lot. I would have put the pressure on him and tried to get him up out of there.

RB: How would you have performed against Lennox that night?

CB: As for Lennox, I don’t know what was going on with Lennox. I know he is a much better fighter than what he showed that night. I think he may have underestimated Kirk Johnson. Therefore, he didn’t train hard for Johnson, so he came into the Klitschko fight out of shape. I would have done really well against Lewis that night. I don’t want to hate on him or nothing like that because he is good friend of mine. But I would have become champion that night.

RB: Do you feel that not getting the Klitschko fight has set you back further?

CB: Not at all, Jameel McCline is only a couple of notches below Klitschko. They view him as a good fighter. This gives me a chance to show the people that I am a better fighter and that I am going to become a world champion.

RB: I think its ironic that now you have an opportunity to make it to the big time, and how fitting your opponent’s name is “Big Time”. What will a victory over McCline mean to you?

CB: It will be a great stepping-stone for me. It will be another good notch under my belt. Jameel has had his time, and he did what he had to do; now it’s my time.

RB: I understand that you and McCline are no strangers and you have sparred with him in the past. Do you recall much from those experiences?

CB: Yeah, we sparred. We both came up during the same time period with Tommy Brooks. That was early in our careers. But like I said, its now time for me to step up. He had his time and now it is time for “The Boss” to do his thing.

RB: Do you feel that a victory over McCline should elevate you into the top ten heavyweight rankings?

CB: It should. Everybody has been questioning who is Cedric Boswell. This will give everybody the chance to see me perform. They need to put me where I need to be ranked. A lot of guys have been ducking me. I have never really got the chance to show my true skills and talents. Come October the 3rd, I do get the chance to show it. And based on how good I am going to look in this fight, they can’t help but to rank me in the top 5 of the heavyweights.

RB: Wladimir Klitschko stopped McCline in 10 rounds back in December of 2002. Do you believe you will be able to stop McCline sooner than that?


CB: I don’t know. I am just going to have to take whatever him gives me. They say he is a good, experienced fighter. We are going to see how good and experienced he really is.


RB: McCline will probably tip the scale around 250lbs and you normally weigh-in around 233 lbs. How will the size factor in this fight?

CB: Size doesn’t matter to me. You can be as big as you want to be, as fast as you want to be, as strong as you want to be, or whatever. I will be able to adapt to any situation. That is what a professional fighter is supposed to do. I don’t care how big the man is. Like they say, the bigger they are, the harder they fall. Just because Jameel McCline is a big man, you got to show me. The size doesn’t show me anything. He is going to have to show me with his fist.

RB: I know it’s hard to look past McCline. But have you ever given thought to who you would like to fight next if you are successful against McCline?

CB: I want to face whoever they put in front of me. I don’t want to fight anybody that is ranked lesser than me. I only want to fight opponents that they think are better than me, or ranked higher than me.

RB: How hard is it to lure the top 10 heavyweights into a fight with you? Like Tyson, Tua, Holyfield, etc?

CB: Ron, you know for yourself how hard it is. I have been in this boxing game for a while. People will say, well I haven’t fought that guy or that guy. I have been trying to fight all of the top fighters that are out there. But I haven’t had the chance to do that, yet.

RB: How does it feel headlining a heavyweight main event on a major network like Showtime? Do you feel like you are now making it to the big time?

CB: It feels great! Finally I get the chance to show everybody who Cedric Boswell is. I will also show those who counted me out that Cedric Boswell is here to stay for a long time.

Well, you just heard it straight from Boswell. He feels he is ready for the BIG TIME. We all shall see on October 3rd, 2003. Be sure to check out this very interesting heavyweight showdown.


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Ron Brashear can be contacted at brashear@insideboxing.com, ron@brasheargear.com