Stern test tonight for ‘Big 12’ Brown

“I am ready” was the terse response from heavyweight boxer Ricardo ‘Big 12’ Brown to The Gleaner’s question yesterday as to how he was feeling for his 10-round fight tonight at the Centre Videotron in Quebec City, Canada, against Russia-born Arslanbek Makhmudov. This will be the first fight over 10 rounds by Brown and will, without doubt, be his sternest test since he became a professional boxer.

Brown has a 12-0 record, with 11 of those fights ending inside the distance while his opponent, who like him now fights of out of Canada, is 19-2. He has won 18 of his fights inside the distance, and his two losses have been stoppages. Based on the records of both men, the odds are that the fight will not last 10 rounds.

The likelihood of a knockout was definitely heightened yesterday at the weigh-in, Brown’s trainer Dewith Frazer told The Gleaner. Both men were on edge during the proceedings, he said, and exchanged barbs, which included firm knockout declarations. Brown then tipped the scales at 261.4 pounds and Makhmudov weighed-in at 265.

Speaking to The Gleaner yesterday, Brown conceded that Makhmudov is definitely his most dangerous opponent to date, but he was, nevertheless, confident that he would maintain his unbeaten record. He said he had a very good camp and spent some time in Florida to get the sparring that he needed from opponents his size. One of the problems that he constantly faces, he said, is to get sparring partners who are his size. He is six feet 7-1/2 inches tall and his opponent is six feet 5-1/2”, so he had to get into the ring with big men to prepare himself properly for his opponent. That was accomplished in Florida, and he was very happy with that he said.

His trainer said he, too, was very happy with the training camp, and despite the quality of the opposition tonight, he expected Brown to remain unbeaten.

“Ricardo is fit, and he is confident, and based on what I have seen him do over the past month of training, I feel good about his chances,” he said. He then pointed to the fact that strategy is also going to be important as Brown’s opponent is a smart fighter, with a punch. “We respect the fact that he is a big man with power behind his punches, and we will be prepared for that. I expect Ricardo to remain unbeaten.”