In part one of a two-part interview, Campbell reveals his boxing heroes and discusses why his style is so unique and effective.
Suite 101: What do you expect from Joan Guzman?
Nate Campbell: He’s a good boxer and he has speed, but he doesn’t have enough power to hurt me. But as far as how he’s going to fight me. I don’t know what to expect. I don’t expect him to fight me a certain way. I don’t know how he’s going to fight me.
S101: Then you will just react to whatever he does?
NC: Right, because you can’t say that a guy is going to fight you the way they fought someone else. I’m not like anyone he has fought. Have you ever seen anyone fight like me?
S101: Your style is unique. Is that a result of getting into boxing relatively late and thereby not being molded into a particular style.
NC: Nobody could mold me that way because I am who I am. Because of the way my body is made, I have long arms, long legs, and broad shoulders, you couldn’t make me fight like anyone else. It wouldn’t work.
S101: Looking back on the Juan Diaz fight, he was the younger man, he was known as the volume puncher, yet, at 36-years-old, you basically ran over him.
NC: Well I take care of my body. I don’t abuse it in any way, so it has taken care of me. And, you know, as you get older you get stronger. I was just stronger than him (Diaz) and I haven’t lost my speed. Going into that fight everybody was talking about his speed, but I have speed too. I’m a fast guy but I don’t rely on my speed 100%.
S101: Does your speed come from your ability to relax in the ring?
NC: Exactly. I don’t get flustered in the ring. When you’re relaxed you can let things flow.
S101: How did the boxer that is Nate Campbell evolve?
NC: When I was young I watched Ali, everybody watched Ali. Then I got into Roberto Duran, Marvin Hagler, Sugar Ray Leonard, and Tommy Hearns. I fell in love with these fighters. All these guys can stake a claim on who I am as a fighter, because I stole so much from them.
Then one day I saw a tape of Sugar Ray Robinson and that was it. That was it. But ultimately, my favorite fighter is Ricardo Lopez (the great strawweight champion of the ninties). I have an autographed picture and autographed gloves from him, and I covet them both.
S101: Lopez was a very complete fighter, a very pure boxer.
NC: He wasn't just a pure boxer, he was a great puncher as well. I could never do exactly what he did, but I love watching him.
