Walters Talk about Norwood fight

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Walters Recaps Fight, Talks about Bonsante Rumors!
June 16th, 2008
By Jesse Kelley

When Zach Walters met Aaron Norwood in Superior, WI a week and a half ago, most observers expected a knockout. Not that Norwood was a slouch to be taken lightly, but because Norwood has been stopped in his previous bouts against up and coming fighters.
In fact, Walters revealed weeks before that it was his plan to try to knock out Norwood in each round the fight lasted.
Walters did not disappoint his ko prediction or his loyal followers as he snipered "The Assassin" from Mississippi inside two rounds.

"Going into the fight with Norwood I wanted to give the fans an exciting fight. My last two opponents called the fight on the stool so I wanted to give the fans something to talk about.
Being ranked at 17 in the world, I wanted to prove I deserved my rank. To do this I needed to beat Norwood convincingly.
After doing my homework on Norwood I knew he had the potential to be a fast starter. I wanted to figure him out in the first round and then take advantage of what I learned in the following rounds. I put some good money in the bank with body shots in the first round. I saw him take a few deep breaths as he walked back to his corner at the end of the round so in the second, I didn’t want to let him dictate the pace. I wanted to push him out of his comfort zone. I tracked him down with my jab and landed a good left hook which hurt him. He covered up his head so I went back to the body to bring his hands down in an effort to land the shot again. This is when he started to clinch. When I didn’t let up on my body attack he began pulling my head down and one of my shots landed a bit below the belt line. I think if he hadn’t been pulling my head down that low blow would not have happened. I don’t think he was as hurt as he made things out to be though. I believe he found a convenient way to get a rest from the punishment. Anyway, I was relieved when he resumed the fight. I didn’t want the fight to end on a foul. I figured if he was really as hurt as he acted he would jab and move and I’d have to chase him down. If he wasn’t hurt, and just played the scene to get a break, I figured he’d come at me hard. Well, he jumped in with bombs after resuming the round and I knew what was going on. I picked up where I left off, throwing hooks off my straight shots. I connected again and he attempted to chinch, but this time instead of going for a body attack I pulled back and put all my efforts into a right upper-cut. I felt the shot land clean on his chin and saw his eyes roll around a bit. I followed up with a left hook and overhand right in attempt to end matters. When he crashed backward into the ropes I thought referee Mark Nelson would jump in to give him an 8-count. Norwood was holding onto the ropes like a life line, but the ref didn’t jump in. I was not about to waste a golden opportunity so I shuffled in with a solid combination for a finish. After another overhand right crushed down on Norwood’s jaw line he was out on his feet. I’m glad Nelson ended the fight when he did because any more shots could have done some permanent damage."

Norwood was a replacement for Walters' original opponent Rubin Williams, a bout that would have been intriguing as Williams has fought some well known names recently. Out of his only four losses (out of 34 fights), three were to top level fighters.
"Williams dropped the fight with me for one over in the UK" said Walters. "There was supposedly bigger money on the line and I don’t fault him for going after better money. After all we are pros and we get paid to fight.
I was disappointed to watch the Williams fight slip away, but it didn’t hurt my feelings too much. Norwood stepped in with four weeks notice so it wasn’t like he came in as a last minute replacement. He was ready scrap when he got to the Twin Ports.

With the recent wins, "Jungle Boy" has taken leaps in a number of rankings world wide, most notably to number 13 in the WBC. His fight with Norwood was for a WBA sanctioned belt which Walters says should get him ranked there also.
"After my win over Carl Daniels for the WBC-ABU title I jumped up to 17 in the world. Then on May 31st the ratings were updated and I jumped to 13. The rise in rank did not take my win over Norwood into consideration, but based on making a climb after remaining idol for a few month I can only figure another jump. That would most likely put me in the top 10! Now that is a nice thought. Aside from the WBC I am also sitting pretty on the various regional belts. The win over Norwood got me a WBA sanctioned belt so I imagine I’ll show up in their ratings next time as well. It is nice to see the hard work of me and me team come to life. Now I need to play it smart and secure my shot at one of the world titles. I’ve said it all along, I want to be a world champion. Now with recognition I’m getting from the various belt organizations, that dream is beginning to come alive."

With Walters climbing multiple world ranking systems, the door has begun to open to see the Minnesotan face some of the more well known, exciting fighters in and around his light heavyweight division from around the world.
Interestingly, it is not a fighter from another country or state, but one from his own state that has Walters buzzing at the idea of facing.
"I think a fight with me and Tony Bonsante would be one of the best fights for our state. The truth is, Bansante is a dangerous fight for anyone at this point in his career" said Walters when asked to confirm the rumor that the showdown was being considered.

" If we get the ball rolling early, this fight would generate major interest with Minnesota fights fans. Bonsante fights with fiery intensity and I like to bang and mix it up. There is no way this match could be a boring fight. We are both dedicated professionals who bring our Grade A best to the ring whenever we box. I have proven to be one of the best boxers our state has and now I have the credibility with the title organizations to back me up. Where is Bonsante rated? I have a lot of respect for his career, but right now I am on top. I can’t wait around for him to play with the idea. He isn’t getting any younger and I’m only getting better. Right now I believe we are in the right stage of our careers to make a mega-fight for our state. But like I said....I am not going to wait around for him. I may be in the top-10 by July ratings and my shot at the world title is just around the bend. It is boxing business. We have to make the fight wile the fans want it to happen. Due to the fan support I receive, I have become a big draw in the area. I want to reward my fans with a tough fight. I know he doesn’t have many wars left and I am willing to bet his fans are hungry for another war for their hero. They support me because I fight the best I can get. Bonsante is a good test for me right now and will make for a memorable fight. I want the fight because I think it will be a perfect way to gage my talent with a tough opponent. Bonsante has tested the waters with many top prospects. I have become a top prospect in the last year and now I just want to fight him. I was considering a move down to super-middleweight and that seems to be where he feels most comfortable. On the sixth of June he tested the ring with a former opponent of mine, Ted Muller. I stopped Muller in the 3rd, he ended his fight in the fifth round. Not to take anything away from his win, but I boxed Muller when he was still a dangerous fight and gave him two months to prepare. Bonsante took on Muller as a late replacement and after he had been banged up a bit in tough fights. I know all he did was box the guy they put in front of him, but hey, I finished the job quicker. We also share Marris Virgil whom I dispatched a round quicker.

This fight would be marketable anywhere in the state. We have been looking for the right match to pack up the DECC Arena and I think this would make it happen. I packed in 3500 fans back in 2005 with “Truth in Duluth” when I boxed Jesse Sanders. I was 10-1 back then and now I have a lot more momentum behind me now and this fight would be a real treat for the Twip Ports. Choosing an event location brings up a new perspective for this fight. Another angle is the Twin Cities boxers are forever getting a lot of credit for being better fighters in our state. Yes, there are good boxers down there, but in this case it would be a good way to settle the score, at least for Me and Bonsante Now, I know he is not originally from the Cities, but many fans see him as a Twin Cities fighter.
Anyway, the intriguing part of this is the rivalry it brings up. Making this fight would be like kicking a bees nest. The fans would swarm to the fight to support their end. It would be a fight that would also draw in the casual boxing fans, not just fight junkies who like to see guys bust each other up. I know he wants to go out with a bang when he leaves the ring. A fight with me is the only way to do it. All this being said, Time is running out to make the fight. I am on the cusp of a title shot. He has found the fountain of youth and rejuvenated his career, but how much longer will the life water keep his career alive. I too have brought my career back from defeat. There are countless ways to cross examine this fight to bring up interesting scenarios. I could go on for quite a bit, but I’ll leave some imagination up to the fans.
The last several times I have seen Bonsante we have joked around about the idea of boxing one another. He tried to dismiss the idea laughingly saying he didn’t like boxing guys with my kind of reach and asking why I wanted to beat up on an old guy like himself. Well in the last two years he has boxed the sox off several opponents so I dismiss the ‘old guy’ cop out . Time is running out for him to take his shot at me. I say lets do it.

MinnesotaBoxing.com has an interview lined up tonight with "The Bullet" Anthony Bonsante to discuss his impressive win over Teddy Muller a week and a half ago in Hinckley, MN. We will without a doubt be asking Bonsante for his thoughts on facing Walters so stay tuned.