Mark de Mori - [26-1-2]

Ever since he has been based in Split, Croatia, the career momentum of Australia's Mark de Mori has been on an upward swing. After securing the WBF and WBU titles, as well as climbing to #11 in the WBA rankings, Mark is now ready to mix it up with the best in the heavyweight division. Mark recently took the time to talk to BoxingQnA where he talked about his career, made an assessment of the way things are in the heavyweight division, as well as elaborating on changes to his diet, training gym and adjustments to his style.

We've seen some changes in terms of your boxing style and your physique. You've always been comfortable boxing from a half guard, and I know you studied guys like James Toney and Pernell Whittaker when you were training yourself back in the garage, but now it seems you're more open to using a more conventional guard. Was that something you just wanted to finally explore yourself, or did someone make a good case of convincing that it's a guard which does have a time and a place and that it was worth feeling comfortable using it?

Ever since coming to Europe, I have found that the fighters generally have much better technique and skills than what I was used to. They were sometimes outboxing me in the early rounds whenever I sat back and looked to utilise my jab from a half-guard. It was no longer effective for me, but with a more conventional full guard, I am able to be a more aggressive fighter. I can them beat these guys with sheer strength and body-punching, as opposed to trying outbox them when they are faster, more agile and better boxers than me. It's ultimately a change in style to suit my strength which is my strength. It puts me in good stead for other reasons as well since the fighters over here, whether it be in a fight or a sparring session, are much more inclined to try and force me into a clinch whenever I get up close.

You have also changed your diet and training regimes. You've posted a lot pictures and clips on your social networking pages which suggest that you're doing a a lot more lifting nowadays in particular. What inspired this?

I'd say it was when I boxed Ivica Perkovic as it was the first time that I wasn't stronger than someone. His nickname translates as "The rock" from Sibenik or the "little island". When I was in the clinches with this 120kg (18st 12lbs / 264lbs) guy it really did feel like I was trying to move around an island. On reflection, it made me think about how instead of focusing mainly on my weaknesses as a fighter that I ought to focus on my strength, which is my strength. So from there, I decided to increase my calories, which was a big change since previously I had always been on some sort of diet in order to try and stay lean, even though that was never my natural physique. With hindsight, I think I was always weak and tired in later rounds because of that. In practice, while I may have looked better at the weigh-ins previously, I am now feeling benefits in my performance after making these changes to my diet and training regime.

Speaking of your WBF and WBU title fight with Ivica Perkovic. You went 12 rounds for the first time that night. Do you feel that it was beneficial to finally go the full championship distance?

Yeah, that was a really good learning experience boxing with Ivica Perkovic. He has taken plenty of guys the distance, including Alexander Ustinov and Alexander Dimitrenko. He even put Dimitrenko down, so I knew Perkovic was going to be a tough opponent. I had to use my stamina and my jab in order to win the fight on points because I couldn't overpower him. I certainly didn't enjoy going 12 rounds and my right eye was almost closed. It wasn't a fun experience by any means, but it was something I need to do in order to gain that confidence and belief that I have what it takes to keep going into the later rounds and to go the full distance if need be.

You were 109 kilograms (17st 3lbs / 241lbs) at the weigh-in for your last fight, your heaviest in about a decade, but you looked comfortable and strong at the weight. Your former coach Ivan Simundza was quoted as saying that you're still a very explosive fighter despite being heavier, while your sparring partners are saying you're punching harder nowadays. So, if you're still explosive, punching harder, feeling better, and you're adding more to your boxing repertoire, then surely everyone had better watch out?

The funny thing is that despite being heavier, my stamina is much better than when I was limiting my calories and keeping tabs on my carbohydrates. Even when I was training, I just didn't have the energy in my body that I have now. While getting heavier doesn't sound like it should be better for my conditioning, it definitely has been. I am outlasting these guys and finishing much stronger in both my fights and in sparring sessions. In addition to the increase in energy, my sparring partners have all said that they have felt a big increase in my physical strength and in my punching power. I now feel much more confident in walking guys down.

What was it like working with Ivan Simundza, by the way?

Simundza was a really good coach for me as he worked with my style. He didn't try and make me something I could never be, which is a guy who moves around and does a lot of things that someone much lighter could do. A lot of coaches try to mould you into whatever they were as a fighter, but the best coaches mould you into whatever is best for you. Simunda worked with my style, identified the things that I do well and placed the emphasis on enhancing that. I really enjoyed working with him.

Mark de Mori3

Over the past decade and a half, we've seem an emergence of so-called "Super heavyweights" in the heavyweight division, these towering guys standing 6'5 to 6'7" from the Lewis era to the Klitschko era. It has now come to a point where fans and even pundits are mainly assessing the credentials of a heavyweight based on their stature. Surely there is still more to heavyweight boxing than verticality, Mark?

If more referees were quicker to penalise clinching, I really don't see it as being that much of an advantage to be taller. I think that the dominance of the Klitschkos has made everyone think that the bigger heavyweights have an insurmountable advantage and that there would be merit in the introduction of a super-heavyweight division, but this overlooks the fact the Klitschkos have a level of dedication that surpasses all of these guys getting in with them.

I got a photo with Mike Tyson when I met him and he is such a tiny guy for a heavyweight, yet he was somehow able to out-do a lot of big guys. Tyson trained like a maniac, the Klitschkos train like maniacs. Pretty much all of the super-heavyweights are partial to holding on the inside and leaning on a fighter, all to varying degrees depending on how much the referee is prepared to turn a blind eye to. Of course, this is so much easier to do against significantly lighter opponents. Do you feel that with your increasing strength and the physique you are developing that super-heavyweights will have a harder time trying to use these underhand strategies against you?

Where I am living in Split, Croatia, there are plenty of guys to spar with who are around 200cms (6'7") in height. When up close, they immediately try to fall on top of me, just like a Klitschko would. It puts so much pressure on my neck and back, but thanks to my physical strength, even when they have got hold of one arm, I am able to keep clubbing away with the other. I've been doing plenty of damage image on the inside, so it at least makes them think twice about trying to initiate a clinch with me. If you don't have the physical strength to do this, then not only can you not keep punching when being held on the inside, but it also takes a lot of stamina out of you. It's a really effective strategy, but only in so far as the referees allow it. Obviously in the the heavyweight division at the moment we've got Deontay Wilder in line to challenge Bermaine Stiverne for the WBC, Klitschko vs Pulev coming soon, and apparently the winner of Tyson Fury v Dereck Chisora could be the next mandatory challenger for Klitschko. How would you assess the goings on in division at the moment?

At the moment, I think it's still very much the case of there being a big gap between Wladimir Klitschko and the group of heavyweights all clambering to try and get that title shot. Having said that, there are a lot of talented guys out there in the next generation coming through, a lot of them from Europe, and some which perhaps haven't had the chance to show what they can do. As we know in boxing, there is a lot of politics involved. If you have the right promoter, the right contacts and the right money behind you, you can move along a lot quicker. In contrast, there are guys trying to get by doing it all by themselves who end up plateauing and getting stuck because they're not being pushed by the networks and promoters.

We have seen the WBC path open up ever since the retirement of Vitali Klitschko. Do you feel that has made thing a bit more exciting?

It's exciting for me since Bermaine Stiverne happens to also be signed with my promoter, Don King. That gives me a better chance of possible getting a shot at the WBC version off the world title. We have also been exploring the possibility of fighting Ruslan Chagaev, who recently picked up the WBA "regular" title. Even with the WBC title being up for grabs, I still see it as mainly being a means for fighters to try and get to Wladimir Klitschko. To fight Klitschko is still by far the biggest payday in the heavyweight division. People would also fight him if they could whether they think they have a chance of beating him or not. It would seem that boxing politics has perhaps been a tougher obstacle for you than anyone you've met in the ring, but from what you've said on your social networking pages a few times this year already, it seems that avenues are being explored and having the opportunity to show what you can do against a big name opponent is now a strong possibility? Presumably you can't say names or anything at this juncture, but in terms of whatever path seems to be opening up for you, are you happy with it and does it make you believe that big opportunities are finally around the corner?

Yeah, definitely. This year we have very close a few times to setting up something with a big-name heavyweight only for it to fall apart before being finalised. Even so, maybe it's a blessing in disguise that I didn't have the opportunity to fight these guys in the past, because no matter how much I wanted them, I might not have been ready. The fact that I am ranked #11 with the WBA has put a target on my back and has increased my value tremendously. Technically, I am eligible for a world title shot, but there is also the fact that other contenders see value in trying to beat me. So we've definitely been getting a lot more contact from promoters than before. I'm going to keep working hard and something is bound to happen soon. We are doing all we can to move up the rankings.

On the whole, I have improved so much ever since being based here in Split, Croatia. I feel that I went as far as I could being in my garage back in Australia. Eventually you need a professional team around you in order to compete with the best in the world. Nobody really believed in me, but instead of waiting for someone to come along and tell me I could do it, I decided to take matters into my own hands and I am now much better off after all the changes that have been made.

Next up for you is a WBU title defense against a guy called Marino Goles. Decent KO record, won some titles back when he was a cruiserweight. What do you know about him and what type of fight are you expecting?

The one thing I like about him is that he's a come forward fighter. I won't have to go looking for him. I know he's from Zadar, which is in the Dalmation region of Croatia. They're strong people, just as I learned from Perkovic and from my sparring here, too. His style suits me and when we meet in the middle, I think I'll be too strong for him. It will be an opportunity for me to fight, rather than chase a guy around.

Sometimes people want to see me in the ring with bigger and better names, but to put things into perspective, even in order to get Marino Goles into the ring I had to not only forfeit my purse, but to also invest some of my own money towards his purse for the fight to happen. So for this fight, I'm getting into the ring with the possibility of getting knocked out and losing money in the process. Nevertheless, I see it as an investment in the long run because he has a great record and it's a fight which could improve my ratings. How is training going?

Training is good. I think in the past I have been prone to training hard and burning myself out a lot of the time. So for this fight, I'm trying to be a bit more relaxed about it, pulling in the reigns so that I can peak at the right time. For my last few bouts, I felt so tired by the time it was ready to fight.

Do you have a message for the fans?

Well, my journey is almost over. So whether you do or don't enjoy what I do, love it or hate it, I am enjoying it. I appreciate all of the people who support me. As for the doubters and the critique, I try to use that as fuel for a bit more fire in training. I'm almost 33, so I probably only have a couple more years left at most, so enjoy the last moments!

Any final words or anything you would like to add?

I would love to say a huge thank you to Alan Burns, who has been a long-term sponsor. Also Buel, Steve Ashworth and all the guys there. A thank you as well to VISI Supplements, who have been coming aboard and helping me. Without these sponsors my boxing career would have ended a long time ago. A big thank you also to my wife, Milijana, as well as to my family, my trainers, my friends, and the people who have put in so many hours behind the scenes to try and help me on this journey.