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Frank Buglioni chases his dream  By John J. Raspanti, DogHouse Boxing (Sept 23, 2015)Tweet Follow @DoghouseBoxing |
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The two were originally scheduled to meet on July 24—until Chudinov suffered a broken nose during training camp. Extremely disappointed, Buglioni still fought that night, disposing of Fernando Castanada in five frames. Though his opponent showed limited ability, Buglioni looked sharp against Castanada. His focus was strong. “I think the motivation when you’re preparing for a world title fight makes all the difference,” Buglioni told this writer via email last week. “The whole mind-set is completely different. I have turned a corner in that respect. Nothing is too much of a challenge in training. “And I have overcome plenty of obstacles and hurdles to come through two tough camps,” said Buglioni. Chudinov (13-0, 10 KOs) is by the far the toughest opponent Buglioni (17-1-1, 13 KOs) has faced. The 27-year-old from Bratsk, Russia, defeated veteran titleholder Felix Strum last May to capture the WBA belt. Six months before, Chudinov served up a brutal one-punch knockout over Ben McColloch. The guy can punch. Buglioni, 26, has spent hours scrutinizing Chudinov’s victory over Strum. “I’ve watched that fight maybe one hundred times,” Buglioni said. “I, Steve and Paschal Collins (his trainers) have dissected Chudinov’s strengths and weaknesses. “I have a game plan to exploit his weaknesses and limit his strengths,” he said. Buglioni, who stands just over six feet, should have no problem reaching the shorter Chudinov. “I have some physical advantages over Chudinov,” said Bugloni who was born in Enfield, London. “I intend on using them. He will have to take shots from me to land his own and he has never fought a super middleweight with my size and power.” Chudinov feels that Buglioni won’t be able to handle his firepower. “We have Buglioni figured out,” Chudinov told Martin Domin of www.dailymall.co.uk.” When you look at Buglioni fight he is far too easy to hit, Sergey Khomitsky smashed him inside six rounds. I have a far higher knockout percentage and I deliver much much harder punches. He'll be knocked out. “I have trained like a machine for this fight; I will set an incredible pace for Buglioni that he cannot match,"Chudinov said. "I have the strength and power to remove him when I’m ready.” Buglioni had an eventful 2014. He was stopped in six rounds by spoiler Sergey Khomitsky, and left his trainer Mark Tibbs. Buglioni didn’t blame Tibbs for his loss; he just felt he needed a change of scenery. He hooked up with Pascal and Steve Collins—the latter having held the WBO super middleweight and middleweight titles in the 1990s. Buglioni has won four fights in a row under the guidance of the Collins brothers. “They have a wealth of experience, something you can't appreciate how important it is until you've actually been in camp with them,” Buglioni said. “However, nothing happens overnight and it's taken me a year to really fall into my groove. There will also be a lot more to come for the future. “For the time being however,"Buglioni said, "I’ve learnt enough to go out and beat Chudinov and become a world champion.” He’s thrilled to be fighting for the WBA crown. “Every fighter who laces a pair of gloves wants to be a world champion,” said Buglioni. “This is a huge opportunity for me and I will take it with both hands. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank my promoter Frank Warren for securing this fight for me.” Chudinov has a wicked right hand. Buglioni has been susceptible to that blow most of his career. In his win over Castanada, Buglioni fought at a measured pace and avoided his opponents right. Can he do the same against Chudinov? Buglioni feels he can. “I need to remain disciplined, stick to my plan and be focused throughout the whole fight," Buglioni said. - TO WRITE FOR DOGHOUSE BOXING: E-mail John now at: marlow_58@hotmail.com John J. Raspanti responds to all his emails. Please send all questions and comments to John at: marlow_58@hotmail.com - For video content, plus today's newspaper headlines and original content, visit our Front Page now. -To have your say on this article and mix it up with other Boxing Fans, visit The Dog Pound now. |
