Gainer gung-ho on Chris John KO in Aprill 22 Jakarta title bout

Gainer gung-ho on Chris John KO in Aprill 22 Jakarta title bout

Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Derrick "Smoke" Gainer declared here on Wednesday that he
would make short work of World Boxing Association (WBA)
featherweight champion Chris John in their April 22 title bout.

"I am very sure that I will win the bout and the title as I am
well prepared for this fight," the 32-year-old American said upon
arrival at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.

"I will KO Chris John in round six."

However, he acknowledged the Indonesian was an experienced,
accomplished fighter.

He added that he had put behind him his last-minute pullout
from a scheduled bout against Chris John in Tenggarong, East
Kalimantan, last year due to a disagreement over the open air
venue.

"Now, I am here to fight Chris John," he said.

The mandatory title defense will be held in Kelapa Gading
Sports Mall in North Jakarta.

Chris John has a record of 34 wins (29 KOs) without a loss
while Gainer has booked 39 wins (34 KOs), six losses and one
draw.

Separately, Chris John, who has been trained by Australian
Craig Christian since the beginning of the year, said Gainer
would be a tough opponent to overcome.

"Gainer has strength as he is tall (1.75 meters) and has a lot
of international experience," the 26-year-old from Semarang was
quoted by Antara as saying.

He added that Gainer also possessed a champion's mentality
because he was formerly WBA featherweight champion. He lost the
title to Juan Manuel Marquez in a IBF/WBA title unification fight
in November 2003

The Indonesian said he was leaving the resolution of a
prolonged contract dispute with former trainer Sutan Rambing to
his lawyer Luhut Sitompul to allow him to concentrate on the
bout.

"I want a peaceful atmosphere so that I could optimize my
preparation against Gainer," he said.