Heavyweight contender and trainer, Johnathon Banks is in uncharted territory heading into 2016, as his boxer, former IBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko is coming off of his first loss since the pair has been working together. Klitschko had reigned as champion for nine years and had not lost in eleven years. The streak came to an end after Tyson Fury out worked Wladimir over tweleve rounds to take his world titles. Banks and Klitschko hope to rebound from the loss as the rematch is set to happen in the spring.

In part 1 of my interview with Johnathon Banks, I discuss with him the result between Wladimir Klitschko and Tyson Fury and also get his views on why he thinks Klitschko struggled in the fight. Banks also talks about the rematch and how he thinks the second fight could play out. Additionally, Johnathon breaks down the Thurman vs. Porter fight and gives his thoughts on Manny Pacquiao coming back from his shoulder injury. Here is what Johnathon Banks had to say.

Robert Brown: Wladimir Klitschko decided that he wanted to have an immediate rematch with Tyson Fury. What did you think of their first fight?

Johnathon Banks: A lot of people say that Wladimir responded kind of quickly on the rematch clause, but actually he said he would exercise his rematch immediately after the fight. About the fight, in twelve years the man had an off night. He didn’t do what he normally does, what the public is used to seeing him do, he didn’t do it. That’s basically what it was, it was one bad night. As a fighter you always hope for a Sunday night to be bad or a Friday night, but never a Saturday. This so happened that it was a bad night on Saturday.

Robert Brown: Were you and Wladimir prepared for Tyson to fight the way he fought? He did what everybody thought was impossible, he outboxed Klitschko.

Johnathon Banks: I don’t know the fight everybody else saw. I didn’t see Tyson outbox him because Wladimir wasn’t boxing, Tyson Fury wasn’t boxing. Fury was moving but he wasn’t boxing, that wasn’t boxing to me. What Tyson did was he outworked him, Wladimir did nothing and Tyson did something. Neither fighter was completely active. Tyson didn’t do much and Wladimir didn’t do much, Tyson did a little bit more than what Wladimir did because Wladimir for whatever reason has a really bad night, and that’s just the situation.

Robert Brown: Was there any reason why he had a bad night? Was the preparation fine as usual?

Johnathon Banks: Of course, if the preparation wasn’t good, I would have seen to it that Wladimir didn’t show up to the fight, but the preparation was good. A lot of people said he got old in one night, but you don’t get old overnight, age is a process. When you’re born you don’t turn ten, age is a slow process, it takes one day at a time.

When a fighter gets old in a fight, that means that he showed symptoms in the training camp but everybody just chose to ignore it. Wladimir is not old, he didn’t get old in camp, he didn’t get old on fight night, he just had a bad night. It’s so bad that that’s the type of level that Wladimir is at, no one is used to seeing him have a bad night.

Robert Brown: Do you expect Wladimir to make the necessary adjustments and come out with the win in the rematch?

Johnathon Banks: With Wladimir, if he starts the first round like he started the twelfth round, then yes he will come out with the victory.

Robert Brown: Thurman vs. Porter was recently announced, what are your thoughts on that fight?

Johnathon Banks: From what I have seen, if Keith Thurman boxes Porter, I think Porter will be in trouble because Porter hasn’t developed as much as I thought he would have once he got to that world title level. When Porter got to the world title he was really green. His first title defense he lost, so right now the momentum to me goes to Keith Thurman.

Robert Brown: So you expect Keith Thurman to box Porter and win by points?

Johnathon Banks: Adrien Broner knocked him down with a left hook in the last round, and Porter was hurt. I’m not saying that he can get knocked out but it’s possible that he can get hurt by Keith Thurman. But understand that at this level emotions play a big factor and depending on how Porter’s father is gonna be all in his ear trying to tell him how important this fight is. Whether he’s gonna go out there and go for desperation and do something stupid and get caught or whether he’s gonna take his time and try to develop his jab and get into the fight

Robert Brown: Manny Pacquiao is coming back from shoulder surgery, how do you think he will do when he returns to the ring in April?

Johnathon Banks: I never saw any pictures of Pacquiao getting surgery on his shoulder. If anybody can send me one photo of this man’s arm in a sling, or take a picture of a doctor going under the knife to do surgery on his shoulder. I keep hearing rumors about the shoulder, but I haven’t found anything that shows proof of the man having a shoulder injury.

STAY TUNED TO ONTHEROPESBOXING.COM FOR PART 2 OF MY INTERVIEW IN WHICH BANKS BREAKS DOWN PACQUIAO-BRADLEY 2