Having done what many felt was impossible by removing Juan Diaz from atop the lightweight throne in March of this year, Nate Campbell is settling in comfortably with his IBF, WBA and WBO lightweight championship title belts.  Of course as lightweight champion of the world, Nate Campbell has found new influence and recently spoke out about some of the shady business practices and politics associated with boxing in a MaxBoxing.com article.

 

While much of the public associates recognition as champion with vast fame and fortune, Nate Campbell is still being hit with a dose of boxing reality.  When asked about how his life has changed since winning the championship, Campbell replied, “Not much.  I’m still getting reamed….nothing has changed.  A lot of people thought it (my life) would change in the sense that I would be on Lifestyles of The Rich & Famous, I guess.  That’s what a lot of people think.  Look, few things really change about your life.  I love boxing, but the business side of it is that the money that ordinarily should be made by fighters of my caliber, it’s so customarily given to fighters who don’t deserve it.”

 

Of course having a powerful promoter is a key to securing big paydays, and none loom larger than Nate Campbell’s co-promoter Don King.  “I can’t complain about that.  He has a lot of pull.  I mean what more can you ask for than having someone do what Don King is able to do?  But you still want to be treated fairly, and I want any other fighter to be treated fairly in terms of compensation too.”

 

Nate Campbell has an all-action, throwback fighting style, and his development as a fighter has been very much old school.  As indicated by his current record of 32 wins, five losses and one draw, he has been matched against some of the very best during his eight year professional boxing career.  Nowadays young prospects and contenders like Amir Kahn are more the norm by being matched soft, compiling an impressive undefeated record and being given a title shot.

 

“You know what?  I look back at when I was coming up as a fighter.  I put in the hours and just went out there and fought.  I fought the very best guys they put in front of me, and it helped me become a better fighter.  But what has it done for guys to keep getting served hamburger buns?  What has it done for them?  It has done nothing for them.  But you know what?  That is the time we are in.  With the way the anatomy of boxing is sometimes, you have to knock a guy out just to get the draw.  You saw the beating I put on Juan Diaz, and at the end of the day someone still saw it his way, but I got the decision and I’m happy about that.”

 

As boxing fans know, despite all the belts held by Nate Campbell, some still consider linear and Ring Magazine champion Joel Casamayor to be the main man in the lightweight division.  Casamayor also handed Nate Campbell the first loss on his record five years ago, winning by a hard fought unanimous decision.  While a Campbell – Casamayor rematch is a must see in the lightweight division, will the business and politics of boxing allow it to happen?

 

“Actually, I have heard a few things that make me believe that’s going to be the next fight for me.  I don’t think it’s a situation where he doesn’t want to fight, but he wants the biggest money fight.  At the end of the day, he wants the biggest share of the money, this, that and the other….I don’t know….how?  I don’t know how he expects that.  The actual dollar amount doesn’t matter to me as long as it’s a fair share of what is there.”  

 

As Nate Campbell just defeated what was perceived by many as an unstoppable force in The Baby Bull Juan Diaz, Joel Casamayor is coming off his own stirring win against another talented young gun in Michael Katsidis.  Campbell’s thoughts about Casamayor’s Katsidis conquest, “I wasn’t impressed.  I was never impressed with Katsidis.  If I had put Katsidis down the way he put Katsidis down in the first round, they would have counted until Christmas.”

 

Nate Campbell attributed Cassamayor’s age (36 years old) to his inability to put Katsidis away early, but Campbell is 36 years old himself.  What gives?

 

“That’s because with me there is no drugs, no drinking and no hard living.  Man, I’m just getting started.  You got to realize I’ve only been a pro for eight years, so the damage hasn’t been done to my body.  I don’t rely on pure speed.  I rely on other skills that make me a complete fighter.”

 

Asked about a potential big money fight with Ricky Hatton just north of the lightweight division, Campbell replied, “Yeah, I would fight him but for me right now it’s not just about money.  I want to clean out the lightweight division first.  Then we can go from there.”

 

On this weekend’s big fight between Oscar De La Hoya and Steve Forbes, Nate Campbell had this to say.

 

“I’m pulling for Forbes.  Let me tell you what’s going on.  De La Hoya is trying to make as much money as he can make because all the fighters he just signed who he thinks are going to be big stars are his future, but the guys he is signing aren’t going to be stars.  Just like America Presents signs all those hot names….they have never had much going on, and they end up going belly up because of that.”

 

There is no doubt about the fact that Nate Campbell fought his way to a championship the old way by earning it.  It was not handed to him on a silver platter, and a lot of blood, sweat and tears as well as a few losses on his resume along the way have helped shape the hard as nails, confident champion we see today.  Look for Campbell’s return to the ring sometime this summer, hopefully against Joel Casamayor.