Clemente Russo between secrets, boxing and fitness: “Why I said no to Don King”

Lorenzo Franculli

September 29

Tatanka does not give up a gram: muscles and garra. At 40, her physique and temperament are practically the same as when she dominated the rings. On his showcase: 4 Olympics played, a fifth (which would have been a record) escaped for at least questionable reasons, two Olympic silver medals (Beijing 2008 and London 2012), two world titles (2007 and 2013) and a European title (2005) . Clemente Russo is a legend of Italian sport and boxing. Gazzetta Active interviewed him … HERE THE VIDEO

“Train like a champion” is the McFit slogan of which you are ambassador and at the Trento Festival (and not only) we saw you playing the role of the trainer. What kind of coach are you? Clemente, as the name suggests, or someone who claims?

“But I was lenient in the ring too (laughs). It is a commonplace to think that whether someone boxing is a violent or a villain. The more ‘lenient’ you are in combat, but not only, the more results you get because you use your brain, stay calm. And even in my fitness classes I am: I push harder with better trained people and less with beginners. I don’t want to torture them ”.

What are people’s reactions? Because having Clemente Russo as a coach is not common …

“Train like champion was born for this reason. Let everyone experience what high intensity training can be. I tell everyone, it is a ‘competitive’ session but with different loads. When one can’t make it, slow down. We have to have fun ”.

Together with McFit you try to spread and promote the importance of psycho-physical health. Do you also see a greater interest in these aspects?

“Yes, we see it with the numbers of members in the gyms. There was a surge after the lockdown. Because people without sports, locked in the house, were sick. And we’re not just talking about dieting or building muscle, because physical activity fights diabetes, hypertension and motivates self. If a person starts the day at 7 am with 50-60 minutes of training then he will also benefit from it at work. And even when he goes home to his children “.

And how does 40-year-old Tatanka train? What’s your routine today?

“I went from three sessions a day to three a week (laughs, ed). But today I train to feel good, I don’t do heavy loads. I follow my own schedule, but without stress. I do it to feel good and have fun ”.

But tell us about the workloads you went through to get in shape for the Olympics.

“I loved athletic training. From jumps to weights, I went crazy. I loved training boxing technique less, perhaps because I already knew enough. But she was so boring ”.

And speaking of weights, what was your bench press max?

“132.5 kg, ma pesavo 91 chili eh”.

“On the oblique one, 420 kilos”

What relationship did you have with the scale?

“Ugly until a certain age, because I made mistakes. With maturity, after the age of 30, I was very good at managing myself and regulating my weight ”.

And what do you think about weight cutting in boxing? Is this too drastic a practice?

“It has always existed, but today things have changed. In the past, we had a weight cut two weeks before the match because he was starting at 15 kilos over the category limit. Today, you do it two days before the race, because you have 7 to dispose of ”.

The victory you are most proud of?

“Chicago 2007, my first world championship, because I didn’t expect it”

“The fifth Olympics, that of Tokyo, which I missed. I was unlucky, as I had caught Covid three days before my qualifying fight. But I hadn’t given it too much importance, because I would have had another chance in a second tournament that was later missed, again due to the coronavirus. And I was left out for a ranking that did not exist, absurd and because they did not want to grant me a wild card. A delusion”.

And the fact that he never turned pro? Is that a regret?

“Well, maybe, if I think about it … But it’s not a regret. Because I have always chosen independently and weighing the possibilities well. In 2009 Don King, in the United States, proposed it to me. But I said no because I had so many commitments in Italy. And I’m proud of it ”.

Do you ever train with your wife, former judo champion Laura Maddaloni?

“Every now and then yes, but better stay away from it (laughs, ed)”.