Klitschko Solis Ringside interview translations

First of all: I just watched the stream of the fight provided by Epix. What an awful commentary. I feel kinda bad for those who had to watch the fight on Epix. No interpreter, no interviews, no clue, some important replay missing. I know, I know, that was their first attempt but... come on!


However here are some quick & dirty translations of some of post-fight interviews.

URL of the Videos: http://www.sport.de/cms/boxen/videos.html



Interview with Vitali, Öner, Solis:

RTL:Vitali, the walk to the ring has taken longer than the fight, [the outcome of the fight] still was a little different than we expected. Your thoughs on the fight and ending?

[Boos]

RTL: I think the hall could stop the booing so that we all can listen to what Vitali has to say.


Vitali: Good evening ladies and gentlemen. Of course, many are now very disappointed. You have only seen one round of 12. I want to say one thing: This was a solid blow at the end of the round and, um, I prepared myself for a long fight.

RTL: I think he has injured his knee a little.


Vitali: I dont know... [inaudible, audio cut off] ...after the direct hit. I also had doubts whether he can continue to fight or not. No idea. The doctors have to clear this up. After the punch he did not want continue to fight.

RTL: OK thank you Vitali for now. I'm going to ask him about that, we need to clarify whether he is injured or if it was a solid blow. First I'll ask the Manager, Ahmet Öner. Ahmet, quick question, it could not be seen clearly, was it the impact of the punch or was it an injury? He twisted the leg in a weird way?

Öner: It was the knee. That was not an effect of a punch, there was no punch. It was knee. It was the knee. But I'm not a medic. I'm annoyed. But whatever. It was the knee.

...

Solis: I think when I was falling I've hurt myself, [inaudible] things like that happen sometimes.


Interview with Wladimir:

RTL: Yes Wladimir, we know this, brothers are sharing; punches landing on your brother are landing on you, too. Today there weren't so many. How did you see it from the corner?

Wlad: I was very nervous before this fight. Odlanier Solis, he is an Olympic champion and he also was world champion in the amateurs and he has 17 fights, he has never lost so he was undefeated and one could see already in the first round that [Solis' punches] really connected, several times indeed. One could see that he had the feeling and that he can really fight very very good. I just want to say though that it was not a broken leg or something like that...

RTL: But it was an injury right?

Wlad: ... it was a clear solid punch; one could see that Odlanier Solis fully wobbled. Perhaps, at the fall or at his attempt to get up, something could have happened but there was definitely a clean hit. I also want to say - basicly the thing we are talking about - that in the heavyweight division, every punch can be crucial. I was on receiving end in the fight against Corrie Sanders. Sanders was seen by many critics as a windfall [bum] but then the fight ended quite different and surprising. I am very proud of my brother, proud of his performance. Vitali is 10 years older than O. Solis and he has proved again that he really is the strongest man in the world.

Interview with drunken Henry Maske (retired ex-champ):

RTL: Henry, the reaction here in the Cologne Arena were very clear. Was [the booing] appropriate, or was it still - albeit very short - a fair fight?


drunken Maske: [The booing] was appropriate, at least if you ask me as an athlete it was completely appropriate, because even I - I have not seen the slow motion, I must admit - was surprised. However, it is not surprising when one stands in the ring against Vitali and is so open. At a press conference one may perhaps play the cool one a little bit. But in the ring... you have to pay your opponent respect. one must no be suprised that vitali can punch you out. You must not be surprised that he can punch hard. From the first second on. That must be your attitude. I find [Solis' performance] was very disrespectful to the opponent, Vitali deserves better, and the audience, too. It was a lucky punch probably, but he gave an invitation. You cannot do that. Can not. I find the whole thing completely inappropriate [from Solis] to the event and the reactions of the audience absolutely understandable.


Edit:

TV Report, 1 day after the fight, Solis in Hospital:

The right knee is swollen, surgery is necessary. Odlanier Solis in the afternoon at the hospital in Cologne. Through this strike from Vitali Klitschko in the first round Solis sprains his foot, stumbles and falls to the ground. Only in slow motion one can see the moment of injury properly. Solis: "I did not fell down because of the punch, I wanted to avoid the punch, then I twisted my knee." The old and new world champion Vitali Klitschko sees it differently. In the ring, the 39-year-old initially thought Solis would only fake the injury. Klitschko: "I landed flush; at that moment he lost his balance and I think that was the reason why he has twisted his knee."

Whatever. A couple of months Solis will now have to pause, but then he wants to return, according to his management. Öner: "He must not become a fat potato again, his weight now has to stay down, and that depends on how mentaly strong he is." Will holding weight be enough to warrant a rematch? Öner absolutely wants a rematch for Solis, who by all means showed in the first round what he could be able to do. But Öners verbal abuse of Klitschko manager Bernd Bönte at the press conference after the fight may have lowered the opportunity for it. Öner: "But this man is provocating all the time. Shut the **** up!" Due to its short labor Vitali Klitschko will be boxing again before 20 June, before the mega-fight of his brother Wladimir vs David Haye. Hopefully longer than 3 minutes then.

 

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yU1ktq3PfTo&feature=related[/ame]

RTL: Together with Wladimir Klitschko we'll try to monitor the bandage wrapping of Odlanier Solis, in order to exclude involvement of horseshoes... Uh, yes, we'll just ask, we would like to watch the taping. Wladimir's here for the taping.

Öner: [inaudible] ... by Solis, he does not want that. He wants another one from the corner. He wants another one from Team Klitschko.

RTL: But he is the one that has been sent from the team?

Wladimir: This was the arrangement at the rules meeting and it will go down as we have agreed.

RTL: So if this was the agreement at the rules meeting, well Ahmet then there should be no problem?


[cross talking]

Öner: Let me check this.


RTL: So there is a disagreement here. For our viewers: The coach doesn't want in Wladimir in the cabin, although it was agreed upon at the rules meeting. But maybe we ask the manager and we solve this?

Öner: Yes, well of course Wladimir agreed upon this; problem is the coach is asking: Why him? Why not another guy? Because he is the next opponent. When we have defeated Vitali, we'll box Wladimir, so there is no reason for him to be here and he's not an usual corner-man, that's an active boxer, I mean ... and ...

RTL: But he doesn't do anything, he just watches the wrapping of the bandages. Not much drama in that.

Öner: Yes, thats persuasive, I'll try to pass that, I'll check this for a sec.

RTL: That would be kind. Maybe we'll that on camera also. So Wladimir, there should be no drama?


Dude with gray hair: [inaudible] we'll sort it out [inaudible] you come with me.