Wednesday afternoon at Music City Boxing Gym in Nashville, Tennessee, IBF super middleweight champion Caleb Plant (19-0, 11 KOs), the IBF super middleweight champion from nearby Ashland City, and mandatory challenger Vincent Feigenbutz (31-2, 28 KOs), from Karlsruhe, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, participated in a media workout prior to Saturday’s championship fight televised live on FOX and FOX Deportes from Bridgestone Arena.

 

Music City Boxing Gym is a spacious establishment located on the wrong side of the tracks, both figuratively and literally. One has to cross a railroad underpass to get there. Just spitting distance from a distillery in a somewhat dodgy part of town, local law enforcement refers to the neighborhood as “The Jungle.” But the vibe in the gym and coming from those in attendance was welcoming, despite the many police cruisers patrolling the streets.

 

Twenty-four-year-old Feigenbutz and his team were the first to arrive. He had not been in the US before and seemed somewhat awestruck to be in America. Feigenbutz does not speak English, but his manager, the loquacious Rainer Gottwald, who said, “They call me The Brain,” did the translating.

 

“I’m very happy to be in the United States,” he said. “It was always my dream. I prefer to fight here in the USA than in Germany, because here you have much better possibilities. In Germany you have boxing on a very low level—especially for a young rookie who still has his whole life ahead of him. I am only 24 and already have 33 fights. I want to go international. People love to see a puncher, a fighter, a guy with heart.”

 

When asked how he intends to deal with Plant’s speed, Feigenbutz said, “I am faster and hit harder. I fought 17 number ones in my country. Most of them retired after I beat them. They run around like a rabbit and do nothing. First they feel nothing. Then they start shaking. I hope Caleb feels the same.”

 

Plant and his team followed Feigenbutz. He has been a local celebrity for many years and is as comfortable in front of the cameras as he is in the ring.

 

“To be coming back home as a world champion is a big deal,” he said. “I’m excited, I’m motivated, and I’m ready. I’m feeling good, rested, relaxed. All the hard work is done. I know he’s got a lot of fights, a lot of knockouts. I know he’s coming to spoil my plans, but he’ll fall short. He can wave the white flag, or I’ll wave it for him.

 

“I worked very hard for this moment, for many years. There was a time when there were no cameras in front of me. They were no claps. There were no cheers. There was just me and my little team. It wasn’t the goal to be world champion. It was just a goal. I hear, ‘You’re not the hunter. You’re the hunted.’ But there’s much more I want to accomplish. I want to be first undisputed super middleweight champion. I want to be pound-for-pound. I want to be a legend, immortal in the sport, a name that never fades.”