Uprising Promotions light heavyweight Samuel “Main Event” Clarkson (19-4, 12 KOs) has used the past few months for reflection and adjusting certain components of his preparation, and the refocused Texas native looks to bring a new demeanor when he soon makes his return to the ring.
“Everything is exactly where it’s supposed to be right now,” Clarkson stated. “The fight that happened in April is over. I needed it, and everything happens for a reason. I’m more hungry, I’m a lot more vicious, and I’m stronger now. Since that fight, I’ve incorporated weights, and I’m a lot stronger. I’m on a mission to hurt everyone in my way.”
The April bout that Clarkson mentions was an interim WBA Light Heavyweight championship fight against Dmitry Bivol, which brought a close to a nine-bout winning streak. Relatively unknown when Clarkson stepped up to fight him, Bivol has since climbed to the top of the light heavyweight rankings and will face Trent Broadhurst on Nov. 4 for the vacant WBA Light Heavyweight Title.
“Like I said, everything happens for a reason,” Clarkson continued. “You never lose in a fight like that. If you choose to look at it that way, then you’re a loser at heart. I only look at the positives that came out of it. I needed to go through that to learn how to manage my diet the right way so I could become stronger. Since then, I’ve been really managing my diet while also incorporating weights. Not only am I a lot stronger, but now I’m more focused. With everything that’s been happening, I really feel like I needed that, and I cannot wait to get back under the lights.”
Clarkson, 27, is a man who has been counted out before, and he has proven the doubters wrong repeatedly throughout his career. Amid his previous nine-bout winning streak, he entered the ring as the “b-side” fighter and emerged victorious against the likes of former world title challenger Cedric Agnew (decision win), as well as then once-beatens Jerry Odom (TKO-3) and Lavarn Harvell (TKO-2) on ShoBox: The New Generation.
“I am definitely more vicious,” Clarkson said of the changes he has made since April. “Whoever steps in that ring, if they’re not on the same level mentally as me, I’m knocking them out. I’m not playing with anybody. I’m hitting them everywhere, and I’m trying to hurt everybody. I’m going back for what’s mine, so the goal is to knock down everyone in front of me.”
Both unfortunately and fortunately, boxing is a sport that brings on heavy support when a fighter is winning and clears out plenty of people after a loss. Clarkson notes that his fight with Bivol helped him find out who was truly supporting him.
“After my last fight, a lot of people changed on me,” he remarked. “It was a low point for me after I lost because I know how bad I wanted it. I feel like a lot of people wanted the success just because of what they see in me instead of knowing what’s in me. After I took that loss, it hurt. It really hurt my pride a lot, but my family was like ‘It’s over with. Keep pushing. There’s no reason to keep yourself down. It’s all about how you bounce back.’ I was feeling really low, and they pulled me out of that. When I came out of it, I was a lot stronger than what I was beforehand. I definitely owe my family and the few friends I have the next knockout.”
Negotiations are currently underway for Clarkson’s return to the ring, which is expected to occur sometime in October or November. Make sure to keep it locked to UprisingPromotions.com and @UprisingNYC for all of the latest on Clarkson and Uprising Promotions.
