“I can take him to grappling, but in striking, it’s a bit difficult,” he laughs. “I’m still learning, getting better every day, but he’s a really, really good savage, and I don’t want to fight him when he’s angry in front of me (laughs). I’m cool.”
What if, hypothetically, there was an emergency and Turman had to be called in to save the main event. Would that interest him?
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“I wouldn’t fight my friend,” he said emphatically. “We are friends and, for me, friends don’t fight against friends. I couldn’t do that, and I don’t think he could either. We talked about it, and when he wins the belt, and I get closer to a title shot, he’ll go up to 205 pounds and we won’t have to fight.
Only one game concerns him now, and that’s Petroski. He’s tough, but Turman is determined to join his teammate in the upper ranks of the middleweight division.
“I’ve made a lot of progress. In the time without a fight (reserved), I learned a lot and improved my striking. And I feel so good, brother, I feel good for this Saturday. I see myself winning, finishing in the second round.