It‘s Oktay Urkal‘s (34 -2 - 0) third chance to earn a world belt! After his valiant but in the end unsuccessful bout against Kostya Tszyu [on June 23, 2001, Tszyu won by unanimous decision: 113-116, 113-115 and 112-116] and a spectacular fight against Vivian Harris, which he lost by majority decision [on April 17, 2004, the judges scored 114-112, 114-112 and 113-113], Urkal has a rematch with Ivan Vivian Harris, the WBA world champion in junior welterweight, on October 23 in Berlin/Germany. Urkal, who is preparing for the fight in Zinnowitz on the Isle of Usedom in the Baltic Sea, took the time to speak to Fightnews. 

In your last fight on April 17 you lost on points by a close decision against your upcoming opponent Vivian Harris.
Yes, unfortunately! 

After the fight one could see that you were very disappointed, you even apologized to the audience.
Hmm ... 

Why did you think it necessary to apologize?
I apologized because I could not meet the expectations of my audience. I hadn’t won and I didn’t become world champion. So many in the audience had expected me to win. And then I lost, which was especially hard because the fight took place in Berlin, which is my home. In Berlin, for my audience, I’d always been the winner. That’s how it was when I was still an amateur, and that’s how they were still seeing me when I had turned pro. So, my apologies came right from the heart, because I knew I had disappointed a lot of people. 

Looking back now, after six months have passed, how would you judge your performance?
Well, what can I say? Today, I’m even more motivated to have this second chance against Harris. This time, I’m going to use it well. 

Have you studied your fight against Harris on video?
Yes of course, I’ve seen it many times. 

Everybody agrees that it was a world-class fight.
Yes, from a spectator’s perspective that’s certainly right. Having seen the fight on video I think the audience had actually nothing to complain – we were both motivated and gave a good performance. They saw two boxers giving it everything they had and fighting till the last second. We were both technically skilled and in good shape. Well, in the end one of us made it and the other didn’t. The champion stayed champion and the challenger, unfortunately, lost. And the challenger was me. 

Are there things you are planning to do differently this time?
We’re still working on our strategy. Coach Wegner and I are working on it. We have focused our training on certain things, which, needless to say, I won’t tell you. I hope that this time I won’t make the mistakes I made last time. 

What factors decide on victory or defeat?
Hard to say. I don’t like to speculate before a fight on what might happen simply because in boxing anything can happen. It’s better not to say anything because if you tell people: This time I will do this and avoid doing that, and then run into a classic lucky punch and suffer a KO, you look like a fool because everybody has read or heard how big you talked before. That’s not my way. I go into the ring and adjust to the situation I find there. You have to react to what’s happening in the ring. I’m more the type who reacts and attacks out of instinct, which is always a nice surprise for my opponents. I trust my instincts. 

Harris is an opponent you boxed already once before over twelve long rounds. Is it easier or more difficult to box against someone you fought before?
Difficult question. Some find it more difficult and others less so. The thing is that I’m the one that has lost the first fight. Maybe that makes it easier for Harris. But then again, maybe that makes him so sure of himself that he doesn’t take me seriously anymore. That would work against him. I take this match very seriously. I don’t care about my performance in the first fight, whether I fought well or poorly – it doesn’t matter for this fight. I take this fight seriously, not only because I lost the first time, but because I take every fight seriously. And especially this fight, you bet. 

The rematch will also take place in your hometown Berlin.
Yes, and I’m very happy about it! 

Is that an additional pressure on you or rather a motivation?
A motivation. It’s a very good feeling when the audience is behind you all the way – I guess we’ll see what happens in the arena. 

What outcome do you expect or predict?
I want to win. Everybody who enters the ring wants to win. Every boxer, every athlete wants to win. Or do you think I climb through the ropes just to get my ass whooped? And then to come out and say: „Wow, that was good, can I have some more?!“? I’m not going through all this hard work just to be a loser! I’m one of the world‘s top ranked boxers in my weight class and I want to become world champion! 

It’s six months that you haven’t boxed.
Yes, but he hasn’t either. 

It almost seems as if both of you were having the same problem: No one wants to box you, that is, you have problems finding an opponent.
Of course I can find an opponent! There are thousands of opponents in the world that I could box. If you are looking for someone I could easily beat, there are thousands of them. After all, there are enough boxers in the world. But if you want to find someone who is well known, who is good and can deliver an excellent performance, then it gets difficult. There are few excellent boxers, but there is no lack of victims. 

But it looks nevertheless as if no top boxer wants to box against you, and that goes for Harris as well.
I can’t say anything about that. I don’t worry about such things. 

But still, don’t you think it’s a bit unusual: First Harris agrees to box you on September 4, and insists on Berlin as the venue of the match ...
I didn’t know that he had insisted on Berlin. 

... but then he changes his mind and, as defending WBA world champion, himself challenges the challenger Ricky Hatton [36-0-0. KOs 26]?
Yes. 

I find that quite strange.
Ok, I can only speculate about his motives. Maybe he thought Hatton would be easier to box. Maybe he thought fighting Hatton would save him the difficulties he had had with me in our first fight. That match he had won with the greatest difficulty. Till today I can’t understand why the judges did not see me as the winner. Sometimes, strange things happen in boxing. I clearly saw myself the winner. There were even people shouting into the ring from below: “No need to risk anything! You’re winning!“. I remember Sinan Samil San [heavyweight contender (21-2-0, KOs 14) and Urkal’s teammate with Sauerland Event] calling: “Stop doing so much, no need to risk so much! You are leading!“. You see, I wasn’t the only one thinking I had won. And still, I continued giving it everything I had and tried to knock Harris away, to make my victory even more complete. I didn’t stop until the fight was finally over. I was so sure I had won. But it was not meant to be. 

You are 34 years old [Urkal was born on January 15, 1970].
Same as the last time. 

Do you feel your age?
No. Right now I’m tired, but that’s because I’ve just finished training. I’ve always been more the restless type, so I really don’t think about slowing down. As an athlete, you’re used to watch yourself, and I notice that I’m far from feeling old, or even older. I notice that in every training - for example, when we do our running sessions. When I compare myself with the others of the same division, I’m still the fastest. I’m still in top shape. I’m very ambitious. I belong to those who rather do too much in training than too little. So, when I look around me in training I can say that it’ll be a long time yet before I’ll be ready for the scrap heap. 

Before the background of your age, what does the upcoming match mean to you and your career?
What my career lacks at this point is the world title. I have achieved almost everything I wanted to achieve. As an amateur I missed Gold in Atlanta [Urkal won the Silver Medal] and I became only European champion [1996]. As a professional I also gained the European championship [2000 and 2002 to 2003]. I want to become world champion. A world title is the highest goal you can achieve as a professional boxer, it is everything! I boxed for the title twice and was unfortunate twice. I hope that the third attempt now will get me to my goal, get me the belt. 

What are your wishes for the future?
Health. First and above all health for my family and myself, and peace. And that I can bring the title home to Germany.