Having recently dropped to middleweight, Filip Verlinden (43-12-1, 16 KO’s) has quickly made his mark and now sits at #3 in the official rankings.
Verlinden was a semi-finalist in the recent LAST MAN STANDING eight-man World Middleweight Championship Tournament, losing out to eventual tournament winner Artem ‘The Lion’ Levin (50-4-1, 33 KO’s).
Levin proved to be as difficult and tricky as his legend reputes him to be. Verlinden found him hard to figure out while they fought, but says he has obsessively reviewed tape of the bout ever since and is now confident he can beat the Russian.
However, he doesn’t think the fight will be made immediately and so he now finds himself wondering what comes next. Joe Schilling (18-6, 11 KO’s) sits at #1 in the contender rankings, Wayne Barrett (5-1, 4 KO’s) sits at #2.
“I just fought the champion so I don’t think that I will get that fight again right away. But they can’t keep making the fight between Schilling and Levin. It would be a shame to have to fight a lower-ranked guy now that I am at #3,” he says.
“I’ve never fought Joe Schilling or Wayne Barrett. I’d be happy to fight either one. I think they are both good. I think Barrett is pretty special, he has an awkward style, and Schilling is a guy who comes forward and you have to have a real fight with him.”
Verlinden has taken a close look at both of his potential future opponents but, despite their stylistic differences, is indifferent as to which one he would like to fight first.
“I don’t have any preference. I just want to get a shot at the title and those are two guys who are in the way,” he says.
“Schilling is tough, he doesn’t stop fighting. He is a very durable guy. Barrett is a little bit awkward and comes with things you don’t see or expect. I think he surprises people with what he does. They are both tough.”
As for Levin, recalling their fight in Los Angeles brings a rueful smile from Verlinden. He regrets losing to the Russian but has to acknowledge that he learned some new valuable new lessons.
“He drops his front hand, for example. Then you try to go over the top of it and he makes you miss, or you kick but his hand is in the right place to parry the kick. I think maybe you have to fight in a different rhythm against him,” he says.
“I don’t know, I still need to figure it out. It was weeks ago and I am still thinking about it every day. I really want to beat him now. I have watched the fight over and over to see what I could have done. I didn’t train specifically for him either but maybe if I can get a rematch with him I can figure him out.
“He’s such a difficult guy though. He’s been #1 at that weight for years now. I hope I can get a title shot if I can win one or two more fights but maybe GLORY will try to protect the American fighters and give Schilling and Barrett some lower-ranked guys.
“That would mean I also have to fight a lower-ranked guy though and I’m not really interested in that because I want a title shot as soon as possible. In my mind it only makes sense to fight the #1- or #2-ranked guy.”
And if Verlinden does fight his way to a rematch with Levin, he already has a vague idea of what he will do differently.
“I think I would fight harder. He took me out of my game, he dropped his guard and left a lot of holes. So I think I was looking too much for the KO rather than scoring points. He leaves a lot of openings but then he makes you miss, then he will counter or grab you,” he says.
“He has a very awkward style. Next time I will be more aggressive with him.”
The full LAST MAN STANDING event, including the Middleweight Championship Tournament fights, airs FREE on SPIKE TV across the US on Friday August 8 at 10PM ET.