Exclusive Interview with Josh ‘The Punk’ Thomson-Contimued-2

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Josh Thomson: Maybe mentally. You get worried about hurting it again. I might let up a little in training to avoid pushing it to where it might get re-injured. I have been really focused on getting beyond that mental block so I can keep going. If it hurts, I just keep working through it. It is not as strong as it used to be and you have to just take it one day at a time.

JT (BASD): How long have you been training for this fight with Melendez scheduled for June 27?

Josh Thomson: I am about six weeks into training for this fight. There is about two weeks to go before the fight so I will have a good eight weeks of training. A training camp is usually eight to ten weeks so that is about right.

JT (BASD): How does your training differ when you are preparing for a fight versus just trying to stay in shape and working on your skills?

Josh Thomson: Your mentality is different. You are out there to have fun versus focused on the fight that you are training for. When you are training in general, you really don’t care what happens and just having fun. If you get tapped out or hit with a big shot, it is not that big of a deal. As you start training for a fight and you get hit clean, you start thinking to yourself that could have ended the fight so you put more pressure on yourself.

JT (BASD): What are the specific skills and moves that you are working on in anticipation of your fight with Melendez?

Josh Thomson: I am working on everything. He has a big right hand, decent stand-up, he is a good wrestler, good ground-and-pound. I have to work on my submissions, my wrestling, my striking. There is not one specific thing that I am focused on. I have to be well-rounded.

JT (BASD): Are you comfortable at 155 (Lightweight) or do you see yourself moving to another weight division?

Josh Thomson: I will stay at 155 as long as I can. I am at 172 pounds right now and should have no problem making 155 by the weigh-in. I train with the #1 and #4 guys in the 170 weight division so that gives me a dose of reality every day. I have fought at 143 before.

JT (BASD): How long has Javier Mendez been your trainer and what has he done to take you to the next level?

Josh Thomson: He started training me in 2002. He’s helped me a lot with my stand-up. Mentally has been the biggest thing. You don’t realize how much your corner helps you out mentally in the training process.

JT (BASD): Is that when you turned pro (in 2002)?

Josh Thomson: I turned pro way before I came here to the American Kickboxing Academy. I have been getting paid to fight since I was 19. Those early fights were basically cattle calls where you were matched up with someone close to your weight. Each fighter got $150, maybe $300, depending on who you fought, etc. I remember back in those days fighting a guy who was 205 pounds when I was 164 pounds. Taking into account all my pro fights, my record is 40-2.

Thoughts on Gilbert Melendez

JT (BASD): I know that the two of you have trained together in the past. How did you guys match up and who seemed to get the better of the action more often?

Josh Thomson: There was a time when he was doing better than me. He was coming off of a big win and I was coming off of a loss. Mentally, I had to get my head right and refocus. As time went on, we started learning each other a little bit. After that, I can’t really say that either one of us really got the better of each other. It all depended on who came in and had a better day. Really, we were just focused on making each other better which is what we did. Now we are caught up in the dilemma of fighting each other.

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