DOWN singer Phil Anselmo (ex-PANTERA) spoke with Ezio Prapotnich from Eastsideboxing.com about his second love in life - boxing. He's a fan, expert, and writer, not to mention a good friend of legendary trainer Emanuel Steward. Here are a few excerpts from the chat:

Eastsideboxing.com: Who is your favorite fighter of all time?

Anselmo: "Impossible to pick one, there are too many. In the modern days, it would have to be Wladimir Klitschko. He is impenetrable. Definitely one of the most underrated fighters of all time. He will be appreciated after he is retired. Other names that come to mind: Larry Holmes, Sugar Ray Leonard, Roy Jones Jr, Joe Calzaghe, Rocky Marciano, and Ali."

Eastsideboxing.com: When and how did you first develop an interest in boxing?

Anselmo: "I was a kid, very young. One of my first boxing memories is the Holmes-Cooney fight, or, even before that, the early Hagler fights on ABC World Sport. It was my father who got me into that and also taught me the proper posture and fundamentals. My stepfather was a fan as well..

Eastsideboxing.com: Did you have any formal training?

Anselmo: "I first tried the boxing program at Youth Camp. I was hyper and more energetic than the other children. Also, being Italian, I was all pumped up by the Rocky movies. I fought older and bigger kids, and I did well. Then, I started training when I was 19 at Leon Morris’ (a former pro who fought Nigel Benn, amongst others) boxing gym in Dallas. At the first sparring session, as soon as the bell rang, he went straight on the ropes. I threw a thousand punches and could not hit him once!"

Eastsideboxing.com: Can you give an example of a song you wrote that was inspired directly by a specific fight or fighter?

Anselmo: "'Mouth For War', the first song on the second Pantera album Vulgar Display Of Power. I wrote that song when I was 21 or 22 and it was inspired by James Toney. Around that time, when he was fighting at Middle and Super Middle weight, before he started struggling to make the weight, James Toney really talked the talk and walked the walk.

Read more here.