'I don't mind snitching when it comes to terrorism' - Calvin Kattar recalls close encounter with Boston Marathon bombers
Featherweight fighter Calvin Kattar has recounted his encounter with the Boston Marathon bombers only days before they detonated explosives at the event in 2013. The bombers killed three people and injured approximately 280 others. Kattar said he was later questioned by the US Anti-terrorism Squad (ATS) and didn’t mind ‘snitching’. Speaking with Fitz Nation Podcast ahead of his bout with Max Holloway, Calvin Kattar said the attackers, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev and Tamerlan Tsarnaev, trained with him at a gym in Boston. Kattar admitted almost speaking to Tamerlan. The American said he had no clue who he was but was glad he didn’t go up to him, thereby saving himself from been linked to the attack.
‘’I was gonna walk up to Tamerlan and talk to him about some boxing. Not that I’ve ever had a conversation with the kid. I’ve done a couple of rounds with him, maybe a round but never really had a conversation. I’m glad I hadn’t because the camera in the gym would have seen me talking to this guy as if we had some connection, which we didn’t.’’
Kattar, who lost for a UFC classic to Max Holloway at Fight Island 7, also recounted seeing Tamerlan’s brother, Dzhokhar, at the same gym speaking to someone else.
‘’On the same cameras, his brother who I’d never met at the time was training with the third person. I had realized when the ATF agents came to my house the next week or something after they saw me on footage and I was just thinking; ‘how bad would that have looked if I went up to him’ and just talked boxing or something.’ But I hit the road, I left and found out what had happened. I didn’t even realized his brother was doing some karate sh** with some other goofball on the corner. I told them (ATS) everything I knew. When it comes to terrorism, I don’t mind snitching.’’
Calvin Katter was determined to prove himself as the best in his division with Holloway encounter
Ahead of the welterweight fight with Max Holloway, Calvin Katter vowed not to be complacent. The American came off a perfect 2020 having won Jeremy Stephens and Dan Ige. His win over Ige was an opportunity to headline a UFC card and he did got a unanimous win. With the victory, Calvin Kattar improved to 4-1 in his last five fights. His challenge with Holloway was spirited but he was ultimately outclassed by an opponent who looked as though he was at the peak of his powers.
"I'm just chasing the life on the other side of a win over Max Holloway," Calvin Kattar had told Yahoo Sports. "[A win] would afford myself, my family, my team better living conditions, more money, more influence, more everything. We joke and say that the same bottle of water tastes better off a win than a loss, so I just want the finer things that come with a win over Max Holloway,’’ he said.