Andre Ward | Ep 214 | ALL THE SMOKE Full Episode

[Music] [Music] welcome back all the smoke currently Under New Management goddamn right work for ourselves now I'm my C off I didn't popped it last couple days on off huh yeah I'm going keep this one on today I like that Burt ER you got on LV yes sir you already know it man we got a uh man one of the greatest to ever do it today but I'm g go ahead and let you introduce since you're the boxing guy oh man well this somebody who is definitely a Legend um we've had boxers like Roy Jones tank Spence uh Errol Spence Charlo ryano say everybody speak highly of them look up up to him admire him uh somebody that they try to um pattern their careers after five time world champion Hall of Famer so the legend Andre Ward yes sir welcome to the show bro happy to be on with y'all man honored to have you yes sir uh congratulations book inspired Memoir killing the image uh about your incredible boxing journey and life outside of the ring uh can you speak to why you felt it was time to write this and and share your story with the world yeah man it's it's a time and a place for everything thing and you don't always know you know when that exact time is um but I always knew I was going to tell my story one day you know even when I was young in the game 19 20 I knew like man I I don't want to give everything to the media and I don't want to try to you know promote my fights through my family trauma our struggles and it's you know it's it's a give and take with that and it's it's pros and cons some people may say well you know if You' have did more we would You' have been more relatable it's like maybe but that stuff was like like very dear to me and very sacred to me man and my mother wasn't ready to talk about that stuff my father had passed and I for sure wasn't ready to talk about it so as I started progressing throughout my career you know I start getting you know some movement like we was like man let me try to pitch this book and I thought I was ready to write it six seven years ago but y'all know being in media and and and taking on these projects it's a process so it it popped off when it popped off the doc jumped off first on Showtime and I think it was a perfect timing because with the doc we touched on it but with the B we go a lot de you have a favorite or most meaningful chapter or story that you could share um that's in the book I really love talking about my childhood and the good and the bad you know um the boxing part you know it's a chapter in the book called A Champion is born and that's a story about me and my father watching George Foreman and Michael Moore you know Michael Moore was was beating up on George for most of the fight and we had at that time you know it's the early 90s so we got the big screen TV that's on the floor and we watching the fight and and you know my dad was a big George Foreman fan and I just see George Foreman he figured it out he pulled he threw four punches one two step back to another one two and Michael Moore is on the canvas in Vegas laid out and we went crazy and from that moment forward I started dreaming about and what would it be like to be in that Arena what would it be like to have those commentators talking about me so that's that's on you know just the the origin of my love for the sport that's very dear to me but if you look at like the back of that book it says what if I die you know that was a moment where I was in the streets heavy using drugs numbing with alcohol I didn't really care about boxing no more I was through with it giving my whole life to at what age was that man this was like 18 years old 18 19 years old about 18 years old and almost had a a overdose damn we popping ecstasy all kind of stuff at that time and that's meaningful to me because it could have ended right there but that was my new birth that was my rebirth right there and so when people see me today and they hear me talking about my faith or they see me move the way that I move it all started from that moment that's deep the city San Francisco California tell the people that don't know that Clump the bay all together what's the difference between the city and the town which is Oakland it's just different slightly different culture same culture but different so cats and Frisco May dress a little different maybe talk a little different but it's really it's really all the same you know at the end of the day it's it's a 30-minute drive from San Francisco to Oakland so slightly different flavor slightly different way they move but it's really a lot of the same energy uh talk to us about your upbringing young Dre before you got to the point where you wanted to box what was what was your childhood like growing up in in the city man I really I really had normal childhood in some respects and then what made me different than most of my peers though is that you know I had two parents that were drug addicted my mother was a full-blown addict you know um she was in San Francisco I was in East Bay and all I knew was that my mom was struggling with crack cocaine that's all I knew and I just knew she wasn't there at that time and that affected me and I didn't realize how much it affected me until I got older and started not relating to women well having trust issues not knowing how to put myself out there being guarded um and for my father he was a functional addict he own his own business and he would work all day and when he came home he would have that monkey on his back and his druger choice at that time was was heroin so everything was normal except that when you get older now and you kind of look back you know because I gone through therapy in my life to unpack my childhood was it what was kind of your advice or what you did to kind of unpack that childhood trauma or those childhood issues you struggle with did you ever seek counseling or anything like that was that beneficial for you very beneficial because you know I have a tendency to to to not talk and like a lot of men but for me you know like I I would internalize a lot of a lot of trauma and pain and I just say that I'm good and and I'm really not and it really took me you know really my faith was was the the intersection that I needed um and a lot of times people hear about faith and they they look at it like a crutch or you know they look at it like you know what about these people over here being Hypocrites and it's like well I can't speak for them right but what I do know is is if I did not have a personal relationship with God if he didn't come in touch my life I wouldn't be standing here right now and not only just a personal relationship but I found a church and my pastor Napoleon Kaufman former Raider allamerican at you dub connecting with that man and then him helping me understand the things he overcame his childhood trauma and how he got delivered and set free free and how he was whole I said man I want that and then I started looking at the community of people within the church like man that's a good brother right there man that's another good brother right there so it's really me opening myself up to God and Me opening myself up to community is really what help me heal and and continue to grow and I'm still I'm still going through process absolutely do you feel like opening up and and sharing some of the most vulnerable moments in your life whether be your book or your doc has also kind of been therapeutic for you yes for sure yeah yeah cuz I had to overcome a of Shame doing you know my my my doc and my book and that's really what the title of this book is all about you know talking to my pastor and I'm like man these youngsters don't understand man I been through this I done did way more than what they did he said Dre you got to kill the image and at first I thought he was saying that you know it was something pretentious or fake that I was presenting he said no who you are is real it's just not who you've always been and I had to dig deep and I had to open up those Old Wounds and I had to come face to face with young Dre even though I had overcome come a lot and I had healed a lot it was still some things that I was still carrying Shame about cuz you know how it is you look at your younger self like dude you was tripping and I'm so far removed from that individual it's hard to believe writing this book going through this doc that I did some of those things or move the way that I move or had some of those mindsets so but it was necessary yeah and in doing that it may kill some of the images that people have of me it may make you be a stronger believer in what in what you know I say I believe in and who I am but it was a necessary thing that I had to do and the testimonies that I've been getting from the doc in the book have been just crazy from all over the world just people saying man I can relate my mother was on drugs too man I didn't know you went through that man I it makes me even more more of a supporter so man it's been a blessing I think that's why it's even more important to have a relationship with God because like you say you talk to a therapist who they go to with their problems yeah who they talk to with about their problems right so it's important that you have a relationship with somebody that's the only person that that's not going to judge you you know what I'm saying because you can go to a therapist you can give them all your they going to somebody with they problems who you going to right so it's that's the only person that you should go to and I tell people all the time I know I'm not perfect but I live my life every day to show God I deserve everything he blessing me with yeah so I'm fine with that you know what I'm saying and and that's that's how I keep myself in in a good space yeah now that's real and I feel so strong about what I believe because I I know me right I'm not the type of person that could read a dead book that has no power and just follow a bunch of laws and precepts and ideas like at some point that's not going to do it for me me like if it's just knowledge but something hit me that that I never felt before and I can't deny it I don't know everything about the word I don't know everything about I'm a minister in my church I'm a youth pastor I'm still growing I don't know everything but what I do know I can never deny the power that hit me and how it changed my life and how it kept me these last 20 years because y'all know how it is it's it's it's pressure and daily it's daily pressure every city you go in it's somebody pulling on you it's a pit it's a pit hole it's a it's a it's a pothole it's something that it's something it's a game somebody trying to run and man I saying God keep me man throughout a 20y year career did I do everything right absolutely not but did did I know that man I'm being kept by a power that's stronger than myself absolutely picking up and boxing in the 90s uh it was looked at as great Virgil Hunter yeah talk about Virgil he was a guy saying because you know he was already playing a dual father role when I met him you know I met him at the gym I had another trainer at that time and that trainer you know he was more like you know take two punches to give one and my father who loved Muhammad Ali he was like I don't want my son to get hit you like what you mean it's boxing he's going to get hit he said no I need to teach him how to hit and not get hit what just so happens that vir sitting there that day at the gym listening to the conversation and he said man you want your son to learn how to hit and knock it he said man come talk to me he said that that's my special that's what I do and that my that sparked my dad's uh interest right there so you didn't know him then at all I didn't know him at all I had you know it's what you call a house trainer like a guy that you go to if you sign up at this gym he was the house trainer ver just happened to be there working out and so I'm hitting the bag and I'm looking over at vers and he nodding his head like what age were you at this time I was nine okay he giving me the nod of approval and I'm looking at him he looking at me and then him and my dad like I said started started dialoguing and he made boxing fun for me my dad was too my dad was all or nothing man I told you to throw the jab get your hands up and me as a kid at that time I just shut down vers made it fun like look at this baby go do it like this okay get your hand up he it was like a song and a dance so i knew right away I wanted to train with him but it man it's is I'm grateful for that man because when my father passed when I was 18 in 2002 man he stepped right in he stepped up and Verge grew up in West Oakland he knew how to move into town he knew the ins and outs he was 20 years as a probation officer and he knew how to talk to me at that time and he would get on me he would say things to me hey bro God got his hand on you I don't know what you doing out there but it ain't gonna work for you and I would get mad I would fighting man why you speaking on me man I'm just why you speaking that on me man I'm trying to do my thing and but if I didn't have that man saying stuff like that to me and even being having a prophetic voice in my life telling me stuff that's G to happen before it happened I would have crashed out I would have crashed out cuz I needed a strong male figure in my life what would you say besides him being the the you know being there at the time when you was starting and seeing something in you what would you what would you say that made y a great pair I just liked how how he thought I liked how he coached you know like I'm not a dude that needs to be I don't need rah yeah like I I'm already like I'm very much in my head and I and I'm very competitive and I don't like to lose so I don't need that drive and I don't mind working hard I need you to remind me of who I am in certain moments remind me why we here and you know talk that talk to me baby you know why we here we he don't know what he getting into but we F to show him that's the kind of stuff that ver do he just knew how to push them certain buttons and I took it and ran with it you've been a Hall of Famer and this will be a good question for you how important is it to have a good trainer man I I honestly think you got to have more than that to survive at the highest level you got to have sometimes that trainer is a is a counselor sometimes that trainer is a is a father figure sometime he's a brother because it's so many emotions you going through when you not in the ring stuff you dealing with in life then when you get a fight coming up and you in training care it's a lot man and you need somebody to know you beyond just a fighter like I couldn't imagine having just a Hired Hand just somebody that I only see you at the gym I needed a father figure and you know virgin to tease me you know when I was even a uh a pro fighter said man you a head case because I never felt like I was doing enough I always felt like somebody's out working me he tell me to take a d I can't take a d he said man dude you just 12 rounds today we got three weeks before the fight is coming you good I'm not good man you a head case man you tripping I needed that I needed him to to talk to me that way and be that father figure that brother and that counselor at times cuz we can be our worst enemy at times yeah I I needed that I needed that cuz you know like a lot of the things that made me a champion if it's not under control Can it can it can not be good you know because it's a it's an unusual type of drive and it's you got to realize too I hadn't lost since man I've been on a crazy win streak I haven't lost since I've been like 14 years old all throughout Nationals Olympics pass a lot of pressure M and in hindsight that probably affected me in my pro career a little bit because I just I didn't want to lose so bad that that I probably didn't fight as Loose as I could have fought sometimes and flow like I could have flow because I'm trying to be so perfect and make sure I meet the mark and do everything I was supposed to do but Verge is always there to talk talked to me he knew how to talk to that kid in me even in my 20s and 30s baby you know that's how he talked to me as a kid so I know when I hear that that's vers talking to me as a young man and I would always respond man so it it much more than just a trainer I see a lot of coach coaches and trainers these days training their sons yeah what do you think of of the state of boxing with uh the trainers and coaches now I I'm not one that says it can't work is is just not it's not easy it got to be rare like boots and and uh boie something like that yeah and I think I think I think Bill is doing a good job with Deon M it's tough cuz you know a lot of times fathers man they they as a father you gotta you got to know that you work for your son because he's paying you but I'm still your father yeah and you got to know when to be dad and you got to know when to be trainer Y and you also can't live through your son mhm that's your baby I don't care how big he get how how old he is that's your son and when you when y'all get in that ring you going to walk down them steps and that boy you raised he going to be in that ring with that other man by so you got to always remember that for the sons they got to know when to let Dad be dad and say man he telling me the right thing but when to say n dad I got this so it's a lot of Dynamics man that that that's hard for trainers and uh for sons and fathers to to to them lines it's hard but it could be done it's just rare who did you idolize in boxing coming up man my big three was you know Roy be hop and FL and my first one was was Roy country boy came up in Pensacola Florida Roy had the duck tail in the back had want to get the the little duck must have forgot oh man but he was he was a country boy with swag though yeah it was something different about him and I like the way he talked I liked his accent I liked his fighting style and he did everything wrong but it worked out for him and you know with beop I identify with beop because I never felt like I was the most talented and beop wasn't the most talented he was super super disciplined I would talk to him on the phone and he be the type of dude that if you bring a if you bring a soda in the gy man you got the that soda pop in the that's poison he'll get at he'll get at you for bringing a soda in the gym man you a know that red meat like he was that way you know what I'm saying spent a lot of time in the in the pen and I related to him as far as his discipline and that's why he beat a lot of guys he shouldn't beat and with Floyd his work ethic Floyd we know we know Floyd got you know Floyd got the money he got he got the big whips he got the big houses but he worked like he was broke stayed locked to this day even doing exhibitions I took something from each one of them dudes and I felt like I was a hybrid of all three M made it your own how would you describe your style of fighting yeah I don't have one I'm whatever I need to be at that at that day to win tonight I may need to make it ugly we we hey I may need to let you feel my physical strength let you know I'm not going to let you bully me physically like when I fought sakio beac it may be a night when I fight Mel ker for my my first title fight mhm I'mma outbox you bro you got a European style you straight up and down no special effects and I'm I'm going let you feel that then you may have a situation where Allen Green where I got to go in there and make it inside game you seen a different side so it's like Bruce Lee said I was formless I'm what I need to be because if I just have a certain style at some point get exploited yeah cuz they watching film on me like I'm watching film on them and I could I could ill afford to have a bad night so I got to figure it out so I didn't really have St we spoke to this before we got on camera about athletes mentality particular NBA players and and sitting out and resting or having a feeling like you're having an off night coming into a game and being able to you know turn that around and turn it into a solid game or give maximum effort the mental side of your game because it's just you your teammates can't help you no one else can help you how do you have have you ever gone into a fight like damn I don't feel like I have it tonight but obviously been able to pull it out I had a handful of those I had you one with a messed up hand with a your hand a broken hand right me and Carl FR physically I felt good I just had you know I hurt my hand and I and I knew it was bad and that was one night but you knew that before getting in the ring and still winning there yeah yeah I I don't have no guaranteed contract yeah yeah I eat what I kill I got I got to go in there if I don't work I don't eat and we already the weak of the fight too so it's like what you going to do we already here on the East Coast we a couple days out so I had a take that when I fought kobal same thing M talking about ACL in 2008 and just the training the running the sparring all the stuff that I did it slowly start getting worse that was the worst training camp I ever had the whole Camp I'm stopping and going stopping and going shut out shut out should I pull out of the fight ver telling me man God I got you there gonna be some adversity but you gonna be all right I got my lawyer and my brother Josh duin here bro you can't go into the fight like this Jay my manager he like Jay you know Jay like let's just wait and see let's hold on and see Jay Jay thinking the business side cuz he know we had just got in in business with Rock Nation this the first big fight we we we don't want to pull out and send that kind of message so it was a very very very difficult situation I'm fighting the most dangerous man probably in the game at that time I'm at my rented house two hours before we getting ready to go to the arena and I'm looking at this doctor drain fluid out my knee and I'm in disbelief like man you like I'm I couldn't believe it it's like was almost like a dream like man this is really happening I'm really going to fight this dude with one one good leg but I'm not going to say I'm built different or nothing like that man I just I just got a certain mindset man I just like I'mma bring it and you might get me but it's not GNA be easy that's just my mindset I'm not always going to look great I'm not always GNA feel great but if you beat me you gonna be a good man cuz I'm I'm coming ready even if I don't feel 100% what's your take on the way young boxers these days taking criticism cuz like especially with social media being and everybody an opinion like y'all was criticized Mike Tyson was criticized more than anybody but y'all deal they dealt with it a different way and not like perfect example yeah it's people that be at the fights that y'all see every day the commentators who y'all have no relationship with that say worse things but you'll see somebody who have to say the same thing they say but you have a relationship with them and you take it a different way why why is it not taken the same way from the same you know from when it's being said by the same people thing been saying about different people I think for the youngsters man I think they expect that from the boxing media but people outside the boxing media they got respect for and they and they like not you too right not you like you can call me with that like why you get online I think that's a lot of the mindset yeah it's rough bro it's rough out here in them in them in them social media streets man because you got to really be strong you got to really be strong because you got you got random people and you got people you know that it's harder now it's harder you know what I'm saying we we we was getting criticized really just basically off our game and what we playing now people look for it to you got to read the news paper cing you got you know what I'm saying like you pick your phone up you have a bad game or a bad fight you see all them mentions 50 50 you already know what time it is you click that mention it's on just that quick it's hard right you have to pick up the paper you you know what I'm saying it's different so it's not easy for the youngsters man but it's also it's also a necessary evil though say that because you can't always like you need some people that's that element is good for you you they only talk about you cuz you great though yeah it's it's good for you it keep you humble right a part of it and it keep you it keep you grinding like as a fighter it's not normal to get in the ring with another man with 8 o or 10 oun gloves on and fight in front of the whole world like it's normal because you grew up doing it but it's really not normal you got to keep having reasons why you doing this so at first oh I Want To Be A Champion well you got that now I want to make money well you got a few M now now what's your reason so I'm not saying you give a bunch of people credit right cuz I evolved into that at first it was like I'm going to prove y'all wrong then I evolved into man the people that's been rocking with me I'm gonna prove y'all right y'all gonna be wrong just by default but you got to keep as your career evolves why do you do this what are your reasons and getting that backlash when you have a bad night is just a good reminder they don't love me this is a business let me let me treat it as such and not let me get to I can't roll M the game too much yeah but you got also got people that know you're better than your performance too that really support you and that want to see you reach your full poal you got to be able to take that on a CH exactly that's that's that's that's my point everybody that's talking about you not standing to demean you they want they want to see you do better and know you have better in you and I and I I I take that [ __ ] to to heart because the stuff they said about me and the bra when I was about the person I was when that [ __ ] happened it feels good for me today to sit here today and look at all people knowing that they wrong to toally wrong you know what I'm saying so that's what I'm saying he got people have they have to learn how to use that [ __ ] as ammunition you know I'm saying because they going to talk about you regardless but I love people talking about me because I'm doing something great they ain't talk about nobody ain't doing [ __ ] so you got to know how to use both of them you know what saying I'm the master at that I'm the m at that cuz I love when people said the worst things about me and I and I I probably got some of that [ __ ] tattooed on some of it's true some of it is true run this okay you spent your majority of your career cleaning out the super super middleweight division 168 then you became the king of the lightweight division light heavy light heavyweight exre me light heavyweight 175 yeah a story career uh let's go through a little bit of Mel Kesler into the Super six tournament that was special uh I wish they would do that again yeah talk about your experience in that super six tournament Sinker swim moment I had to really be who I said I was enjoy that yeah I I I got thrown into the deep end I was I was I was walking in the in the in in the water it was up to my you know my waist and and then they took me out the pool and threw me in a deep end that was your coming out party 10et it had to be yeah and what I mean by that is if I don't perform I'm a sink it's going to get ugly I was in there with all the dogs in the in the division so um yeah singer swing moment AR Abraham man one of the hardest punches I ever fought really yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah one of the hardest punch ever F he hit me with a jab just one jab straight shot in the first round by I said everything they said about that power is real yeah and I don't want to get hit with that again start boxing bro boxing beautiful beautiful fight that night I can't let you hit me with that again I felt it that's the part of the sport though first round everybody ain't got that yeah everybody can't change up like that yeah because that's one of them you know what I'm saying that's one of them uh you could easy go into self-preservation mode quick and be like bro I you know so I was smarter but I was still trying to get mine though yeah it's the difference between going to survival mode but you you you was still fight yeah you knew not to take a punch but you still was engaging yeah I'm trying to win bro when I say I'm trying to win I'm trying to win bad Chad Dawson man I got a lot of respect for Chad man and I I feel bad about that fight to this day yeah I feel bad about that fight you had to do that to him though I had to he had to do that to him he said my name but I feel bad because he got tricked Gary Shaw is promoter I'm sitting there watching a fight with him and Bernard Hopkins the second one and and like me and Chad wasn't close but like I watched him from a distance James Prince was was both of our managers and I respected fight game you know I'm like man I like Chad was not think Chad was not on my radar and I'm sitting there with my wife and he beat Bernard Hopkins the second time and Max Kellerman who you want to fight next I want to fight Ward I fight him at 168 175 and I come to Oakland looked at my wife I said What I Hear Jay like J said yeah I heard it we gonna hold him too but he's a prime example about why You Gotta Be You Gotta think man he was so eager and that and he said my name his his promoter Gary Shaw at that time leaned in call our Ward bad mistake bro number one that's cool if you feel like you want to fight me the best should want to fight the best and I was at the top at that time in my weight class and he had just beat Bernard the second time he was at the top but dude you negotiated the whole fight on HBO and we held him to everything so I knew he going to be weight drained coming down right but I'm also not going to give you a pass either and that's probably one of the best camps I ever had because I had to come right with Chad yeah he was that good and I talk about this in the book probably like three weeks before the fight vers called me to his house we had uh two like two houses side by side in training camp he said hey man I just got off the phone with James Prince he said Chad got knocked out in spawn I said knocked out but so he got knocked out by one of one of my old opponents Edison Miranda Edison if he can't do nothing else he can crack and first thing I'm thinking they G they G they gonna cancel the fight he said no they they they trying to get it together they Not Gonna Cancel we had spies everywhere man when I'm fighting do everywhere we knew everything I knew the days he took off I knew the good days he had in Sparr I knew the bad days he had so I thought the fight was goingon to get canceled he said it's not going to get cancelled I didn't say nothing the whole three weeks it didn't leak nothing the whole week of the fight we seeing each other press conference Here There and at the weigh in we face to face I still didn't say nothing to that moment my team John his team John I looked at him so we looking at each other I leaned in I said hey bro I heard what happened in training camp you better tighten it up tomorrow night and I lean back that boy said his whole face dropped shoulder slump the fight was won right there damn done all I got to do is execute tomorrow the life went out his body like oh you knew Checkmate and then I went there denied a fight and took care of my business but you know who did that tank did the same thing to Ryan yeah I seen you remember that I seen that he told him the same about his rib the day of the press conference he told him right up there I heard you got knocked heard you got knocked out and heard you got a real problem and he told him that and he knocked him out the same pun like if your team is not if your team don't have fillers out you're not working they not doing their job yeah speak to for the casuals the importance of that weight drain coming up coming down and and what that means and and how you can get back to that your weight the day of the five like speak to that and and to touch with this question how important those those 175 the the weight you know what I'm saying those seven pounds in between like if you've been at a weight like Chad was at 175 for a long time you don't come back down your body's adjusted you getting older you don't you don't come back down you just don't he should have made me come up he should have challenged me and say Hey you doing your thing at 168 come up come up to 175 if you want to fight a big dog that's how you do it so e should it at the butt you don't you don't yeah you don't you don't go down and wait so that that's a issue even with Ryan like if I'm Ryan I'm not taking that Clause yeah right if I'm tank you can't knock him for taking that Clause cuz you didn't have to take it I don't think Ryan as big of a draw as tank is Ryan was a big draw too they don't do them numbers if they don't have each other Ryan should have said look bro we not doing that that's when you use your social media if they doing that in in negotiations look bro I want to make the fight but this is what he trying to do right he trying to weaken me so and he got that kind of following too to move the needle my point Y so him being just overly eager and trying to you know be too zealous to make the fight he took a clause and and it probably hurt him but I think I think it would have been the same result without it you know I like I like Ryan right but you know tank is a bad boy and they talk about the power and all of that but tank tank know how to set that power up very skillful underrated skills what you walk around at like when you was fighting what you walk around at so when I was when you not in Camp I'd be about 10 to 15 heavier over so say you walk around at 168 but you fighting at 147 and you and you take and you train for two years and you to keep that weight down to 147 for two years that's not going to take a toll on your body yeah it's going to start to get you yeah for sure yeah but it's that's why your team got to know like cuz that's what e did after ugas yeah it's a it's a it's a it's a misnomer in boxing that you know if a dude that's been at a weight class for a long time he's the bigger guy I don't believe that yeah I don't believe that when I went up to 175 kovalev had been there he had a whole career at 175 and I started at 160 with 168 and 175 I was the smaller guy on paper but I already knew it I knew your lifestyle I knew how he got down and I knew that bro you struggling to make weight so you may look bigger but you're not going to be stronger than me strong and when you struggle to make weight like that right around that fifth sixth round you start to feel it I don't care how great a shape you in your body saying I can't this boxing is the only sport where you drain yourself for three months crazy right and then to be your best get 24 hours to rehydrate and then go be great the next night everybody else get to walk around I mean get to play at whatever weight they walk around this my playing weight either football basketball we don't get that opportunity so there's no way you can strip your body down kovalev Ryan Garcia Chad Dawson and get it back in 24 hours it's not going to happen but guys get caught up and that's oh he's bigger than me is he stronger though and Koval wasn't stronger so yeah you stayed away the long time it's gonna get to you it's even like it's even like Bud and EJ right like people keep talking about the 54 thing and it's like them moving from 147 to 154 and my thing is like you don't think Bud going to be stronger at 154 right right this a two-way street right I'm trying figure out y'all talking about one side yeah right right so EJ may need to move up but but you don't think Bud gonna be stronger right exactly exactly they got to help me with that one yeah exactly so this another question when they when they when they have that 24 hours to rehydrate what do they do because you can't eat too much to get too heavy like you don't want to be sluggish like yeah they so so what's the best thing y'all do to rehydrate biggest thing is hydration just drinking yeah you got to get that fluid you got to get the fluid in you like [ __ ] like that yeah some people do that yeah you got to get the fluid in you and and you also but it's tough cuz it's like it's two things going on you hungry but you're really thirsty you more you more parched than anything you thirsty and it's hard because you're trying to drink the fluids but then you're also trying to eat it's a tough thing you got to do so everybody got their own way on how they hydrate my thing is like get the fluids in me and then when my stomach settle with the fluids after a couple hours and I get get some food in me and you don't want to stuff yourself but you you got to eat cuz what you eating on the night the food you eat the the night before that's what you going to be fighting on the next night I'm going to read a quote here I consider him one of the best fighters of all time he had a sense of class about him which ab which I absolutely loved he wasn't your typical boxer yeah when you hear that from Michael Jordan what does that make you think man that's big anything coming from Mike That's Mike you know Mike don't comment on everybody so you know and that's one of the reasons why he sign me and Mike don't sign everybody so it's it's big man I appreciate it and I'm comfortable man with the Legacy I left you know in the ring absolutely um if they would have caught me a couple years before they probably would have got the other guy they was looking for you know what I'm saying right yeah to turn up and all of that they probably would have got that but you know for me man God brought me through a lot and I was still changing even when I turned I was still in the process of becoming you know what I'm saying and I had seen a lot of that stuff growing up you know and I don't knock nobody and how they get down but for me I was like man I'm a fierce competitor you're not going to step on me in no promotion or nothing like that no press conference but I'm going try to do this in a classy way you going you going to feel feel my presence but I'm going to try to do this in a classy way your way the way I felt like God wanted me to do it because at the end of the day I knew my career was going to be over at a certain point in time and I'm not trying to build this monster that I got to live with now retire you know what I'm saying I dropped my kids off at school you know I'm able to still do business me and you talk about it all the time doing business and projects and stuff like that I wanted to have a life outside of this Sport and sometimes the sport want you to crash out and they don't care what happens to you after at all at all so I've been able to make a great living outside of boxing being retired six years now and I ain't took a through a punch in six six years that's what that was the goal that was the goal Jordan uh let's talk about Jordan cuz I'm I'm under Jordan too but who's your rep Reggie was was one of my r u Mark rlin so for me that was growing up not been able to afford him and have been sponsored by Jordan that was the best feeling one of the bests I ever had in life man talk about it getting them boxes man listen bro you still get them yes yeah I need to find your rep cuz I ain't got a boxing about four months yeah hey [ __ ] back hunting boxes Larry Larry Miller that's my brother man Larry said man you a Jordan athlete for life I said Larry I'm gon hold you to it I'm going hold you to it I always hold him to it too yeah but man like I don't know what it is with me and shoes always was a shoe person I look at your shoes first and I look at everything else tell a lot some clean shoes tell a lot bro you can tell a lot that I just I used to call my grandmother Grammy what shoes you got on I just that's how I always was and my dad used to tell he said this boy ever get some money he have a whole lot of shoes dudes clean shoes is just like looking at a woman with OP to shoes on ain't done n feet ain't done oh they beat up that's say a lot but that but that's also the culture in the bay too like we'll have some some Jordans on and some regular jeans and a white T-shirt yeah yeah long as your shoes clean you all right and it's the same way today how did the conversation and the deal come together for the Jordan thing and what was that first conversation with Mike like did you almost pass out when you met him man I was I don't get in I don't really like get in awe with a lot of people I almost passed and not from a disrespectful standpoint I just you know it's like oh that's so so that's cool but Mike is different Mike is different Mike got a r about him like and he not even trying he just Mike yeah he ain't try so they just you know they had I was on their radar and it was a lot of you know back and forth and they had send me couple boxes and stuff like that and it was a lot of talking but you know it was a couple years of that and then then we finally locked in a deal but Mike man he got he got AA man he got he got a he walking the room it feel he walk in the room right now everything gonna stop he don't want nothing fake around him yeah he don't want no fans he want everything family and genuine he don't want like he he a normal dude bro yeah he's super he talk crazy when he competing to this day whether he golfing you know he like to play cards and stuff man I got a lot of love for Mike man lot of love when I was getting ready to do the documentary um my brother uh Deontay Thompson we grew up together and uh he worked with beast mode Productions and um he was like bro we got to get Mike I was like bro I'm not calling Mike not doing it so he he was going back and forth for weeks and I said bro I'm not calling Mike bro he said bro just calling you got to be able to do stuff like this if we going to make this doc do what it do all right bro calling so I called Larry Miller I said Larry man look I know Mike busy I so I did that whole thing he said let me let me make a phone call and and see what's up he called me right back he said M Mike want you to call him head up so I called him man we flew out to to North Carolina to the facility we knocked it out that was the easiest interview we we did that's how Mike is he did us at NASCAR we still ain't got to sit down with him but that's how he did his n car like if yeah we we Ain talk to him like that but we still waiting on the interview but he talk to us he said he's [ __ ] with us he said he coming he just ain't came but this how cold Mike is though so we we all in a like a boardroom at the facility he come in there scanning shoes wow you better not have nothing on oh you know I was good you know I was good Mike bib he killed one of my one of my guys had on some Adidas though oh no he don't care if it's Gucci whatever if it ain't Jordan it's not they they take like people that's in that industry oh it's serious yeah he take that serious he came in what's up Mike everybody you know everybody he what's up with your man I'm like what you mean I said bro I told you bro not to wear them we can get him right man but yeah yeah your boy good but he got yeah yeah he ain't right he ain't right for that he make him take his shoes off almost damn near almost bro we we went to NASCAR how the NASCAR team yeah they got on all head to toe a81 Jordans I'm talking about changing tires he taking serious it's crazy takeing serious scuffing the [ __ ] everybody though that's dope uh any truth that he would text you Hadad a fight sometimes or before fights yeah he just send me voice memo all that yeah yeah and um I'm not comparing myself to Mike but man we got a lot of the same juice and mentality in terms of like it's win or die it ain't no win or lose it's win or die period and people be like a it's a come on man you're taking it too far no that's how I felt like I used to think in training camp on them tough days like man what Sunday night late night gonna feel like after this fight Sunday morning when I wake up like I'm thinking about looking at my wife and my kids and I remember the last loss I had and what I felt like you said at 14 though yeah that's crazy John revish from Baton Rouge Louisiana country we was in Lanexa Kansas at the Nationals silver gloves Nationals we in opposite brackets 14 15 year old division so he was 15 so he's a little bit older and I'm out boxing people doing my thing and it's three ring so you kind of see like man you fighting but then the dude you might fight he fighting in this ring right after so I'm watching him the whole week and he knocking dudes out bing bing they going out man and I remember seeing him around the hotel and I didn't tell vers this but that's the last time I ever got intimidated and allowed myself to get beat before I got in the ring that mental side and I wasn't spooked like oh my God but I was like bro he kind of strong like I had a little hesitation about me it was a Clos decision of course I thought I won I should have got the KN but deep down I knew when I was going home I'm on a Southwest flight had a whole road to myself curled up in the ball I remember that I remember looking at verg's face and looking at my assistant trainer's face I remember being home that week and oh man you lost huh I remember that and I never wanted to feel that again and I made up my mind that day nobody will ever beat me before they get in the ring with me again they going to have to earn it I let your appearance and I let you being a little older and the way way you was taking care of your business getting me never again never again favorite J 11s for sure really you 11 guy I love Els but I also love the ones too you the first person I heard say 11 I love the ones cuz I can dress them up and dress them back what you got on on fours oh that's I'm G give you a chance what's your favorite fours threes and fours and I love fours too yeah thre four four yeah threes and four I love all the ones I couldn't afford when I was a kid yeah yeah I'm saying like I couldn't get them the threes and fours that's the Dough Boys growing up they had them on the block that's the ones we always wanted the ones I couldn't afford them the ones I gravitate to the m you ever consider uh using some Retros and and and and and shape them into boxing shoes yeah I would love to man like we we we took a couple of runs at it with the with the uh the Jordan team man and we wasn't able to like get something that can go out but like I got that kind of mind man like I think about like that kind of stuff all the time because I'm you know I'm a creative type and it's a need for that kind of stuff are got few that's like but that's stand test of time it's like uh boxing boot you know that he had with Jordan that thing lasted over a decade strong and I might be putting something out like that one day yeah yeah come on Mike you hear him quick question what uh what's your relationship with Monte Monte Ellis yeah I ain't talked to him in years but man that's my boy cuz when we was playing yeah he was going to had relationship we had the same uh we had the same lawyer that time Jeffree that's what it was okay that's it was so we connected man that's my boy man he always showed love did he ever get involved in boxing like as far as on the management side no I I don't think so I think he might have had a young fighter I don't know if he you know a kid from DC cuz I remember one time he said he was trying to get into it yeah but I don't know if he actually ever did though but he always showed love man bro he's doing great right now yeah he's in Dallas great father with his family his son is his son and his daughter doing great in sports he doing good right now dog yeah his son his son look just like like him and all that you don't hear much from him though that's say though he out the way want be we've been trying to get him on the show he out the way he look at the message and just talk about something else really yeah he don't like to talk man he he he originally from where Louisiana Mississippi Mississippi but the way you know we all have a little especially you know he has that right the way his career ended the the game didn't appreciate him the way they should have on his way out you know what I'm saying they kind of pushed him out and treated him you know they didn't do they didn't game didn't do him right going out I I can see why he kind of stay away from stuff you know what I'm saying cuz he deser more yeah uh 2014 you have an unfortunate setback you got to sit out a year due to some legal dispute with uh with your promoter janky promoters can you share what happened and how often this kind of happens with Fighters I would say this you know I can't get too deep into it um and it was really two years oh really um okay I think the simplest way I could put it man is I was fighting for what I believed in and I'm the type of person that when you know My Mind Is Made Up and I feel like it's something I need to do I'mma go I'm I'mma go for it and but it it's really one of the hardest times in my life man because I can't really talk it's a it's a it's open litigation promoters they got they got the media so you hear you see headlines like oh War would rather fight in the courtroom than fight in the ring like what sense do that make they controlling the narrative the money going out no money coming in like you think I want to do this and the media made it into I'm being selfish MH I'm being a bully I want more money and I'm wasting my career it's like dude do you realize that like fighting is what I do do you realize that this is how I provide for my family and how what y'all saying makes no sense and y'all never took the time to like get to the bottom of the situation and the few times that they did I would explain it to them and we just don't get it and I just realized at that time y'all not going to get it m like we're not the same like you have a certain mindset and I have a different mindset and even to this day people are try to give me credit for my career but you know you lost two years it's like nah N I ain't lose two years I gain two years like I preserved my body two years I learned a lot I grew a lot and I got my respect at that negotiating table so the next deal that I had with Rock Nation front and center the whole way negotiating through so they don't see that kind of stuff because boxing at that time was a lot of you know still a lot of writers involved and stuff like that new media now so it's different but but they probably didn't want to see that side anyway because their side sold the papers pushed the image that that's not good for business right that's not good for business like just shut up and fight right shut up and dribble yep same thing and I'm just not built like that you know like I I studied the game and I would ask questions like bir why they why why do Fighters always end up with no money why they always messed up and he would try to explain it to me and I just knew even before I really knew what I was saying like I don't want to do that I want to be different but it take courage though because when you making that kind of fight you're not just fighting the individual you fighting the media you fighting The Narrative and the deal I did with Rock Nation I was with them three years before I retired I made more money in that three years than I did the 10 years previously and I've heard people to this day well you know the Rock Nation thing didn't work out the way you thought it was going through I'm like you sure about that so it's all these little narratives and stuff that that you got to fight through but what I love about the game is that my peers the younger ones the ones my age and even the older ones they get it and they respect it and that's really all that matter it's not about the media it's not about your YouTubers it's not about you writers y'all are going to have y' perspective for any sport y'all notice what your peers say about you matters most that's really matters most and that's the truth they going to keep it real the media y'all high and low hot and cold depending on the day we got someone in here DeMarcus Cousins just that Narrative of issue problem this but you asked players around the league was a killer and can go in the league right now and be a top five big man right now in the league but the way they put it is why he's not played because they controlled the narrative for so long you know what I'm saying it sucks shout out Boogie yeah you in the building uh you spoke to Rock Nation speak to that relationship how that came about and and and what made Jay different I follow Jay the business side of his life for years you know what I mean and I said this in the doc that everything he touched seemed to be successful and you know um and we got through with the the lawsuit you know Jay said Rock Nation I was like what you mean I didn't know about the sports part you I mean I knew they they were agents in the game but I didn't know about the boxing part of the the sports agency said they getting in the game Jay's a big big big boxing fan and he he wants to sign you so that that's what started it and um like I said man me me and me and me Jay and my lawyer who who's my my good friend and my brother Josh duban and we negotiated that thing together and you know Desiree Perez and Juan and Jay-Z man I appreciate them you know for believing in me we believed in each other CU I was taking a risk on them too and uh it was the right thing that I needed coming off that lawsuit because because it was new not to cut you off but it their division was new right the boxing the boxing division was new but I didn't want to go back to the old same old thing I had just come out of right you know I respected that time and season of my life but it was time for something different it was time for something new something Innovative and rock nation was the answer I've been honored to be to be in this boxing space now getting accepted by a lot of the boxers you know being a basketball player and I'm honored to be in the space and I I got a show which I love to have you on coming up call fight times I had a lot of Champions on my show and we talked about the politics of boxing give me your take on the politics boxing then and what would you change to make the sport better I would say the politics there there's politics like it like it is with in every sport um couple things I think you got to learn how to navigate the politics you can't fight every battle it's a time to speak and it's a time to be quiet and watch and process and and digest what's going on um and then you got to get to a certain point where politics opinions narratives they don't move you like I'm a firm believer and I got this concept from my pastor he said man so I used to call him man man man they hating on me man they you know man I just fought a great fight they saying that he said who I said the media he said man stop giving these people so much credit in your life like what you mean he like they can't do nothing that God don't want don't allow them to do and if he's allowing something to happen it's for a purpose and a plan to build you and teach you and grow you so it shifted my focus where instead of y'all hating y'all blocking you can't block me and that's not an arrogant statement that's a that's a that's a fact you can't do nothing that God want to allow you to do right and if he's allowing it I got to I got to ask okay God what you trying what do I need to get out of this so yes it's politics you got to learn how to navigate that like I said you got to know how to move with the politics but at the same time at the end of the day man you can write what you want to write you can say what you want to say the purpose of my life is going to be fulfilled the only thing that can stop it is me if I crash out but if I stay the course I'mma let this work for me and I'm G forgive y'all in the process because y'all saying stuff about my family y'all saying stuff about me hey man I forgive you now I'm not going to do an interview with you right but I forgive you man I'm not gonna hold that against you but y'all not g to stop like I can't I can give you a list right now of things that the media said was not going to happen in my in my career or question marks that they had or you know things that they say oh he's got an amateur style he can't take a punch he he he he's not going to retire undefeated he's not not going to beat this guy nobody wants to see him fight oh he's born all these things and I just kept CH chipping kept plowing away kept chipping and it got to the point where when y'all finally gave me just doe and respect universally oh see y later see y'all later cuz I really wasn't in it for y'all y'all's approval I had a mission in the timetable my time is up so I beat the dude the second time that y'all didn't think I was going to beat the first time but since y'all had questions the first time let me put this stamp on it right here here and I'm out n best fighter in the world I'm gone drop the [ __ ] mic Dr what fight do the world need to see right now yes oh man that's a good one I want to see Canelo I wouldn't mind Canelo fighting Terrence or benitz you got two options you can go somebody in your way class or you could try to pick on the smaller guy Terence Crawford that smaller guy I'm not bet right now no against nobody nobody not doing it I would love to see tank fight Shakur or Deon M I know that's probably a little early a little bit more seasoning I think that'll make the the most sense from a financial standpoint and uh I want to see tank Shak yeah that's what that's that's the fight and they didn't rumbled a lot in spawn that's the fight they didn't rumbled a lot in spawn yep you know so but but I I really want to see Bud go out the way he want to go out and he can he can go out if and I don't know if they gonna do the rematch him and Errol yeah so they can run that back but if they don't I would love to see Bud get Canelo and then ride off in the sunset yeah I don't know if I want to see the rematch Spence that was brutal that's a lot of money for both of them though that's a ton of money that's a ton of money for both of them I think they got to do the rematch regardless how if if it's the same thing so what it's a it's a great business for them yeah but still that's taking that feel like you Tak we all feel the same way we don't want to see it it's going to take years off his life bro no the car the all the stuff he has been through has took a toll on him so this one this next fight is not going to do no more damage than his already he you know what I'm saying he's already damaged I don't know but it can though yes so come on now and it will a new punch come on man that [ __ ] was brutal BR I I I mean the fight go the same way I I just the same damage no but it's again it's happening again that's a whole another lay you what I'm saying it's happening again the same kind of damage again I I just don't see it being that I don't see it going I see I hly see Bud winning still but I don't see it being that dominant that's another that's another car accident yeah right face first EJ he know one way like he he he's a fighter and he G he gonna bring it no matter he ain't gonna make no excuse he gonna bring it that's how I feel right he gonna bring it that's my attitude so I you won't understand what I'm saying but look but but but but no one way too so that's that's that's two Mac trucks another accident another Collision you got to knock me out but that thing going to leave that thing going to stay with you though hey right we look we we sto watching the night of the fight all right man I'm moving on about you know I a good fight he got that punishment sit with you come on man he got to live I got hit by a car and got up and shooting again so I a I ain't got no understanding okay different understand you can't make me understand that if you would have got hit with that car three more times it would have been a little different last time knocked all your let this I would have got hit by the car again though let me just chime in as as the guy who you know it took a few punches in this day and dished out a whole lot of punches in it's going it's good yeah man you going to feel that got to and here go the thing they getting older the miles they racking up got kids you won't be able to do [ __ ] with your kids thing that's just like saying you retired but somebody run up on you and disrespect you ain't gonna fight them oh them hands still work for sure they still work that's automatic my point that's all I'm saying but I'm saying like but he you still going as a competitor listen if I'm in Ariel's position I'mma really need some counseling and not take that next fight I'mma need my pastor my wife my brothers people I I need y'all to really sit me down and explain like help me understand why this is not a good idea to I understand about my health I understand that but he beat me and he beat me in such a way I got to get that back so I understand that from a competitive standpoint but me being out the game six years now me being a big brother in the game me knowing how that punishment can start soaking in especially when you get older I don't want to see it from that standpoint this ain't no disrespect to EJ I love that dude and I love they both my brothers yeah we both love but I'm going to keep it 100 you don't want to go through that again EJ is good with his money took care of his stuff he living his life he done been through a lot with the car accident multiple two of them one of them had him in the hospital other one he walked away from and and he fought after that and then he fought Bud MH man we talking about we talking about quality life bro yeah we don't have no understanding in Texas though sorry y'all but I but but I understand what you saying that's why I say I'm going need counseling and not take fight sh but that's my that's how I live my life I'm going out if if if I go out the dumb way it's the way I want it to go I'm not I'm not Bing nothing I'm standing in front of in and everybody so you EJ you take win or lose I'm not backing down from Nothing in life nothing no so they say hey man you can take this fight make half the money and then maybe see how you feel and then maybe come back to B you going to do that I would do I mean the business decision but I'm still taking the fight what I'm saying you're not going to not take the fight I'm not going to not take the fight I respect it I'm not and that's just how I live my life with anything what you going to do Matt you EJ come on man the quality of life I love my kids I love to be able to talk be to do all this other [ __ ] that's why we yeah that's why we work that's why we work decision Best of Both Worlds you go ahead and crash out I'll car yeah I'm going to crash out I'm going to crash I'm going to be happy with it too but I understand I understand I respect it I definit I'm that don't check the mile I see it but at the same time feel like come on we in our ain't coming on we in our mid 40s like to me I'm thinking like life after basketball life after boxing is way different you know what I mean and you see people who have been punched drunk and have issues now you seen basketball players that can't walk it's real anyway uh you once said when I walk away I want to have a body of work not just in the ring but as a man uh that young Fighters can point at and say man I could pull off something from I could pull something from that dude um anybody in the game that remotely reminds you of yourself today Shakur yeah Shakur probably the most by yeah damn identical bro when I hear his his mind like that dude really like one of his problems he don't leave the gym like I got to a point where it's like bro I'm not sparring unless there some money on the line unless I got a fight I'll go hit the bag I hit the MS I'm not taking No punches unless it's training camp time burn yourself out this dude be sping like bro I I did 16 rounds today why he loves it that much so when I'm around him he reminds me of my younger self the one that just loved boxing before the business side came in and you know people keep questioning him being a dog and all of that but he he he got plenty dog in him he got plenty dog in him but he's still trying to figure it out but for for a fighter like Shakur all these Fighters really not just Shakur they trying to figure it out in front of the whole world in real time so you gonna see the bad Knights and you gonna see the good Knights so he still got a lot left that he's gonna accomplish and I'm excited to see it but yeah he probably Shakur is probably the one that I say man here mind me and myself probably more than anybody by far the best defensive fighter I've seen since you in Floyd Yeah by far it's not even close yeah we just talking about him who's the most skilled fighter today but but but is definitely one of them for sure um T Shakur Devin boots boots my favorite it's a lot of them it's a lot of them and and they skillful in different ways you know what I'm saying but somebody that like I can bet the house on is but because me and him me and him we so much alike in our mentality like soon soon as I see this dude he come in the room or I come in the room we start arguing about basketball wrestling anything bro like man you can't man you looking small what you mean I'm looking small you looking like it's just that like you gota really hurt that dude to turn him away and to try to stop him from doing what he want to do so skillful yes but this and this it's different man it's not a lot of guys like that out there currently it's see a lot of guys that talk it but until you get in that real fire I'm not saying a guy you fighting a guy you should beat I'm saying say to God that it's a 50-50 match up we don't really know what you have you don't even really know what you have and I've seen Bud tested I've seen bu tested outside the ring things they that they said about him how they treated him uh narratives that were that were that were put everywhere about him and I seen them fight through it I seen them push through it I seen them navigate I seen them you know like Bud is a uh bud is a business he's a he's a business but he's a businessman and bud just don't talk about a lot of his stuff so now everybody love him but Bud been that guy bud has been marketable bud has been a great fighter Bud people questioning this resume anybody they put him in there with he he handled him and did what he was supposed to do he wasn't ducking no smoke so and I say the same thing for EJ like like I remember talking to Errol years ago like what y'all going to do you and BG gonna fight he was like bro listen I'm I'm not ducking him I just want to get all the belts and have the leverage that I need at the negotiating table and I'm going fight him and he did that so like Bud EJ I'm not really impressed by skill it's cool to see it like oh he's skillful when I see that other side like bro he he's different he a dog that's the stuff that get me out my seat and that don't mean you taking you going punch for punch it just mean that when you need to be that guy you can be that guy there not a lot of people like that in the game today it's a lot of talking but not a lot of walking y and Bud is definitely that how true was it or was it is even true at all that you and Canelo about to was about to fight is that any truth to it man the only reason why me and me and Canelo was brought up in the same conversation is because we fought we fought a common opponent Sergey Koval kovalov yeah my my name and his name never cross path during my career even after even after I beat CET nobody said nothing about that and that's probably the closest I ever came to coming back is after he when he was fighting kovalev I said if he call my name I'm there yeah and post fight press conference I'm GNA talk to my team and he just didn't do it so it never it that nothing ever uh materialized but that's probably the closest we that I ever came to feeling like man I may want to pick up the phone and call Jay and see if it's something there um but it's just a common opponent bro it ain't no it ain't no it ain't no beef it ain't no Funk it ain't nothing he's never said my name in a disrespectful way he's never said that he wanted toight he ain't that type of dude n it's really just the fans you know what I'm saying yeah retired 32 know top of the game number one pound found fighter in the world um why did you feel like it was time to walk and was that a tough walk to make yeah I I wanted to retire really two three years before I did it you know like I started hearing the r word come up in my in my conversation I'm like dang but I still had to drive but I was like man I'm you know I'm I'm like my father I'm all I'm An All or Nothing type of person with with my preparation and you know just you start you know you missing stuff with your kids um I'm in training camp six months out the year you know my body is starting to break down a little bit because I'm because I'm grinding the way I'm grinding in training camp and I just wanted my freedom back I'm like man I'm I don't know how much longer I want to do this you know I'm stacking my money so I'm like all right I think I'm good on that front and it just got to the point I thought I was done after caled won you know um based on how the training camp went with the knee everything and then winning the fight some people felt like I won some people felt like I lost it was just like why am I still doing this like what's the point and I stayed out of the gym probably for three months didn't touch a gym and I had never done that and I didn't miss it so I was like man this is what is this like this I ain't never felt like this before and um I went and talk to my pastor because he he had the same walk he played six years in the NFL for the Raiders and then he walked away and became a pastor never never came back I said man and I thought he was going to cosign how I was feeling I'm like man I ain't feeling it I ain't got no desire to be in the gym and he was like I think I can see you doing one more he's like you ain't got to said gotta be what you whether you do or don't but think about it I think I can see you doing one when I remember being upset like like man like every time I get ready to try to talk about retiring it's always the gold post get moved one more year now it's one more fight and I remember leaving there kind of dejected like man that's crazy and but he was right though I had to I had to seal my legacy the way that I did they always gon to have something to talk about but for for me I had to make sure there was no doubt what happened the first fight and leave no doubt the second fight and I felt like I was going to retire but before the second fight was over like you know that was in my mind got some rest month or two after the fight and I started like man well maybe you know I could do a couple more like let me all the all these deals my Jordan deal came up they was getting ready to you know pay me my HBO deal came up they wanted to do a commentating deal and a boxing deal so it was a lot of money on the table and I'm like man well maybe a couple more and then I woke up one day and I was like I don't want to do it no more and I remember I had tears in my eyes it was like early in the morning and my wife was like she didn't really say nothing I remember thinking like girl I'm like spilling in my heart right now you ain't got nothing for me she was like look man take the kids to school we'll talk later and we ended up talking that night now mind you she's the one that was always telling me it ain't time yet babe it ain't time yet during the lawsuit period man if I if this lawsuit keep going on man I'm I'm I'mma retire on my terms baby it ain't time yet that that night she heard me she said man I ain't never heard you sound like this before she said I think the decision is already made and I never heard she never co-signed that and that was the first time she ever co-signed it and I got on the phone immediately and start undoing stuff because my HBO deal I was getting ready to announce it in two days a new three three threeyear deal all my deals I was getting ready to announce Jordan I renewed HBO I renewed there was a couple other ones on the table too and I remember just I was like for real and I just I didn't waste no time I got on the phone with my lawyer and we just started UND doing stuff man and I haven't looked back now you asked me a question earlier about um it you know how hard it was it's it's it's probably one of the hardest things outside of losing my father that I've ever had to deal with and for a lot of reasons because I had I've had to retire multiple times like it ain't just that day that I retire it's it's that drive that hunger all that stuff y'all know it don't go away but what I learned is I got to redirect it find it somewhere else what I also knew I've been doing this my whole career but it got you know more or less confirmed after my career like boxing is what I did did you know it was a it was a you know a teacher for me it's not who I am like but it's not completely who I am you know like I said I'm a minister and a p a youth pastor and like that's my real call that's what I'm really called to do you know speaking is one of my gifts you know motivating people helping people encouraging people like that's one of my gifts and that's really what I'm put on this Earth to do so it's really just trying to embrace that and understanding I had my time and just embracing a young life man and encouraging a young life and trying to help them as best I can that that's what's fulfilling to me love it home stretch we almost finished uh 2021 the Boxing Hall comes calling uh Legendary Class yourself Floyd V uh Vladimir klitsch uh Klitschko uh Lila Ali to name a few uh what was that like man it was it was surreal it was Unreal it me I bro it bring tears to my eyes because like that class was crazy like I was upset at first because it got delayed because of Co but then when I I looked at the end I'm like bro look at all these people I'm getting inducted with like my big my big three all the people I just named to you they're in there I grew up watching Lela I grew up watching an Wolf coming out like I think Shane was in that class too um I couldn't believe it man like I'm the baby in the bun I think I'm the the second youngest fighter ever next to wif FR bonitz that ever got inducted into the Hall of Fame and I'm sitting up here on the stage and it's like I couldn't believe it like I know I earned the right to be there but it's still hard to believe and I think the hardest part for me that week was just like really just allowing myself to enjoy it and embrace it because I don't celebrate my wins very well my whole life has always been yeah you did that we going to enjoy it for a couple days we got to get back up you know we got to get back to work and it's just always just push my accomplishments to the side and just keep grinding this was one of the times that I had to really smell the roses got to and embrace what was happening but it was surreal being in the room being in the room with them people I mean it was crazy wining a goal hell of a experience can you talk about that and Athens man it was it was special um it was very very special and part of the reason is because I almost missed it um that that that that moment we talked about that barely came bro that barely came like I barely got myself together in time to qualify because at that time like normally you win in the United States and you on a team and you just go to the Olympics but they changed the rules where you get on a team and then you got to qualify your weight class by doing another tournament and then you can go I just everything it just like fell into place right on time and I had just lost my father fresh out the streets had just gave my life to God trying to figure it out got two young kids at home um it was crazy we had just gone to war in 2004 so we had like a secret service agent with us the whole time like it was it was crazy and man to look up and be the last man standing on that Podium you know just it's just surreal but it's that's something we had planned since I've been a kid like it don't sound normal to to normal people but like for us like a gold medal was like realistic we was like man we got eight years we we G to win a gold medal was never about bronze or silver and to like actually do it and to do it coming off of what I just came off of so even my teammates I was talking to Andre derel the other day he like bro now I understand why you was in your room A lot of times reading your Bible now I get why you were you wasn't doing certain thing now I get why you were so focused cuz he understands the story behind The Journey now like bro I was almost lost my life and a lot of my teammates they young like I was so they like oh they got you know they they probably got life going on but it's really about boxing dude I almost lost my life and God gave me a second chance so you seen somebody was a little bit mature and was trying to lock in on God and then fight for my dream M so I was a little bit different now they understand why CU they got the story did you ever think you'll be a stunt man never never pulling pulling stunts and and and Creed how did that how did that happen never man Ryan cougler Ryan couler man that's my brother yeah Ryan cou man that's my brother we had been hearing about each other we come from the same you know we both from Oakland and he we finally connected and he was like bro I got a roll for you I'm like what you mean you got a roll like I don't act he was like I got a road for you he took the BART which is a train station for us in the Bay Area all the way to Cheesecake Factory we sat there he broke down the whole script I'm like bro he said I had you in mine bro this this person is from Oakland same career background gold medal all this stuff and man it's one of the the best experiences of my life super hard work those 12 hour days but it's dope like you get your script tonight before and you get to your trailer you got your outfit for that day you got got all these you know these cast members and all these extras and stuff they in the arena so it's like they dressed up like it's a fight night it's crazy like I loved it man I want to do more acting speak to his greatness though man man Ryan cougler is different bro he's different when I was on set I don't know how old Ryan was at that time but man he had to be probably in his 20s you know and I'm seeing a young dude manage a room with all these middle-aged people different walks of life different races I'm seeing him commanded then he'll slide up on me when I'm in the rent you good I'm like bro I'm good bro like are you he said I'm good bro like he wasn't shaving he wasn't cutting his hair nothing cuz like this is my opportunity I went from fville station to this I was given a rocky franchise I can't lose man I got so much respect for that dude he would call me at 2 in the morning after we shot like bro you good I'm like bro I'm good like why you not sleep a bro I'm just trying to make sure you know you good bro I appreciate what you doing I appreciate you mhm the Charisma he has the mindset he has and how he moves man it's different bro he very quiet bro but that dude got a wealth and knowledge and he got respect that whole the whole room he commanded respect from the whole room so what he did with black panther and all that stuff I wasn't surprised I was just proud we uh yeah I got a chance to go up on the Disney lot when he was first shooting the first one and we just walked around and looked around and there was nobody that look anything like us he was taking me to the different stages and different spots and I'm just like bro this [ __ ] is unbelievable bro so shout out to homie man special special dude um big Warriors fan obviously from the bay uh any memorable moments uh as a warrior fan yeah man you know the the the whole run they had you know um when they were still at Oracle Arena Oakland man I was right there what you mean us my bad people don't understand though it's just what Oracle used to be about though what Oracle myad me forgive me was in that you was in that but Oracle was a character in itself you know I mean you it you could smell the weed at the top of the building like it was different bro I us man bro I used to we had all these Executives at the fight HBO all this stuff Showtime too and I'm in the locker room bro I'm looking out I look through the curtain I'm like bro hot boxing the whole the whole fight AR the whole Arena come on bro like go to tank fights bro listen to me don't go to tank fights it is I was in Alliance then it's crazy I'm like man you have these people looking at us crazy but they they came and they supported man but n they that's why they call it roro though because it's different like a lot of my opponents they they what's your toughest Fighter the fight that you they always go back when I went to Oakland they just they can't really explain but they didn't like it different they didn't like it uh Steph Curry intended a few of your fights got a chance to build a personal relationship talked about Steph good brother man very humble as you know he just like he he's a superstar you know it just doesn't act like one which is very very rare and um he keep getting better I'm just proud of him man just the way he has lived his life on and off the court and uh yeah it's a beautiful thing to witness his dad molded him to be who he is you know what I'm saying he's he he's exactly who he's supposed to be bro cuz his dad his dad such a standup guy his dad was wasn't an Allstar wasn't one of the best he was one of the best Shooters but the guy he was everybody respected you know what I'm saying Steph is the same way I'mma put you on the spot before we get to these quick hitters top three NBA players of all time oh I a't gonna say no order give me just give me three for me Jordan for sure thank you magic for sure and uh man I need one more on oh I love Reggie Miller okay this is the most odd three we've ever heard that's hisory no it's hisory I'm saying we've never heard that three before this is the first time we heard that those three guys Reggie don't Reggie don't get shouted out enough reg was Reggie is doesn't have a championship because our dumb asses yeah but I'm saying that's why he don't have a championship because of us but he was a killer in crunch time the truth I respect the truth clut competitor Dog N he he one of the ones for me regg's that no question he one of the ones for me for oh Gary pton Town business the glove I gotta talk to GP because I saw something that bothered me recently Vernon Maxwell say he knocked him out in practice galani was there he didn't knock him out he said he knocked him out okay all right all it was oh he put some on it he got off all right quick hitters first thing to come to mind let us know if you could sit Ringside at any fight in history which one would it be and why they got to be like any fight ever that actually happened it happened cigaret Robinson fight oh he had 100 and something so pick one but a suaray Robinson fight he's different true a a true boxer yeah say that cuz like anybody else would have said something fight that we all know of you a real I want to see ringside what that look like yeah top five box all time man y'all out here making me work today I'mma give you my big three Roy Bernard Floyd um I'm gonna say Ali and Robinson easy enough I thought he was gonna say Salvador Sanchez hey I got savador Sanchez on my wall in my house I respect it but I'm say but I'm I'mma give my my three in my era and then I gave y'all two just all time all time I get it uh fight night at training camp rotation three artists you're messing with I don't know if y'all know lrae yeah come on gospel Rapp yeah t Tadashi my boy KB he a gospel rapper and um and the truth the truth he from Philly the truth another gospel rapper yeah something you wish you were better at anything don't even have to be boxing related man I wish I could sing wish I could hold a note blow yeah God God knew not to let me sing boy oo I would have been [ __ ] the [ __ ] I wish I say it really wouldn't have been Fab you you really been on your Cheo bar [ __ ] I would have my hair wetter pause because I be shaking my [ __ ] on [ __ ] if I sing yeah if I can sing I be I wish I could hold a note uh five dinner guests Dead or Alive Ali Robinson um my daddy yes I wish I could talk to my daddy at at this point in life and talk through it yeah U my grandfather we called him dad um and um we come back to that one doing doing this interview D I'm I'm not I wasn't the H of F and the and the superstar in my sport as you are and yours but during this interview I realized we we we we alike we more alike than yeah than I thought we were y especially the way we think about our family how much we care about like the father and all that type stuff like all that stuff resona with me yeah so we I'm glad I'm Glad You Came bro cuz we more likee than I thought you want to give a hug man I give him a hug after asking one guest you would like to see on all the smoke real quick probably my probably my uh my fifth one will probably be my grandmother grandmother yeah three family two boxes we called her grandmother yeah if you if you can see one guest on all the smoke who would it be y'all said y'all had Roy already yeah but I'mma interrupt real quick cuz we named three Heavy Hitters on this show tonight that you cool with the guy that put the shoes on your feet I didn't finish the question though the manager the the the the manager at Rock Nation and the little homie from the bay yeah so go but finish the question my bad I interrupted but before you answer your question you have to help us get your answer on our show oh so it's got to be somebody in your phone marshan Lynch beast mode y' had that's bro no so I did I did something different with him but yeah I've been trying to get him we he a't been on this though nah he ain't been on here yeah yeah yeah that's going to be a crazy episode I I did I did a sit down with him he dope yeah that's my brother shout out to beast mode shout out to beast mode that's my brother man all right last one childhood Crush we can't let you go home without this one man yeah whoever sent him his boxes I ain't had a box in four months they trying to tell you tring get the shout out they've been trying to tell me for the last couple years but I've been threatening people so maybe my threats ain't working no more got to call MJ people for shoes I yeah I did most of them I I'm tell you how I'm about I'm about to spin this one me and my wife we married we married young we met young and married young so it's wifey wifey my my childhood crushed I respect that cuz when I seen her like who's that and uh she was different she was different she from the bay she from Seattle okay and it's crazy because it like it was a bunch of people around I had just went to go visit my brother for the first time cuz he moved from the Bay Area to Seattle so I went visit visited him it was his birthday they was getting lit out of out of school and they was in high school at the time we all was in high school and I'm like who was that and like I didn't had crushes but like she was different like so when I seen her I like her but when I talked to her I really liked her and I knew without even fully knowing how that how it was going to happen if it should happen or how it was going to happen and I want to be with her and to this day bro believe it or not man 20 years we probably been together 22 been married 20 Dam man I still got that same love for that girl man same love and I tease her all the time I'm like yeah I got the girl like I got I got the girl that I wanted so I got to shout my wife out man man I got to shout her out manely you know I get a lot of the interviews and a lot of the the press and stuff like that but she's one of the main reasons why I'm still standing doing what I'm doing and man she a soldier man and I love my wife cuz she ain't no scary wife either like she not closing her eyes at ringside she like get him hit him back yeah and I can't tell you the amount of stuff even to this day that I bring home to her but I'm trying to talk through it vent through it and man she's solid bro she's so wise and man I got the girl that I wanted behind every good man is a great woman that's dope yeah I'm grateful for my wife man well man thank you we appreciate your time man for someone who to me I felt like really didn't get the respect that you deserve but it's just like to me after this interview none of that [ __ ] mattered to you you know your path was was was planned out and and you made it work and the transition you made although now we know it was tough you made the transition look seamless into your next you know path so man we appreciate your time we appreciate having you and and best of luck bro man I appreciate you but I'm G to say one last thing before I go you know I know a lot of people and I know it's really because they they rock with me and they support me and I appreciate apprciate that when they say I didn't get the respect that I deserve I really did though you think so from the right ones the one that matter most matter yeah and what I didn't get it wasn't mine and I truly believe that that you know God blessed me you know in many different ways just I'm just going to use boxing through the boxing game but he ain't let he ain't let me fall in love with it so much that when it was time to walk away I couldn't walk away so he let me get my taste and and and you know he let me get my love and stuff stuff like that and it's and it's worldwide but he also blocked me too and didn't let me get so much that when it was time to walk I couldn't walk so I'm at peace with what I did I'm at peace with what I received and I'm at peace with what I with what I didn't receive beautiful I see you got your lineup on point on this [ __ ] cover right here where could everybody get uh I got a shout my boy out Mar Barber he in Vegas yeah boy this a boy winning right here I'm not and I'm not talking about the book I'm talking about the hairline sir where could uh where could everybody get your book at right now you get the book anywhere books are sold uh your local bookstore Barnes & nobl you can Amazon you name it man I'm keep this one audio book yes sir yeah I'mma keep this one and the audio you can get the audio or or the physical copy well Dre man we appreciate your time man any time brother I appreciate y man man that's a WAP Andre Ward so the new all the smoke uh you I don't even know where [ __ ] you can catch this now where you catching this at it's not is is it is it so YouTube you ain't got to say that no more man it's us now yeah we own us now we got to say all the other [ __ ] name hey catch us on YouTube you know we at we going to be where we at yeah with a little bit more money this time man we'll see y'all next week

Channel: ALL THE SMOKE

Views: 63,379

Keywords: basketball, NBA, All The Smoke, All The Smoke Productions, Matt Barnes, Stephen Jackson, boxing, andre ward, andre ward record, boxing highlights, oakland, Son of god, Andre Ward highlights, floyd mayweather, Virgil Hunter, Boxing coaching

Id: XFWMxbzoBQE

Length: 86min 14sec (5174 seconds)

Published: Thu Jan 11 2024