JRE MMA Show #145 with Terence Crawford

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[1] The Joe Rogan Experience.

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[3] Terrence Crawford, what's it like to be the fucking man?

[4] Man, it's great.

[5] I feel like I always been a man. You have been the man for a long time.

[6] But I think two weeks ago, everybody realized it.

[7] Yeah, everybody gave me my recognition now and everybody giving me my flowers.

[8] So it's a wonderful thing that I had to fight to, you know, get everybody approval.

[9] Well, it's tricky in boxing sometimes because sometimes it's difficult to make those matchups happen in a dream matchup like that between two undefeated world champions and for you to dominate the way you did.

[10] Because a lot of people had that like a pick -em fight.

[11] Like a lot of people didn't know how to call it.

[12] You just fucking ran that fight.

[13] You ran that fight.

[14] That was amazing.

[15] Yeah, you know, that's a fight that we've been won for years.

[16] And to finally secure the fight and perform the way that I performed, it was a great moment for me and my career.

[17] It was beautiful, man. I mean, just the way you controlled, the way you switch things up, the way you controlled the pace of the fight, the defense, your defense was on point.

[18] Those hooks that you were landing in close were magnificent.

[19] It was a brilliant fight, man. I mean, I'm sure you appreciate it.

[20] I'm sure you watched it a bunch of times, but man, that was like a real, because it was such a mainstream fight, such a huge fight, where everybody was paying attention to it and talking about it, even casuals, that they got to see you perform that way.

[21] And, you know, now it's like there's no dispute.

[22] You're the number one pound for pound guy on earth.

[23] Yeah.

[24] That's something that I got a credit to my coaches, you know, because we drilled everything that you've seen fight night.

[25] We drilled it time and time again, time and time again.

[26] So it was...

[27] It came natural and easy for me when the fight came.

[28] You know, like I said, the only thing they kept saying how he's going to beat me is because he's bigger and he's stronger.

[29] That was it.

[30] You look stronger.

[31] Of course.

[32] Of course.

[33] And I was just like, how do you know he's stronger than me?

[34] Right.

[35] He might be bigger than me, but big don't mean stronger.

[36] Well, he's just taller than you.

[37] You look more muscular than him, too.

[38] But it was just...

[39] The technique was what really stood out.

[40] It's like you just were a master in there.

[41] It was a master class.

[42] That's something that they wasn't giving me credit for as well.

[43] How?

[44] That's the thing.

[45] It's like, how are they not?

[46] You know, I don't know what it is with me. They just always try to diminish my accomplishments and, oh, well, who I was fighting.

[47] They say, oh, well, you wasn't fighting nobody.

[48] And this guy...

[49] Aero Spence is the most fundamentally sound fighter in the game.

[50] So that's why everybody was picking them.

[51] But I was favorite in Vegas, so Vegas must have had it right.

[52] Yeah, well, the wise people picked you as a favorite.

[53] You know, just based on your accomplishments.

[54] It's not like Errol Spence wasn't a great fighter.

[55] He's a great fighter.

[56] But it's so interesting when you watch a great fighter.

[57] against what i believe is an all -time great it's just that there's just levels upon levels upon levels upon levels and right now you're at the top of the fucking mountain yes yes yes and i'm i'm enjoying it i'm enjoying it beautiful you deserve it you deserve it that's a when when you plan for that fight You knew that you were probably going to fight him, like, for the last few years.

[58] It was something that was on the table.

[59] But not really.

[60] There was a point in time where I was like, you know, I shifted gears and I shifted my mind off at Arrow Spence because...

[61] I didn't feel like the fight was going to happen.

[62] But once I left top rank and we started negotiating, I was like, oh, well, maybe this fight will happen.

[63] Then once I fought Avanesian, because the conversations and everything that we was talking about to get the fight done, it wasn't lining up to what I wanted.

[64] So...

[65] I decided to take another fight.

[66] And then I came back to the table and like, hey, listen, let's get this fight made.

[67] And at that point of time, things wasn't going, how I would have liked it to go.

[68] So I just hit up Spence.

[69] Like, hey, man, listen, man, if me and you're going to fight, me and you're going to get this done.

[70] Because, you know, there's a lot of people that's blocking the fight.

[71] How were they blocking?

[72] Like, what was the whole...

[73] Which is business -wise.

[74] You know, I just felt like I was worth X amount, and they felt like I wasn't.

[75] And they wanted to do the deal a certain way.

[76] And I wanted to do the deal the fair way.

[77] And...

[78] Erospentz seen it.

[79] He was agreeing with everything that I said.

[80] He was like, yeah, we can do this, we can do that.

[81] And he probably felt like he gave up too much, you know, at the end when it was all said and done.

[82] But I was, I felt like everything was fair.

[83] Was it in terms of like the purse split?

[84] Everything.

[85] Everything.

[86] We talked about everything.

[87] Yeah.

[88] And so this fight had been discussed for like how many years now?

[89] Five.

[90] Five years.

[91] Wow.

[92] That's crazy that it takes that long for something like this to happen in boxing.

[93] When I came to the welterweight division, I called out all the champions, except Sean Porter.

[94] I called out all the champions.

[95] I went up the mall, you know, at that time.

[96] And I wasn't able to get in the ring with any of them.

[97] And at that point in time, they was calling Aerospence the boogeyman.

[98] And my reply was how is he the boogeyman when I'm chasing him?

[99] I just wanted to prove to the world that I was better than what they say I was because given the fact that how great I looked against each opponent.

[100] They say, oh, well, he wasn't nothing, or he was this, he was that because how talented I am.

[101] Right.

[102] So they didn't want to give me no credit because I passed all my tests with flying colors.

[103] So it was great to get in the ring with Errol Spence Jr. and do the same thing, if not better than I did for the past opponents that I faced.

[104] No, you were on fire.

[105] It's sort of the same thing that Roy Jones Jr. faced.

[106] Like everybody's like Roy hasn't beaten anybody.

[107] Like, yes, he has.

[108] It's just he's so much better than everybody else that he was making everybody else look like there weren't any good.

[109] But those were world championship caliber fighters, and Roy was just lighting them up.

[110] Right.

[111] And that's that sometimes when a fighter eclipses everyone else and reaches the pinnacle.

[112] That's the criticism they face until there's an undeniable moment.

[113] You know, and that was your undeniable moment.

[114] Like, everybody's got to shut the fuck up now.

[115] Yeah, yeah.

[116] And that's what, you know, my feelings was.

[117] You know, a lot of people like, man, you didn't look too happy.

[118] You know, after you won, after you won, I didn't see the excitement in you.

[119] I was like, man, I was happy.

[120] I was happy just I had to prove myself, you know, to the world, how great I knew I was, but at the same time, I was kind of disappointed at the same time that it took this long for me to get my recognition and for me to get a big marquee fight of this status at 35 years old.

[121] Yeah, especially after chasing it for five years.

[122] Right.

[123] And I was chasing Mani Paki out for probably five years, probably before.

[124] Yeah.

[125] So it's like I've been championed for nine years, going on 10 years in March.

[126] So I've been doing this game for a long time, you know, and I've been at the top since I beat Gamboa.

[127] And I've been looking for all the biggest challenges there is.

[128] And...

[129] Some of them I was able to capture, and some of them went the other way.

[130] And I'm just blessed to be able to be the first man to be undisputed in the junior well -to -weight division, the first man to be undisputed in a welterweight division in the forward -bail era, the first man to be undisputed in two -weight divisions.

[131] So it's a blessing.

[132] It's a blessing.

[133] It's a huge blessing.

[134] It's an amazing accomplishment.

[135] You looked happy.

[136] You were dancing with your mom.

[137] You were having a good time.

[138] I don't know why people thought you weren't happy.

[139] Because, you know, when you go in the back room, everybody wanted to see that excitement.

[140] Right.

[141] I was just like, I got that out from my back.

[142] Yeah.

[143] Well, you knew you had.

[144] Was there anything unusual about that fight?

[145] Like, is that exactly how you expected the exchanges to go?

[146] I'm sure you watched a ton of tape on him, right?

[147] Actually, I didn't.

[148] Really?

[149] I didn't because a lot of people always ask me, do I watch a lot of film on my opponents?

[150] And I always tell them, no, because I have a different style.

[151] They're not going to fight me the same style or the same way that they fought their previous opponents.

[152] They just not.

[153] You know, so I already knew how he fought.

[154] I just watched probably like two fights of his just to get a feel for what he like to do, what he don't like, the things that, you know, I can capitalize on.

[155] And that's it.

[156] Like, I don't watch too much film because I'm going to make my adjustments on the fly inside the ring.

[157] So, yeah, I don't watch too much film.

[158] That's interesting.

[159] What is the general consensus on that about watching film?

[160] Do most champions watch film?

[161] Is it just on an individual basis?

[162] No, some people like to watch film to where they feel as if they know what their opponent's going to do, when they're going to do it, because they got certain habits to identify when they're going to throw a punch or...

[163] or when they're going to back up certain things that you you see as a as a top athlete you start noticing okay I noticed that he's doing this when he's doing this he's doing that when he's doing this and you pick up on that and so you put it in your in your mind like okay we're gonna prepare for this when you do that we're gonna do this so you try to capitalize on it but me I never was that type of person.

[164] I let my coaches, they do the studying, and then they come up with a plan, and then they shoot me the plan to win, and we just go from there.

[165] When you switch, because you're, in my opinion, the best ever at switching from Orthodox to Southball since Marvin Hagler.

[166] You're the best ever.

[167] Like, when do you decide?

[168] Do you just feel it?

[169] Do you go out there Southpaw sometimes and say, I'm going to fucking switch it up?

[170] Like, how do you make those changes?

[171] Well.

[172] I think I made the change to fight South Paul in the back dress room.

[173] Really?

[174] Yeah, because I was like, man, how should I come out?

[175] Because in my mind, I was just so filled with, like, the energy from the way ends, the press conference, the weight, the moment.

[176] So I was like, man, I just want to go out there and.

[177] You know, everybody's saying I'm too small, so I wanted to prove it wrong.

[178] Everybody was saying he was going to walk me down.

[179] So I was just like, man, you know, they just don't know.

[180] Like, I just had that chip on my shoulder.

[181] Like, I just want to go head on with the bull and just go fight them.

[182] And it was like, just box.

[183] I was like, just box.

[184] And then I was remembering, I was like...

[185] He never fought too many Southpaws before.

[186] And then on one of the occasions, he got hurt real bad by a hook.

[187] So I was like, I'm coming out South Paul and we're going to box just to start off.

[188] But at the same time, I'm going to get my respect out the gate.

[189] I'm not going to be doing all that moving.

[190] So the plan was never to move.

[191] And everybody, when you interview them, they was like, oh, Terrence got to be...

[192] slippery.

[193] He can't stand in front of Spence.

[194] He can't do this.

[195] He got to get on his bicycle.

[196] I'm like, he ain't no Terminator.

[197] I'm like, man, I'm going to be right there in front of him like I always do.

[198] You know, I'm going to make him miss. I make him pay.

[199] And I'm going to fight my fight.

[200] So I feel like that was the key for the victory because he wasn't used to fighting South Pauls.

[201] Do you feel as comfortable Orthodox as Southpaw?

[202] Do you feel like you're better in one stance, or is it just depending upon the opponent?

[203] I think it's dependent on the opponent.

[204] You know, I feel I'm equally as great in both stands.

[205] I'm very powerful in both stands.

[206] I hit just as hard with my left, probably even harder with my left than my right, you know, but I think it's the opponent.

[207] They were talking about it in the broadcast.

[208] They said that when you were a kid, you hurt your hand.

[209] And so that's why you started practicing Southpaw.

[210] Yeah, that's when I started actually practicing it.

[211] You know, that was something that when I had the cast on, I was like, man, I loved the gym so much.

[212] I'm like, man, I'm not leaving the gym.

[213] Like, I'm going to practice with this left.

[214] And that's when I got the left stronger because at first, when I go south ball, it was only, you know, my right, my right, my right.

[215] Then when my hand got messed up, just started working on the left and it started getting stronger and stronger.

[216] And I started getting more accurate because at first it just throw it just to be throwing it.

[217] And then, you know, it just got to a point where they both, my left was actually way stronger than my right when it came back.

[218] So I had to get my right back stronger.

[219] That's great.

[220] It's crazy that you have that option because that's such an amazing advantage to be able to fight just as comfortably from Orthodox or Southpaw.

[221] Oh, yeah, definitely, definitely.

[222] You know, I look at it like you can't go nowhere.

[223] Right.

[224] Like you trap.

[225] Like you move to your left, I can go South Paul and cut you off.

[226] You move to your right.

[227] I can go Orthodox and cut you off, so...

[228] And then it is great that I can pack a punch in both hands as well because a lot of people, when they switch, they give up something.

[229] I think when I switch, I gain something in both stands that I probably don't have in the other stands.

[230] So it's great for me. Did anybody ever try to discourage you from switching up that much?

[231] Of course.

[232] Did they?

[233] My coach, he used to always get mad.

[234] Like, you need to focus on one stance and doing it right before you start switching.

[235] You ain't even got the orthodox stands down, peck all the way.

[236] And then you're trying to go south while.

[237] I'm like, all right, all right.

[238] Now I go orthodox and then in the fight, boom.

[239] Yeah.

[240] I switched, then I switched back.

[241] He's like, stop switching.

[242] And then I went to fight like, what?

[243] When did he stop telling you to stop switching?

[244] When I was winning?

[245] He was like, all right, since I can't stop you from switching, we're just going to train that way.

[246] So, yeah, if you do four rounds, you're going to do two rounds of softball.

[247] You're going to do two rounds orthodox.

[248] That's just how we started training.

[249] Well, it's amazing how it turned out.

[250] And for Spence, you know, who always fights Southpaw, like to see you as a Southpaw too, like probably created a little bit of an adjustment for him.

[251] Yeah.

[252] Yeah, especially given that he wasn't fighting too many Southpaws in his whole career that much.

[253] Right.

[254] It seemed like after you dropped him in the second, right, somewhere in like the middle of the third, you started to turn the heat up.

[255] Then you started closing the distance and you were like smothering them.

[256] You know, like somewhere in the third, it seemed like you picked up the intensity.

[257] Is that when you felt like you started to get to him?

[258] Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[259] I felt like I was in control the whole fight.

[260] You know, the first round, neither one of us really did anything.

[261] We was kind of just filling each other out.

[262] The second round, he kind of started picking it up a little bit.

[263] And I caught him with them two shots.

[264] I feel like that's what led me to get more control because I felt as if I...

[265] I caught him off guard.

[266] He wasn't expecting me to punch as hard as I did.

[267] So I could see on his face, he was kind of like, whoa, you know, and then the rest, you know, I was in control.

[268] Yeah, you were in control.

[269] It's an amazing performance.

[270] But now that you've accomplished this and now that you're the first man ever to be undisputed in two different weight classes, like what are the offers now?

[271] Are people coming?

[272] Because I hear all this talk about Jamel.

[273] I hear this talk about Canelo.

[274] Like, where are they at right now?

[275] Well, you know, Conello and Jamel is fighting.

[276] I wanted to fight Jamel next since he was the 154 -pound, undisputed champion.

[277] But as you know, they're going to strip him for his belt once the bell ring when he fight.

[278] So your goal was to go up and become undisputed in three different weight classes.

[279] There you go.

[280] Wow.

[281] Something that never been done before.

[282] Right.

[283] And, you know, it's greatness.

[284] Like I said, this is my era, and I'm taking it.

[285] Ain't nobody going to stop me. So now that I didn't shift gears because I know I wanted to fight Jamel, but if he lose to Canello...

[286] I always said, man, that's a big step.

[287] That's a big step.

[288] But for a person to go up three -way classes from 147 to 168 and to win and become undisputed, wow.

[289] What can they say?

[290] They can't say nothing right now, but what can they say?

[291] Well, then you're in, like, the greatest of all time discussion.

[292] I'm already in them, them discussions.

[293] But I'm saying, but what would they say, though?

[294] Three -time, undisputed champion and the smaller fighter that went up three -weight divisions to conquer one of the baddest man's besides itself that's been doing it for probably longer than me. So you said 68, but you mean 54, right?

[295] No, 68.

[296] You want to go up to 68?

[297] Yeah.

[298] So who would you fight a 68?

[299] Canello?

[300] Yeah, if he win or Charlo, the winner.

[301] Wow.

[302] That would be crazy.

[303] I want to be three -time undisputed.

[304] To jump up like that, 21 pounds?

[305] Yes.

[306] What do you walk around at?

[307] I don't know.

[308] You don't know.

[309] I don't know.

[310] I don't know.

[311] I don't know.

[312] You got a scale.

[313] I don't know.

[314] I don't know.

[315] You know what I mean?

[316] But...

[317] How much time would you need to prepare for something like that?

[318] Would you gain weight?

[319] I would definitely have to gain weight.

[320] Yeah.

[321] You know, and I just believe in my abilities, you know.

[322] Canello's not a big guy.

[323] You know, he's 5 '8.

[324] Right, fought at 52 when he fought back, yeah.

[325] He...

[326] Or when he fought Floyd, rather.

[327] He's big, like, muscular -wise, but...

[328] far as like height.

[329] Right.

[330] Nah.

[331] So, yeah, that wouldn't be nothing that, you know, we had to see.

[332] That would be insane.

[333] For you to go from 140 all the way up to 168.

[334] That would be dope.

[335] Woo!

[336] I think it can happen.

[337] I think that's, to be honest, I think that's the biggest fight in boxing.

[338] He beat Charlo, Terence Crawford -Kinella.

[339] That's the biggest fight in boxing, hands down.

[340] No other fight fighters could compare to that, you know.

[341] No disrespect to Charlo, but he's not a superstar.

[342] He's not, you know, on Canelo's level.

[343] Now, he got a chance.

[344] Don't get me wrong, like, he's going to do well in that fight.

[345] And he got the tools to win.

[346] You know, it's just about preparation and what type of fight he fight.

[347] Now, Canello and him are fighting at 68, and what are they fighting?

[348] Is that September?

[349] Yes, September 30th, I think.

[350] Hmm.

[351] So when would you like to get back in?

[352] Like, what would be good for you?

[353] Like, how much of a turnaround?

[354] Well, it probably, if they fight in September, it would probably be next year.

[355] But that gave me time then.

[356] You know, bulk up.

[357] Yeah, get my body right.

[358] What kind of strength and conditioning routine do you do now?

[359] Do you, because how much, is it difficult for you to make 47 or is it pretty easy?

[360] No, it was a little difficult.

[361] Yeah.

[362] It was a little difficult.

[363] Yeah.

[364] I had to wear the little plastics and sinus suits this time.

[365] But, you know, I don't know what it is.

[366] I go up and wait and then the weight be going up on me. Your body adapts.

[367] Yeah.

[368] Likes to eat.

[369] It likes to get thick.

[370] Right.

[371] Yeah.

[372] So it's cool, though.

[373] That's cool.

[374] So when like a normal camp, what is your training routine consist of?

[375] Like do you do running?

[376] Do you do strength and conditioning workouts in the gym?

[377] Like what do you do as far as like physical preparation?

[378] I do at all.

[379] I run.

[380] I swim, strength of condition, um, plyometrics, all that.

[381] You do swimming.

[382] Yes.

[383] A lot of people are doing swimming now.

[384] I've been doing that my whole career.

[385] Really?

[386] What do you like about swimming?

[387] I just think, you know, it helps on your breathing.

[388] It helps on your breathing.

[389] Your endurance is better on your joints, you know, because we don't run every day.

[390] Right.

[391] So, yeah, it helps tremendously.

[392] And do you lift weights?

[393] Yeah.

[394] Yeah.

[395] But not heavy.

[396] We live probably like 20 pounds, like something light.

[397] Mm -hmm.

[398] Just a lot of endurance work.

[399] Yeah.

[400] Yeah.

[401] A little quick twitch muscles.

[402] So if you have a fight where you're going to go up to 168 pounds, how much time do you think you need to get ready physically for that?

[403] I'm ready now.

[404] You ready now?

[405] Yeah.

[406] I'm the type of fighter that I just believe in myself, you know, and I don't think.

[407] A lot of people think it's all about weight, but I think it's about the skills.

[408] You know, I got the power to make anybody respect me. I don't care what your weight is.

[409] If I catch you in the right spot at the right time, you're going to feel it, you know, and I just feel like it's called boxing for a reason.

[410] I'm going to out -think you.

[411] Yeah.

[412] Well, you showed that in that fight.

[413] I mean, just the defense, everything, man. It was a masterclass.

[414] That's what I love about boxing.

[415] Like, if I wanted to show someone a boxing match, I would show a fight like that.

[416] Like, this is what I love about boxing.

[417] Like, this man is right in front of that dude.

[418] He's rolling with every shot.

[419] He's picking off every shot the other dude throws at him.

[420] And he's countering with like split second timing.

[421] Yeah, and that's hard to do.

[422] That's hard to do.

[423] And you gotta be comfortable enough to have confidence that you gotta take chances.

[424] Yeah.

[425] Like when I dropped them with the uppercut and the hook, I got hit.

[426] The left hand, right?

[427] Yeah, I got hit while I was throwing the uppercut, but I knew that going into it because I baited them in and set a trap.

[428] So in my mind, I'm going to take one to get this off and then come back with something else.

[429] And that's how I got the drop, the second drop.

[430] Yeah, that uppercut was genius.

[431] It was just inside, tight, boom.

[432] Perfect time.

[433] How hard does Spence hit?

[434] He didn't hit the heart.

[435] But he never caught you that clean.

[436] That was probably the best shot he landed.

[437] No, he called me a couple of times.

[438] But, you know, I was surprised at how hard he didn't hit.

[439] Really?

[440] Given that everybody say, oh, he's a big puncher.

[441] He's this.

[442] I think he's just a volume puncher.

[443] I think he just wears opponents down.

[444] Just wear him down.

[445] I don't think, you know, he has a one -punch knockout.

[446] He half power, but it's not like, you know...

[447] Boom, sleep.

[448] You know what I mean?

[449] I think it's like, bam, oh, boom, boom, boom.

[450] And then he just wear you down.

[451] Right.

[452] Yeah.

[453] That is a difference, right?

[454] Because if you look at his career, you never seen him, like, knock nobody out with one punch.

[455] You never see them, you know, dropping nobody with one punch.

[456] You already see them, like, wearing them down.

[457] That's why he goes so hard to the body because you want to wear you down.

[458] Then once you get tired and once your body start weakening, everything start weakening.

[459] And those little punches that wasn't hurting start hurting.

[460] Oh, so...

[461] Well, that was probably your most anticipated fight.

[462] But what do you think was like your most difficult fight?

[463] I would think gamble.

[464] Really?

[465] I would say gamble because the experience at the time, you know, um...

[466] You got to understand.

[467] I came from fighting six -round fights, you know, to a 10 -round fight on HBO when I got the Bredis Prescott fight.

[468] So then I fight him.

[469] Then I fight another guy for an intern, the N -A -B -O, and then I fight for a title eliminator in Klymoff, and then I fight...

[470] Ricky Burns.

[471] And then I come back and fight Gamboa when I become champion.

[472] And Gamboa was labeled the next Floyd Mayweather.

[473] He was on a pound for pound list.

[474] You know, everybody had Gamboa at a high rating, you know.

[475] So he's Olympic gold medal, you know.

[476] He had the experience over me. And so I think I learned a lot in that fight.

[477] And that's what made it, you know, hard because that was something that I never experienced in a fighter before.

[478] So it was a great learning experience.

[479] That's one of the most interesting things about watching a very talented fighter.

[480] is seeing how they respond to the next level of opposition and the next level of challenges.

[481] Like you're saying, going up from six rounds to eight rounds to 10 to 12 and seeing the different caliber of competition.

[482] You know, when you look at like a boxer's career, It's interesting because when they're kind of at the end of the line in their late 30s, it's the time when they have the most experience.

[483] They know the most, but their body doesn't really perform as well anymore.

[484] There's this kind of balancing act.

[485] And the guy who beat that better than anybody was Bernard Hopkins.

[486] Because Bernard was world -class up until he was 50, which is so crazy.

[487] Like, how the fuck did he do that?

[488] I think because his body was more preserved been when he was in jail and he didn't have all the wear and tear on his body.

[489] You know, my guy, Stephen Nelson, he's another one.

[490] He's 35 years old and he's still moving like he's young because he never did no sports.

[491] He started boxing at like 18.

[492] Oh, no injuries.

[493] Yeah, he just had an injury about a few years ago.

[494] He tore his Achilles.

[495] He was out for two years, but he backed like nothing happened.

[496] That's a big one.

[497] Yeah.

[498] Achilles is a big.

[499] Jamal Hill, the UFC Light Everywhere champion, just tore his Achilles.

[500] Mm -hmm.

[501] That's a rough one.

[502] Definitely.

[503] Jamal told Tor it playing basketball, which is crazy.

[504] He tore his sparring, moving backwards.

[505] Really?

[506] Yes, he was just moving backwards.

[507] It wasn't nothing crazy.

[508] He was just moving backwards and it just pop.

[509] He said he thought somebody, like, hit him.

[510] He was just like, he looked down.

[511] Like, man, he thought it was me at first.

[512] I'm way on the bag.

[513] I'm like, what?

[514] He's like, man. I fucked up.

[515] I'm like, what?

[516] He was like, man, my Achilles.

[517] I'm like, how you know?

[518] He was like, man, I heard it pop.

[519] And so, like, everybody getting around him.

[520] I'm like, man, you got to go to the hospital.

[521] Let's go.

[522] Wow.

[523] Two years.

[524] Two years out the gym.

[525] I mean, out the ring.

[526] That's a long one.

[527] It's a crazy injury to come back from.

[528] Yeah.

[529] Because it's such a thick tendon when it pops is just a disaster.

[530] Mm -hmm.

[531] Have you had any, like, significant injuries?

[532] Nope.

[533] That's amazing.

[534] Yes.

[535] So when you say like for Bernard, like he preserved his body, I know you're very disciplined.

[536] And I know that you like, are you, do you ever take time like after a big fight like that where you go off the rails and eat pizza every day and go crazy?

[537] Or do you stay disciplined?

[538] Well, I don't eat beef or pork, but...

[539] You don't eat beef or pork?

[540] Or pork.

[541] Really?

[542] Yeah.

[543] But my eating habits is not the best.

[544] You know, I still drink pop here and there.

[545] I still...

[546] I didn't lighten up on candy.

[547] I used to eat tons of candy, like, every day.

[548] Really?

[549] I used to eat tons of candy, but...

[550] While you were fighting?

[551] Yeah, in camp, too.

[552] I don't know.

[553] It was just something that, listen, I'm going to do this.

[554] I'm going to make weight.

[555] I'm going to get everything done.

[556] But I'm going to have my candy.

[557] What kind of candy?

[558] I just liked it, the jolly ranchers, the chewy ones.

[559] Just chewy candy, the starbursts, the gummies.

[560] I always eat those.

[561] But when you train it a lot, it's not bad to have a little extra sugar.

[562] Yeah.

[563] Like Floyd used to drink sodas after trained.

[564] Yeah.

[565] And everybody's like, why would he do that?

[566] Like, then I talked to a nutritionist, and he's like, it's actually after a very hard workout, like sparring and hitting the bag, it's actually a good way to replenish glucose.

[567] Yeah, that's probably why I always was drinking, you know, and cutting weight.

[568] I don't know why.

[569] When I'm cutting weight, I'd be like, all right, even though water, I mean, even though pop going to make me more thirsty, I'd be like, I need to spark.

[570] I need a spark, a cold sprite.

[571] And they'd be like, what?

[572] I'd be like, I just need a spark.

[573] How come you don't eat beef or pork?

[574] I don't eat beef.

[575] Pork is just, you know, bad for you and it's unhealthy.

[576] You know, and I think when beef, I stopped eating beef like, probably like seven years ago, probably more than that.

[577] Yeah.

[578] I had back problems, and I was like, man. My back was just hurting so bad and I didn't know what it was.

[579] So I went to the hospital.

[580] I went to the emergency.

[581] And so they did the MRI and cascan and stuff like that on my back.

[582] And I had backed up shit all up my back.

[583] What?

[584] Backed up shit.

[585] Really?

[586] That was what was hurt in your back?

[587] All beef.

[588] So since I cut out the beef because they said beef is harder to digest and harder for your body to break down.

[589] So I stopped eating beef and I ain't never had none of them issues ever.

[590] That's crazy.

[591] I've never heard anything like that.

[592] Yeah.

[593] So what do you get your protein from?

[594] Uh, chicken.

[595] Just chicken?

[596] Chicken.

[597] Chicken.

[598] Turkey.

[599] Yeah.

[600] Fish.

[601] All that.

[602] Yeah.

[603] So chicken turkey fish.

[604] Yeah.

[605] That's great.

[606] I've never heard anybody have it.

[607] I eat mostly meat.

[608] Yeah.

[609] It's like that's the most of my diet is meat.

[610] You probably got a lot of shit in...

[611] Nope.

[612] No. I bet you you do.

[613] I bet you you you might not do it, but you got a lot of shit.

[614] Maybe I should get an MRI.

[615] No, maybe you should do a colon cleanse or something.

[616] Do you do colon cleansing?

[617] No. Do one and you're going to be amazed.

[618] Really?

[619] I don't know about that.

[620] I don't think there's anything wrong.

[621] I did one, you know, I was doing one in this camp.

[622] Yeah?

[623] And it was crazy.

[624] Like, you know, shit that come out of you, you'd be like, damn, I had that much.

[625] So does you do like a colonic?

[626] Nah, I just, you know.

[627] The colonics rough.

[628] They stick a hose up your ass.

[629] Yeah, I ain't doing that.

[630] I ain't doing that.

[631] What did you do?

[632] What did you take?

[633] No, I just, you know, take, you know, just a little colon cleanse, dietary.

[634] Not like supplements or stuff like that.

[635] Like, just fiber.

[636] Yeah, fiber that makes the shit come out.

[637] And it just, whoa.

[638] Yeah, I did that before camp and stuff.

[639] And I was like, dang.

[640] Yeah.

[641] So if you own, do you have someone that prepares your meals?

[642] Yes.

[643] Yeah?

[644] So you got like a meal prep company.

[645] I got nutritionist.

[646] I got a chef, all that.

[647] And you're also, I saw on, are you a part of that snack thing too?

[648] Yeah.

[649] Yeah.

[650] So that's, what that is is, is.

[651] Is that that dude from Balco?

[652] Yeah.

[653] Victor Conton.

[654] So Victor, he was on the podcast back in the day.

[655] So he's a guy that busted, or he got busted for it with Barry Bonds, the clear where they're giving them that undetectable steroids.

[656] And now he's on the other side of it.

[657] It's making sure that the whole sport is clean.

[658] And nobody knows better than him because he cheated for years.

[659] And they hate it.

[660] They hate it because you see a lot of people like, oh man this dude was a cheater this dude was this dude was that and then you know you can't get nothing past him well he was a cheater but you know just because a guy was a cheat look first of all that's the kind of guy you would want being involved in cheating and catching cheating But he's trying to clean up the whole sport.

[661] Yeah.

[662] Like, it's not like he like, all right, well, you know, I'm sponsoring you, you represent my brand.

[663] He's trying to clean up the whole sport.

[664] So, you know, he's like, why is it like more transparency?

[665] Yeah.

[666] Where's the transparency?

[667] Like, where's this?

[668] Where is that?

[669] Why don't, why can't the world know what's going on?

[670] Mm -hmm.

[671] You know, with the test that's going on.

[672] Yeah.

[673] The public should know, you know, if these fighters is clean or not.

[674] Right.

[675] Because every month, there's fighters coming up positive for steroids or banned substance.

[676] Well, look at the Anthony Joshua, Dillion White fight.

[677] Yeah.

[678] It's canceled two weeks out.

[679] Huge heavyweight fight.

[680] Yeah.

[681] And Dillion White pops.

[682] Yeah.

[683] Yeah.

[684] And that's not the first time.

[685] No, he's popped before, right?

[686] Yeah.

[687] Yeah.

[688] So it's sad for Anthony Joshua to, you know, go through those things that I'm training for this fighter and then he popped now, boom, I'm hit with.

[689] Right.

[690] Got to prepare for somebody else.

[691] And them are the worst ones when they come, you know, at the last minute and they're ready.

[692] Right.

[693] Because some people just train, just waiting for that call.

[694] Right.

[695] You know, you never know.

[696] Also, him fighting Helenas after Deonte starched him.

[697] That's like, because everyone's going to prepare, compare you rather, because Deonte, Deonte hits so hard, it doesn't even make sense.

[698] Yeah.

[699] He hits so, he hits so different than everybody else.

[700] Definitely.

[701] Doesn't make sense, man. The Hellenus fight, he was like moving back and he went like that.

[702] Blop!

[703] Yeah.

[704] And that dude just shut off.

[705] He blessed with dynamite in that right hand.

[706] Like nobody before.

[707] Nobody.

[708] Like nobody.

[709] Like nobody.

[710] In the history of the heavyweight division, we have some giant punchers, Ernie Shavers, George Foreman, Mike Tyson, but I put Deontay at the top of the heap.

[711] Yeah.

[712] Right.

[713] Hey, he, I don't know.

[714] I don't know, man, because those guys, you know what I mean?

[715] They was tough as snails back in the days.

[716] But I think Deonté Wilder, man, he hit you a couple of times with that right hand.

[717] Yeah.

[718] If you ain't Tyson's inferior, you're going to sleep.

[719] Right.

[720] He's the only dude.

[721] He's the only dude.

[722] The first fight was bananas.

[723] Yes.

[724] When he catches him with that right hand and the left hook as he's going down, then Deontay goes like this, ah!

[725] And he thought it was over.

[726] And this motherfucker rises like The Undertaker.

[727] I was like, there is no way.

[728] There's no way.

[729] And then he starts outboxing him.

[730] Like, how?

[731] He beat him last, I mean, I thought he came back and won the rest of the round.

[732] I think he did.

[733] And then he took that strategy into the second fight.

[734] He realized that Deonté does not fight as well when you're going after him.

[735] And so then he just dominates the second fight and dominates the third.

[736] But in the third, when he got rocked once so hard, you could watch the ripple, the shockwave go down his body, and it was jiggling his fat, jiggling his back fat from the shot.

[737] It was just, boom!

[738] I don't think there's another person in the heavyweight division.

[739] I would have ate that shot like Tyson did.

[740] At all.

[741] I think I told everybody both fighters won that fight, the first fight.

[742] I said because...

[743] Tyson Fury, I don't know if he made the count, but any other fighter, you get dropped like that, they was going to call it off.

[744] Because dude literally, boom, looked up, and it was just like...

[745] any other fighter they would have counted out.

[746] And I feel like Tyson Fury won on points.

[747] Yeah.

[748] He was winning the fight.

[749] He got up, still winning.

[750] Second fight, Tyson Fury, hands down.

[751] But the third fight, Deonti Wilder could have made it a better interesting fight, but he got tired.

[752] He was working real well, but he got tired.

[753] But, you know, Tyson Fury's smart.

[754] He started putting that weight on him, started.

[755] laying on him you know what i mean so yeah he's incredible that's the experience you know what i mean so he's incredible yeah and he's such a character too such a fun dude yeah he's funny he's so funny he got so mad at me because i said john jones will fuck him up in the in the octagon yeah he said in a fight in a fight fight fight it's like no man would beat me oh not lock me in a room with any man i'm coming out alive No, John, he's a dangerous dude, man. Y 'all better leave him alone.

[756] Leave him alone.

[757] Yeah.

[758] Well, listen, I believe firmly that if Tyson Fury learned wrestling and learned Muay when he was younger, just like John did, he would be a world champion.

[759] Yeah, but he didn't beat John.

[760] He's not beating John.

[761] No, no, no, no, no, no. No one's beating John.

[762] Even if he was to train when he was little, he's still not being John, John.

[763] He'd have to be a great wrestler, too.

[764] The thing about John is he can do everything.

[765] Everything.

[766] He can do everything.

[767] Everything.

[768] And he's the most, he has the highest octagon IQ.

[769] He's the best at, like, implementing his strategy and utilizing his reach and just figuring out how to get a hold of you.

[770] He's the best.

[771] He's going to find a way to win.

[772] Yeah.

[773] That's my guy.

[774] He's amazing.

[775] He's amazing.

[776] But, like, when it comes to heavyweight boxers, Tyson Fuhr is one of my all -time great.

[777] I have two favorite all -time fighters.

[778] Mike Tyson in his prime, which was just, like, a cultural phenomenon.

[779] Yeah.

[780] Like, when you would watch Mike Tyson fights back in the day, they were executions.

[781] Right.

[782] Like, you were just paying, and you were hoping it lasted a little, because you're paying for the pay -per -view.

[783] Like, I hope he doesn't knock this guy out in 10 seconds.

[784] Yeah.

[785] So you wanted to see something.

[786] Yeah.

[787] And it was literally like two rounds, one round.

[788] It was amazing.

[789] People forget, like, when you see him in his prime, when he was bobbing and weaving.

[790] I was talking to the guys last night at the comedy club, and I was talking about the Marvis Frazier fight.

[791] And that, to me, is the most terrifying version of Mike Tyson.

[792] Because Marvis Frazier really didn't have a chance.

[793] His father was propping him up.

[794] His father wanted him to fight Tyson because, you know, Joe Frazier would have wanted to fight Tyson when he was in his prime.

[795] He's like, I'm going to get my son out there and do it.

[796] And Tyson just came out, guns blazing.

[797] This was Tyson before he won the title.

[798] 24 wins, zero losses, 22 knockouts, and a heavyweight like nobody had ever seen before.

[799] Moved like a lightweight.

[800] The way he was bobbing and weaving and coming in close, he was so fast.

[801] But his punches were just ridiculous angles and accuracy.

[802] I fucking love this fight.

[803] Yeah, nobody was like, especially in the heavyweight division.

[804] No, it was a totally different thing.

[805] This is it.

[806] You see him set up the uppercut?

[807] He pulled, Paul, Paul with that jab, and boom.

[808] It was incredible.

[809] In his prime, I feel like I would have loved to see him against any of the greats, any of the greats.

[810] Joe Lewis, Muhammad Ali, any of the greats, I would love to have seen Tyson in his prime against those guys.

[811] Yeah, if they could take a punch, then it would be interesting.

[812] The punches come so fast.

[813] The thing about Tyson, too, is the speed.

[814] Yeah, that's what I said.

[815] They could take a punch.

[816] The speed was insane.

[817] Because he get hit.

[818] Tyson got hit a lot.

[819] Yeah.

[820] You know, it's just that, you know, he's willing to take a hit to get his powerful hit off.

[821] Well, he also had that neck that started at the top of his ears.

[822] His neck started up here, man. It was a crazy neck, man. He could take a punch better than anybody, better than anybody.

[823] So what you think, let me ask you a question.

[824] Okay.

[825] So what you think about the business side of MMA and boxing?

[826] In what way?

[827] And like, you know, the way of the fighters getting, you know, not getting what they deserve.

[828] In MMA?

[829] And boxing.

[830] Well, you know, it's tricky, right?

[831] Like this whole thing with you and Spence, like trying to negotiate a proper contract.

[832] you know, there's a lot of vultures.

[833] There's a lot of weasels.

[834] The one good thing about the UFC is that there's one organization that controls it.

[835] The one bad thing about the UFC is that there's one organization that controls it.

[836] So you got good and bad.

[837] So like, if I was a manager of a fighter, I would want fighters like your career, where you're tested and you're facing ever -increasing challenges, but it's calculated.

[838] It's calculated, and you get lessons from each fight, and then you build up to a point where you're ready to challenge for a title.

[839] Like, John Jones fought for the title when he was 22.

[840] I mean, it was a last -minute fight.

[841] Rashad Evans got hurt, and John Jones went in to fight Shogun.

[842] John was just so fucking talented, so above everybody else, that he dominated that fight and walked away the world champion and destroyed Shogun.

[843] He opened up the fight with a flying knee.

[844] 22 years old, first title fight opens up with a flying knee.

[845] Who the fuck does that?

[846] Nobody does it.

[847] Everybody would be nervous.

[848] John's just so loose and creative in there.

[849] In MMA, a lot of times fighters get fights that are really not ready for.

[850] Right.

[851] And they have to take the fight.

[852] But I'm not talking about the aspect of, I'm talking about the business side of it.

[853] Well, the business side, it speaks to that as well.

[854] Because for a fighter to get to a point where they're undefeated and they have a big name, then they start getting the big money.

[855] And then they're the headline of the card.

[856] And, you know, I think there's a lot of good in that.

[857] There's a lot of good in preparing a fighter properly.

[858] Like, you see a lot of fighters when they fight for a title.

[859] They might have like 16 -1, 16 -0.

[860] Like, people like undefeated records.

[861] It's very rare that a UFC fighter gets all the way to a title fight without some losses.

[862] Definitely.

[863] I think that also speaks to the style differences, the wrestling, the kickbox, all the different things that you might face inside the Octagon and having to prepare for that.

[864] That's one thing I like about MMA.

[865] You know, those guys, they still, great fighters, they still get praised, you know, even though they probably got five losses.

[866] Yes.

[867] You know, one loss don't define how great they is, you know.

[868] compared to boxing.

[869] Right.

[870] You know, look how the media and how people is bashing, Errol Spence.

[871] Like, he's not great.

[872] Crazy.

[873] You know, I mean, just because he lost to an all -time great fighter and myself, you know, uh...

[874] That's all the fighters that I fought.

[875] You know, once I fight them and, you know, I dismantle them.

[876] They say, oh, well, those guys are weak.

[877] Those guys are not great fighters, though.

[878] Those guys are those guys as tomato cans.

[879] They washed up.

[880] They bombs.

[881] I'm like, dang, how can you disrespect this man?

[882] And he didn't work his ass off to get to the level that he is to even be able to challenge me. You know what I mean?

[883] Can I just be that good?

[884] Why they got to be bums?

[885] Why they got to be tomato cans?

[886] Isn't that there's a lot of noise, though?

[887] There's a lot of people their opinions are stupid.

[888] There's a lot of people their opinions suck.

[889] But if you looked at my whole career, that's what was always said.

[890] Terrence Crawford, I haven't fought anybody.

[891] Terrence Crawford, you know, only fought washed fighters.

[892] Terrence Crawford this, Terrence Crawford, that.

[893] But now, after the spins, that's what I said.

[894] They have to shut the fuck up.

[895] But don't listen to those people.

[896] Like, listen to Andre Ward.

[897] No, they motivate me. You know what I'm saying?

[898] Oh, they do.

[899] They motivate.

[900] You're like David Goggins.

[901] Yeah, I want to see it.

[902] I want to hear.

[903] I want to see it because, you know, that lights that fuel.

[904] Right.

[905] And then I just grab my teeth and be like, er.

[906] Well, one of the most crazy stories about your career is your mom.

[907] It's about how your mom just never gave you any praise.

[908] It's like, nope, not good enough.

[909] She was tough.

[910] She was tough, you know what I mean?

[911] I love my mom to death.

[912] That's my, that's my heart.

[913] It's my girl, you know what I mean?

[914] But that was just her way of pushing me to be great.

[915] You know what I mean?

[916] And she just knew that her son was so competitive.

[917] She was just like, all right, let me see how a competitive view is.

[918] Come here, a little kid.

[919] She would pay people to try to beat you up.

[920] Yeah, well, we have gloves.

[921] We have gloves, you know, because I come from a, my family was all into boxing.

[922] My dad's side of the family, my mom's side of the family, so she was always tough.

[923] So she'll get the little kids in the neighborhood, $5 if they can win.

[924] We'll be in the front yard.

[925] And, you know, I beat them all up.

[926] I beat them all up.

[927] I'd be like, now what, you give me the money.

[928] It's amazing how it worked.

[929] I mean, now, it's not something like I think a psychologist would recommend for raising a child.

[930] Right.

[931] But sometimes they're wrong, you know?

[932] And it depends on the person, whether they can rise to that challenge.

[933] And obviously, it made you great.

[934] Yeah, I think that's why I said, you know...

[935] I love to hear the daughters, the naysayers, because I think it's something in me from my past trauma with my mom.

[936] You know, me trying to prove her wrong, you know, me fighting for her, you know, approval.

[937] So, you know, it goes back to when I was a kid when, you know, she would say, oh, man, you ain't going to win it.

[938] And I go out there and win.

[939] I come back with the belt and she's taking pictures with the belt.

[940] Look on my son.

[941] God, look on my son.

[942] You know what I mean?

[943] But then, you know, when it's just me and hurt, you still ain't shit.

[944] You ain't going to the next one.

[945] You know what I mean?

[946] So I laugh and stuff like that.

[947] That's amazing.

[948] Yeah.

[949] So it was just, you know, my mom knew what she was doing at a, for me at a young age.

[950] She was instilling, you know, mentally toughness because, you know, through anything that's going on in my life, I'm always focused.

[951] No matter what it is, it can be a loud room full of people.

[952] It can be 50 people in the room, and I can be fighting the next day.

[953] And the average person would be like, man, what is you doing, dude?

[954] You got a big fight tomorrow.

[955] Like, you need to be focusing.

[956] You need to be resting.

[957] They need to be out the room.

[958] You know, I'll be sitting there.

[959] I'll be like, I'm good.

[960] I'm not doing nothing.

[961] They're just sitting here talking.

[962] What's wrong with that?

[963] Because I'm so locked in because once I'm focused on something, that's not going to distract me. And I think that comes from my upbringing as well.

[964] Have you ever worked with a sports psychologist or anything?

[965] No. Nothing.

[966] But I used to have to see counselors and stuff like that when I was little.

[967] If you get in trouble.

[968] Huh?

[969] If you get in trouble.

[970] No, I used to get in trouble.

[971] I used to have an anger problem.

[972] I used to be mad at the world.

[973] And I always tell people I don't know why I was so mad.

[974] But then as I got older, I was realized that, you know, my dad was gone.

[975] And I wanted my dad to be there.

[976] Yeah.

[977] And, like, my mom, like, everything, you know, I do wrong.

[978] I was getting a whooping for it.

[979] So it was like...

[980] That's all I know.

[981] You say something I don't like.

[982] I'm whoop your ass.

[983] You do something I don't like.

[984] I'll whoop your ass.

[985] So it was just like everything that I was getting at home for getting in trouble when I go out into the real world, I was doing the same thing that my mom was doing to me. When I get in trouble or say something or do something that she don't like, I was getting a whooping for it.

[986] You're not listening.

[987] So if I'd be like, dude, shut up talking to me. And you're still talking to me, you're not listening.

[988] Now we got to fight.

[989] I got to beat your ass because now you're not listening.

[990] Now you didn't piss me up.

[991] So, you know, I used to get in trouble a lot.

[992] I used to get in trouble a lot.

[993] Well, it seems like with all great fighters, they've overcome some serious problems when they're young.

[994] Yeah.

[995] Like every great fighter.

[996] It's very rare that you have a great fighter that had this, like, perfect upbringing where nothing never went wrong.

[997] Everything was fine, got everything they wanted, anything they needed.

[998] You know, it seems like every fighter has to come.

[999] They have to overcome people downing them, people dismissing them.

[1000] They have to overcome that.

[1001] Oh, yeah, definitely.

[1002] From school to everywhere, you know.

[1003] Yeah.

[1004] A lot of people are...

[1005] I don't think nobody but my family members thought that I was going to turn out to be the guy that I am today.

[1006] Like when I see people that knew me when I was little, they just, you know, like, they just want to cry.

[1007] They just like...

[1008] But I just can't believe how of a man you grown into.

[1009] I would have never believed this to be you.

[1010] Like you talk so well.

[1011] You ain't in trouble.

[1012] You're doing things for the community.

[1013] I'm just in disbelief.

[1014] Like I'm just so proud of you.

[1015] And I just be like, thank you.

[1016] Because nobody thought that I would turn out to be who I am today.

[1017] You know, and it just goes to the show that it don't matter how you start.

[1018] It always matter how you finish.

[1019] Well, it's also your composure.

[1020] You know, you have this ability.

[1021] Like, you can talk shit in the middle of a fight to someone who's sitting ringside.

[1022] Yeah.

[1023] Like, it's kind of amazing.

[1024] You're just always composed.

[1025] Definitely.

[1026] I think it's because you've overcome all that shit.

[1027] But because your mind is centered.

[1028] Yeah.

[1029] Even when we were talking about cars earlier when I was showing you the barracuda, you're like, I don't drive any of my cars, I drive my truck.

[1030] You just listen to all these cool cars you have, you just stay a little key.

[1031] Stay low key and keep it together.

[1032] Stay composed.

[1033] I got to.

[1034] That's just me, you know.

[1035] Yeah.

[1036] I never want to be nothing other than myself.

[1037] Like, I remember my family members, you know, a couple of my friends.

[1038] They're like, man, you need to talk more shit.

[1039] You need to be like Mayweather.

[1040] You need to do this.

[1041] You need to do that.

[1042] I'm like, no, I don't.

[1043] I said that's him.

[1044] That's not me. Right.

[1045] I mean, you see tank them.

[1046] You see all these fighters, you know, broner them.

[1047] You see, that's how you get the money.

[1048] That's how you get the money.

[1049] You got to entertain.

[1050] You got to show the money.

[1051] You got to do this.

[1052] I don't know.

[1053] I'm going to be myself.

[1054] And I thrived on that, you know, because when it's all said and done, when all the money gone, when all the fans done chatting your name.

[1055] Now who you really is.

[1056] Right.

[1057] Now you got to search and find the real you.

[1058] But if the real you been there all along, you're going to be happy.

[1059] You ain't going to have to, you know, go through therapy.

[1060] You ain't going to have to be buying friends.

[1061] You ain't going to be having to stay in the sport to hear that chant again.

[1062] So when you walk away from the sport, you're going to walk away from the sport as a man with your head high and you're just going to wave.

[1063] Yeah, that's beautiful.

[1064] Yeah, definitely.

[1065] Well, you have a rock -solid philosophy.

[1066] I love that.

[1067] It's one of the things I really admire about Andre Ward.

[1068] Andre Ward, Olympic gold medalist, two -division world champion, retires undefeated.

[1069] He's like, I'm gone.

[1070] That's good.

[1071] All my faculty is completely intact.

[1072] And they even offered him a big money fight against Canello after he beat Kovalov.

[1073] After he knocked out Kovalov, they offered money to Andre a lot of money.

[1074] And he's like, I think I better surf boxing as a commentator, which is amazing for a guy who's still in his physical prime.

[1075] I mean, there's video footage of him working out, still in tip -top condition.

[1076] Looks fantastic.

[1077] Yeah, he had a lot of injuries, though.

[1078] Yeah, the shoulder, the big one.

[1079] And the knee.

[1080] The knee was big with the shoulder, and he's a one -armed fighter for most of his career, which is so incredible.

[1081] He beat everybody with a left hand.

[1082] Everybody.

[1083] Went through the whole Super Six tournament.

[1084] Great.

[1085] Beat everybody with a left hand.

[1086] Great.

[1087] Yeah.

[1088] And then finally got it fixed, and fuck Kovalev up in the rematch with the right hand.

[1089] Right.

[1090] It's crazy.

[1091] Crazy.

[1092] I always said I want to retire from boxing.

[1093] I never wanted boxing to retire me. My goal was always to retire at 33.

[1094] 33.

[1095] 33.

[1096] Is it because the fights didn't come?

[1097] No, I just.

[1098] Even before that.

[1099] But why did you decide to keep going?

[1100] I don't know.

[1101] It's just like my body was just like, man, you ain't done.

[1102] You know what I mean?

[1103] Even though, you know, I wanted to retire, it was just like, you're not done.

[1104] Like, you got a lot to prove.

[1105] You got a lot to accomplish.

[1106] You're still in your prime.

[1107] So it's like, all right, keep going because I wanted that mega fight.

[1108] I wanted that big fight to where it's like...

[1109] no denying who Terrence Crawford is, you know, or what he's still for or, you know, the family man he was.

[1110] I wanted the people still to know who Terrence Crawford was.

[1111] And I felt like there was people that knew who I was and that followed me, but it wasn't solidified worldwide yet.

[1112] But look, now even that it is, you still want the next challenge.

[1113] Nah, I really don't have nothing to prove.

[1114] I can walk away right now.

[1115] And I constantly played it on that.

[1116] You know, I do that every day.

[1117] I wake up.

[1118] Do I still want a box?

[1119] Do I still want a box?

[1120] Because I don't need the box because I've done great with my money.

[1121] I invested great with my money.

[1122] I got a lot of great businesses.

[1123] I got a lot of great things that I'm doing.

[1124] So that generate money.

[1125] So I don't need boxing.

[1126] I'm doing this for legacy.

[1127] You know, so if it's not, that's why I said.

[1128] If Charlo move up and wait and they strip them for his belt, there's no need for me and Charlo to fight because he's not undisputed.

[1129] You yelled at him from the rank.

[1130] Of course.

[1131] You're next.

[1132] Of course.

[1133] I've been saying that for years.

[1134] I said I'm going to whoop Spence, then I'm going to whoop you.

[1135] And I meant it.

[1136] You know, but yeah, if he's not undisputed, then, you know, that fight don't, you know, I don't know.

[1137] It's not interesting to me no more because I'm trying to make all -time history.

[1138] Right.

[1139] You know, if the Canello fight, a fight come to fruition, then that's a fight that I'd be willing to take just off the wrist, you know, to be one of the all -time grades that...

[1140] You know, that's a fight.

[1141] That's the one that gets you going.

[1142] I can see in your eyes.

[1143] Yeah.

[1144] Yeah.

[1145] That's a fight.

[1146] Because of the challenge.

[1147] I love the challenges.

[1148] And I love the people that I hear them now.

[1149] You're too little.

[1150] You know, Canelo going to break you.

[1151] He's going to stop you.

[1152] You come from 147.

[1153] That way too big.

[1154] This and that.

[1155] I can hear it now.

[1156] And that just excite me to go in there and just be like, okay.

[1157] Let me prove wrong once again.

[1158] That fight would be gigantic.

[1159] If Canello gets through Jamel and then you guys fight, that fight would be gigantic.

[1160] And it's crazy because, like, in the past interviews.

[1161] I was like, man, Canello too big, man. It's weight classes for a reason.

[1162] I was like, no. But in my mind, my heart, I don't think nobody too big, you know, especially in a fight.

[1163] I'm a fighter.

[1164] But, like, I was thinking like, man, it could happen.

[1165] So you start really sitting down, like, man, that fight maybe can happen.

[1166] Okay, so now you start, you start sizing them up.

[1167] He'd be like, all right, he's 5 -8, I'm 5 -8.

[1168] My arm's longer than his.

[1169] He's bigger than me, but I'm faster.

[1170] You know what I'm?

[1171] So then you start doing the advantages.

[1172] You know what I mean?

[1173] Like, man, we're right there.

[1174] Yeah.

[1175] We're right there, you know what I mean?

[1176] So I was like, man. And it's not like he didn't go up and wait as well.

[1177] Yeah, yeah.

[1178] So that's why I was like, man, that's a fight.

[1179] And it's the same kind of fighter, too, because, like, that's why he went up and fought Beval.

[1180] That's why he fought Koval.

[1181] He won that challenge for him to go up from junior middleweight all the way up to light, heavyweight, and win the title.

[1182] Definitely.

[1183] But going up and becoming undisputed against Canello...

[1184] Woo!

[1185] Who!

[1186] Come on, man. I'm flying in the sunset, man. Thank you boxing gods.

[1187] That would be it?

[1188] That would be it.

[1189] Yeah.

[1190] That's the only thing get for me. I didn't accomplish everything there is to accomplish in the sport of boxing.

[1191] You know...

[1192] There's really nothing for me to accomplish right now.

[1193] Like anything, it's about the money now.

[1194] It's about the money.

[1195] You know, I'm not going to sit here and say it's not, but the money and to beat Canelo, if that fight was ever to happen, come on, man. Y 'all better leave me along.

[1196] Leave me alone, man. Call me, you know what I mean?

[1197] TBC, man. Yeah.

[1198] Yeah, man. That's what I've been thinking about.

[1199] I don't know why.

[1200] You know, I was just like, man, the last few days I was like, man, I don't know if it's God talking to me or what.

[1201] But that's a fight that if he win, if Canella win, then...

[1202] Yeah, I'm gonna try to pursue that.

[1203] I love that.

[1204] I love that mentality.

[1205] I do.

[1206] I love it.

[1207] I love it.

[1208] Because that's where it's at.

[1209] That's what makes all -time grades.

[1210] Yeah.

[1211] It's like you have to have that mountain to climb.

[1212] But nobody went up.

[1213] I don't think nobody went up three -way classes.

[1214] Well, didn't Roy?

[1215] Roy started 160.

[1216] No, I'm saying.

[1217] I'm saying.

[1218] Not at once.

[1219] Right.

[1220] You know what I mean?

[1221] From 147 to 168.

[1222] No, the closest is that is when Canella went up 68 to 75, starting at 54.

[1223] Yeah.

[1224] No, not starting.

[1225] I'm saying, I start at 135.

[1226] Right, that's true.

[1227] That's true.

[1228] You know what I mean?

[1229] I'm just saying, like, say if Conella was the champion at 147 to go up 168.

[1230] Right, right, right in one jump.

[1231] Yeah, and one jump.

[1232] It's a big jump, too.

[1233] 21 pounds.

[1234] It's a lot of weight.

[1235] It's a lot of weight.

[1236] Yeah, that's exciting.

[1237] I sparred big guys, though.

[1238] Do you?

[1239] Yeah, I sparred big guys.

[1240] That's why I'm like, I started thinking like, man. I probably can be great.

[1241] I probably can be great, you know what I mean?

[1242] But, you know, it's different in the fight.

[1243] But I believe in my skills and my ability.

[1244] And I believe in my team.

[1245] I believe we'll come up with something that, you know, would be suitable for me to be successful in that fight.

[1246] That would probably be the biggest fighting in boxing.

[1247] Definitely.

[1248] That fight would be gigantic.

[1249] It would.

[1250] That would be a big one.

[1251] I have to go to that one.

[1252] Definitely.

[1253] I got to go there live.

[1254] You were supposed to go to this last one?

[1255] I couldn't.

[1256] That was at the UFC.

[1257] I wanted to go.

[1258] It's crazy how they had it on the same day.

[1259] Yeah, it sucked.

[1260] But it was good because my fight was early.

[1261] Then y 'all fight was later on that night, so...

[1262] I didn't, unfortunately, somebody spoiled it for me. Oh, they did?

[1263] Yeah, they spoiled it for me. Then I said, all right, let me watch the highlights.

[1264] Yeah.

[1265] I was just watched the highlights on my phone.

[1266] I was like, oh, shit.

[1267] Yeah.

[1268] And then I got home and watched the whole fight on the big screen.

[1269] That's what so.

[1270] That's what so.

[1271] I actually got Paramount Plus just for you.

[1272] Yeah.

[1273] So I could watch it.

[1274] You couldn't watch it anywhere else after it was already aired.

[1275] I appreciate it.

[1276] It is magnificent, man. I just, I love excellence.

[1277] I love when someone just rises to the top of...

[1278] a shark -infested pool, because that's what boxing is, you know, and when you're at your level, and when you could perform that way against a guy like Errol Spence, against a guy as an undefeated, you know, elite champion, and for you to perform that way, this is what, to me, that's what boxing is all about, when one person shows that there are levels upon levels upon levels, upon levels.

[1279] Yeah.

[1280] You know, and then it puts you in this category where people go, okay, well, what other champions can move around in weight classes or go up or come down?

[1281] Like, you know, there's, I know there's been a lot of discussion about different people from different weight classes coming up to you.

[1282] Is there anything else that's interesting to you other than Canello or Jamel?

[1283] Nah.

[1284] Nothing.

[1285] Nope.

[1286] You just need, like, dragons to slay.

[1287] You know what I mean?

[1288] Like, at this point in your life, you can't even fight a regular fighter.

[1289] Yeah, like, I don't know, like, I get excited.

[1290] I don't know why.

[1291] I get excited when I talk about Canelo, like, I used to get excited about Pac -Yal.

[1292] Really?

[1293] You know, I used to get so excited.

[1294] I'm gonna be able to fight Pachial, you know, because - Is that the one you think got away?

[1295] Yeah, it definitely did.

[1296] It definitely did.

[1297] I tried my eyes off.

[1298] What stopped that fight from - They didn't want to fight?

[1299] It's too dangerous.

[1300] They didn't want to fight.

[1301] Freddy Roach said he didn't want to fight.

[1302] They hit Pachial Handlers didn't want to fight.

[1303] You know, I believe Pachial, as a fighter, he wanted to fight, but they didn't want to fight for him, so, you know.

[1304] It just got away.

[1305] Looking back at Floyd career, like him coming up in the era that he came up in, he had all them champions that he was able to fight.

[1306] And that's what let him to be so great, you know, because he fought the most champions, beat the most champions, you know, got the most money for beating the most champions.

[1307] So it was just like, man, he had this guy, this guy, this guy, this guy, this guy.

[1308] Back to back, the fight, one after one.

[1309] You know, and when I was coming at the peak of my career, they all retired.

[1310] You know what I mean?

[1311] So it's like, I can't get these guys the name on my resume.

[1312] You know what I mean?

[1313] So it's just like, you know, I don't know.

[1314] Now I'm the old guy in the era, you know, that the young guys want to try to get a piece of, to build their legacy and put names on their resume.

[1315] And it's just going to keep, history going to keep repeating itself.

[1316] Yeah, there's always going to be a new guy coming up.

[1317] And like right now you got boot tennis in your weight class.

[1318] Definitely.

[1319] What do you think about him?

[1320] Oh, he's very talented.

[1321] He's unproven, but he's very talented.

[1322] You know, the eye test tells it all.

[1323] You know, he's got the it, you know, but we haven't seen him against any elite fighter.

[1324] We've never seen him tested, so until then, you know, we just going to keep saying, oh, boots, boots, boots, until he meet that fighter that's going to test him.

[1325] Is he the mandatory?

[1326] Yeah, I probably got like three mandatories.

[1327] Really?

[1328] Oh, right, four -way classes, four belts.

[1329] Yeah.

[1330] Is that a fight that you would be interested in?

[1331] Nah.

[1332] Yeah.

[1333] It just don't make sense right now in my career, like I said, like, especially money -wise.

[1334] Don't nobody really, no boots, but us.

[1335] You know, I'm looking for bigger and better challenges like Canella.

[1336] You're just looking for the big ones.

[1337] Yeah.

[1338] The big fish.

[1339] Yeah.

[1340] Fish fry.

[1341] Definitely.

[1342] Them the guys I'm looking for, you know.

[1343] Why do you say fish fry?

[1344] Because he called itself the big fish.

[1345] You know, Arrow said he was the big fish, and I said, we was going to fry him.

[1346] We was going to reel them in.

[1347] We was going to put him on the bank.

[1348] We was going to gut them.

[1349] We was going to fillet him.

[1350] Then we was going to fry him.

[1351] And that's what happened.

[1352] Yeah, and you did it.

[1353] When boxing is, this is a great time for boxing.

[1354] There's so many stars coming up right now.

[1355] And everybody fighting each other.

[1356] Yeah.

[1357] What did you think of the Lomachenko -Devin Haney fight?

[1358] That was a great fight.

[1359] I was actually ringside.

[1360] You know, Devon showed a lot of heart grit.

[1361] Canelo showed a lot of heart and grit.

[1362] Lomachenko.

[1363] I mean, yeah.

[1364] I said, Canelo.

[1365] See, my mind.

[1366] He's like, you're locked in.

[1367] Yes.

[1368] Lomachinko, he showed a lot of heart and grit.

[1369] And, you know, they fought their ass off.

[1370] You know, they fought their ass off.

[1371] And the better man won that day.

[1372] Did you think that the decision made sense?

[1373] Man, listen, I'm not no judge.

[1374] I always tell people I'm not a judge.

[1375] I can't, you know, tell a person that's been judging probably longer than I've been boxing, you know, what he's basing his rounds on or why he give what round to who.

[1376] we can argue all day, but that ain't going to change the results.

[1377] Right.

[1378] So I just don't get into it.

[1379] I just hope that I never be on the end of that.

[1380] That's it.

[1381] Right.

[1382] Yeah, that's what unfortunate is that it was such a great fight, but so many people thought the decision wasn't right, that it sort of diminished the accomplishments of both fighters.

[1383] Because Devin Haney fought a brilliant fight, and so did Lomachenko.

[1384] I mean, Lomachenko turned the clock back.

[1385] It looked incredible.

[1386] Yeah, both of them put on a show.

[1387] You know, I was, I was rooting for Devon the whole time, you know.

[1388] But both of them put a hell of a show on.

[1389] And, you know, I got to tip my hats off to them because, you know, they put it all on the line.

[1390] Yeah, and, you know, that weight class is a fucking stacked weight class, too.

[1391] When Devin Haney beat Cambosis and beat him twice and just the way he did it, like the way he looked.

[1392] Oh, I already knew that.

[1393] You already knew that?

[1394] Definitely.

[1395] Not taking nothing away from Cambosis.

[1396] It's just levels.

[1397] Levels.

[1398] You know, it's a reason why, you know, people was avoiding Devin and Shakur.

[1399] Right.

[1400] Because those two boxing...

[1401] Phenops, you know.

[1402] If you're not on that level mentally, you're not even going to compete with those two dudes.

[1403] Right.

[1404] You know.

[1405] It's such an interesting thing because a lot of people don't know.

[1406] You know, the general public, when someone gets to, like, an elite level, they need some high -profile fight in order for people to realize.

[1407] Because all the boxing fans realize, like Shakur is a great example.

[1408] It's not really a household name, but he should be.

[1409] I mean, he's an elite fighter.

[1410] He's so fucking good.

[1411] But he needs, like, a big, high -profile fight, like, Dravante did, you know, against Ryan.

[1412] I want to fight him.

[1413] Right, right.

[1414] Nobody want to fight them.

[1415] And I see why.

[1416] You know, I get it.

[1417] But at the same time, you know, they're going to have to see them sooner or later.

[1418] No matter what, no matter how far they go, they're going to have to see them sooner or later.

[1419] So, you know, all these fighters, you know, he's calling out everybody.

[1420] He's calling out the pit bull.

[1421] He's calling out Lomachinko.

[1422] Yeah.

[1423] He's calling out Devin.

[1424] He's calling out, you know, Tane.

[1425] He's calling out everybody.

[1426] Yeah.

[1427] He wants to fight everybody right now.

[1428] Right.

[1429] You know, and, uh, it's a dangerous man when you know how talented he is.

[1430] And he's motivated.

[1431] He's focused.

[1432] He's stay in the gym.

[1433] He's a gym rap.

[1434] He loves boxing to the core.

[1435] Like, Yeah, that's a dangerous man right now because he got something on his mind that, you know, he want to accomplish.

[1436] And he's still very young.

[1437] Yeah.

[1438] Very young and still getting better with every fight.

[1439] Him versus Tank would be insane.

[1440] Yeah.

[1441] Tank is one of the most interesting fighters to watch.

[1442] Because he's so different.

[1443] His style is so different.

[1444] You know, he's so economical.

[1445] Like, he puts pressure on guys without throwing too many punches.

[1446] And then he starts to figure your holes out.

[1447] And the way he can explode and move in with one shot, my God.

[1448] Yeah, he's very explosive.

[1449] He's very explosive.

[1450] And, you know, man, he'd be cracking them dudes.

[1451] God.

[1452] Crazy people.

[1453] He be put him in sleep.

[1454] Just cracking people.

[1455] Yeah.

[1456] And he has so much confidence in his power.

[1457] So much confidence in his power.

[1458] He doesn't even fuck if he's giving away a couple of rounds.

[1459] Yeah, he'd definitely be giving away rounds.

[1460] But, you know, he just, in his mind, he know it's a matter of time before I catch you.

[1461] Yeah.

[1462] And that's the thing with Tank, you know, these fighters, you know, you got to be aware.

[1463] Yeah.

[1464] 15 rounds.

[1465] I know you're going 12, but you gotta think you're going three more because, you know, the slightest slip, and we've seen it.

[1466] Yeah.

[1467] You know, time and time again, one slip, one mistake, and it's over.

[1468] Yeah.

[1469] You know, so...

[1470] You know, hats off to Tank.

[1471] You know, he's a great, talented fighter.

[1472] But again, he haven't faced the top elite fighters in his division.

[1473] Right.

[1474] You know, so we want to see Tank against, you know, somebody his size, you know, at the elite level.

[1475] Yeah.

[1476] And I believe he'll do good because, you know, he got the skills, the power.

[1477] He got the ring IQ to do good.

[1478] But we haven't seen that yet.

[1479] Yeah, he's also wild.

[1480] He's a wild fella, so he's fun to watch.

[1481] He's just a crazy dude.

[1482] Yeah.

[1483] Coming from Baltimore, man, I think that's just his upbringing as well, you know, product of his own environment.

[1484] Yes, yes, for sure.

[1485] He's just so unique in his approach.

[1486] Like, you know, he doesn't fight like anybody else.

[1487] Yeah.

[1488] It's all right.

[1489] I just get very frustrated when there's amazing fights that are on the table that don't get made, you know, like Usik and Tyson Fury.

[1490] Yeah.

[1491] I was like, I want to see.

[1492] I know Uc is small, right?

[1493] I know he's small for the weight class, but God damn, that dude is good.

[1494] God damn, he's good.

[1495] And the pace that he fights at for at heavyweight is insane.

[1496] Definitely.

[1497] I think that goes back to, you know, the business, you know.

[1498] The business side, you know, U -Sik is, you know, a great fighter and it has accomplished great things in the sport of boxing and for him to get disrespected, you know, in the negotiations, because I'm pretty sure that's probably what it came down to.

[1499] Yeah.

[1500] is not right.

[1501] Well, he was willing to accept 70 -30, which is crazy.

[1502] But he's like, I just, I want this fight.

[1503] This is a big fight.

[1504] And he must realize also that 30 % of a Tyson Fury fight is probably bigger than anything he's ever had before in his life.

[1505] But I still honestly think, you know, he deserved more than that.

[1506] I think so too.

[1507] You know?

[1508] But I love the fact that he said yes.

[1509] Yeah.

[1510] And then it still didn't happen.

[1511] Right.

[1512] So, you know, who was behind the reason why it didn't happen?

[1513] Yeah, I don't know.

[1514] That's when you start asking those type of questions.

[1515] Who do you think was behind it?

[1516] I don't know.

[1517] I can't say.

[1518] I wasn't, you know, in the negotiations, but, you know, it should be some type of form where, you know, these fights should be mandatory to happen.

[1519] So you can clean up the sport of boxing.

[1520] It can only be one champion and one division, like the UFC.

[1521] Right.

[1522] You know, I think we got too many titles.

[1523] I think we got too many sanction bodies.

[1524] I think, you know, we need to clean up the sport as a whole.

[1525] I think the fights need, I mean, the fighters need, you know, pensions, we need 401ks.

[1526] We need a union.

[1527] We need health insurance.

[1528] I think we need all that.

[1529] You know, we put our life on the line to go out here and entertain, you know, the people.

[1530] And once we're done entertaining, we leave home, you know, and we come home not the same fighter that we once was when we left, you know.

[1531] And it's heartbreaking to see a lot of these old -time fighters.

[1532] you know, that speaking impaired and, you know, can't enjoy the fruit of their labor or just flat out broke.

[1533] And they gave their life to the sport and doesn't have anything to show for.

[1534] And I think that's wrong.

[1535] I think, you know, we need to create something to where...

[1536] at least the fighters can, you know, live comfortable after the sport of boxing, given if, you know, something dramatic was to happen or, you know, you didn't put in a certain amount of years in a sport that you can pay on your own to have you a 401K.

[1537] So when you retire, you got some type of income coming in because...

[1538] When you're getting that much money so fast and so frequently, you just spend it.

[1539] You just spend it because in your mind, I'm going to fight again and I'm going to get it again.

[1540] I'm going to fight again.

[1541] Then I'm going to get it again.

[1542] But then you start living off of that.

[1543] And then once you get to the end, until end of your career, you're like, damn, I didn't spend it.

[1544] millions or millions and i got a couple of more fights now you're struggling you know because you gotta pay taxes if not they come and take everything you got and then you know you pay taxes now you got not even half of that and now you're looking like damn i gotta make this stretch and then you ain't got no work ethic skills because you've been boxing your whole life you didn't go to college to get no uh curricular skills and other lanes so uh Yeah, I think we need to create something to clean up the supporter boxing.

[1545] Do you think it's possible to eliminate the sanctioning bodies?

[1546] I mean, the only person that can kind of do it is a guy like you.

[1547] Because, like, if you're a world champion in four different organizations, you're undisputed.

[1548] There's no one that can say that the Walterway champion of the world except for Terrence Crawford.

[1549] If you say...

[1550] All these belts are bullshit.

[1551] Like, I'm the fucking champion, whether it's the ring magazine belt or whatever you sanctioned, whatever you sanctioned.

[1552] Do you think it's possible to do something like that?

[1553] I think it is.

[1554] I think anything is possible.

[1555] You know, I think, you know, Floyd, I think Conno, they showed us time and time again that it's not...

[1556] About the belts.

[1557] When you get to a certain point in your career, you bigger than the belts.

[1558] Coming up, everybody want to be a champion.

[1559] But once you get your name out there and you become a megastar, a star, the belts don't mean nothing.

[1560] We're paying for the belts.

[1561] How much do you have to pay?

[1562] We got to pay, like, what, 3%.

[1563] Three percent?

[1564] Two percent, three percent.

[1565] That's crazy.

[1566] Definitely.

[1567] That's so crazy.

[1568] It's like, I'm paying you to make me a belt.

[1569] And do you have to pay three percent to each individual's section?

[1570] Yeah.

[1571] Wow.

[1572] Some of them is different.

[1573] Some of them is three, some of them, too.

[1574] You know, so it's like I'm paying for you to come out here and watch me fight to give me a belt that, you know what I mean, I'm already paying for.

[1575] Like...

[1576] Come on now.

[1577] I'm paying you.

[1578] You're not paying me. I'm paying you.

[1579] So the only one that really matter is the ring belt because it's free.

[1580] It's free.

[1581] Why do I got to pay to be champion?

[1582] Once you start thinking about that like, dang.

[1583] Yeah.

[1584] I'm paying all this money.

[1585] And the Ring Magazine belt is as respected as any of them.

[1586] Yeah.

[1587] That's the number one guy in the division.

[1588] Yeah.

[1589] That's how it should be.

[1590] I don't think, you know, a champion should have to pay to be champion.

[1591] No. And where is all the other money going to?

[1592] Yeah.

[1593] You know, especially when you get to these high -price fights, you know, that two and three percent is turning into a lot of money.

[1594] Yes.

[1595] So you're like, okay, so what is you doing with the money?

[1596] Right.

[1597] Where's the money going to?

[1598] Where's the value?

[1599] Yeah.

[1600] Yeah.

[1601] The value is entirely in you.

[1602] Definitely.

[1603] And you and your name, that's a, people don't give a fuck about those three letters.

[1604] At all.

[1605] At all.

[1606] They just know Terence Crawford's the best.

[1607] And who he's fighting?

[1608] Who cares?

[1609] Like, whatever it is, that's the big fight.

[1610] It doesn't...

[1611] WBO, WBC, NibF, nobody gives a fuck.

[1612] They don't.

[1613] Nobody gives a fuck.

[1614] They care about who you beat.

[1615] Oh, you just beat the...

[1616] Nobody, you know what I mean?

[1617] Care about the belts?

[1618] You know, yeah, it's cool to say, you know what I mean...

[1619] he's an undisputed champion of the world, you know what I mean?

[1620] Or he's a champion of the world.

[1621] That's beautiful.

[1622] You know what I mean?

[1623] That's history.

[1624] That's legacy.

[1625] But at the end of the day, you know, um, It's all about the man's future.

[1626] Yeah.

[1627] You know, that money that we spending on them belts and then with them sanctioned bodies can go to our kids and our family.

[1628] Yes.

[1629] You know, so it's a lot of money that.

[1630] A lot of leeches.

[1631] Yeah.

[1632] Yeah.

[1633] What do you think about what Floyd's doing?

[1634] What Floyd's doing is kind of crazy.

[1635] I love it.

[1636] It's amazing.

[1637] He's making more money than most boxers just fighting people who have zero chance.

[1638] I love it.

[1639] I love it because it's entertainment.

[1640] Yes.

[1641] You know.

[1642] Ali did it.

[1643] Tyson did it.

[1644] Like, why can't Floyd do it?

[1645] A lot of people...

[1646] Well, Floyd's doing it better than anybody.

[1647] Yeah, that's what I was about to say.

[1648] A lot of people getting mad because how well he's doing it.

[1649] Yeah.

[1650] But if I was in Floyd position and I got the opportunity...

[1651] to do what Floyd is doing right now, travel the world, sparring.

[1652] Yeah.

[1653] You know, I would do it.

[1654] We spar for free.

[1655] Right.

[1656] You know, why not spar for some millions of dollars?

[1657] It's not going on my record.

[1658] I'm entertaining.

[1659] You know, I'm getting a workout at the same time.

[1660] Why not?

[1661] Right.

[1662] No, I agree.

[1663] I think it's amazing.

[1664] I just love the fact that he's gained the system.

[1665] Yeah.

[1666] You know, because the system is you get to a certain point in time.

[1667] You're a champion.

[1668] Make as much money as you possibly can.

[1669] You retire.

[1670] And then there's no more money.

[1671] And Floyd's like, let me just box some people that have zero chance.

[1672] Yeah.

[1673] And then now with what's going on like Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, like you can get paid insane amounts of money.

[1674] Like if you're Floyd, people just want to see you perform.

[1675] Definitely.

[1676] And he just...

[1677] Not just if you're Floyd.

[1678] You see Tyson Fury now went over there and...

[1679] Well, he's got to fight in Ghana.

[1680] Yeah.

[1681] That's happening in October.

[1682] That is an interesting thing.

[1683] That's an interesting thing because you got a guy in Francis Ingano, who was the heavyweight champ, retired from the UFC, left the UFC as the champ, but has zero professional boxing fights.

[1684] He has no chance.

[1685] We're not.

[1686] When I was doing an interview at the UFC gym, they asked me about the fight.

[1687] I said, you have no chance.

[1688] Tyson Fury all day.

[1689] You're talking about one of the best heavyweights.

[1690] Ever.

[1691] Ever.

[1692] You know what I mean?

[1693] And you think this guy with no boxing experience going to come in there and just beat him, he don't hit harder than tight up.

[1694] He don't hit harder than Diarte Wilder.

[1695] No, nobody hits harder than Deont.

[1696] So what you think this guy going to do with them 10 -ounce gloves on?

[1697] Now, with four ounces, six ounces, what he wear, he probably was strong.

[1698] But add some more ounces on, you know, it's a different game.

[1699] He's going to get tired.

[1700] You know, it's going to be a different game.

[1701] Yeah, he doesn't have the experience.

[1702] And to go from, listen, I think that he could have a, he's also 36.

[1703] Yeah.

[1704] you know, he could have a career as a heavyweight boxer because he hit so fucking hard.

[1705] If they built him up and he starts fighting guys and, you know, different styles and gets to a point where he's really got experience a few years down the line, he could fight world -class fighters.

[1706] I think he could fight good boxers.

[1707] If he learns those lessons.

[1708] I don't know.

[1709] But to do it at 36, that's what I'm saying.

[1710] That's a little up there, you know.

[1711] That's up there.

[1712] It's going to take some years to develop him.

[1713] A long time.

[1714] To take him through them steps and get tested.

[1715] Yeah.

[1716] You know, he's walking right into the championship with nothing.

[1717] It's kind of crazy.

[1718] Yeah.

[1719] I command him, though.

[1720] Oh, well, he wants the bag.

[1721] He's going to get a big one.

[1722] I mean, I don't know what he's going to get paid, but it's going to be more money than he's ever made before.

[1723] Right.

[1724] I believe him.

[1725] Yeah.

[1726] That's why all those M .M .A. guys coming over to boxing.

[1727] Mm -hmm.

[1728] Trying to, you know, they see kind of McGregor.

[1729] They're like, oh, made all that money?

[1730] Yeah.

[1731] Let me try.

[1732] Yeah.

[1733] That was a fascinating fight, Connor versus Floyd.

[1734] It was fascinating.

[1735] Because Conner's a talented fighter, but to just jump right in against the best ever.

[1736] Like, it's just...

[1737] Hey, he did what he had to do, even.

[1738] Yeah.

[1739] Got that bad.

[1740] That's all it comes down to, you know, solidifying yourself and taking care of your family.

[1741] You know, that's why I say a lot of people they look at a lot of these boxers that have a loss, and then they just think they're not good or, you know, great.

[1742] Man, them guys train their ass off.

[1743] You know what these fighters go through in the MMA and boxing?

[1744] And fighters go through the most to just entertain and put food on the tables for their family and their children take care of them, and they don't get the recognition or respect that they deserve.

[1745] No. You know, you see all these.

[1746] Other sports, they get praised.

[1747] But boxing and MMA is, man, that shit is hard.

[1748] It's like you versus one man, like, brutally, like, trying to kill each other, you know, for some money, you know, for people to be cheering.

[1749] And it's like, you don't know.

[1750] The fight is the easy part.

[1751] You see, like, you don't see the injuries I had to overcome in training camp.

[1752] You don't see all the mornings I had to get up when I was tired.

[1753] You didn't see all the, you know, the hard, other training that I had to do to get to right now.

[1754] They see things right now.

[1755] They don't see.

[1756] The years that I had to do just to get to this point.

[1757] You know, they don't see all the sacrifices I had to make to get to this point.

[1758] They just see you right now.

[1759] Right.

[1760] You know, they could have been a fan of you from your last fight.

[1761] But what about...

[1762] You before that last fight, what about you, the whole 10 plus years that you've been doing this sport as a professional?

[1763] What about that?

[1764] And it's just like, man, like, I didn't work my ass off to get to this point right now.

[1765] And it's like, this shit didn't come easy.

[1766] No. Like, you might think it is because you just now noticing.

[1767] me and my career, but this shit was hard.

[1768] Like, who thinks getting punched in the face and the head is, that's tough living.

[1769] It's tough living, especially at a championship level.

[1770] That's tough living.

[1771] I think most people will, don't have any comprehension of the amount of sacrifice, the amount of just determination and will and discipline that you have to have.

[1772] Yeah.

[1773] It's hard, man. My kids.

[1774] No. No football, no boxing.

[1775] Good for you.

[1776] They hate it, but when you get your to a point where you can make decisions on your own, I'm out of it.

[1777] But I'd rather you keep wrestling, keep playing basketball.

[1778] It's college tuition already paid for, so y 'all good.

[1779] You know, think of something else.

[1780] Go play soccer.

[1781] Go play tennis or something.

[1782] Go play baseball.

[1783] You know, um...

[1784] Coming up in the hood, there's three things that the black community raise.

[1785] Basketball, football, boxers, wrestlers as well, but you can't make no money at wrestling.

[1786] That's you UFC.

[1787] But yeah, like, come on now.

[1788] There's other sports that you can do.

[1789] Golf, they make a lot of money.

[1790] Baseball, they make a lot of money.

[1791] Soccer, they make a shit ton of money.

[1792] So it's like, you know, when they little, they just be like, I want to make a lot of money.

[1793] I want to be a basketball player.

[1794] Well, you're not going to be six, five.

[1795] You're going to be four eleven.

[1796] No. It's always the real, real short, you know, kids that's talking about they want to go to the NBA.

[1797] And always get mad when the people say, you can be whatever you want to be.

[1798] No, you can't.

[1799] That was a lie.

[1800] You cannot be whatever you want to be, no matter what you say, how hard you train genetics is genetics.

[1801] You know, football, you might be too small.

[1802] Basketball, you might be too short.

[1803] You can't be the president just because you want to be the president.

[1804] Right.

[1805] So don't tell this person he could be whatever you want to be.

[1806] Then you grow up thinking, I want to be the president.

[1807] Right.

[1808] Well, you can try.

[1809] I'm not going to kill your dreams, but it's going to be hard for you to be the president.

[1810] Yeah.

[1811] Well, at least the president doesn't rely too much on genetics.

[1812] Yeah.

[1813] Because we were talking about this last night that there's levels upon levels upon levels.

[1814] And the truly elite have everything.

[1815] They have talent.

[1816] They have the mind for it.

[1817] They have the genetics.

[1818] And they have the training.

[1819] And they have the discipline.

[1820] Because some really talented people don't work as hard.

[1821] Definitely.

[1822] We've all encountered it.

[1823] That's the Buster Douglas story, right?

[1824] Super talented.

[1825] Just only really applied himself during the Tyson fight.

[1826] you know in camp and look at look how he came out his mama died he was devastated heartbroken and he decided he was going to win the fight for his mother trained like a fucking demon and came outboxed tyson was hitting him with that jab left hook like what yeah like who fucking expected that he looks so good he looked like an all -time great in that fight I remember watching that fight and watching the Tyson Holyfield fight in my mom living room on the box TVs with the big backs and stuff.

[1827] Yeah, man, I used to be like, man, dang, man, it was kind of sad watching Tyson lose his first fight.

[1828] It was unbelievable.

[1829] Even though I saw the fight after the result.

[1830] I didn't see the fight when it happened.

[1831] I saw it afterwards.

[1832] I knew what happened, and I still couldn't believe it.

[1833] I'm like, he's going to get up.

[1834] He's going to get up.

[1835] He's going to win.

[1836] He always wins.

[1837] He's going to win.

[1838] He couldn't believe.

[1839] That's how...

[1840] revered Mike Tyson was.

[1841] Everything was, like, silent.

[1842] It's crazy.

[1843] Everybody was just like, what?

[1844] And then, like, when Roy Jones Jr. got knocked out by Tarver.

[1845] Yeah.

[1846] Like, man, people was crying in my house.

[1847] Like, we was...

[1848] Well, we was at my coach house.

[1849] People was crying.

[1850] I was, like, man. I was, like, heartbroken.

[1851] Like, you know, like, when you go on a roller coaster, then you go down and your stomach sink in.

[1852] Yeah.

[1853] That's how I was like...

[1854] Oh, Roy.

[1855] I know.

[1856] Dang, man. Like, I couldn't believe it.

[1857] I'm like, man. I just knew Roy was going to win.

[1858] I was like, man, he shouldn't afford him again.

[1859] I was like, he should have just took the win and then fight him again.

[1860] Well, he had gone all the way up to heavyweight and all the way back down to light heavyweight.

[1861] And I think that weight cut was brutal.

[1862] But he still won, though.

[1863] Yeah.

[1864] He shouldn't have fought him again.

[1865] Right.

[1866] I sound like a little kid.

[1867] I should have fought him again, man. And I like, and I'm cool, cool as hell with Tarver.

[1868] You know what I mean?

[1869] Both of them.

[1870] Tarver's a great fighter.

[1871] You know what I mean?

[1872] But he shouldn't have fought him again.

[1873] But when they were reading the instructions to him, and he said, you got any excuses tonight, Roy?

[1874] I was like, oh, my God.

[1875] That was heavy.

[1876] Yeah.

[1877] And he went on to knock him out.

[1878] Oof.

[1879] That was legendary.

[1880] That was a rough one, but for me, the rougher one was Glenn Johnson.

[1881] when Glenn Johnson knocked him out because he was stiff.

[1882] And that was right after the Tarver knockout.

[1883] And he didn't even look like he hit him that hard.

[1884] I just think, you know, after that, Roy just couldn't take the punches no more.

[1885] Right.

[1886] Because it seemed like, you know, his body wasn't reacting the same way to the punches.

[1887] You know, every time he get hit with a clean shot, it was like rattling on him.

[1888] Mm -hmm.

[1889] You know, and I always tell people, it's not the punch.

[1890] It's your brain.

[1891] We got to have that water.

[1892] A lot of people be dehydrating themselves to the fact where, you know, they're losing too much water in their brain.

[1893] And then once they get hit, their brain is knocking against nothing.

[1894] It's your skull.

[1895] And then that snap.

[1896] That's what knocks them out.

[1897] Yeah, you see a lot of that in MMA.

[1898] Guys cut a tremendous amount of weight in MMA.

[1899] Man, you know, I got friends that's in the MMA, and I've never seen somebody lose so much weight in one day just to make weight.

[1900] It's crazy.

[1901] It's like, man, them dudes losing like 12 pounds.

[1902] More.

[1903] I'm like, how y 'all losing so much weight in one day?

[1904] Like, nah, y 'all are crazy?

[1905] Yeah.

[1906] Yeah, and they can't even use IVs.

[1907] Yeah.

[1908] You guys can use IVs to rehydrate?

[1909] No?

[1910] We can't use IVs either.

[1911] No?

[1912] When did they change that?

[1913] I ain't never knew that.

[1914] They changed anything.

[1915] I think that was legal because you didn't know when Floyd fought a pack yard, that was a thing, that he was using IVs or something like that.

[1916] But yeah, you can't use that stuff.

[1917] Yeah, that was the way the fighters always recuperated.

[1918] They always took IVs.

[1919] And then USA came along, and apparently you can use the IV to mask performance -enhancing drugs.

[1920] That's why they outlawed it.

[1921] Yeah.

[1922] I think that was the thing.

[1923] I think the weight cutting in MMAs, they should ban it.

[1924] And I don't know how they could do it, but...

[1925] Y 'all need more weight classes.

[1926] That's the problem.

[1927] Because when...

[1928] When you're talking about lightweight, and then you're going from, what is it, 155?

[1929] 155 to 170.

[1930] Yeah, 155 to 170.

[1931] It's a giant jump.

[1932] How about 185 to 205?

[1933] Yeah, that's what I'm saying.

[1934] So it's like, man, we got to because we damn show and can't go up there.

[1935] Yeah.

[1936] You're one of the only elite boxers that could wrestle.

[1937] Yeah.

[1938] Has anybody ever come to you and said, Terrence, what do you think?

[1939] Dip your toes in the MMA water.

[1940] You don't get paid or no. But if you did?

[1941] Nope.

[1942] Nope.

[1943] Ain't anybody about to be kicking me. No. Hey, look, we can wrestle, we can fight, but them kicks.

[1944] Yeah.

[1945] No, I don't care with nobody.

[1946] Man, them kicks is dangerous, bro.

[1947] Especially them kicks in a leg.

[1948] Did you see when Muhammad Ali was doing that exhibition with that kickboxer?

[1949] Yeah.

[1950] Yeah.

[1951] Boy, tore him up.

[1952] Tor Ali up, man. Yeah, now you respect that sport.

[1953] I respect it.

[1954] I respect it.

[1955] We can fight and wrestle all day.

[1956] I ain't, them kicks and elbows.

[1957] Yeah.

[1958] Have you ever trained with any of that stuff?

[1959] You ever try to train Muay Thai?

[1960] No, no. I trained jujitsu a little bit.

[1961] Oh, yeah?

[1962] Yeah.

[1963] But them kicks and elbows, nah, them dangerous.

[1964] Them dangerous.

[1965] And they sneaky, too.

[1966] Because when you're not used to getting kicked, you know what I mean?

[1967] You can think somebody about to punch you and they boom, boom, and you block.

[1968] You don't block kicks like you block punches.

[1969] Right.

[1970] So you might be trying to parry something, and there you go.

[1971] Ali versus Inoki.

[1972] And Inoki was lying on his back, which is even crazier, and with shoes on.

[1973] Yeah, tearing Ali lays up, man. Yeah, just kicking at his legs.

[1974] But just, the way they fought was so crazy that he just dropped down to his back and was throwing kicks.

[1975] He had no gloves on, but I don't think, I don't think he punched him.

[1976] Oh, look at that.

[1977] Look at that.

[1978] Look at that.

[1979] Look at that.

[1980] Yeah.

[1981] Man, you got to be aware of everything.

[1982] Very dangerous, too.

[1983] Very dangerous, because legs can get torn apart.

[1984] Your knees get ruined.

[1985] Your toe?

[1986] Yeah.

[1987] Kicking somebody, your toe, your fingers.

[1988] Your foot.

[1989] Y 'all go through a lot.

[1990] Yeah.

[1991] Man. Man, y 'all go through a lot of MMA dudes, man. $5 ,000 to show up, $5 ,000 to win, $5 ,000 for a pension show.

[1992] You're like, hell, though.

[1993] Yeah.

[1994] Well, that's the guys coming out.

[1995] Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[1996] I know what I was just said.

[1997] That's how it is in UFC, too.

[1998] Yeah.

[1999] They might get a little more money, but they'd be the same thing, like 20, 20 million, I mean not 20 million, 20 ,000, 20 ,000, 20 ,000, 20 ,000.

[2000] So they fight their ass off to get that bonus.

[2001] Yeah, it's true.

[2002] Fight their ass off to get that bonus.

[2003] I don't like the win bonus.

[2004] Yeah.

[2005] I do not like that at all.

[2006] Why?

[2007] Because first of all, there's bad decisions.

[2008] Yeah.

[2009] And when you have a bad decision and someone gets caught out, like if a guy's making 50 and 50 and then there's a bad judge call and you lose $50 ,000 because people are incompetent at their job, happens all the time.

[2010] So why don't they just change it to like boxing, like a flat purse?

[2011] They should.

[2012] I don't know.

[2013] I'm not responsible.

[2014] It's not my side of the game.

[2015] I'm just a commentator.

[2016] Change it to a flat purse.

[2017] 100%.

[2018] Yeah, like boxers, man. When, lose, draw.

[2019] Yeah.

[2020] We're getting X amount that's on that contract.

[2021] That's it.

[2022] That's how it should be.

[2023] Because it's not like anybody doesn't try to win.

[2024] Yeah, yeah, for sure.

[2025] Because they think that they're going to, you know, get their money either way.

[2026] They're going to try to win.

[2027] Man, those be fighting their ass off, man. They'd be busted up.

[2028] All the way out here.

[2029] Teeth in their mouthpiece.

[2030] Yep.

[2031] I'm like, man, them dude's like, come on.

[2032] Man, you're talking about a gladiator, warriors.

[2033] That's what they is, man. Do you watch a lot of UFC?

[2034] Yeah.

[2035] Yeah.

[2036] Yeah.

[2037] I'll be watching it.

[2038] Who stands out for you?

[2039] John Jones.

[2040] John Bones Jones.

[2041] That's my guy.

[2042] I like, damn, man. It would be hard to say his name.

[2043] He just beat the dude that beat him.

[2044] Israel.

[2045] Israel.

[2046] Yeah, yeah.

[2047] I like Israel.

[2048] Oh, he's amazing.

[2049] Israel, cool.

[2050] That dude he beat.

[2051] That beat him, and he just beat, man. That dude was a big dude, man. He's huge.

[2052] Yeah.

[2053] He big.

[2054] That guy cuts a lot of weight.

[2055] Yeah.

[2056] Because he weighed in at 185 pounds, and then he fought at 225.

[2057] Yeah.

[2058] He was 225 when he got into the ring.

[2059] Yeah.

[2060] That's crazy.

[2061] Then my guy that just beat Sahuta.

[2062] Algebra.

[2063] He's fighting this weekend.

[2064] I was just down there with him.

[2065] When I was training, we was training twice together before that fight and after he was doing physical therapy, we were supposed to be playing basketball.

[2066] So if you're watching Al Joe, you still got to get on that court with old boy now.

[2067] Yeah, he's fighting this weekend against Charlottomalley.

[2068] That's a big fight.

[2069] Yeah.

[2070] Yeah.

[2071] Do you ever go to those live?

[2072] Yeah, I went to a few of them live.

[2073] Yeah.

[2074] I went to a few of them live.

[2075] I think I went to, the last one I went to was Amanda New Orleans.

[2076] Amanda.

[2077] She was fighting.

[2078] Dang, I forgot her name.

[2079] But two guys from Omaha, Drew Dobert.

[2080] Okay.

[2081] And...

[2082] He fought John Jones, too.

[2083] He from Omaha.

[2084] I forgot his name.

[2085] You put Omaha on the map.

[2086] Yeah.

[2087] You really did.

[2088] Like, people talk about Omaha now a lot.

[2089] Smith.

[2090] Anthony Smith.

[2091] Oh, okay.

[2092] Yeah, Anthony Smith.

[2093] Yeah.

[2094] Drew Dober and Anthony Smith was fighting on the same car, so I went there to support them.

[2095] And Amanda.

[2096] I like Amanda.

[2097] Sweet to go.

[2098] Yeah, she's amazing.

[2099] She had to retire because her legs are so damaged from kicking.

[2100] She goes too much kicking ass.

[2101] Like she's got nerve damage in her legs.

[2102] See?

[2103] Yeah.

[2104] There's never going to go away.

[2105] Rob probably not, yeah.

[2106] So.

[2107] I mean, you got to think you're getting shins slammed into those nerves over and over again.

[2108] Slammed into your calves.

[2109] You ever been calf kicked?

[2110] No, don't kick me. We're not about to do none of that.

[2111] Don't kick me. Listen, my legs are skinny.

[2112] We're not about to do it.

[2113] Hey, you kick me?

[2114] Jump him.

[2115] Yeah.

[2116] Do you think there's any boxers that would be, that would enter, I mean, the only person that's elite that ever fought in the MMA realm was James Tony.

[2117] He got choked out.

[2118] And he don't got no wrestling background.

[2119] He didn't, I don't think he even trained for it.

[2120] Yeah.

[2121] I interviewed him before that fight.

[2122] He was making up kick names.

[2123] Like, I think he traded.

[2124] I think he just boxed.

[2125] You know, he's just hoping he'd catch him with a punch.

[2126] Yeah, nah.

[2127] First thing they're going to do is shoot.

[2128] First, they're going to fake the punch up top, and then they're going to shoot.

[2129] If you're going to know a sprawl, it's a rap.

[2130] Yeah.

[2131] It's a rap.

[2132] See, wrestling, man, I always say, man, I'm a boxer, but I can wrestle.

[2133] If a wrestler grab you, I don't care what you know.

[2134] I don't care who you is, it's over with if you're not a wrestler.

[2135] Right.

[2136] It's overweight.

[2137] Yeah.

[2138] And then you can do.

[2139] And nine times out of ten, a street fight, you're going to end up on the ground.

[2140] Mm -hmm.

[2141] Period.

[2142] So if you don't knock him out before he grab you or in a mix of him trying to grab you, it's over with.

[2143] Yeah.

[2144] So I hope you're in shape.

[2145] To, I will them, poke him in the eye, bite them something.

[2146] But, you know, wrestlers, they tough.

[2147] Yeah.

[2148] So you might bite them, they might be like bite harder.

[2149] Yeah.

[2150] Put you in a chokehold and then it's over with.

[2151] Wrestling is such a tough, tough sport, and there's no accolades.

[2152] There's no glory.

[2153] There's no world championship where you're making millions of dollars.

[2154] It's just all for the glory of winning.

[2155] That's all there is to it.

[2156] And those are some of the toughest human beings alive.

[2157] Elite wrestlers, like, I want to talk about hard work.

[2158] I didn't been through some of them.

[2159] Did you wrestling in high school?

[2160] No, I wrestled in middle school.

[2161] I stopped in middle school.

[2162] Because your boxing career started taking out?

[2163] Actually, I kicked out of school.

[2164] Really?

[2165] Yeah.

[2166] What happened?

[2167] I was playing around with the kids.

[2168] Me and my friends, we had the little keys, so we was going through the hallways, and we were scratching each other neck with the keys.

[2169] So, like, just say if...

[2170] you somebody right here in the middle of us and you don't see me and I go over here and I scratch you on the neck with the key and you just be like ah and we just start dying like that was the thing to do back then like and uh his little soft self went to to the nurse he was like and then the nurse asked on what happened and he was just like oh me and my friend terence was playing around he scratched me with a key and so they brought me to the office and expelled me because they said I was using the weapon wow I got expelled for the half of the whole school year had to go to our turner school school wow yeah It was crazy.

[2171] But I was quitting with wrestling anyway.

[2172] Wrestling was tough, man. Those dudes just kick in my eyes.

[2173] No. But I think there's something about your wrestling background that helps you in the clinch.

[2174] Definitely.

[2175] Definitely.

[2176] I still always messing around wrestling.

[2177] To this day, you know...

[2178] Yeah, that wrestling gets you physically strong.

[2179] It gets you, you know what I mean?

[2180] Your foundation, first and foremost, everything comes from your foundation.

[2181] So if you got a good base, good foundation, you're going to be hard to move for anybody.

[2182] You know, that's why, you know, you see those sumo wrestlers, you know, their foundation and their base is just like, hmm.

[2183] Right.

[2184] And you can try your hardest to move them, and they're just sitting there, and you're just like...

[2185] yeah man how i'm not able to move this dude and i'm pushing them it's just they got that base and that foundation yeah there was a discussion i forget what what experts were talking about that but they were factoring in your wrestling background and they were saying that there's something about terence when he's in the clinch that's different than other people it's because your ability to manipulate bodies where you can move people around and then also what you do i think better than anybody ever You land punches in tight spaces, in tight spaces where you just find the chin.

[2186] You know, you're so good at like those tight hooks, you know, and you're - Practice.

[2187] Yeah, man, it's just...

[2188] It's just very impressive to be able to pull that off on a guy like Geryl Spence.

[2189] Yeah, that's something that me and my coaches was working on, shorten up your shots.

[2190] Because if you're watching a few of my past fights, I kind of open up.

[2191] I kind of throw my shots too wide, leave myself open.

[2192] So that was something that was working on in camp.

[2193] And I always told the reporters and people that interview me, it ain't about Spence.

[2194] I don't got a changing thing up for Spence.

[2195] I just got to make sure I'm prepared and I'm 110 % ready for myself.

[2196] And all I've got to do is be myself.

[2197] And then I believe I'll be anybody.

[2198] Was there ever a time where you wondered or were you worried that you weren't going to get that big fight as you're like 35 years old, you get become 36, 30s, and then you're in the position like Arthur Better Beav, who's 19 and no, 19 knockouts, everyone's fucking terrified of the guy, can't get a big fight.

[2199] Just can't get that big marquee fight.

[2200] Definitely.

[2201] I was, like I told you, I was in a process of thinking about retiring, you know, because I was just like, man, I'm not going to get that Smith's fight, you know, but it's worth a shot, you know, to go back and try to see if we can land that fight.

[2202] But I'm not about to get, you know, I'm not about to just take anything just for the fight.

[2203] Right.

[2204] You know, a lot of fans and a lot of people in the media, they felt as if I should just take anything.

[2205] But they're not the one fighting.

[2206] They're not the one that, you know, been doing this their whole life.

[2207] So for them to tell me, just take this or just take that, you know.

[2208] Given if I was to put them in the same predicament that I'm in and all the accolades that I have, would they do the same thing or would they just take whatever somebody is just going to give them?

[2209] You know, I had to stand for something to get to a point in my life where, you know, I can get everything that I want.

[2210] You know, and I feel like me standing my ground and staying firm and true to myself and not switching up and not, you know, overdoing it led me to this moment right here.

[2211] One of the things that happens with some boxers is they leave a lot in the gym in sparring sessions and that they just spar too hard.

[2212] They have too many hard sparring sessions.

[2213] How often do you spar?

[2214] I spar Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturdays.

[2215] Some of them be hard.

[2216] You know what I mean?

[2217] That's just how it is.

[2218] You can't replace, you know, I would say, like, tech sparring and like soft sparring from, you know, a comparison to get ready for a fight.

[2219] Because you fight how you spar.

[2220] You spar how you fight.

[2221] And if I'm in there just doing this, huh, ha, ha, catch, catch, huh.

[2222] Then when the fight come and everything gets full blast for speed, I'm not going to be able to keep up because I don't train that way.

[2223] Right.

[2224] I can hit the bag.

[2225] I can hit the midst, all that I want, but nothing's coming back.

[2226] Right.

[2227] I'm not feeling that presence of a person pushing me, hitting me, holding me, things like that.

[2228] So sparring is very important.

[2229] And not saying that you have to, you know, go hard every single time you spar.

[2230] But there got to be days where, you know, that fighter is trying to put it on you because now you're getting used to that.

[2231] Now your body is getting in shape to withstand the rounds, the time, the, you know, the grappling, the holding, the hitting, all that.

[2232] So you need that.

[2233] How do you judge when you're doing too much hard sparring?

[2234] Your body will tell you.

[2235] I'm a firm believer listening to my body.

[2236] You know, so I've been doing this a long time.

[2237] My coaches, they've been doing this just as long or longer or Bomag longer.

[2238] Well, we all started, you know, this journey on when I was 2008 when I turned pro.

[2239] So they've been around me since I was a kid, so they know when my body is breaking down or when I'm complaining about something, Bo would be like, all right, well, we're going to do this today.

[2240] We're going to do this today.

[2241] And I'd be like, man, what?

[2242] He'd be like, we're going to do this today.

[2243] I'm like, man, I don't want to do that, man. I want to work.

[2244] Because as a fighter, I want to work hard every day.

[2245] But it's up to your coaches to know when to pull back, when to take days off.

[2246] Oh, no, you ain't working out today.

[2247] Huh?

[2248] You ain't working out today.

[2249] You've been working out hard, you know, today off.

[2250] Or some days we were going in there, you'd be like, oh, we're going to do four rounds sparring.

[2251] Like, what?

[2252] Yeah, we're going to do four rounds sparring.

[2253] are y 'all got it.

[2254] So things like that.

[2255] So it's just a trust and an understanding that your coaches know you as good or better than you know you.

[2256] Definitely.

[2257] Definitely.

[2258] Yeah.

[2259] You know, so they're going to tell me, you know, Some days they're going to say, man, you ain't got no energy today.

[2260] Did you eat?

[2261] Some days I'd be like, no, I didn't eat before I came.

[2262] I can tell.

[2263] You know, or you're moving kind of slow.

[2264] You are, you know.

[2265] So it's very important that you be honest with your coaches as well because a lot of people, you know, they tend to keep certain things away from them.

[2266] And then when things go left, you know, then the coaches is the blame when the coaches wasn't aware of everything that was going on with you.

[2267] So if you got, you know, injuries or you're not feeling well or, you know, something's not right or something's going on, as a team, you got to let your team know.

[2268] Because that's why they're there.

[2269] And that's why they're able to pick up on certain things.

[2270] Like, you know, you're overtraining or you're not, you know, getting enough rest.

[2271] What time you're going to sleep at night, you know, you need to put the phone down at this time and, you know, just all that.

[2272] Do you monitor your resting heart weight, your heart rate variability?

[2273] Do you do any of that stuff?

[2274] Yeah, I do all that, you know, in the mornings.

[2275] So when I get up in the morning, we put it on my finger, then we monitor that, and then it takes your blood, oxygen, your oxygen level, your heart rate, all that stuff.

[2276] And so from there, you could say, okay, I'm a little tired or there.

[2277] I'm a little overworked.

[2278] Not really.

[2279] Easier today.

[2280] Not really.

[2281] You know, sometimes you can, I go off of that, but, you know, I just go off of how my body feel.

[2282] You know, I just use that for...

[2283] Just how much oxygen I'm taking in and the levels that I'm at.

[2284] So once I start cutting weight, all right, this is what I've been at, this range.

[2285] Once I start cutting weight, then I can compare the two.

[2286] And how far out do you start cutting weight?

[2287] I probably cut weight probably like two weeks, two to three weeks.

[2288] And so that's just a decrease in calories?

[2289] Yeah.

[2290] Is there anything else that goes along with that?

[2291] Is it an increase in cardio or anything else?

[2292] No, everything is the same.

[2293] It's just, you know, decreasing the amount of food intake.

[2294] You know, we start cutting the food, probably like portions.

[2295] Then, you know, we probably change up the times of the workouts.

[2296] And then when you get down to the day of the weigh -ins, how much weight are you actually cutting?

[2297] None.

[2298] None.

[2299] No. So when you weigh in, that's natural.

[2300] Okay.

[2301] Yeah, like the day of the weigh -ins, I'm not cutting none.

[2302] That's beautiful.

[2303] I used to.

[2304] I used to have to cut like five pounds in the morning of the wayings.

[2305] You know, that shit was tough.

[2306] Did you feel that the next day?

[2307] Nah, not really.

[2308] Sometimes, but not really.

[2309] But it's better than not.

[2310] Yeah, because I always, I just rest.

[2311] Your resting is most important.

[2312] Like, I just sit in the bed all day, especially when I was at 135.

[2313] I didn't do nothing.

[2314] I was...

[2315] Cutting weight, cutting weight, cut in weight, 140, cutting weight, cutting weight, you know.

[2316] But yeah, like, that shit tough.

[2317] Like this last fight with Spence, it was tough, you know, but I try to make weight, you know, at least the night before.

[2318] So I could sleep in, sleep as long as possible to the weigh -ins and, you know, go from there.

[2319] And what do you do for recovery?

[2320] Do you have anything specific that you do for recovery?

[2321] Massages, sauna, anything along those lines?

[2322] I get massages.

[2323] I don't use the sauna.

[2324] No?

[2325] No, I don't use the sauna.

[2326] That's pretty much it.

[2327] Just, you know, normitate.

[2328] Oh, those leg things?

[2329] Yeah, those are great.

[2330] Norma Tech, massage.

[2331] I hate the cold plunge.

[2332] I did it for the first time this camp.

[2333] And, man, I tell you, I was freezing.

[2334] I always thought my balls was going to be freezing, but my fucking fingers was cold.

[2335] Yeah, fingers, toes.

[2336] My toes wasn't cold.

[2337] I was so cold.

[2338] I was so cold.

[2339] I couldn't even feel my feet.

[2340] I was in there like this.

[2341] I was trying to put my hands under my armpits, and I was just shaking like this.

[2342] And I was just like, I'm about to get out.

[2343] They was just like, they was motivating me. And I was like, man, I can't, man, this is the hardest thing that I ever did because I'm anemic, so me and Cole don't.

[2344] You're anemic?

[2345] Yeah, I got to take iron peels.

[2346] Really?

[2347] Yeah.

[2348] Interesting.

[2349] Is that before you stopped Redbeat always?

[2350] Really?

[2351] When I was little.

[2352] Yeah, so I got to go from the cold, and then they put me in the hot, and then it felt like needles was shocking my body.

[2353] Like, needles was going through.

[2354] I'm like, dang.

[2355] You know what I mean?

[2356] I felt good.

[2357] Then it was like, all right, you got to go back in the cold plunge for one minute.

[2358] No, it was two minutes, two minutes.

[2359] I was like, what?

[2360] Like, come on.

[2361] So I went up in there.

[2362] And I was like, all right, get out.

[2363] You done.

[2364] I said, I don't go back in the hot.

[2365] There was like, no. I was like, oh, man. But I was, I was, I was cool that I did it, you know.

[2366] That it was something that, you know, I wouldn't do.

[2367] And I did it for the first time.

[2368] And I felt like I accomplished something.

[2369] How did you feel after you got out?

[2370] I felt good.

[2371] Yeah.

[2372] I felt good.

[2373] But the crazy part about that is two days after that, I had got a cold.

[2374] And I was like, I was messed up.

[2375] And I was like, man, was it because of that?

[2376] But found out that it was the air conditioner in the house.

[2377] It was blowing right on my face.

[2378] Oh.

[2379] On my bed.

[2380] I sleep with the cover over my head.

[2381] I don't know why.

[2382] Really?

[2383] Yeah, I've been doing that since I was a little kid.

[2384] So we looked up and show enough.

[2385] I was just like, man. And it was like on like...

[2386] 62.

[2387] So it was freezing in the house.

[2388] I was like, man, I turned off everything in the house.

[2389] It was all hot.

[2390] Everybody was trying to kept trying to turn the air back on.

[2391] Like, man, turn that off.

[2392] Like, no. And it's 120 in Vegas.

[2393] I'm like, yeah.

[2394] It's that.

[2395] Turn it off.

[2396] I was just like, man, I can't, I ain't never experienced that ever in my life.

[2397] I never got sick doing Fight Week.

[2398] Really?

[2399] Ever, so.

[2400] How sick did you get?

[2401] I was, I was sick.

[2402] For one day, I was, like, down.

[2403] Like, I was down, but, like, Yeah.

[2404] How far out from the fight was that?

[2405] A week.

[2406] Oh, shit.

[2407] A week.

[2408] So I was down, but I was just like, man, that one day I was hurting.

[2409] But then, you know, my nutritionist, she gave me some vitamin C. I was, my nutritionist, my chef, he gave me a whole bunch of oranges and melons and grapefruit.

[2410] big old bowl you ain't eat no meat this is what you eat all day i was like what it was like yeah trust me and i ate that's all i ate the whole day and the next day i felt better i was like oh all right we back to normal well we wasn't all the way back to normal because my coach didn't let me work out but yeah we was good how many days did you have to take off from that cold Just one and a half.

[2411] Oh, not that bad.

[2412] Yeah.

[2413] So that one day I didn't do nothing, then the next day I didn't go to the gym.

[2414] I didn't work out in the gym.

[2415] And then a day or so later, you're back in.

[2416] Yeah.

[2417] Well, that's fortunate.

[2418] That would have sucked if that happened a couple days out.

[2419] Yeah.

[2420] Yeah.

[2421] And then fuck up your weight cut, too.

[2422] Yeah.

[2423] I would have to find a way.

[2424] Isn't it crazy, though, when you think about all the things that have to come together so perfectly?

[2425] Peaking in your conditioning, peeking in your physical training, your technical training, everything's got to come together.

[2426] Everything.

[2427] But when you done this for...

[2428] So long, you know, you know, what you got to do to get there.

[2429] You know, I think I peaked like twice during this camp.

[2430] You know, I was working so hard.

[2431] I was just like, man, I wanted this so bad.

[2432] It was like, all right, we got to pull you back.

[2433] Mm. All right.

[2434] And when they pull you back, like, for how long?

[2435] Just a couple of days, pull you back, you know, because you're looking too sharp in the gym.

[2436] You weigh above schedule, so we've got to pull you back, working too hard, get you some rest.

[2437] That's such a fascinating aspect of the training.

[2438] Because it's just so on feel and knowing and just having an understanding of the athlete.

[2439] Yeah, because you as the fighter, you want to feel good.

[2440] You want to look sharp.

[2441] You want to, you know, feel all those things.

[2442] But your coaches on the outside, they're like, okay.

[2443] we still got like three four weeks you know he's looking like this at this point in time when we want him like that at the end tail end you know so pulling back a little bit it's just it's such a dance it's just like a perfectly orchestrated dance yeah everything has to line up have you ever had a fight where he peaked too early no Never.

[2444] Not that I know of, I was saying.

[2445] Well, listen, Terrence, what you've done is amazing.

[2446] It's as a person, excuse me, as a person who's a boxing fan, it's beautiful to see.

[2447] I love watching, like I said, I love excellence.

[2448] I love when someone is just at the top, the very top of the game, of the sport, of everything.

[2449] And that's you right now, man. Appreciate it.

[2450] I hope you enjoy it.

[2451] Congratulations.

[2452] It's an honor to talk to you.

[2453] Thank you.

[2454] I'm a giant fan, man. Thank you very much.

[2455] Appreciate it.

[2456] Thanks for me. Tell everybody your social media so they can hit you up.

[2457] You can reach me on Twitter, what they call it, X now.

[2458] I don't know whether that is.

[2459] Terrence Crawford, and then you can reach me on IG at Tebow, Crawford, or Facebook, Terence, Terence Crawford.

[2460] You're the fucking man, bro.

[2461] Yes.

[2462] Thank you very much.

[2463] Appreciate you being here.

[2464] All right.

[2465] Bye, everybody.