First off, can you let me know what you’re up to now?
Well, I sold my house in Pittsburgh and I’m in Vegas now. I have a garage gym here and work with a variety of people – kids and adults. I work with fighters – people really interested in boxing.
As a trainer, what lessons do you find yourself imparting to kids that helped you?
I’ll tell you something – Buddy McGirt, Pernell Whitaker, Tom Yankello, PJ Pakora, Panama Lewis- I’m not bragging but I learned under all of them and I learned a lot. My defense is priceless. I learned how to relax. It’s real simple. Fundamentals are number one. But everybody is different and you can’t teach everyone the same way.
You talk about relaxing in the ring – but isn’t that innate? How do you teach that?
I knew how to use the clock like the back of my hand. Pakora told me to have success as a boxer, you need to be relaxed – to be careful, cautious and safe at all times in the gym.
I was from the streets – when PJ told me that it made a lot of sense. You can’t be uptight. You can’t be nervous. Nowadays its difficult – I sparred four-to-five times a week. That was what guys me. Lots of guys now don’t because of the concern over brain damage – CTE and head problems. But you don’t always have to do damage when you’re sparring. You can have controlled sparring. You can hold back and practice fundamentals and how to put yourself in a good position as a boxer.
How did you get started as a boxer?
I was sick of fighting with others. Fist-fighting with people in the street and in school. Believe it or not, boxing in the gym changed everything for me. I never had a fight in the streets after that. It gave me a different perspective.
My whole family boxed – my cousin was Joey Maxim. My brother fought and my father was a Golden Glove boxer. And my grandfather sparred with everyone. I grew up with a heavy bag.
Who helped mentor you early on?
I sparred early on with Eric Pogolak – he was an underrated fighter. He fought everyone. In the gym there were a lot of guys – a lot of professional fighters. Maybe not the best fighters, but all 10-round fighters.
I learned then how not to waste energy and get out of the way. Not running – but getting out of the way by inches. Positioning beats speed and power all day long. With the right positioning you can come right back. As a fighter I was always busy in the ring. I never ran – I couldn’t if I wanted to. I was shot when I was 16 in my left leg and I was a southpaw – so that was my back leg. That made me have a whole different approach. I had a lot of stoppages as an amateur because I had really good body punches.
You were a big underdog when you faced and beat Israel Cardona for the title. How did you approach that fight and what was the difference in it for you?
My trainer – PK Pakora – you’ll never believe it, but he dropped me off one day at my grandma’s house and called me an hour later. He told me to put on USA Today’s Tuesday Night Fights. At the time I was 3-0. Israel Cardona was fighting David Sample – Sample was a southpaw and a good fighter. Pakora told me that Cardona was fit to order for my style of boxing. Styles make fights – great fights are due to the fighter’ styles.
Cardona’s style was to keep coming at you with pressure. That made it impossible for him to beat me. I was able to keep the right angles and put myself in positions to counter and let my hands go. When the fight was booked, my manager asked me what he should be on the fight. I told to bet everything but his house. I never had a house growing up. So he put $80,000 on the fight – with three-to-one odds.
What did Pittsburgh’s influence have on you as a boxer?
Where I’m from – it was a rough town. McKees Rocks. It was a blue collar town – a lot of good athletes were from there but it was a rough place. Like I said, my life was different. I didn’t come home to a mother or father when I was a kid. When my mother was around she had her own problems. I watched her go through so many beatings from men. Horrible beatings when I was 10 years old. Like you can never imagine. That changes your perspective. It makes you a different person. As a 10-year old seeing your mother get beaten – well, my violence just was different than others. I watched it my whole life.
I know you had your own issues with violence out of the ring. What brought that on for you and where do you stand with that now?
Number one, I had to overcome the tragedy I grew up in. Boxing helped overcome it. It helped me in so many ways. If I didn’t have boxing I’d probably be dead. I have friends who are in jail for life. The boxing gym took me off of the streets and that lifestyle.
But, that same violence helped ruin my career. Drinking ruined things for me. If I didn’t drink I would have never done what I did – especially to my wife. She forgave me, but the things I did were serious.
What are you doing about the drinking and violence now?
I had to stop my drinking. I’m doing good with it now but it’s a battle every day, I’m not going to lie. It’s hard -I take it one day at a time. A friend used to tell me I was like Jekyll and Hyde when I started drinking. And boxing affects me too. I’ve been getting hit since I was 14 years old. But if I didn’t box as much as I did then I wouldn’t have had the defense I had later as a professional boxer.
I spoke to Tom Yankello on this as well, but what does boxing need to do to get bigger – nationally, and locally in Pittsburgh?
Guys like Tom – he’s the best trainer in the world. There’s no one better.
And the coach at Team 412 Boxing – Jim Hoy – words can’t describe how good his gym is and how much he’s done for the Pittsburgh boxing scene. He’s working with kids -not pros – and is bringing boxing back to Pittsburgh. His gym is the best I’ve seen. I’m in Vegas now and haven’t seen anything like it. His program is unbelievable. He works all day with his kids and there’s unbelievable talent coming from there.
Lastly, how would you advise someone who is looking to get into boxing today?
The number one thing is, they have to spar. Fighters fight.
And it’s a lonely sport and life – you have to know that. You can’t have a lot of hangers-on and go out late and go to bars and stuff. Bad habits are fucking hard to break.
And- you better have a good work ethic. I was always the first in and last out of the gym. I didn’t do it all great, but I did it all good. I wasn’t the hardest puncher or the fastest guy, but I worked harder than the next person, and that’s where my success came from.