King Kabuki

Nah, other people have wondered, asked, answered, etc.

I'm no "authority"...nor do I claim to be, I just give opinions. As far as me, right now I'm training at Top Rank's Gym in Las Vegas, under this guy:

Mike McCallum



Here he is taping up my gloves to spar:



I have a background in Muay Thai, as that's what I did all through my teens and early 20's. Mike even spotted it when he started training me about a year ago now. He said "you was a kick-fighta huh?"

As of right now I'm still just a sparring partner, I've worked with Fighters of Jesse Reid, Eddie Mustafa Muhammad, and Richie Sandoval. Hoping to make my Pro debut soon, but when exactly is up to Mike.

 

Thanks for the will-wish.

One thing about me, though is I DO watch as much Fighting as humanly possible. Combat Sports are what I love and I can't get enough of them. I watch almost everything, Iron Ring, the WCL, the shit ones no one likes but TRUE Combat Sports nerds.

As a result I do tend to have a lot of opinions. However I've come to value my knowledge of the game, as relevant as it may be, and yet everything I still have to learn. I'm still a baby where Boxing is concerned, and at the Gym I often get treated like it.

 

I decided I wanted to fight Professionally, it came down to Boxing or MMA. For a long while I was siding with MMA, but Boxing's always been the little whisper in the back of my Fighting brain. Now it's become the voice I speak with.

Oh yeah and $$$. In Boxing you can be well-paid as a sparring partner. This guy here:



Went to Germany to spar with Ruslan Chagaev. He was making $1,500 per week Euro, which turned into like $3 grand here.

Well, I learned HOW to Box before I learned Muay Thai. So it was the other way around. Boxing always had a positive effect on my Muay Thai. But honestly, it's not a skill from Muay Thai that had a good effect, it's durability. I endure body-shots exceptionally well.

That mufucka in the picture above has hit me to the body.

Muay Thai's a bit tougher on the body in-terms of damage, Boxing in-terms of overuse injuries like tendonitis of the shoulder.

147.

Now that's an exceptionally good question. I'm not sure about kicks, maybe so. Because of the vast amount of kicking arts where people debate which has the most powerful kicks overall, it makes the waters muddy. However, I'd like to think so. I mean Cro Cop's kick I don't think is something that can be taught in-terms of the power he generates.

If I had to pick a guy though to say power-kickers are born and not made, it'd be Danny Steele.

Ain't got one. I never did sanctioned Amateur Boxing beyond School, and I don't count scholastic tournaments.

 

I've no interest in Amateur Boxing. In America, the Amateur system is pretty bad unless your goal is to win tournaments. It's all points-based, you can knock a guy down a couple times and still lose a fight because a KD is the same as a landed punch, 1 point.

Besides, I'm not 19. If I'm gonna get my ass whooped in front of a crowd of people, I want to at least take home a G or two.

 

You'd be surprised how much experience you get sparring working Pros or former Amateur Champs turning Pro on a routine basis. It's not like I've been only hitting Heavybags all this time.

I don't want to fight Amateur, and am not going to.

5'10".

 

I'm 29. But as for too late, that depends. My trainer fought until he was 42, and won a Title at 38. I'm not old physically (shopworn), just a little old to be having slapping contests for points.

Glen Johnson was recently at our Gym, and at 38 he was working harder than all of the younger guys.

It's all in perspectives. I can do Amateurs, or I can work for better guys as a sparring partner (same way Margarito, Jose Luis Castillo, and many others forged themselves), and maybe make a little scratch doing it (Zab Judah's hiring right now for $1,000 a week), for me I'd rather do the latter.

It's just a decision, and one I gave much thought. Amateurs in my opinion, and that of my trainer, is a waste of time and money.

 

Because you don't just get out there and "go fight." That's how you end up fighting a guy who is 0-0 but was a World Games Champ who is a ringer, and is going to kick your ass bad.

Not that I don't appreciate your input on what I should do, but I'll continue to follow the guidance of a former 3-division World Champ on the matter.