Prepare to be captivated by the intriguing and powerful tale of Alvin Sham Raaj. Alvin has transformed his life from a troubled past marked by crime and prison sentences into a beacon of hope and resilience. As a Muay Thai fighter, trainer, and founder of Gifted Fight Academy, Alvin takes us through his awe-inspiring journey, revealing hard-hitting truths about his life.
Ever wondered how a single decision can alter the course of your life? Alvin's story is a living testament to this. Born into a challenging environment and facing negative influences, he shares candidly about his life of crime, the moment he decided to abandon his “friends” and his journey to a better life.
Alvin gives us an insight into his entrepreneurial journey as well - the ups and downs of starting Gifted Fight Academy. From finding the perfect location to combating the obstacles posed by COVID-19, Alvin recounts the trials he faced and how he overcame them. He passionately expresses the life lessons Muay Thai has taught him and his vision of shaping an empowering culture in his gym, building a strong legacy. Tune in to this riveting conversation and feel the power of resilience, determination, and the impact of making the right choices. Don't miss it!
Prepare to be captivated by the intriguing and powerful tale of Alvin Sham Raaj. Alvin has transformed his life from a troubled past marked by crime and prison sentences into a beacon of hope and resilience. As a Muay Thai fighter, trainer, and founder of Gifted Fight Academy, Alvin takes us through his awe-inspiring journey, revealing hard-hitting truths about his life.
Ever wondered how a single decision can alter the course of your life? Alvin's story is a living testament to this. Born into a challenging environment and facing negative influences, he shares candidly about his life of crime, the moment he decided to abandon his “friends” and his journey to a better life.
Alvin gives us an insight into his entrepreneurial journey as well - the ups and downs of starting Gifted Fight Academy. From finding the perfect location to combating the obstacles posed by COVID-19, Alvin recounts the trials he faced and how he overcame them. He passionately expresses the life lessons Muay Thai has taught him and his vision of shaping an empowering culture in his gym, building a strong legacy. Tune in to this riveting conversation and feel the power of resilience, determination, and the impact of making the right choices. Don't miss it!
Actually he knew so much from my young age. I always ask him. I say you see, I see a lot of people when the brother naughty, the younger brother also naughty. You know the elder brother naughty, the younger brother naughty because the younger brother looks up to the elder brother, follows his steps, and it's not like you never get to see the stupid stuff that I did.
Speaker 1:You saw everything. Actually, you know, you're the only one that saw everything. Why you never turn out like me, he said, because I saw exactly what I should not be Wow.
Speaker 3:What's he saying? Damn. That's clever you know You're right. Yeah, it's very clever.
Speaker 1:He said I rather learn from your mistakes than make the same mistakes, especially my last one.
Speaker 1:Oh, the company was bad or shit, bad meaning, what Like the incident happened not because I wanted to hit somebody or I wanted to step somebody. You know the truth was remember. I told you I came out after two years. I was on seven months supervision. That means electronically tech. I took out my tech on Friday. Okay, this stabbing incident happened on Saturday. I was in no rush to go back to prison, you know. But my friends that were around me that point friends had no problem instigating me to go and hit somebody that they were not happy with and that they didn't have the balls to go and hit.
Speaker 1:It's very important because the truth is, a lot of us don't want to admit it, but how we look like to other people's eyes matters to us?
Speaker 3:Oh, of course Right.
Speaker 1:So when you look at the mirror and you're doing that, that's how people are looking at you. Would you be okay with that? That impression that you're giving them, does it look good enough for them? You know, use that to show yourself what you actually really want to see. You will get better the moment you start to see. It starts from wanting to look good in other people's eyes, but if you like what you see, it starts a different kind of step for you. You take a step with a different found confidence. You get what I mean.
Speaker 3:How's your mom Like? Is she strict? Did she she?
Speaker 1:was super duper strict when we were kids, Like we cannot watch Tamil movie.
Speaker 3:Why.
Speaker 1:She said it promotes violence and look what happened.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, right Wow.
Speaker 1:She saw it coming and then cannot watch TV in the morning. You wake up, must eat breakfast, must straight away study that kind of pattern, you know. For someone that enforced this, I was not very good at studying.
Speaker 2:Hey, this podcast is all about the hustle. My special guest will inspire you with their stories of sheer hard work, resilience, tremendous work ethics, life skills, mental strength, lessons in failure and, above all, positivity. So sit back, relax and enjoy the hustle.
Speaker 3:Thank you for coming. Adversity and my guest today we talk about struggles. I think he struggled a lot in his childhood, so I want to welcome him to the podcast, and he is currently a Muay Thai fighter and a trainer as well. He's the founder of Gifted Fight Academy. Like I said before, he recovered from a bad childhood and he was in and out of prison as well. We're going to talk about that as well later on, and let's not waste any time. Welcome to the Silo Fox Hustle podcast, mr Alvin Sham Raj.
Speaker 1:As I see. Thank you for having me here today. It's a pleasure.
Speaker 3:Now we here. You just want to fight recently in. Chiang Mai.
Speaker 1:Yeah, the reason was Chiang Mai was an impromptu fight Before that was in Singapore.
Speaker 3:MBS done by Hilltop Extreme. Tell us a little bit about the Chiang Mai thing, because I think you went up there for not a fight. No, no, no.
Speaker 1:And what happened there. I actually went there for holiday because it had been a hard training camp before that. I did two months of training camp, oh crazy. So I thought, okay, go get a break. Go check my village area more Five days. And then I saw a Muay Thai gym. I was like, okay, I'm going to go try that out. Just for training, one hour in a day, it's fine.
Speaker 1:I go there and the trainer liked me a lot, and then he told me you want to fight In three days time. I probably can get you a fight, Just go and fight. I said but look at me. I've been drinking beer every day and I'm not in shape. He's like no, I think you can. And he hyped me up. I'm like okay, let's do it. Three days later I took the fight, but in these three days I also trained with him.
Speaker 1:Took the fight and before I go in the ring, I was confident Because I fought in Bangkok. Bangkok, the standard is way much higher, I feel so in Chiang Mai I'm like how hard can it be? When I saw my opponent and I was like shit, he's shorter. Most of my opponents are normally shorter.
Speaker 1:Because, you're tall. I'm tall for my weight class. I fight at 58 kgs, so my upper body is big. My lower body is much smaller, so he looks like I'm the bigger guy, but actually he's the same weight. He comes and I'm like shit, this guy looks fit Like one of the fitters that I've seen in my sticks of opponents. I'm like no, it's okay, I got this. And then they do this thing, they do Y-crew before the fight. It's like a ceremony that you pay respect to your teachers. You see the Y-crew. You will know whether this fella is an experienced one or not. It's not an easy thing to do. It involves a lot of flexibility, hours of practice for that dance itself.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 1:He came out with the best Y-crew I've ever seen. It was scary to see how good his Y-crew was. Okay, he was doing all kinds of funny things Like not the normal ones. This one is experienced one. I look at my. Don't worry, you got this. He's trying to set you up. That's why I thought you set me up, but no, he looked worried for me.
Speaker 2:I saw his face. I'm a trainer, I train fighters.
Speaker 1:When I see someone that, oh shit, this guy looks good how my fighter Okay.
Speaker 2:You will worry for your fighter.
Speaker 1:I saw that in his face.
Speaker 1:I'm like shit, okay, I think die. I told myself maybe today is the day I lose again. Okay, after quite some time, you know like sucks to take the L Right, I'm going to go out looking like a warrior. I will lose today, but you might knock me out. I told myself that I go in. Boom, boom, boom. Then I see the first kick. He gave me very pain. I'm like I'm already prepared to get knocked out. So what more? I just move forward and then, surprisingly, he got. I start to control the fight.
Speaker 3:First round or Round 3.
Speaker 1:Round 1, we were actually just like being very nice to each other. Testing each other out. He don't want to hit me. I don't want to hit him so hard, like he was, like a.
Speaker 3:This is a wonderful start. And what is that dance? You call it again. That dance, you call it Y crew. And for those of you who don't know this, if you watch a Muay Thai fight before that, they have that.
Speaker 1:It's a culture.
Speaker 3:It's nice to watch. Well, that was a good introduction, sham. Let's go back a little bit. I want to talk about we're going to talk about your struggles and all, but I think we need to go back a little bit way, way back to your childhood days and talk about when you were growing up, right? What was it like? How many siblings do you have? Very talented brother.
Speaker 1:He's a boxer as well.
Speaker 2:He's a boxer as well.
Speaker 1:He has his own gym as well, pretty boxing club. So he's been doing this. In fact, he's my biggest inspiration, I feel, because I was quite naughty as a kid. He was the perfect child any parent could ask for Super sweet boy. How old is he now?
Speaker 3:26. And you are 28?
Speaker 1:It's him. He's my only sibling.
Speaker 3:Mum, single parent, and your brother was you doted on him? He was your.
Speaker 1:I did, but I didn't show it when.
Speaker 3:I was younger, now I do.
Speaker 1:I don't care who's she or what.
Speaker 3:How's your mum? Is she strict?
Speaker 1:She was super strict when we were kids. Like we cannot watch Tamil movies.
Speaker 3:Why.
Speaker 1:She said it promotes violence.
Speaker 3:And look what happened.
Speaker 1:Wow, she saw it coming. And then cannot watch TV in the morning. You wake up, must eat breakfast, must straight away study that kind of pattern. For someone that enforced this. I was not very good at studying.
Speaker 3:Surprisingly that's very interesting Now because I was watching some of the videos that there was an interview that you did with your mum beside you and you said that there were relatives staying with you. What was this like? What was the dynamics like?
Speaker 1:Basically, they were not doing very well for themselves, I think. And then housing.
Speaker 3:Real relatives.
Speaker 1:Housing was a problem for them, so they had to stay with us for a while. During that period when they were staying with us, a big family kind of yeah, like a whole family, maybe three of them. So while they stayed, with us. It was a bit tough for me and my brother Because they were a bit aggressive, violent.
Speaker 3:Is it a family or like the mum and dad Mum and two kids, I see, and the two kids were guys One guy, one girl we will touch on that a little bit how you got bullied and stuff like that. Schools you attended, what schools First? I went to Pioneer Pembrey School.
Speaker 1:And then from.
Speaker 3:There my mum Pioneer was in Juro.
Speaker 1:We used to stay in Juro before my mum separated my dad.
Speaker 3:Okay, and then I went to the same school.
Speaker 1:I went to the same school. I separated my dad, and then Sambuang Pembrey and then Jamie Pembrey.
Speaker 3:Three Pembrey schools. Wow, you got bullied.
Speaker 1:Primary, secondary as well, secondary then. After that I changed to Tempeni Sek there. Very good, all of them very nice to me.
Speaker 3:A lot of changing schools. I'm very interested here. We will talk about the bullied part. Let's not talk about that. First, ccs what CCS did you do in school?
Speaker 1:I was in soccer when I was in Pembrey 4, I played for Pembrey 5.
Speaker 2:Pembrey 5,.
Speaker 1:I played for Pembrey 6.
Speaker 3:I see.
Speaker 1:Then went to Second School I didn't have any soccer. Then I went to NCC. Didn't do good at all. I only went because there was a pretty girl. After the pretty girl got boyfriend, then she doah me. Then I said I also doah NCC.
Speaker 3:I can see you were like one of those guys who were just like Hard to handle, Very hard to handle Very hard to handle the teachers.
Speaker 1:you had a good time with me at all.
Speaker 3:Now we go a little bit back, the part where you were bullied and all. Why were you bullied? Were you the small in terms of size, or what was it like? What made them bully you Is?
Speaker 1:there a reason. Mostly I, basically I'm always the minority in the group Because there's not much Indians in a class setting. Okay, so the more population like the bigger group, they tend to pick on the minority.
Speaker 2:Okay, in general.
Speaker 1:Firstly that, and then I was very small in size. Very very small. Did you look timid?
Speaker 3:or were you timid as well? Were you quiet in class? That kind of thing.
Speaker 1:I don't think I was quiet in class, but I did look timid. I could not protect myself, I see.
Speaker 3:Very interesting. Now I want to, because obviously you were in a very dark place during that time but obviously you had support from your mum 100%, even right but at that time he was much younger, so he wouldn't know much and things like that. Actually he knew so much from young age.
Speaker 1:I always ask him. I say you see, I see a lot of people when the brother naughty, the elder brother naughty, the younger brother naughty, because the younger brother looks up to the elder brother, follows his steps, and it's not like you never get to see the stupid stuff that I did.
Speaker 2:You saw everything actually.
Speaker 1:You're the only one that saw everything. Why you never turn out like me? He said because I saw exactly what I should not be. Wow, I said damn, this is clever, You're right. He said I rather learn from your mistakes than make the same mistakes.
Speaker 3:This is a wonderful thing.
Speaker 1:You should actually talk to him, you would really enjoy it.
Speaker 3:Because you're right, right, but he's smart. To even think like that, and he's young, you know, at that time young P6.
Speaker 1:So did he talk to you then? No, not then when we were a bit more matured.
Speaker 3:then we asked him Did you ask him why? He didn't tell you then why are you doing all this? You?
Speaker 1:mean he asked me. I was not very approachable, I guess Maybe he didn't want to aggrieve me or ask me the wrong question, I see.
Speaker 3:Now we talk about the bullying that you took At home, your relatives. Why did they even bully you? If I'm going to be, completely honest.
Speaker 1:I don't even consider it as bullying. It was abuse, so they were. I just feel they were projecting their problems, insecurities, trauma whatsoever. They went on us because they maybe don't know any better. This is how they were taught, I presume. So they are just showing, reflecting that on the next generation, and that will continue If there is no stop. People should be educated that this is not how you project love or this is not how you, the moment the cycle stops, you can see growth.
Speaker 3:Have you seen a continuation from that side of the family?
Speaker 1:For sure, you have For sure.
Speaker 3:Till now.
Speaker 1:No, I don't keep in touch with any of them, but through me initial stage. Why it went very dark for me was because I thought this is how it should be, so I continued the cycle till a point come and you ask yourself is this? There is consciousness. End of the day, right.
Speaker 3:It's interesting and would you be able to share with us the abuse that you took Examples?
Speaker 1:Sure. So basically it was a lot like and it's physical abuse. Physical abuse. So it was like they let you punch you. Maybe you know For what. Oh, I was a bit naughty.
Speaker 3:Never study.
Speaker 1:I was a teacher, a teacher, a teacher, a teacher, a teacher. All those stupid questions.
Speaker 3:Just to be funny, just to be trying to.
Speaker 1:Just to be funny and waste time, for I don't want to study. Then you come one hour I must sit down there, lie on you Very difficult, you know. So I asked her. She will say composition, you have to be creative. I'll say are you telling me to lie? Lying is not right, you know, don't you know that she will have to spend like 10 minutes to convince me to be creative when I know I can be. I just don't want to write, you know.
Speaker 1:So things like that. Then they will go and complain to them. So I won't say they never had a reason to, but it didn't have to be that bad. So I think I shared in the grandfather story. I think I did this one time. Do you know EM1, em2, em3? The streaming system? So I was in that batch as well, no surprise went to EM3.
Speaker 1:I got the result. I'm like look at the teacher, why do you do this to me? I'm going to go back home, I'm going to get the life beaten out of me, you know. So I go back home, I show. So there's three people, remember? I told you.
Speaker 1:So I have to go through level one, level two, level three, so my level one was one of the rabat one, but not the top rabat, she's second. I say what is this? Cannot talk? Quiet only I was going to pee in my pants. Then she said EM3, follow me. She asked me to take off my clothes, sit in my underwear, go to the corner of the room right Toilet. Sorry, corner of the toilet. You know the big, you speak Tamil.
Speaker 3:Yes. Panhe for briny you know, the big pot right.
Speaker 1:She filled up water in it.
Speaker 1:She took the pot on my head asked me to squat down, cannot lie down on the wall. That means squat, squat. Very creative ideas, you know. Hold above my head. If the water fall, right, I'm dead. Guess what did she do to try to make the water fall? What you know, the bamboo that you hang. She took out the bamboo. She started stabbing me in the stomach to see if the thing will fall. Then I down there, like, so at that point, this one I remember very clearly it hit you like why are you doing this to me? You know what I mean or not? You will ask yourself, like when you go through something, people keep on and you cannot defend yourself, like why you do this to me? What egg chose this? By the way? Pembri 4, next year is Pembri 5, so Pembri 4, 10 years old.
Speaker 1:So I said why? And then I realised there's nobody to save me. Where was your mum? Nobody's at home. Yeah, mum goes to work, she takes care of us.
Speaker 3:So would your mum know about this? When?
Speaker 1:she. But my mum have to go work the next day, then I would be alone with her again, no, but your mum, so I won't tell.
Speaker 3:Oh, no wonder, yeah, don't tell, don't tell.
Speaker 1:You tell you cannot say the next day, Because they will say you know, your son, he wear no tee, we're just disciplining him.
Speaker 3:That is ridiculous. Yeah, that's crazy.
Speaker 1:So at that point I asked myself why you doing this to me and I realised there's nobody to help me. So as a kid you are 10 years old this is happening to you. You are like questioning is this what life is about? You don't know. You don't know right and wrong much. What you will receive is what you will absorb and you will believe this is what it is, because it's a house. It's where you learn stuff. That's when I feel I started to harden myself, because I know there's nobody going to come and help me, except for yourself. I have to face this except for myself. So if you continue to do this and I can take it two ways I can cry and whine, I can just take it. It's just another day.
Speaker 3:Do you think things like this are happening still?
Speaker 1:I'm very sure, Because it's like I told you, a cycle. You know the cycle has to stop. People have to be educated about it.
Speaker 3:So is this the point where you taught yourself shit, man, I need to go out there, and obviously I'm a fan of myself. And then the company, the bad company. When did this happen?
Speaker 1:I'm talking about bad company gangs and whatever right I think that one came towards secondary school, towards the end of secondary school, the fan for myself was when I first time kicked somebody for cutting my cue in school Family school you know soccer, right, wally? We learned how to Wally the ball. Moita is very similar to Wally. I kicked him like a soccer ball. I didn't know Moita back then, the way he reacted, and Wally is hard right, swing our whole body weight into it. Boom, and he was a bigger guy. You know, I saw fear in his eyes which I've never seen before Because I'm always the one being afraid. Oh, that was addictive. When I saw fear in the eye, I'm like I'm not the prey, no more, you know. And she never told this to anybody. So that's when it got a pattern like I like the feeling, I'm addicted to the look of fear, control. I want more. That's when I started to like fight outside and like that's the job.
Speaker 3:And this is on your own, that kind of thing, not with the gang or with the. How did the gang, when I was younger, most of the?
Speaker 1:time it's alone. I've never been the kind that oh gang and then go and beat people up. I feel like even when we were in a gang, the number of times that I actually fought alone and do my trouble alone was more compared to doing it as a group.
Speaker 3:Right, right.
Speaker 1:And how much trouble did you get into with all these fights Too many, too much to count, to a point where there are times, like right now, when I head out and all that, like some people approach me and like do you remember me? I'm like I don't remember you, bro. How are you? Like yeah, like no, this time with me, you know, like fuck man, I feel very bad. I don't like I'm not proud of it yet, I feel very bad because I didn't know better, you know. And then like I'll be very apologetic, then I tell her I'm really very sorry. You know, there are people that I message right now personally, that I don't even bump into, it just comes to my head and I'm like, bro, I'm really very sorry. Can I do something for you?
Speaker 1:Because, it's like not cool. You know what I mean. Like what happened is not fair to you. I didn't know better, but now I know better and now I'm okay. What's the worst?
Speaker 3:that you've done in terms of doing something to someone and I'm not talking about the later part of the somewhere when you went into prison the earlier part, you know in primary school or even secondary school. Right what?
Speaker 1:was the worst that you've done. I beat one guy up very badly, but like there's no excuses to it, I just beat someone up very badly.
Speaker 3:And the reason, like it could be the smallest of things, right.
Speaker 1:Yeah, very, very bad. Better not to share.
Speaker 3:Wow, and you got into so much of it. And at this point, right, what was your mom thinking Like?
Speaker 1:oh, my mom was like this is the devil's child. Seriously.
Speaker 3:She's like what's wrong with you.
Speaker 1:She always comes to me and says be normal, sharp, be normal. She had a very hard time Really, really poor, poor thing. She was very poor thing, but she never gave up.
Speaker 3:And all this while right, your brother was just watching and learning.
Speaker 1:He's just done that. I don't want to be this. This is bad.
Speaker 3:I can imagine, but they must be feeling in him as well.
Speaker 1:I don't think.
Speaker 3:Did you bully him?
Speaker 1:You did Not proud of it, I did bully him. But I don't think he fears. He's a brave guy, he's a brave kid. He just knows he's smart. He's like, if I don't have to talk to you and aggrieve you, then I won't talk to you and aggrieve you. It's not because he's scared of me. I think he's a very smart boy and brave as well.
Speaker 3:Now tell me at which point did you get into trouble with the law?
Speaker 1:My first time was 14 or 15. I can't remember exactly. Yeah, 14 or 15. I was influenced by one of my relatives as well. He told me. Still, alcohol for him. I liked him a lot. I looked up to him, he's older, he's older, he had tattoos, and I was in secondary school. I was like this is cool, whatever you say, I will do. I'm like the extreme. I don't do something. If I do bad, I do very well. If I do good, I do good. You know what I mean. Yeah, he told me, from now on, this is your three values Light cheat and still, he told you he was influencing me like that From today onwards you have to light cheat and still.
Speaker 1:And because I look up to you, I'm like that's what I'm going to do. And I did it so well. I light cheat and still Everything. For that period when I was with him, I did it so well to a point where he realized that this guy is a weapon. He started making use of me. He was like I'm going to 7-elevens, still alcohol, but he won't still you get it. He will stand outside because he knows this guy can make use. He will stand outside. I will go inside. I will take so many bottles of alcohol from the fridge put in the bag. He will talk to the counter to buy sim card.
Speaker 2:Then I will still it's a decoy, he's a decoy.
Speaker 1:So we will do that and I got caught. He was there. He didn't get caught because he didn't steal.
Speaker 3:But isn't he a accomplice?
Speaker 1:I didn't say he is.
Speaker 3:So those were the first times that you got into. That was the first time.
Speaker 1:And you got really caught. Got caught Go to the police station. I cry here.
Speaker 3:And what happened there.
Speaker 1:They gave me bail and gave me warning because I was very young. So they said shop theft warning. Even in the interrogation they come and keep on asking me.
Speaker 3:The guy know right, but I was blinded by loyalty so I'm like no, I steal myself, which is something good In not that sense, but it's something that is very good in terms of you want to be as loyal as possible, you want to, but that's the thing, See.
Speaker 1:sometimes loyalty can be taken advantage of and put in the wrong situation. And people like that. That's blindly loyal would do anything for you, for your cause, and if your cause is not right, then it becomes very dangerous.
Speaker 3:This is the next question I wanted to ask you All these people, all these people that in your lifetime so far, that has influenced you in terms of the bad part. Are you still in touch with these people, or is it just like high-five, that's it.
Speaker 1:No, yeah, not in touch with them at all.
Speaker 3:Thank you very much. I just wanted to hear that, and you know, because Obviously, they've done absolutely nothing for you, yeah, and that they have actually, I feel.
Speaker 1:They have, in that sense, like they did bad but good came out of the bad. Oh, of course, like now, if I see someone doing that to me, I will be able to recognise you're trying to make use, you know. But I would not be able to recognise this now if it never happened. Nice.
Speaker 3:Let's talk about your tattoos, man. When did you first start having them? Wow?
Speaker 1:You're going to be shocked.
Speaker 3:No, no, I won't, or maybe I will, I bet you will.
Speaker 1:My first tattoo was when I was 13. Okay, in my classroom you did a tattoo in your classroom, in your classroom. If I'm going to tell them how I did it, would it be? No, okay, so, 13 years old, sec one, sec one. 13 years old, sec one. First tattoo was done in my classroom. So I had this kid from Boy's Home, okay, so he retained to come to my class. Okay, he taught us this you take out a pen, ballpoint pen. You take the stick out with the ink Yep, yep, yep. You know the compass that you use for max. Yeah, you poke inside the ink the tube. Okay, break the tube up, poke the ink, draw whatever design you want with a normal pen first, okay, and then trace it with the compass by like sewing. You get it, you get it. So when the ink goes in, it becomes a tattoo once it heals and it's still there, oh, but it's covered up completely now.
Speaker 3:Yeah, but if you didn't cover that up, it would still be there. It would be there, but the quality of the ink is not as normal like this.
Speaker 1:You know it's like a bit like.
Speaker 2:Wow.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so that was my first tattoo.
Speaker 3:And what was that? I mean a tattoo of what. Come on, come on, shum.
Speaker 1:I wanted to do my then-girlfriend's name, but the moment the needle go in, so pain, I said I don't want to do anymore. Then it was a dot Pain, 13 years old.
Speaker 3:Wow, amazing man, yeah, and they can dig.
Speaker 1:And the teacher was at the front. You know she had no idea what we were doing at the back. I haven't heard of this before.
Speaker 3:Yeah, like as in with the compass and a yes.
Speaker 1:Yes, yes, yes, yes yes.
Speaker 3:Okay, so obviously you all progress to a more cleaner, more professional kind of tattoo. So tell me roughly off your head how many do you have? Wow, 20?
Speaker 1:I think maybe, yeah, 20. Most of it a big one. So, like sometimes, what's your favourite? Oh, the one, just I did my full back which is? It's done by Logan from Oracle Tattoo. Okay, so good, nice, what is it? Mahalajmi?
Speaker 3:Ah, yeah, it's the goddess of. Okay, I think I saw that. Yeah, yeah, okay, beautiful man, beautiful, that's your favourite one.
Speaker 1:That's my favourite one now.
Speaker 3:Okay, so it's safe to say that the names of all your girlfriends have been erased?
Speaker 1:Oh yes, there was one other one, you know, I also erased. Then I learnt from a mistake no more girlfriend names Brilliant.
Speaker 3:Now I want to talk about prison and all right, okay. So the first time that you no bail as in really went into prison and stayed right.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 3:So what was the offence? Oh, oh man, you have to be very specific if you don't want to, but what you know roughly, what happened?
Speaker 1:Arm robbery we've heard. Wow, I was 16 years old. I always thought if you get caught, you can come out and bail, and I didn't know how severe arm robbery we've heard was you know, actually it is right, it's super, super serious, especially with a weapon, and all right. Weapon yeah, that's why it's arm robbery and it was crazy, it was not one, no, we did several like, and this is what You're, a gang, or it's just. It's just me and my very good friend.
Speaker 3:That's it Okay. And you got caught for several Several.
Speaker 1:We were wanted fugitive for two days.
Speaker 3:So, give me an example of how this is done.
Speaker 1:Like you know, so we walk up to random people At that point. Iphone was A new iPhone just dropped, so the value for iPhone is very high. Okay so iPhone, we back then could fetch about $700.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And this was in 2011. Yeah, $700, 16 years old boy a lot of money Okay.
Speaker 1:So we will aim for those people that are holding an iPhone and then we will go up to them, strike a conversation, just say you were the one that beat my brother, right? And they always say no, obviously because they didn't. They say okay, cool, if you didn't beat my brother, follow me. My brother is just over there. If he say it's not you, you can go Okay. And normally we aim the guys that would like no, that would beat the retaliative kind. So then they follow us. They come there and then we drop them.
Speaker 3:Just do it, they just snatch and what Like how.
Speaker 1:No, bring them up to the staircase and then we drop them there. Bad, and then.
Speaker 3:And usually it will. Usually is there hurt in. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2:All the time.
Speaker 1:All the time. And then my friend. He was more of money For me, it was. I just like hitting people. Remember I told you before about the fear. So it is planned, then it was planned, so I will do the hitting and my friend will only step in. He doesn't actually want to hit. He only steps in when the guy is not knocking up or something like that. Then he needs to like he's a big guy.
Speaker 2:Okay, I just enjoy the hitting.
Speaker 1:Then we go and sell the phone.
Speaker 3:And then this happens over.
Speaker 1:Over and over and over again, until you got caught. Until we realized that we were wanted. Wow yeah, because police started going around and showing our photos.
Speaker 3:And usually around that area, same area.
Speaker 1:Because we used to like Stupid. We used to always slack at one place. Okay, so we just cross the road and do the climb and then come back to the same place, and then you so finally you guys got caught?
Speaker 3:Yeah, we did.
Speaker 1:And then how long was this? Okay, so this was when I got caught. I thought I was going to come out and build because I'm 16 right.
Speaker 1:You won't believe it. I had a very hard time and I was not cooperative at all. To the officers Yang Pang just trying to, I said you want me to talk to you, give me a secret. They'll give me a secret and I'll give them a complete different story. I made up more than 10 series of robberies from my imagination. That means I told them I got to do this robbery at Chong Pang.
Speaker 3:So actually your creativity from the composition came out here.
Speaker 1:It came out here Because I don't have to write, they write, I talk. Then he'll be like so happy you're giving me a detailed case that nobody has reported. So when they report, I know it's you they are happy, they write everything. Then they ask thank you for telling me this, but this one you have or not your Chu Kang have? I say no, never, he shouldn't have, he shouldn't have, he should have is. I rocked one, bro, I admit, but the your Chu Kang, I never. Then they're like, wow, how to pin this on him. So they drag my one week investigation to two weeks, but all this time you are inside, right Inside inside cannot go out.
Speaker 1:Okay, two weeks dragged, but cannot keep me in lock up anymore. So they went to court. I thought my mom is there with a lawyer, everything already I thought I'm going to come out. They just said this is such a serious offense and the investigation is not done, we are sending you to Changi prison to be remanded Without bail. Then he hit me. I'm going to prison.
Speaker 3:And your friend was in the same boat.
Speaker 1:Yes, yes, yes, no he is worse because he's been to prison too many times and he was already on bail, Okay. So they didn't offer him bail. So I was like damn, I'm going to prison. But at that point I was like damn, I'm going to prison. I don't know why. It was damn stupid, you know, like 16 years old kid just want to make a name for himself, Will do everything. Extreme.
Speaker 2:So I went to prison smiling.
Speaker 1:I was there like enjoying the whole process.
Speaker 2:Drop your hair.
Speaker 1:Like you know that kind of stupid shit. It was ridiculous. Anyway, my mom used the lawyer to try to get bail and then the judge said I'm granting bail because of his standard age, but you need to understand that this is a serious offense, so it's not going to be a walk in the park for you. Normally, 15k you can come out with IC. That means you don't have to put cash. Okay, nothing. The judge offered 20K. He said cash, you take cash, you can come out, which is a good thing, because he needs to make me feel like what I did was wrong.
Speaker 1:I could not get away with it. Initially I was like I'm 16. I'm going to get away with it Now. I know damn, there's consequences, you know. So I went back to Changi. My mom don't have 20K to give. We single pattern and like not very rich, we just middle class or even lower. That time I was thinking, thinking how I call my father. I say bro, bro, help me out here. I did a crime. I need 20K cash. Because he once told me that he's a very rich man.
Speaker 1:So I'm like calling in a favor now. No, I don't have. Who asked you to do the crime? He cut the line. Damn like damn. I'm really going to be here for a while now. It's not just an experience anymore it starts to kick in a bit, but cannot show people, you know like we are in prison.
Speaker 1:So we just hard, we hard. So I'm cool, no bail, I'm cool, one week pass, I'll see you in the next review. The judge said, okay, I'll bring down the bill. So if he bring down 15K, I'm out already. Guess what did he do? 16k cash Still don't want to. Let me go, you get what I mean.
Speaker 1:He's not gonna make it easy. My mom went to lawyer after this and she worked at some places and then she got the money from me. She borrowed the money from her boss actually, her boss is a very nice guy, you know Borrowed the money from the boss, put the bill, took me out. That's when I was like damn shit. So I was about one month in Okay, okay Before she, before I came out.
Speaker 3:So for this case alone, what was?
Speaker 1:it in the end. Oh, I had a solid lawyer. He got me probation but with tagging two years I didn't finish the probation. I came out I think the first one I should have gone prison already If. I would have. Maybe I would have felt the pinch. I didn't. So I came out thinking that, okay, I got away with it again. I go to the streets, I fight more, fight, fight, fight. Then I was involved in some unlawful money lending stuff. Okay, got caught for that.
Speaker 3:And in total, how many times were you in Different times? I mean Different times Four, three or four, Four times and the longest Two years. Two years and the last one was what?
Speaker 1:The very last one, oh, the last one is the one that I had it, I was done, seven months Was this the one that you stabbed.
Speaker 3:The guy on the bicep was armed. Yes, that was the one.
Speaker 1:Yes, and also that was also influence of alcohol and whatever you know the accumulation and everything, and I think that came out in the papers, that everything came out on the papers, even the first one, the one I told you I was 16, you know, it came out, it's just the face didn't come out.
Speaker 3:I think the last one your face came out.
Speaker 1:Quite a challenge, the swollen face.
Speaker 3:Was that the swollen face, or were you fat?
Speaker 1:No, swollen, oh seriously, because I got beat up bad that the face was swollen.
Speaker 3:During that, whatever the scuffle or whatever, no, the day before.
Speaker 1:That's why the scuffle even actually kind of happened.
Speaker 2:Because something happened the day before.
Speaker 1:That's the outcome of it.
Speaker 3:No, seriously, I was looking at the photo and I was like guys go and look at the I'm not asking you to look at the photo. But seriously, if you look at your photo then I thought it was like you were fat then or no.
Speaker 1:It was them like the yeah and they wake me up, come take photo, so it was even more puffy.
Speaker 3:So now I just wanna I'm very curious about this right Now all this stuff that you went in for, forget about what happened before, your relatives, and all right. Would it be inaccurate of me or accurate of me to say that it's actually about the company as well, that you came 100%?
Speaker 1:100% the company, especially my last one. The company was bad or shit. Bad meaning, what Like. The incident happened not because I wanted to hit somebody or I wanted to stab somebody. You know the truth was remember. I told you I came out after 2 years. I was on 7 months supervision. That means electronically tagged. I took out my tag on Friday. This stabbing incident happened on Saturday. I was in no rush to go back to prison, you know.
Speaker 1:But my friends that were around me at that point, friends had no problem instigating me to go and hit somebody that they were not happy with and that they didn't have the balls to go and hit. They are like shum, shum, shum, this fuller. Then this fuller. No, no, no, shum, this fuller. Then, like I look at what, why are you telling me? You know what I mean? Now I would tell them that. Why are you telling me?
Speaker 3:But you still went on and did it as well, because Stupid, very stupid Wow it's this and again, this is so, so, and I have to say this as well and people are watching this, and youths looking at this and watching this. It's very important you know the people that you hang around with 100%.
Speaker 1:You're a tribe. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3:It's very, very important and, like you said, sometimes they don't they get away with it Both.
Speaker 1:But in fact most of the times they get away with it. All of them got away with it and in fact they got arrested and I said to the IO I said you know what? I confess you let them go. Wow, and they really got away with it. They really got away with it. For me to only find out in the end one of them actually ratted me out In the statements, you know. So I'm like damn.
Speaker 3:Ridiculous, really. And is it fair to say that your mom is the one that you most, or you, disappointed the most For?
Speaker 1:sure, for sure, now let's. But I also think I did her the proud the most. You know, like if there is anybody is the most proud of me right now, I think probably with your mom.
Speaker 3:The way you, yeah, brilliant man, brilliant. Now, amongst all this right, and you came out, and whatever right. At which point did you think, shit, man, no more. What was the spark? Because it's so difficult, because you go in and you come out, you might fall back into that trade, you know. So I did that's why actually.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so what?
Speaker 3:was the spark.
Speaker 1:So I start looking around me, you know, like because we grew up together at this certain area, and then all of our friends at that point, like a small number of us only, are going in and coming out, going in and coming out. But the rest of our friends, the ones that you know, eh, this fuller, that fuller, they are progressing in their life.
Speaker 3:Like the ones who watch and learn. Yeah, exactly the ones that watch and learn.
Speaker 1:So they are progressing in life, you see. And then we, and then I take a look at them. I'm like, doesn't?
Speaker 2:feel so good at what?
Speaker 1:age was this 22. I'm like I need to do something with my life, and at that point I haven't even served NS 22. In out from 16 years old. In out, in, out, in out. Then I had a girlfriend back then. So the two year sentence don't really have a girlfriend.
Speaker 2:The seven month Girlfriend Maybe, but not girlfriend.
Speaker 1:Then the seven month sentence ooh, that one serious girlfriend. Then I'm like, wow, tough, tough. Then slowly you start to hear stuff that like when you're inside, then they write to you they say like you know what, maybe I don't really want this anymore. Then you're like, oh shit. Then it hits you differently, you know. Then you start to think like wow, I go inside, I come out, I know money, no job. Then I told myself, I said you know what? I don't want to be this further.
Speaker 3:Was it easy Because of the people who keeps.
Speaker 1:People keep calling me when I first came out and all that and like ask me to go out. And there were good friends that called me out also. Like, not bad friends, I had to do what had to be done, which is very extreme.
Speaker 3:I stayed in the gym where I was working for eight months, so you were working in a gym.
Speaker 2:Muay Thai gym.
Speaker 3:First.
Speaker 1:I was working as a personal trainer in a commercial gym. Then, from there, my Muay Thai teacher actually told me that why not you come and work with me? So I told myself I'm going to give it my all. So anyway, he asked me to stay in the gym. So I stayed in the gym from Tuesday all the way to Sunday. Mondays are my only off day, that's why, right now it's also my
Speaker 1:off day, I'm very comfortable with Monday off day. So Monday I'll come back home, go back gym Tuesday again, sleep all the way until Sunday. I did this for eight months to a year Just to stay away. Just to stay away like ghosts. Right Friends will call me. Come we go club. Right and the gym is all the way at Jurong, clubs are in.
Speaker 3:Orchard Okay.
Speaker 1:You know and stuff like that. I'm like no Bro, I'm not going, I'm not going, I'm not going. The only time they ever caught me was deep hourly. Okay, so this happened.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 1:I invited them over to my house. We drink. We had a good time, all got drunk, I got drunk, let's go club. So I'm still at the ghost period, but it's because it's deep hourly.
Speaker 2:I want to meet you guys.
Speaker 1:They convinced me. I got in the taxi. We're on the way to the club the club that I should never go to, okay, because that's where the stabbing incident happened. So I don't want to go near there. We're on the way to the club and he hit me. I'm like I'm not going to do this. Uncle stopped the car, he don't stop. I said, uncle, I'm going to open the door. He stopped the car. Hey, boy, boy, boy. Okay, he stopped the car. I got out on Lentor and I walked all the way back home. Wow, I said I'm not doing this. They came out, they shamkham. I said I will be not angry if you guys just carry on. Please go, I don't want. Yes, I stopped the car on the highway and I walked back.
Speaker 3:That was brilliant man, that.
Speaker 1:Yeah so.
Speaker 3:You should be proud of that moment. Actually, you know. Because, the fact that you know there's the devils around.
Speaker 1:You know it was. It was Deep hourly, it was fun, but I knew what I had to do Amazing.
Speaker 3:Now why Muay Thai, by the way?
Speaker 1:Oh, remember, I told you the incident when I kicked the guy. Yes, yes, so you took.
Speaker 3:Muay Thai after that.
Speaker 1:Uh A while, a few years after that.
Speaker 3:Okay.
Speaker 1:So I was facing a lot of bullies.
Speaker 3:Remember I told you, I had a relative that was influencing me in the wrong way.
Speaker 1:So I went to complain to him saying that this kid was bullying me when I go play soccer. He's like okay, let me teach you Muay Thai. He only taught me three moves. Okay, and back then and I taught that was Muay Thai he said kick the thigh Inside, kick the thigh.
Speaker 3:On the outside.
Speaker 1:And then knee him in the groin. Okay, that is Muay Thai for you.
Speaker 2:I did it very well.
Speaker 1:Okay, Then he's like wow, you are very good. Then I'm like you feel very empowered when people say, wow, you yeah.
Speaker 2:I said oh yeah.
Speaker 1:I said I want to learn more. Okay, he said no, this is all. You have mastered Muay Thai. Huh, now I'm a Muay Thai fighter. He said yeah, you are Muay Thai fighter. I went to school and I taught everybody I'm a Muay Thai fighter, I'm a Muay Thai fighter. And then I got into a fight, okay, and then I did exactly what he said and it worked. Okay. Obviously, you knee somebody in the groin and it works, yes, so he was rolling on the floor.
Speaker 2:I felt so good, I'm so strong now.
Speaker 1:I went to find how can I learn more. So I told my mom she helped me Google Nice.
Speaker 3:That's great man and I think you've made a brilliant transition. Thank you Into whatever you're doing now. Tell us about this gifted academy.
Speaker 1:So, gifted academy, gifted fight academy. Yeah, I actually have the tattoo gifted at the back of my head, ah nice. So Ponsawan in Thai means gifted. Okay, my teacher the one that taught me Muay Thai when I was a kid Told me that I was put on this earth to do this. He said that to me Because of how quickly I learn stuff that he teaches and how I am able to execute it and all that he said. This is extraordinary. So you are put on this earth to do this for sure.
Speaker 1:So he said Ponsawan, I took it. It's very important to me.
Speaker 2:You know what he says.
Speaker 1:I respect him a lot, I love him a lot and I'm like, okay, nice. So one day, when he actually left the country, he wants to go back to Thailand, he wants to be there, he don't want to come back. I became the head trainer of his gym. We were doing the gym was doing well, but I wanted to do more for myself, like I wanted to fight more. I wanted I saw a bit of potential in me.
Speaker 1:So I left that gym Because he's not there anymore. So I thought you know what the truth is. I'm there because of you. I'm loyal to you. You're not there, let me, let me go, and do what I got to do. So I go, I fight more stuff like that, and then I was working for a very good gym in Reffles.
Speaker 3:It's called Venda oh so good gym.
Speaker 1:I had a good time there. The teammates were strong. I thought that was one of the best gyms I've ever been in. Unfortunately, they had to close down after.
Speaker 3:They do boxing as well, right Venda.
Speaker 1:Venda does boxing as well. Yeah yeah, they're a good gym. Unfortunately, they had to close down. I think less than 10 months 11 months they closed down. Okay, that had to force me to go and find something else. But everything falls short. Every gym else that I went to fell short, like I didn't feel good. So I started to do freelance. I just work on my own self, like I do clients privately. I stopped doing much group class, okay, and I started to realize there's a demand growing.
Speaker 3:Okay.
Speaker 1:Demand growing and then, right before COVID, I and my friend Jeremy we rented a space and we marketed say that we are doing group classes on our own.
Speaker 1:Boom, you won't believe it. One class 30 to 35 bags, wow, beautiful. And we were like shit, maybe we have something here. Yeah, we were in the midst of contemplating to open a gym. Yeah, then COVID hit, boom, everything went lockdown. So we never go back to that place again, because the landlord also cannot tahan. He let go the place. Yep, then we I was doing privates, and my privates were like 12 to 14 hours a day, each hour I didn't even have time to eat. One client after the other, back to back, back to back back to back, and it's all Muay Thai.
Speaker 3:All Muay.
Speaker 1:Thai and I was doing this under the block Right. I was set up mats.
Speaker 3:Okay.
Speaker 1:And I was seeing clients after clients after Then I realized like one day I see about 12 to 14, on a bad day eight. This is customer base, yeah right. And Muay Thai is very loud and I feel like I'm convincing a lot of people on top. I say, why not? We open a gym, right? So there's only one person that came to my mind, which is Sarah. She's my business partner. She and I used to joke about opening a gym one day if we strike toto.
Speaker 3:Okay.
Speaker 1:And we always said how we would do differently. You know like we envision how a Muay Thai gym should be stuff like that. I went to her I say I'm ready. Okay, I've started looking for places. These are the places let's go view. And she there, I'm steady, she's not like Shyam, are you sure you ready? I also like.
Speaker 3:Where is this place?
Speaker 1:The right now Right now is in Jala Besah, but that time it was in Perdon Road the first location.
Speaker 2:This is our second location already.
Speaker 1:Okay, so we start looking and we set up the gym in less than two months.
Speaker 3:Wow.
Speaker 2:That means I decided today we're doing it.
Speaker 1:I call her, let's go, we view. In fact, the first location we view was the location we end up picking. Okay, boom, in two months the gym was set up.
Speaker 3:It's good that you already had the base of people coming to you.
Speaker 1:Yes, you know, I think that's very important. That's fortunate for me. Yeah, but I took my time to build it.
Speaker 3:So how has it been Having your own gym being a trainer in? You know it's nothing better than having your own place. You know, instead of you know, you would think right.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but it comes a lot with it, Like when I was doing freelance under the block. I had no rent to pay to anybody Correct, correct, you know financially. I was doing so well for myself, Like I was happy, comfortable and like if I want to work, I work. If I don't want to work, I don't work. You know, there was a flexibility there freedom.
Speaker 1:Now it becomes more than just me. Responsibilities, yeah, responsibilities. I have to look out for my guys and, like everybody, there's so much to it, you know, but it always feels it's worth it. When I look at the community, when I see how this place has become a home for so many people to come to, where they can unwind and unwind and, like, create bonds, people come together, train together.
Speaker 3:I just wanted to ask you that as well, you know, I see it's beautiful. I see your TikTok videos and all. It's like a kind of family thing.
Speaker 1:You got going on Everybody surprisingly, you are hitting each other, but I've never seen bond like that. When somebody is actually hitting each other. It's very nice, it's brilliant man Sha.
Speaker 3:It's really, really inspiring. You know from wherever you've been from, whatever you experience, and then now you have your own gym and it's brilliant. And I just saw, I think, what was it? Last week, there was this video that you posted. You were asking your trainees to look at themselves in the mirror and do something. What was that?
Speaker 1:What was that exercise about? It's beautiful. It's called really.
Speaker 3:What did you take from it? No, it's just like you know about confidence, I think. Yes, you know about showing what you are about. You know so what In your eyes.
Speaker 1:What was that? So basically we call that shadow boxing. So shadow boxing is you don't hit a target, but you have to imagine there's a target in front of you and you are hitting the target, so there's few ways to look at it. This is how I summarise the thing, but people do it very differently. Some people do it because they are forced to do it.
Speaker 3:OK.
Speaker 1:So for three minutes this is my warm up, so I just like, yeah, just not doing it for the doing it.
Speaker 3:Going through the motions Correct.
Speaker 1:Then there are some people that do it very seriously, which is good.
Speaker 1:I love it. Like oh, how am I going to hit you? Wow, mom, this I'm visualising you're doing this. Good fighter, you know, Like you hit me here. You're open there. That's what I do a lot of times, but there are some people I need you to look at yourself and show yourself what you want to see. Ok, you understand. Ok, Like when you throw a strike, do you like how you look? It's very important because the truth is a lot of us don't want to admit it, but how we look like to other people's eyes matters to us. Oh, of course.
Speaker 3:Right, of course.
Speaker 1:So when you look at the mirror and you're doing that, that's how people are looking at you. You'll be OK with that, that impression that you're giving them.
Speaker 1:Does it look good enough for them. You know, Use that to show yourself what you actually really want to see. You will get better the moment you start to see. It starts from wanting to look good in other people's eyes, but if you like what you see, it starts a different kind of step for you. You take a step with a different found confidence. You get what I mean Brilliant.
Speaker 3:Brilliant. I think that was great, you know, and I was looking at it and it was like, yeah, and I think I could hear some of your trainees talking about it as well. It was great, man, it was brilliant. I wanted to ask you about this, right and we were just talking about this off-air as well Do you need to be someone different mentally? Physically obviously right, but mentally as well, you need to be a different kind of person, a special kind of person, to actually get into a damn ring, to get into the octagon, to actually fight, because I think it's not anyone can just do that.
Speaker 1:People try to be very honest, like even sometimes mentally they are not there. They still try and I give them props for that. You will be able to identify if they are mentally there or not when they get hit super hard and then you see how they react to it. During training I mean Fight training, whatever the context when you get really hit hard, like how can a human hit this hard? You know that kind of boom, so pain. You look at them the moment they start to backpedal and then they like Like shit, you can see in their eyes, then you know mentally they are not there.
Speaker 1:And it's quite dangerous. If mentally you're not there and you are like this, I smell blood. And if I'm mentally there and you're my opponent, I'm probably going to go in there to finish you, but you are going to get hurt like that. So best case I would recommend is mental first. Mental is very important. Technique can be taught, but hard mentality. That's a different thing. That's what is going to help you.
Speaker 3:What has the sport taught you, Sharp? The sport has taught me a lot of things, but If you can take one thing, one biggest thing that you know.
Speaker 1:Hard, hard for sure, like I feel. Like I told you earlier, right the hard is very important. The sport has taught me that, because I had transit from different phases in this sport, like when I first started. It's about bullying people Right, like being the bully, things like that, fighting outside, and then it moved to doing it and looking good in people's eyes and then finding out that looking good in people's eyes is not as important as being good in the ring with someone. It takes essence, it takes heart. You know like you have to want to fight, not to look good, but to fight. It's a fight another day To all the way. Fighting for yourself right now. That's where I am in my journey.
Speaker 1:Fighting for yourself is super important. When I fight for people, when you hit me so hard, I'll be thinking you feel not the pain. You have no idea what I'm going through. Why am I pushing myself for you? I start to give up because I'm doing it for you, for your eyes. Now I'm doing it for me. So when you hit me hard this is what Muay Thai is teaching me right now what makes you any bigger than me? Like you are so strong to put me down? No, then I have to start to pick myself up like a lot of self resilience like it's teaching me to believe in me and evoke that beast.
Speaker 1:I feel like that beast will not just take me far in Muay Thai or whatever, but in life itself and how I look at things, Like if I'm presented something, do I feel like it's so difficult, like the hard hit, that I stop, or it's difficult, I'm more difficult, I can push through. You know what I?
Speaker 3:mean.
Speaker 1:Like defy the odds.
Speaker 3:Brilliant man, brilliant. That was great. Now we can go on and on. We want to end our episode today with a quick fire, round 10, I think we've got about 10 questions. It should be easy for you, no?
Speaker 1:no, that's Very easy, very easy, I tried this yesterday with my friend. I got all the wrong answers. I've never done it before.
Speaker 3:You actually prepared yourself for this episode. No worries, number one, very easy. What is your pre-fight meal?
Speaker 1:Oh, pasta and steak.
Speaker 3:Which are like how many hours before Roughly?
Speaker 1:The morning if I'm fighting the evening, late afternoon, pasta and steak nice, your pre-fight song. Oh, some Rajini Khan song.
Speaker 3:I know that shit.
Speaker 1:I saw that video a couple of weeks. I posted some time back. It's either Rajini Khan song or Yogi B song.
Speaker 3:Lovely. What's your favourite drink?
Speaker 1:Oh, sour beer.
Speaker 3:Yeah, Anyway, I just want to go back. I take it that Rajini is your favourite actor.
Speaker 1:Yes, I like his song and the style. You did watch Jailer right?
Speaker 3:Yes, I loved it Solid the plot twist Alright, next one Messi or Ronaldo.
Speaker 1:I don't read Ronaldo.
Speaker 3:Okay, favourite superhero, and why?
Speaker 1:Oh tough Hulk.
Speaker 3:How.
Speaker 1:Smash.
Speaker 2:Smash.
Speaker 3:Because you want to smash people.
Speaker 1:Not really, but like he's strong, not anymore.
Speaker 3:Your biggest disappointment so far, biggest.
Speaker 1:How I used to be when I was younger.
Speaker 3:Your biggest accomplishment so far.
Speaker 1:The gym and how people are growing from the gym Beautiful.
Speaker 3:Your pet peeve in your training, when you see your training something that you don't like.
Speaker 1:Coming late to training Ah.
Speaker 3:Yeah, any punishment for being late? Yeah.
Speaker 1:Jummies.
Speaker 3:Thousand to three thousand, seriously.
Speaker 1:Depending on how often they come late. Brilliant.
Speaker 3:Now, besides your phone and Muay Thai right, which is one thing that you can't do without- Wow, tough One thing I can't do without.
Speaker 1:It could be the simplest of things actually. Yeah, mmm, sleep, sleep, sleep. Nice, I can't do without sleep.
Speaker 3:That's good for recovery, isn't it? Yeah, okay, you are alone in an island. Who would you like to be with? Alone in an island? You wake up suddenly one day and you just shit, shit man, I'm in an island alone, but who would you like to be with?
Speaker 1:Come on, alvin. Okay, someone that can have a good conversation, are you sure? And looks good Like who, like whoever.
Speaker 3:That fits that description. Okay, okay, I'll let you get away with that. Well, Alvin, before we go, I just want to ask you in the next five years down the road, where do you see yourself? Do you feel like it's going to expand into three, four branches? I don't know. What is it like for you, man?
Speaker 1:I see myself having a bigger gym.
Speaker 3:Nice.
Speaker 1:A new business that's not related to Muay Thai.
Speaker 3:Okay, like what? Any ideas so far?
Speaker 1:I've always wanted to go into like a FMB actually.
Speaker 3:I had this feeling that you're going to say something.
Speaker 1:Really Like a cafe. Ah, something like that. Yeah, yeah, yeah, cafe L bar or something. So in the five years time.
Speaker 3:Yeah, yeah, yeah yeah, hopefully, hopefully. Now, before we go right, any advice for any youths who might be facing the same problems as you were before. Sham, you know you struggled a lot. You know you overcome all these struggles and adversities right. Do you have any advice? And I'm sure there are so many youths out there who are experienced the same thing as you were doing before Any advice for them?
Speaker 1:For sure, but can I finish up, bro, the five years. I have one more thing. Oh, yes, please please.
Speaker 3:Oh, you got it, sir. Yes, this is what I want to say, because I feel like in five years time.
Speaker 1:I want to have a huge step into starting my own legacy right, and the legacy that I feel I want to leave behind is a strong empowering and which I feel I've already started and I'm seeing it grow.
Speaker 1:Like a strong empowering culture where, through Muay Thai, kings and queens right Like empower each other. We like go up to each other and say you are strong, you can do this, build a strong mind for each other, for us to be able to be a different kind of breed, different kind of breed of men and women like, not the kind that something difficult or put someone down. You know Like I evoke this a lot among my fighters and my trainers, like we need to be there for each other, we need to uplift each other.
Speaker 1:A support system, a proper support system, and like become the best that we can be through each other to make these people around us, Because it will touch the moment. You are like that you do it to someone, he will do it to someone.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:Like I told you, the cycle has to stop there and we have to create a new cycle. So that is my goal Five years down the road. I want to be. I'm already seeing it in my gym right now. I'm already seeing how my trainers are empowering the next batch of fighters and people that walk through our gym, going back home with a smile on their face because they know that they feel good about themselves. Everybody should feel good about themselves. You know, like how we tell them things can make, can change how they do things. So I want to be a huge step closer to making the whole society that comes around me like that they will do it to other people and a change will start for me. Oh, wonderful.
Speaker 3:I wish you all the best man. Thank you Next five years, but yeah, so any advice?
Speaker 1:for this. Yes, I have that one.
Speaker 3:Yeah please tell us because I think, like I said before, that there's so many use at the moment who are experiencing the same things that you were before, right?
Speaker 1:So I feel like all of you out there, you guys are different from one another, like what I mean by that is whatever problems that I went through and whatever problems that maybe you are going through right now is very different. Maybe some you are going through worse than the things that I went through, but what we all have in common is right, a purpose. I believe that all of us are put on this earth has a purpose yeah, 100%. My advice to you guys is go out there and find that purpose. How, try, try whatever that calls out to you. Like for me, fighting called out to me from a young age, you know, like I told you like things.
Speaker 1:Tap on what calls out to you, yeah, and then follow it with everything that you got, you know, and you have to have the mind If you want something bad enough, you would do anything to get it, and that's what I believe you need to be able to do anything. That's the recipe to get what you want.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:So just find what you, what is calling out to you, invest yourself completely in it, and you will realize that a lot of good will come out of it, you know.
Speaker 3:I mean, I just want to touch on that as well. It's a great piece of advice as well, and you spoke about going out there and be invested in something that you really like and you really want to do. Right, most people, I think from experience as well I gave a talk to some of the students before as well about this you have this thing, you have a talent, you have an idea. You don't push through, you don't do it, you don't start it. You know there's always an idea floating around.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3:But you just don't get to starting it. I think that's very important. Go out there and do it Exactly.
Speaker 2:Because you never know. You never know it can become big.
Speaker 3:It can even fail, even. But so what? At least you try.
Speaker 1:You learn a different way to do it. Exactly yeah.
Speaker 3:Mr Alvin Sham Raj. Thank you so much for being on this latest episode of the Silver Fox Assault podcast. It has been a pleasure. I wish you all the best for your gym, for your fights, even in the coming you know months or years, and hopefully we will see each other again it was a pleasure, thank you.
Speaker 3:And I want to go to your restaurant or cafe when you open it up. Come to my gym first. Oh, yes, yes, please, I will Please, yeah. Thank you so much. This has been the latest episode of the Silver Fox Assault podcast and, like I said, there has been a wonderful episode. Follow us, subscribe to us. We are on Apple Podcast, Spotify, YouTube. The works right. So till the next episode. The hustle beats talent when talent doesn't hustle Cheers.