Michael Angeletti On His Bantam IBF Eliminator And The Skill Set Behind A Top 10 Run

We sit down with top-10 bantamweight Michael Angeletti to talk negotiations for an IBF-ordered eliminator, the mindset behind chasing belts, and why health stays the real priority. He breaks down how he fights as a tall guy in a small weight class, how he manages weight year-round, and which matchups he wants to see at the top of boxing.

THE SPAR-INN ON YOUTUBE

Transcript

elcome And Storm Talk

SPEAKER_02 0:11

Yo, what up, what up, what up? Welcome to Spar Inboxing Podcast. Puma, Willie, and a very special guest. You guys wanted more interviews, so we're gonna give you more interviews. Michael Angeletti, man, this is uh well overdue. We had a little snowstorm issue uh last time. Texas too. Did it snow over there or not?

SPEAKER_01 0:33

Uh it didn't snow. Um, man, Texas we we scared of everything. If this is a storm, we shut down the schools, the roads, everything. We said everything. It was freezing though, it was cold, but it didn't really snow.

SPEAKER_00 0:45

Those uh those freaking uh the roads up there is nothing but hills, like yeah, yeah. Well, um, like yeah, interstates and everything, everything goes up, so y'all get stuck up there, boy.

SPEAKER_01 0:56

Yeah, you get icy, yeah, icy.

SPEAKER_02 0:59

Um, so those of you that don't know, he is a bantamweight. He doesn't look like a bantam weight, though. You're what five's eight, five nine?

SPEAKER_01 1:07

I'm five nine. Five nine, five ten.

SPEAKER_02 1:10

That's crazy. I'm five nine, five ten. I'm like 200 pounds. Um, so you're you're in Texas, you're from New Orleans, you're ranked top 10 in most of the rankings. I think two out of four. Uh the the Ring magazine had you ranked like runner-up to to whatever their ranking system is. Um, and and I know you had you had some fight news, or you you're I don't know if you're in contract, or but there was some big news that was just uh announced. Am I correct?

SPEAKER_03 1:38

Yes, sir.

SPEAKER_02 1:40

And it is not a Japanese fighter, correct?

SPEAKER_01 1:44

Not a Japanese. I was about to fight a Japanese guy, but then some things got mixed up with uh IBF and they pretty much got it together. So um, yeah, I most er mostly everybody knows now, but uh Kenneth Lover is the next is next, is next in line. Um the IBF ordered us to uh fight next.

SPEAKER_02 2:04

And he's he's also in like around your rank as well. So he's top 10 on I think he's number, yeah, he's top ten.

SPEAKER_01 2:10

He's number three, I believe, in the IBF.

SPEAKER_02 2:13

Yep, yep. Where's this fight gonna be located?

SPEAKER_01 2:15

You know, uh, we negotiating and getting everything together right now. Okay, okay.

SPEAKER_02 2:20

Yeah, definitely let us know. Everyone we interview, we try to show up to the fights, and we get a little crazy at fights. We we built kind of a reputation, not I guess a good one for for if we're rooting for you, right? But um, thanks again for coming on the show. Uh so so, like I said, it it's not a Japanese guy.

SPEAKER_00 2:38

Um, and but you would have gone to Jip um Japan if that was the case if you was fighting somebody Japanese, or it was a a hometown fight.

SPEAKER_01 2:46

Um no, it would have been it would have been in the States.

SPEAKER_02 2:49

It would have been in the States, okay. So you would never go to Japan because I feel like your weights, no, no, no, no, for sure.

SPEAKER_01 2:54

I I would go over there definitely. Yeah, it's not butt fights over there for you. Yeah, it's it's a lot of little the the little weight classes over there for sure. So, yeah, I don't have a problem at all. I would love to go over there.

SPEAKER_02 3:05

Okay, that was I was curious about that because I feel like are you chasing belts, legacy, or are you all about the money? I know you have a side gig or or your main job. I guess you could say you're a realtor, right?

SPEAKER_01 3:16

Yeah, I yeah, I'm a realtor on the side, but yeah, I'm I'm chasing the money, legacy, the belt. I'm chasing everything. I want it all.

SPEAKER_02 3:22

So you so you just want everything, okay. You want yeah, what's more important?

SPEAKER_01 3:27

I mean we'll be we'll be doing well. What's the more important? Uh my health. That's more important than all this. Good answer.

nside Fighting And Shot Selection

SPEAKER_02 3:36

Good answer. Well, with your height in your weight class, I mean you it is hard to hit you. Uh your your style is it for being so tall. You have cut, I mean, you have every style, really. I I've seen you do a little bit of everything. You you work off your jab. You do get on the inside sometimes, though, for your height.

SPEAKER_01 3:55

Yeah, I do. I love some people. Go ahead, my bad.

SPEAKER_02 3:58

No, you're good. Whatever you want to say. We don't, oh, yeah, by the way, you can say whatever you want on the show.

SPEAKER_01 4:02

We got um now. I was just I was just gonna say that uh yeah, I love fighting the inside. People look at my height and uh think that I just want to keep it uh like on the outside range, but I love getting inside because at the end of the day, I I come from Texas. I started boxing out of Texas, and I fight a lot of Hispanics and Mexicans. So growing up, I had no choice but to get some of that Mexican in my fighting style. So I love fighting the inside. And you know, we all as boxers, we also have personalities in the ring, and my personality is I want to fight, like I want to get down and like knuckle up, like so. That's just part of who I am. Like, sometimes my coach or my pops, they gotta they gotta save me from getting the inside. Like, hey nah, you need to be right there. Let's just keep it simple, keep it easy. And then when they get in, so damn tall, man.

SPEAKER_02 4:54

So damn tall.

SPEAKER_00 4:56

Yeah, and I I noticed that you love that right hand, boy. That right hand is just especially if you let it go. A lot of people don't let their right hand go when they right-handed. They you let that shit go.

SPEAKER_01 5:07

I get a I get a I get a lot of people saying I let I let my left go a lot. I see. I'm a little balanced. I'm a balanced guy. I think, yeah, I think you got yeah, you got a little everything.

SPEAKER_02 5:22

You got a little bit of everything. That and you do the Philly show sometimes, I see in there, but and which is which works for you because you're so damn tall.

SPEAKER_00 5:28

He rolls shots and all that, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 5:32

I I I I switch it up. I switch it. I don't stay in the same uh sometime a high guard, sometime long guard. Uh it just really depends, giving my opponents different looks. They gotta try to figure it out, you know, it's chestnut checkers. So keep changing it up on mixing it up.

SPEAKER_00 5:45

So you got a bag, right? You got a whole bag of stuff. You got so which what punch would you let go that you wouldn't have to use no more? It's like random, like a punch that you wouldn't let go. Which like which punch would let remove from his bag? Yeah, have removed out your bag and you wouldn't care about it. Is there a punch you would have?

SPEAKER_02 6:06

What's your least important punch? Your least important one and you wouldn't get away with it.

SPEAKER_00 6:14

Moving on.

SPEAKER_03 6:15

Um is he asking?

SPEAKER_00 6:19

I'm just saying that you got fighters that got a bag of punches, so I'm just asking if like if there's a bag, is uh in your bag, what punch you wouldn't want to use, you know, that you could get rid of and you think you'll get further in life, like further in your boxing career. Uh I mean what's your favorite?

SPEAKER_01 6:38

I don't want to use it no more. Yeah, you saying like it's something that I don't I wouldn't care about? Yeah, if you didn't have to use it. Uh a left uppercut.

unknown 6:47

Okay.

SPEAKER_01 6:48

A lead uppercut, right? Yeah, my lead hand lead hand uppercut.

lympic Trials Lessons And Discipline

SPEAKER_02 6:53

Just so you know, we got notes. That wasn't in our notes. Uh but uh you uh did you did you learn a lot in when you were with the Olympic trials and stuff? I I know you moved around with a lot of people. Did I know Shakur was one of those guys, right? And I know he would uh he probably wants to keep all the punches and would give the same response you just gave on that question. But um what how how has that helped you to get to your point now? You're like we said, you're ranked top 10 in almost everything. You have a belt eliminator coming up that we started the show talking about. What um what did you take? What did you take from that that you still have in your bag, like he said?

SPEAKER_01 7:33

I've taken a lot of things. Uh I know why one thing I take in while I was up there, I know y'all a lot of people see my my size and my height. Um, one thing I took is uh the things that I learned from my nutritionist, uh my dietitian while I was there, I pretty much do the same thing as I was doing years ago, and I'm pretty strict on my diet and discipline to what we were doing back then with a slight few changes, but the different workouts we do, the um the high-intensity workouts that we do, I still do a bit of those and uh mix it into my uh my regimen. Um, another thing, uh Spawn was spawned the different guys. I've of course, like you said, you mentioned Shakur. Uh learned a lot of different things uh from him. Um I didn't work with him while I was on a uh USA team. I work more with him when I've uh turned pro back in like 2020. That's when we really started working and uh he started calling and asking for work, ex can I come over? So I learned that he's one of the guys that I learned a lot of different things from, uh for sure, uh along with some other guys as well.

SPEAKER_02 8:35

Was was that uh when you were when you were in the Olympic trials, was there a big difference between because you were a standout amateur as it is? So was there a big difference in competition? Is that true? Like it's it's real over there. But I feel like because I feel like in amateurs you all fight each other anyway, eventually in like the various tournament tournaments and stuff.

SPEAKER_01 8:54

So you're saying was it a difference between like the pros and amateurs?

SPEAKER_02 8:57

No, no, no. While you were when you were in the amateurs, when you went to the Olympics and training for the Olympics, like the sparring and and everything like that, was it was it more competitive?

SPEAKER_01 9:07

Um with the core, are you saying?

SPEAKER_02 9:09

With everybody, with everybody that was there in the trials with you.

SPEAKER_01 9:14

Um my bad. I'm confused on what you're asking.

SPEAKER_02 9:18

All right, all good there. See, I got a shitty question. Now you got a shitty question. We're even we're even a few shitty questions.

SPEAKER_01 9:25

I want to give you an answer.

SPEAKER_02 9:27

Uh just uh clean up the question a little bit. Like, like, no, what I'm saying is like so from from your regular your regular amateur experience, right? And then going to the Olympic trials and working out with all those guys, like in in that area, was the competition that much better because it's the Olympic trials, or was it was it pretty equal as an amateur?

SPEAKER_01 9:47

Um, nah, I would say it was better. It was better, it was better, it was better uh at the Olympic trials. Yeah, everybody was elite, everybody was good.

SPEAKER_02 9:55

Yeah, because you know the the point I'm making is like we we see a lot of the New York locals, and then they go to like nationals and then they go to the Olympic trials as well, and it's like they suck, but here they're hometown heroes. So we're like, we're like, wait, is it really that much harder? Like, what is going on? We all see these guys in the rankings and stuff. That's what I meant by that.

SPEAKER_01 10:12

Yeah, yeah, it's it's a difference once you get there because everybody's good, and then of course, in amateurs, you can't duck nobody, it's a draw, or you get seated and you have to fight, it's no other way around it, so it's definitely harder when you get to that level.

eight Cuts And Intermittent Fasting

SPEAKER_02 10:26

And you you were you were in shape in the amateurs as well, like or were you always this light? Like, how how how at your height? Did you shoot up in height when you when you went pro and got older, or no?

SPEAKER_01 10:37

I I was I actually started fighting at 132 in the amateurs, and then oh my goodness, that's when I that's that was my normal walk around weight. Then I found out guys cut weight, so I dropped to 123, and that was my fight weight, and then just one random time I was cutting weight for 123, and I got down pretty low. And my dad and I was like, hey, let's just try 114 and see what that do. And then I made 114 for the USA team. That was it. So we had stayed there, and we really didn't have the USA team, didn't really have nobody uh really representing uh the USA team for 114 like that. And so I was decided to stay there and be that guy.

SPEAKER_00 11:15

Yeah, but that's it. That all worked out, yeah, and you never left.

SPEAKER_01 11:19

What do you walk?

SPEAKER_02 11:20

What do you walk around at?

SPEAKER_01 11:22

You know, we can't give up the information.

SPEAKER_02 11:24

All right, all right, all right.

SPEAKER_00 11:27

Oh, you always gotta act.

SPEAKER_02 11:28

Some of them besides your skill and talent, that that weight cut, because you're so like like you're my height, and I'm just a bald white guy, you know. I'm not a pro boxer, but you're you're my height, 5'9, 5'10, and and you're in there.

SPEAKER_01 11:42

I was making a little weight, I was making a little weight at the in the amateurs, and I've been pretty much the same size since.

SPEAKER_00 11:47

So what do you think? I'm 175.

SPEAKER_01 11:50

I'm like I'm like heavyweight, I'm light heavyweight.

SPEAKER_00 11:53

So what's your diet?

SPEAKER_02 11:54

He walks around at 200. Yeah, what is your diet like?

SPEAKER_01 11:59

Uh one thing that helped me a lot is uh I do intermittent fasting. Okay, I've been doing it for like the last eight years, and it pretty much become became a daily uh part of my life. I do it every day. So I don't pretty much I don't eat to like on average two o'clock. Two o'clock. Wow. So nobody's my first workout is off of my first workout is off of fasted, is a fasted workout, usually. Unless I need something, I'll cut it with like just fruit. Okay, and that's been a big part of my my diet.

SPEAKER_02 12:29

And that's that helps the discipline and the mental too, man. Because not me. I walk by like a Reese's pieces. I'm I'm eating like a bag of this.

SPEAKER_00 12:37

Uh you actually work out harder on when you fasted too. You get you burn fat.

SPEAKER_01 12:42

So do uh yeah, so you're already in the already in the negative in the deficit when it comes to like calorie intake.

SPEAKER_02 12:49

You already and you do you do you're not like a vegetarian or anything like that? Because we're we're cool with like Bruce Carrington, uh Shushu, and he he he's a vegetarian or a vegan, one of them, and he says it's easier for him to make weight.

SPEAKER_01 13:03

Yeah, I'm I'm cool with Shushu too. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know he's been a vegan even when we even when we was on the team, we've been he's been like that.

SPEAKER_02 13:09

Yeah, that's hard, man.

SPEAKER_01 13:11

I can't I can't do it. Yeah, I can't do it.

SPEAKER_02 13:14

And I know you you you're from New Orleans originally, and then yeah, and you're in Texas, like you can't you you'll get kicked out of both those states, I think. If if you are my mom and I even gonna let that slide, you gotta eat some gator, bro. And you you boxed in New Orleans as well, or were you young?

SPEAKER_01 13:32

Were you much younger? I did, I I didn't. I didn't box till uh I moved uh to Houston. Okay, and I moved to Houston in in uh uh like right around 06 after uh hurricane Katrina.

SPEAKER_02 13:45

Okay, yeah, I think I didn't. I read that. I I guess I read that. And you were getting like a lot of fights growing up, right? Oh yeah, I stay fighting. He's so nice though. He's such a he's like a nice guy.

SPEAKER_01 13:58

I I I'm cool. I mean, I I I changed now, but I get I guess just that mentality we had um growing up in New Orleans and moving here was just much different, and so I got into fights, and then it kind of dwindled as I got used to the environment. I was like, I can't be acting like I used to act, so it is crazy.

SPEAKER_02 14:17

Like when you're younger, you the way you think, right? Like, I look back at like when I was younger, like 15, 16, and I'm like, man, I was like special ed, man. My brain was not working right. Like, I thought I really thought like that. You know what I'm saying? Like, what the hell? I get older, I'm like, man, but uh what what gym are you at in Texas now?

SPEAKER_01 14:35

It's the ladies boxing and fitness.

SPEAKER_02 14:37

Okay, okay. Because I know Jay Jay Prince's gym is that that's in Houston too, right?

SPEAKER_01 14:42

Yeah, that's in Houston. That's about uh like 30 minutes, 35, 40 minutes from our gym. Okay, depending on the Houston traffic.

SPEAKER_02 14:49

Okay, do you spar with them a lot? Do you do you guys get a lot uh do you intertwine?

SPEAKER_01 14:55

It it it depends on uh what we got coming up or who be fighting and be fighting the South Paul or what it because they they mainly got South Paul. So I don't I really only go with Facor and uh Raymond Ford and uh uh Zay, Zay Quinn Moses, Shakur little cousin.

SPEAKER_02 15:09

Yep, yeah. So I'm gonna big Zebop fans, big Zaybop fans. Oh yeah, yeah, oh yeah, Zay nice, yeah, yeah. Uh what you you move around with those guys too? They're a little heavier, obviously, but you you move around with them and spar with them as well.

SPEAKER_01 15:25

Yeah, all the time. Yeah, we get yeah, that's best top part work that I can get around here. Ain't really no small guys, yeah, my size that give me good work. They're the they're the only guys, and I learn a lot from them and they they teach me when we get good work, so that's why you know, of course, they they call me back, but I love getting the call to come give them work as well, you know.

SPEAKER_02 15:47

Do a lot of people ask you, because obviously at your weight, um you're so damn tall. Do you do you get a lot of people asking you for like paid sparring or are you past that now since you're top 10 chasing belts?

SPEAKER_01 16:00

Um no, I don't I don't I don't you ask him like do I get a few like like do people call yeah like do people call you to come into their camps?

SPEAKER_02 16:07

Like not Shakur and then but like lesser lesser fighters at around your weight looking for work.

SPEAKER_01 16:14

Not not not lesser fighters, it'd be more uh big name fighters, like oh I worked with Guillermo Rigendow, he paid me to come spawn a few times.

SPEAKER_03 16:22

Okay, okay.

SPEAKER_01 16:23

Um yeah, a few a few people a few people have uh Shocky Foster.

SPEAKER_02 16:29

Oh yeah, uh I'm a big I'm a big old shocky guy too.

SPEAKER_01 16:35

Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. So uh some of those those guys I get paid sometime, not all the time. I don't I don't but I really gonna be looking for the money. I'm just looking for to get better and get some good work in.

SPEAKER_02 16:46

Yeah, no, no, no. I was just curious because of your height, I feel like at the lesser weight, if they're fighting a taller guy, you gotta be the phone call, right? Like you're the go-to call.

SPEAKER_01 16:53

Most of the time, most of the time.

BQ Picks And Family Priorities

SPEAKER_02 16:56

Um, so so we talked about the food and stuff. What um and when you when you're not strictly dieting, what's the best Texas barbecue when we come when we come down there?

SPEAKER_01 17:08

Um Killens or Killeen's Killen's barbecue is pretty good. Okay, okay. I feel like any I like I want to go to.

SPEAKER_00 17:18

I never enjoy it when I went.

SPEAKER_02 17:20

Why?

SPEAKER_00 17:21

What because in chair competition, we're there all day.

SPEAKER_02 17:23

He goes to Texas a lot for his his kids.

SPEAKER_00 17:25

We were just we were just out there like before the rodeo and shit. So we were just out there for a cheer? Yeah, my daughter cheer competition.

SPEAKER_01 17:34

It gets real with these cheer competition and uh dance competition. My daughter's in dance.

SPEAKER_00 17:39

Oh now, that's what's up. That's what's up. How old is she take it? They think she's she's four. Four.

SPEAKER_01 17:45

But I have another I have another little sister who competes and she's 10 and they don't play. They don't play.

SPEAKER_00 17:53

Houston is is crazy around that time, yeah. Yeah, and Rodeo was wild, and then y'all had spring break. What?

SPEAKER_02 18:00

Yeah, do I see are you gonna get your kids into boxing at all or no? Is that just because I see you got your uh um your one kid is you're always playing baseball with him.

SPEAKER_01 18:11

Yeah, I don't I let him box. Of course, he gotta know how to uh you know defend himself, but I'm not pushing it on him. I rather I rather him do baseball.

SPEAKER_00 18:22

Baseball makes a lot of money.

SPEAKER_02 18:23

Hell yeah. Yo, he's nice, he's nice. I'm watching. I'm like, he's in the bag of kids.

SPEAKER_01 18:27

Yeah, my boy only and he only five. So when he gets he's gonna be nice, he's gonna be real nice.

SPEAKER_02 18:33

Stick with baseball, man. This this boy got weird podcasters asking stupid questions.

SPEAKER_01 18:41

Hey, we're trying to get one of these uh NIL dudes, man.

SPEAKER_00 18:44

Hell yeah, start it now.

SPEAKER_02 18:48

But um so so when when this fight happens, you do can you give us an estimate of the months for for the uh belt eliminator?

SPEAKER_01 18:58

Man, I'm not I can't even tell you. It's a it's a lot of different dates being thrown at us. Whenever they whenever they do, I got you. I'll let you know.

SPEAKER_02 19:06

Are you close at least? Are you are you guys close to to or is it a lot more back and forth still still to be had?

SPEAKER_01 19:12

A lot and a lot of back and forth right now. Okay. So we got you know what's crazy about that?

SPEAKER_02 19:21

His his name is Kenneth Lover. So like that is that doesn't sound Filipino at all, man.

SPEAKER_01 19:26

Unless I'm like right, like I don't know. I'm I feel like that's a translation, but I could be wrong.

SPEAKER_02 19:32

Yeah, okay. Yeah, maybe maybe I'm wrong too.

SPEAKER_00 19:36

Um how long do you think you're gonna stay in the weight class?

SPEAKER_01 19:40

Um, as long as I can comfortably make the weight. I haven't missed weight ever in my life. So, and I and I look good in all my fights. So ain't like it's messing with my the way I fight or the way I train, or my my strength is going down, uh my stamina is going down. So um, as long as I'm I'm strong in the weight and I I get these belts, and um then we'll move up and go to the next week class, conquer that.

SPEAKER_02 20:06

Okay, man. So so we won't take up any more of your time. We appreciate chopping it up with us. Um again, if after after this fight, maybe we'll have you back on. We'll write up some better questions.

SPEAKER_03 20:17

Yeah, I know.

SPEAKER_00 20:20

I thought it was a good question.

SPEAKER_02 20:22

What punch what punch do you want to throw in the garbage? I'm sitting here kicking his legs.

ound For Pound List And Matchups

SPEAKER_00 20:30

I guess I don't know. I I'll I'll I'll do some more research or something.

SPEAKER_02 20:35

Well, before before we go, before we go, who who's your top top three pound for pound right now?

SPEAKER_01 20:42

Right now. Can I count uh Bud as one?

SPEAKER_02 20:46

Uh yeah, I guess he's kind of retired, right? I think he's coming back too, though. I don't think he's really retired.

SPEAKER_01 20:54

Top three, I will have to go with um Bud as one, uh Usik as two, and three probably would be Shakur with his last performance for sure.

SPEAKER_02 21:08

Yeah, so I I I'm a I was a I'm a huge Teal fan, so Shakur broke my heart on that fight. And and again, um now if how he performed in that fight would put him in the pound for pound, and what he did, man, was crazy. That was nuts. We we were there, it was electric, and I have to I have to put Shakur in there. He made it look easy, man.

SPEAKER_01 21:28

I like I like Teo Fimo too, but yeah, Shakur just made it look easy, man.

SPEAKER_02 21:31

I saw I don't know if I want to see Shakur fight again, like his next fight, because I don't know if Tio just had a bad day or Shakur really made him look that bad. You know what I'm saying? Like I I knew Shakur was a favorite, but he made him look like nothing.

SPEAKER_01 21:46

Right now, I agree, I agree, I agree. Um who would you like to see him fight though? Just curious.

SPEAKER_02 21:52

Who Tio or Shakur?

SPEAKER_01 21:54

Shakur Shakur. Who you want to see him fight?

SPEAKER_02 21:57

Shakur?

SPEAKER_00 21:58

Oh, Shocky Force.

SPEAKER_02 22:00

Yeah, I mean the the the Oshaki foster they do wrestle him and Ray Ford too. Yeah Oshaki and Ray Ford too. Damn, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 22:10

They need to sign that one. I see like rumors with that one.

SPEAKER_02 22:13

But I think Ray Ford moved up, so Oshaki's still still a weight class down. But I definitely want to see the O Oshaki uh Shakur because the there's like real drama there, you know what I mean? And uh Oshaki has like real beef with him. So we never really like the the four horsemen they call them or whatever, they're all very friendly. So like I like when there's real beef, you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_00 22:34

But them styles right there. I like that style.

SPEAKER_02 22:37

That would it that would be for the pure boxing fan, too. So definitely, right? Right.

SPEAKER_00 22:42

Um yeah, but that's who would you like to see him fight?

SPEAKER_01 22:49

Which one?

SPEAKER_02 22:50

Shakur.

SPEAKER_01 22:53

Oh, Shakur. Um probably Devin Haney right now.

SPEAKER_02 22:59

Yeah, that's a good one too. I feel like Shakur Shakur could outpoint Devin Haney though.

SPEAKER_00 23:04

You know, I don't I don't D Bo Dev is stepping up. I don't know. Debo Dev.

SPEAKER_01 23:09

Debo Dev is but yeah, I think I I I think I think Shakur would get that one too, but uh for us right now, who else would he could he fight right now? It's nobody else fan.

SPEAKER_02 23:20

But I mean, honest, honestly, I know it sucks, but like the the Keyshawn fight, it'll never happen, but that's that's probably one of the better ones. I'm excited for this new version of Keyshawn too. You you ever move around with him?

SPEAKER_01 23:32

Yeah, we moved around like once or twice a long time ago when we was both on the team together, a long time ago, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 23:41

Um how'd that go without saying too much? It was even did you get your licks in at least?

SPEAKER_01 23:48

Oh, we it was it was like uh what you call that sparring. Um we we weren't going hard, it was like drills we was doing. Oh, like the rounds. Okay, real serious. But we moved around a couple times, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 24:05

Okay, that's so cool to us. Like everyone we interview and talk to. I love that. Like you you just name people and they're like, Yeah, we moved around way back when it was stuff like that.

SPEAKER_00 24:14

It's a small boxing world, I know it is crazy small.

ndisputed Goals And Belt Talk

SPEAKER_02 24:18

Um all right, though, man. So so what are the goals for you? What are the goals for you? Is it is it undisputed at this weight? Obviously, you're right on the verge of the belt eliminator again versus Kenneth uh Lover, two L's in his name. I mean, I think I think that's a Filipino name, we're not sure, but Kenneth Lover with two L's in his name. Uh so what are the goals for you? Is it undisputed or is it snag a belt, see how the weights going to move up? What do you got?

SPEAKER_01 24:45

Um, undisputed, definitely. Okay, undisputed, and then we move up and then same same thing for 122. That's what I like to hear. That's what I like.

SPEAKER_00 24:55

One more question. Zofa boxing, how you feel about it?

SPEAKER_01 25:00

Um, I'm I'm not sure about Zofa right now. I can't really I don't know. Um it seems uncertain, but I I I just don't know. I would have to talk and get some fine print to really see what it is. But I I really don't know. It's back and forth right now.

SPEAKER_02 25:18

That that is kind of good to hear because like I I was all about it, but then when they were doing the weird belt thing, like you can't fight for all the other belts or whatever, I didn't like that because the goal of every fighter should be undisputed, all four belts, because that's when you get the best fights.

SPEAKER_01 25:31

Um, yeah, and it's just just history and the other belts, too. Yeah, so just taking it completely away just kind of don't feel right.

SPEAKER_02 25:41

With no disrespect to the IBF, what is your favorite belt?

SPEAKER_01 25:46

Um the IBF.

SPEAKER_03 25:53

Good answer.

eam USA Stories And Farewell

SPEAKER_02 25:54

Good answer. Um, all right, man. We'll we'll let you go again. We appreciate the time. Like I said, we uh appreciate you. You you're still in the negotiations. There's no date in sight for that fight, but we're looking forward to it. And we're all about the belts here, so we want belts versus belts, and and we're rooting for you. You again, as soon as that gets finalized, let us know. I'll give you a little quick story. I'm actually going to California this weekend because our friend Ginny Fuchs, she uh she's fighting for yeah, yeah. She's good friends of ours too. She was supposed to fight for a belt, but then the chick got hurt or whatever, and it's the girl she beat already, and all the the the drama and politics of boxing. So, long story short, I'm going to Cali this weekend for no reason, but it's all good. Uh never been.

SPEAKER_01 26:43

So okay, yeah. Genie, that's my girl. Yeah, we real cool. We was on a team together, of course.

SPEAKER_02 26:48

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 26:50

That is so small.

SPEAKER_02 26:51

They got everybody on yo, that that that class, a team, like that class was crazy. Like, that's a crazy class.

SPEAKER_01 26:57

Now we had a we had a fire class. Yeah, we had the whole the whole from my weight class all the way up to Jared Anderson and uh Richard Torres. Yeah, everybody was Duke Reagan, Shushu, Raymond Foot was on the team. Uh Keith, Tiger, Tiger. Yeah, yeah. I don't know. Quinn Randall.

SPEAKER_00 27:14

Next time you gotta bring us a wow story that I know got crazy up there.

SPEAKER_02 27:21

I actually did hear like I I keep we keep more people we talk to, like sometimes some stuff leaks out. I'm like, damn, what the hell is freaky ass boxes? But anyway, that's for another day. Um, all right, man. Yeah, again, we'll we'll uh let us know when that fight happens. Uh, and we'll have you back on after you beat that boy's ass. So we will look forward to see you. All right, man. Peace. For sure.

SPEAKER_00 27:45

Appreciate you.

SPEAKER_02 27:46

Peace.