When Life Gets Loud Can Boxing Save You: ALEX VARGAS BACK AT THE SPAR-INN

A long layoff usually means an easy comeback. Alex “El Toro” Vargas went the other way and signed up for an undefeated Ryan O’Rourke under the brightest lights possible: Madison Square Garden on ESPN and ESPN+. We talk with Alex about what it takes to return when the stakes are real, the tickets are moving, and every round can change your career trajectory.

THE SPAR-INN ON YOUTUBE

Transcript

Easter Welcome And Fight Setup

SPEAKER_02 0:01

It's time for the main event. It's the Farin Podcast.

SPEAKER_03 0:11

Yo, what up, what up, what up? Welcome to the Far Inboxing Podcast on this wonderful, happy, friendly Easter Sunday. Willie Puma here and three times on the show, first ever, Alex Vargas El Toro. What up, man?

SPEAKER_01 0:26

El Toro.

SPEAKER_03 0:27

Another day. Another day. Yo, he's been on a world podcast tour. Um, and we've I've seen him posting all sorts of stuff. How you been, man?

SPEAKER_00 0:37

Good, good. Just freaking, you know, this training camp. I just fight at this point.

SPEAKER_03 0:42

How how hangry are you?

SPEAKER_00 0:44

A little bit, but I'm not. That'll be next week where I'm like really, really hangry. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 0:53

How close are you right now?

SPEAKER_00 0:54

I'm actually closer than ever. I'm like 52, 54. I gotta be 140.

SPEAKER_03 1:01

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 1:02

Usually I'm heavier, so I'm really happy about that.

SPEAKER_03 1:06

Yeah. That's how motivated you are, you know. So you're fighting a tough guy. For those that don't know, he is fighting Ryan O'Rourke, two undefeated fighters. Um, Alex, though, you're coming off a big layoff, obviously. Uh staying active has always been the issue because with uh your profession and everything going on. Um what what about well? I wanted to ask you like, did you ever spar O'Rourke? Because you're both under the same same promoter. He's in New York, Irish guy in New York. Did you guys ever spar before? Did you ever mix it up in training?

SPEAKER_00 1:36

No, no, I never sparred with him. Um he's uh he's actually from Ireland, but yeah, he he just comes here to like fight, so he'll be here for like a week that I know of, unless he's been here longer before. Um, I've never been around to like sparm or anything, but I think he just travels down for like the fight maybe a couple weeks earlier and okay. But no, I never got to spar him.

Scouting Ryan O’Rourke’s Defense

SPEAKER_03 2:01

That's wild, dude, because I saw he he fought in Mokehis once. Yeah, and then he was also on the same card you were. But I'm like, damn, you travel from Ireland to fight in Mulcahis. I'm sure you could find a million Mokehis over there.

SPEAKER_00 2:11

I oh yeah, probably way better.

SPEAKER_03 2:14

Yeah, yeah, real Mulcahis. But uh, okay, that that's cool. I I thought for sure maybe you mixed it up with him, but I don't really know much about him. But seeing his style and stuff, I I noticed he he's very defensively sound. Um, he he might be from from obviously I know you and I've studied you like your boxing, not your body. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 2:35

You talk about his cheeks all line? Well, no, I mean there was a study of Marcus's cheeks.

SPEAKER_03 2:42

You talked about that last episode. We're gonna bring that back. But um his style, he might be the most defensively sound fighter I think you've ever fought. And and you know what, he might be one of the tougher fighters you've ever fought coming off that left. Is that something you wanted? Like, did you ask for a fight of that magnitude? No tune-ups.

SPEAKER_00 2:59

Um well, like as far as his defense, um he yeah, he's got like an awkward defense to him that I think works, but I've seen him get hit a lot too. Okay, um like he gets hit with a lot of flush shots, and you know, when I I saw that, I was like from slower guys and stuff. I'm like, I I I think there's actually a lot of holes in his defense. Um when when you're on the inside with him. But um as far as taking the fight, yeah, I I I didn't even care. I was like, they that was the only name they threw at me. Really? Yeah, and you know, some people were like, uh, the layoff, this and that, like, you know, you could beat them, but do you want to jump right into that? I'm like, yeah, I really don't care right now. Like, I'll jump right into it and just tune up things, especially at this point in my career. Like, I'm like, I I don't see the need for him. Like, I'll I'll go right away and fight him. So it was kind of like I said yes right away, and then my team was talking and just trying to see what the best move was and see if they gave us other options that would maybe boost me up more, and it was just him that they gave him.

SPEAKER_03 4:13

Really?

SPEAKER_00 4:14

Yeah, yeah, right away.

SPEAKER_03 4:15

Was and that wasn't I know you had the fight at um the uh the Paramount, right? And like whatever happened with that happened, you know, the politics of boxing. Yeah. Um and was he was he gonna be the opponent then too, or no?

SPEAKER_00 4:27

Yeah, he was the opponent of that fight. So it just ended up getting moved to something bigger. But yeah, he was the opponent the whole time.

How The MSG Opportunity Happened

SPEAKER_01 4:38

Oh wow, that's awesome. Okay, that's crazy. So, how how did that come about? Like, how did this MVP promotion just pop up like that?

SPEAKER_00 4:47

I have no idea. I have zero clue how to put it. I just know Paramount, I signed the contract, then that fell through. So we were looking for another venue. They were gonna do more cahees, and I was like, it was like a Wednesday night, but I was like, whatever, I'll get the fight and let's do it. Didn't happen, and then I'm like, I'm not gonna fight. Like, I'm I'm not fighting. So I mean I stayed running and stuff, but I wasn't in the gym as much for like a week. And then I just my dad got the call from Star saying that, oh, it looks like the garden might be happening. And I was like, Yeah, right.

SPEAKER_03 5:29

No, you've been here you've been here before, you've been begging for the garden. I know.

SPEAKER_00 5:32

Yeah, and I've had other I've heard that before for like big events and venues or whatever the case was, and it never happened. And then like a week later, the contract comes. So I was like, I have no idea. He's he said he spoke to um Jake Paul and them, told them I sell tickets and uh I'll bring a good amount of people and it'll be two underfeeted guys, and he said, Yeah. So I I got lied, we got lucky because people begged for me.

SPEAKER_01 6:04

This is a big platform for you. You better show up jumping right back into this. I was like, yo, this is big for you. I'm I'm glad I'm happy for you. Thank you. Thank you.

SPEAKER_03 6:15

Not not only is did you hit Lotto, I guess, with MVP, right? Yeah, like you know, because that's an up-and-coming great promotion, and it's at the garden, so that's another plus. It's ESPN, you're on main TV ESPN with this with this card.

SPEAKER_00 6:28

And I didn't know that. That came about after. I was like, So you uh because whatever they were streaming on whatever Netflix and to zone about no way it's Netflix, and then they were flipping around all kinds of places, yeah. And then they had that press conference that were like ESPN. I was like, damn, I'll take it because people get to zone and stuff, but like more boxing fans will get it. But like ESPN is just in general, everybody knows that.

SPEAKER_03 6:55

Like I say all the time, like what the best part of ESPN is you can go to a bar on a late night or whatever, wherever you're going on a late night, even if you're out to dinner with your girl and you don't really want to talk to her, you see boxing on in the background, and you're just watching it, you don't get that anymore with the apps and stuff. So ESPN is still a great, it's still the one.

SPEAKER_00 7:12

Exactly. And even with the ESPN app, like people get that because you get everything else on. Yeah, so the ESPN Plus app, it's gonna be on. Where the zone is kind of like, um we're not putting this on, like it's random. You get darts, you get darts with the zone, yeah. You get darts on stuff like that.

SPEAKER_01 7:30

But yeah, just make yeah, just making it seem like you know, top ring fumbled, you know.

ESPN Platform And MVP Treatment

SPEAKER_00 7:35

Yeah, yeah, a little bit. I think a little bit. I think oh yeah, I think they did because now Jake Paul's coming back to MVP. I mean to ESPN, and he's doing the big women's thing right now, but he's gonna get going with all his his people. Yeah. Start bringing all the cards there.

SPEAKER_03 7:51

Did you uh do you get a chance to like meet Jake Paul? Like we we've spoken to people that have sparred him and stuff. I think that once he gets back in the groove, that'd be cool for you to go over there and spar him a little bit. He's a little bigger, obviously, but I mean yeah, he's big, but I'd definitely do it. Um pays well too.

SPEAKER_00 8:04

I heard I heard he pays real good for sparring. Then I'm definitely there. But uh no, I'll I'll probably get to see him, you know, by week and all that. I heard MVP um from people that have fought on their cars that aren't even on MVP said they treat fighters really, really good. Like that it's real like you're they're very uh comforting with everything that goes on, unlike other you know, events I've been on or other cards.

SPEAKER_03 8:32

So that's every fighter we spoke speak to said the same thing. They're like, you know, if everyone gives Jake Paul a bad rap or whatever, you know, he's he's obnoxious and annoying, and you know, he's he's literally like you you love to hate him, so but but they said behind the scenes he's a real good dude to everybody, yeah. Like and uh even your friend, um Artiga, uh the Jasmine Artiga, yeah, yeah. Same thing. She was like, nah, he's great, like amazing.

SPEAKER_01 8:58

You about to find out. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 9:01

Oh no, like a week out, but I heard I found out yeah, I guess this definitely has like potential to be fight of the night, you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_03 9:10

And the only reason I'm saying that is because of just because of your like inactivity. Like, if if you kept going, of course, I I you'd I still think you're favored, but it would just be I'd be like, oh yeah, he's gonna he's gonna crush this guy from what I've seen. But you know, with the inactivity, there's ring rust, and and I know you're shaking it off. You said you're already in shape and stuff, but I think this could steal the show, man. Two undefeated fighters. It's the only non-female fight, nothing against them because they they do steal the show all the time. Uh, but this is like a real fight right here, man.

SPEAKER_01 9:35

This is a real fight.

SPEAKER_03 9:37

The Irish never come to lose, dude. They're like the new Mexican style, like they never come to lose ever.

SPEAKER_00 9:43

Yeah. So there's um, yeah, there's a few. I I know there's a few uh fighters on it, uh, male fighters. Um, but I think for the entire undercard, like we're the only two that are like under both undefeated and have you know that many fights. I think it's more like other ones that like you know, at a four-o, like there's one prospect I think with MvP, there's one a Walton that's fighting. Um, but they're all like four rounders and six and then some eight, but we're there only two undefeated ones. And yeah, he's a tough Irish kid, and the Irish does come out, so you know, no matter what, at the Garden, they're always gonna be there.

SPEAKER_03 10:22

Dude, they we we've been obviously a million fights at the Garden, and well, it's it's it's like everyone's like, Oh Nick, you're gonna get jumped. Nick Puma, that's my my uh podcast name. Puma, you're gonna get jumped, you're gonna get jumped. Yo, the Irish fights are the most dangerous for me. I'll be rooting for the Irish fighters, and I'm like, yo, what the fuck?

SPEAKER_00 10:40

Yeah, but you'll be good because we got we got way too many people up there.

SPEAKER_03 10:44

Yeah, yeah, you're filling it up, filling it up.

SPEAKER_00 10:46

Yeah, we've sold a decent amount that I know of, just the ones that we got on hand, but online. I know people have been buying, and my crowd's pretty crazy too.

SPEAKER_03 10:55

So yeah, I've been to your I've been to a few of your fights.

SPEAKER_01 10:58

How many rounds is this fight for?

SPEAKER_00 11:00

It's eight. It was gonna be ten, and then uh, I guess probably with like TV time and everything, they had to kind of settle for like an eight-rounder.

SPEAKER_03 11:08

Uh okay. Okay. But that I mean, that you know, you listen, is you're coming back. An eight-rounder, I think, is is good, but obviously you know better than we know. You gotta get busy quick, man. You gotta get busy.

SPEAKER_00 11:19

You gotta get busy cobwebs off. Yeah, and eight rounds is still like you know, pretty long time. Yeah, um, so it's it's it's I I think it's good. I'm happy with it. Good stuff.

SPEAKER_01 11:30

I also seen something else from the um guy you fighting. You know, he stepped back too a little bit too far. So if you double up that jab and come over with a hook, his lead hand is down a lot too, man.

SPEAKER_03 11:42

Not that we know shit.

SPEAKER_01 11:44

We're studying, you know what I'm saying? We didn't say nothing.

SPEAKER_00 11:47

I yeah, I've I've seen I've seen a few kinks. Um yeah, and I I I honestly think they took the fight because of my layoff and whatnot.

Sparring Camp And Wendy’s Rounds

SPEAKER_03 11:56

Yeah, they don't know. I think they're a little hopefully they don't see this podcast, your favorite podcast, by the way. Uh hopefully it doesn't see this podcast. This is my favorite podcast, though. Oh my god. Hey, hey, I don't know how to dance, but I'm doing something. Nah, um so when who have you been sparring? Is the sparring rotation changed? Are you keeping it the same? I know um is who are you sparring for this?

SPEAKER_00 12:18

You bringing anyone in, or we kind of kept it simple. I mean, when I first started training, I was doing like uh I did Peter La Torre twice. Uh okay. I was doing it.

SPEAKER_03 12:29

No, I just I I just watched him. I think he was um was he was he did he fight on that? He fought on the the power cut, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I like him a lot, man. It was my first time seeing him.

SPEAKER_00 12:40

Yeah, he's he's he's good. He he could punch. Um very athletic too. Yeah, he's uh long arms, he he's a good fighter. He makes you work, and then it was like Wendy and some of the applicant guys in the gym. But how's Wendy doing, man? How's Wendy doing? Good. I just sparred 10 rounds with him. What was it? That's a big that's a big guy. Yesterday, yeah. Yeah, I feel it now because I'm left.

SPEAKER_01 13:05

That's a good comparison. That's a good good sparring partner for this guy.

SPEAKER_00 13:08

That's why we kept it with it's been Wendy mainly because he's he's bigger, he's like six feet tall, like the guy I'm fighting, and he pushes me. Like, yeah, he pushed he's pushing me to like we're exhausted, and it's just like we didn't yesterday.

SPEAKER_01 13:24

This has some blue collar sparring right there, you know.

SPEAKER_03 13:27

We were we were at we were at his fight, man. Uh when he fought Amino Williams. I mean Ammo Williams when he fought Ammo Williams. No, I fucked up when you fought Ammo Williams.

SPEAKER_01 13:39

Nah, nope, nope, he was waiting for that.

SPEAKER_03 13:44

You was waiting, like you was like, yo, shout out to our boy the what's next, kid man. That guy's everywhere. He's everywhere. I love that kid. Yeah, yo, that's but yo, for real. We were that we were there, man. Um I I said, I was like, yo, Wendy's not like a nobody. Everyone was like, oh, ammo's gonna kill him, ammo's gonna kill him. I was like, no, what Wendy, I think with a real camp, and if it wasn't such short notice, that would have been a much, much better fight. Obviously, you know, he he wasn't ready because it was so short. I think it was like a week.

SPEAKER_00 14:11

Not even. It was um it was like a day. It was a day because remember, I I heard and I was like, and I was told I told my dad Tech Star in the Guardia. I said, He if he doesn't take it, I'll go up and I'll take that back. Oh my goodness.

SPEAKER_03 14:28

He just went, you're like, I got the itch, man. I got it.

SPEAKER_00 14:30

My dad's like, you really want me to send that? I'm like, Yeah, I don't care. Like, I'll do it. But um, he took it, it was like a day or two, so he had to get like medicals done and all that. Um, he went up and wait, and he was telling me at the gym, he was like, Like, I I felt he felt good, but it was just like he didn't have like an actual camp, didn't have it mentally prepared to fight, and he was like, he just kind of felt as the fight went on, ammo's weight.

SPEAKER_03 14:57

You could tell there was no pay, there was no plan either. Like it was just I'm gonna jump in there, and yeah, it was almost like he was sparring and and ammo was coming to kill, you know.

SPEAKER_00 15:05

Like it was and he was like he started feeling like ammo's size because you know he he went up in weight. Um but yeah, I mean he went the distance, which most people didn't think he'd do.

SPEAKER_01 15:17

No, no, yeah, that's crazy. Because then you would see like the ammo gonna go fight right back.

SPEAKER_03 15:23

Props to ammo too.

SPEAKER_01 15:24

Yeah, he's bugging, he fought right away, too. So right away, like yo, he like yo, that was crazy. I don't know how y'all do it, man.

SPEAKER_03 15:32

But fighters, man, we're not we're not fighters, bro.

SPEAKER_01 15:35

Fighters is different, I'm telling you.

Personal Stress And Online Backlash

SPEAKER_03 15:38

Uh, so obviously, like you you had some stuff go on in in your personal life, you know, there was some some issues or whatever. You're still working, though, right? Everything everything's okay over there.

SPEAKER_00 15:49

Well, I'm still not working. Still not working.

SPEAKER_03 15:50

Oh, you're still not working. I'm sorry. Okay, okay. So that almost gives you a better opportunity to train because that's what I was gonna ask. Like, how is that going balancing the juggling act with work and and boxing? Yeah, but again, we don't gotta get into all that. I just you know, I was curious to how that that's going with with the training camp. But I guess training camp's gonna be much much better now than your last fight.

SPEAKER_00 16:10

Yeah, I've been just training, you know. I haven't done that in years.

SPEAKER_03 16:14

Uh yeah, so like that's probably why you're on weight, bro.

SPEAKER_00 16:17

Yeah, probably.

SPEAKER_03 16:20

I was just about to say that.

SPEAKER_00 16:21

I'm able to just train, you know. I don't have to worry about getting stuck at work until freaking, you know, who knows when and go to the gym at one in the morning. Okay. Um things like that.

SPEAKER_03 16:33

So in that is there a like uh is there a light at the end of the tunnel with that? Because I know mentally that's gotta be killing you, you know?

SPEAKER_00 16:40

Yeah, it it's mentally exhausting. I mean, everything is looking better and better as it goes on.

SPEAKER_03 16:48

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_00 16:50

You know, yeah, which I knew from the beginning, but it's just it just drags. And the first two months was real brutal, but it's still mentally, it's always on your mind.

SPEAKER_03 17:00

So you just want it, you just want it over with. Whatever the the the result is, you know, whatever, you just like get this out of you. And that that goes for like we don't think about that with fighters when we talk to them, like the personal stress, because you know, every fighter gets in some shit, no matter what I mean. Like, hey, I'll get in some shit. It's mostly women problems, but it's mostly women problems, but every fighter gets into some shit, right? So, but we don't think about like that not knowing, like, you know what I mean? Like, oh, oh, here we go, here we go. And and you training for that and that mental capacity. I'm sure all you want to do is fight, you just want to find a fight, and yeah, and here we are, finally, you get the okay.

SPEAKER_00 17:36

Yeah, it's just like I I just wanted to fight. I because I at least I'm able to put my mind to something because with the other thing, I just the hardest thing is just waiting for like the facts and the truth and all of that to come out, and I can't say it until we're done, which sucks because I'm like, you know, because I I got freaking brutalized online.

SPEAKER_03 17:59

Like I yo, yo, so so did I, by the way. Oh yeah, because we used to interview you, obviously. Yeah, people are like DMing me, and I'm like, oh yeah, man, prayers up.

SPEAKER_00 18:11

Like, I don't fucking I mean, prayers up is is dope. I had I had way more positive messages, but I also got a ton. Uh I hope.

SPEAKER_03 18:19

No, I was getting hate too, bro.

SPEAKER_00 18:22

I hope you die, you shouldn't have been born, this and that. Yeah, drinking crazy stuff. You you you fought through it, though. You get it.

SPEAKER_03 18:28

You're like, uh, all right, this I'm like internet warriors.

SPEAKER_00 18:32

I mean like keyboard, you know, writing all this stuff. So I I didn't I didn't care about that. I just want for myself and everything.

SPEAKER_03 18:41

I'm sure a lot of your last opponent that was a lot, I'm sure he was in there too. Because I remember you guys had some locker room beef.

SPEAKER_00 18:46

Oh, he that yeah, that dude that dude like straight did he message you? He messaged you now, nah. Oh surprising.

SPEAKER_01 18:56

But man, you blessed, man. You got another fight, you got an MVP. This is a big time. You make the best of this, and then you know what I'm saying.

SPEAKER_03 19:02

This is almost like unheard of in a sense. Like, everyone takes a tune up, they're on an under-under card, you gotta get back your feet back wet, which is smart, you know. You you you stepped into shit, man. You stepped into some shit here.

SPEAKER_00 19:13

So that's why I was like, I don't care. I'll I'll I'll fight him right away.

SPEAKER_01 19:17

I feel bad for him though now because you locked in, you don't have to worry about nothing but boxing.

SPEAKER_00 19:22

I have nothing to lose now. Like, I don't like saying the other day on our podcast, I'm like, I don't have to keep like this perfect image or like you know, I I put all that pressure on myself and I fought worse because of that because I was trying to fight too perfect. Now I'm like, now I really don't care.

SPEAKER_03 19:40

Like uh you're gonna let the dog out, man. The dogs are be careful be careful, man. Be careful. Don't let him out too much, you know. You gotta win this one.

SPEAKER_00 19:48

You gotta win this one. Don't be smart, but like it's it's just completely different, and I think it benefits me.

SPEAKER_03 19:54

And a win right here. I know another another mental thing you're going through, not fighting, because I know how happy you were, how high you got in the rankings. When you're inactive, you know, they they scratch you from the rankings. So I know mentally that's gotta be killing you. Like, I was right there, and I just wanted to fight.

SPEAKER_00 20:09

Yeah, I was right, I was in the rankings, and this opportunity never came about. Never when I was ranked and had the belt, and then now after a layoff, I'm I'm there. I'm like, that does make sense, but whatever. I don't have to pay a sanctioning fee for a belt now, at least.

SPEAKER_03 20:27

No, no, no. Do you think I obviously we we don't even the the biggest mystery in boxing is how the rankings work and yeah, how the belts work. That's boxing's biggest mystery. But do you think with a win here you you're back in that at least 30 to 50 range?

SPEAKER_00 20:42

I think it would bump me up. Uh yeah, maybe around the 30 range. Because usually a title, like if you win one of those titles, yeah, you get like top 20, top 15. Okay. Um, if you win a title. But the biggest thing is me coming back and beating an undefeated opponent.

SPEAKER_02 21:00

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 21:01

That's what'll shoot me up. Probably not to top 15, but you never know. Uh what the WBA does and who wins and loses. Uh, but then it would open up a title for whoever's in for sure, you know, that division or and a lot of it's luck and timing.

SPEAKER_03 21:19

So this is real, this is luck and time. This is like a smorgasbord of uh like everything. You you were probably like, what the f is this real? Like, what the fuck is this?

SPEAKER_00 21:30

I thought I was like, this isn't, there's no way. Like, there's no way this is like my dad's like, ah, he he said like it's pretty much done.

SPEAKER_03 21:37

We were gonna see you at stereo garden, you were getting ready to go to stereo garden. That was another baby that was like where'd we got?

SPEAKER_00 21:45

Yeah, because we couldn't fight with an SB, whatever 'cause I had the paramount, then those Mokahees, and then Stereo Garden.

SPEAKER_03 21:55

And nothing against Stereo Garden. Patch Ox Live, Patrick's gonna fight.

SPEAKER_00 22:01

But I'm like, I I don't want to fight there. I don't want to fight the OK's. I didn't even want to fight at the Paramount anymore. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 22:07

I'm actually upset that that fight, because you know, we're we're boys with Jahi Tucker, but yeah, you and Jahi Tucker on the same card at the Paramount man. That place would have exploded. That would have been yeah. And there there was a lot of actually there, there was a lot of popos there still. So uh off-duty, off-duty fuzz was there. A lot of off-duty fuzz was there. Yeah, yeah. A bunch of like chiefs and shit. So uh what? Really? Yeah, yeah, yeah. We'll talk about that off air, but yeah, yeah. Um so yeah, it was it that would have been cool, but you know, any anywhere you go, you bring a crowd, you you really are, and and you know it's it's good and bad, obviously, with with what happened. You it was big news because of because of your fame. So it's almost like it's it's a positive and a negative, you know. Like you you really felt famous then, didn't you?

SPEAKER_00 22:54

Right, yeah, not in a good way.

SPEAKER_03 22:56

Yeah, yeah, I know. You're like, what the fuck? The tabloids, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 23:00

I had the I think I had a million profile visits in two days. Oh my goodness, and like hundreds of DMs.

SPEAKER_03 23:07

Yeah, did you respond to any? Were you just like letting it go, letting it go?

SPEAKER_00 23:11

No, I just I didn't respond to any. I was like, my attorney was like, don't do any of that. Once everything's done right now, don't that that's the hardest part.

SPEAKER_03 23:22

Listen, man, the only way to come out from anything is just to win, win, win, stay positive. Uh, I know you're like a you're you're religious, right? You're not like a like devout, whatever, but you're a religious, you practice religion, correct or no?

SPEAKER_00 23:34

Well, I I never did. I mean, I went to church when I was younger, and I used to always get kicked out and get in trouble.

SPEAKER_03 23:40

Yo, yo, are we brothers? Yeah, I got I got kicked out of religious education, man. My mom still wants to kill me.

SPEAKER_01 23:46

Yeah, I always got kicked out.

SPEAKER_03 23:48

I was whatever. We had to kill you. Well, our churches are different, Willie. All right, yeah. Willie's churches are like fucking a party.

SPEAKER_00 23:55

Oh, yeah, those kids are not uh you're sitting there and silent. And so I get kicked out because I'd be messing around. But no, I never I never was. I started to after my incident, I started praying. Um stuff, man. But that I I I didn't go to church or anything, I just kind of started doing it.

Prayer And Getting A Sign

SPEAKER_03 24:17

Yeah. Um, that listen, it it it worked, and look what look what turned out from that, man. Like, so positive, positive affirmations, or does that say that right? Right? Yeah. I'm really not like I'm I believe in religion.

SPEAKER_00 24:29

I'm just not like a religious guy, but that's like I said, I just I started praying, and I'm like, I felt ridiculous for doing it because I'm like, so something bad happens to me, and yeah, I want to pray. This was like a month or two after that started. I was like, you know what, let me just start doing it, and then I kept doing that. Like I said in in another podcast, that I'm not even kidding. I I was like asking for a sign. I'm like, if I'm gonna fight again or if I'm done, then I gotta go another route. And that's when two days later, the parent the garden call came in. Wow. So I was like, oh, damn.

SPEAKER_03 25:05

Jake Paul, Jake Paul is Jesus. I'm joking. I'm joking. I'm joking. I'm joking. I'm joking. Obviously, I'm joking.

SPEAKER_01 25:14

Yeah, you're gonna do a skateboard.

SPEAKER_03 25:15

On Easter, man, on Easter. Jake Paul has risen. Jake Paul has risen. Nah, totally obviously kidding. Yo, we're so happy for you, man. Obviously, we you've been you were our first ever interview on this show when we were nobody, and I had that guy on that I fired. But yeah, yeah. Possibly, he's a good guy, though. He's a good guy. I gotta shut up.

SPEAKER_01 25:33

Listen, we're about to have a ball at that fight.

Fight Night Plans And Afterparty

SPEAKER_03 25:36

Um are you gonna are you gonna stick around after? Or are you out of there?

SPEAKER_00 25:42

I have no idea what's going on because usually, like I said, we'd set up an after party. I know uh Ridgewood and Wontaw, the restaurant bar that sponsors me. Like, everybody's going there before the fight. Okay, wow. People are going after. I mean, he put up on his Instagram, like, whoever's going to the fight is drinking for free. Just show your tickets.

SPEAKER_03 26:05

Shout out to Ridgewood and Wontau.

SPEAKER_01 26:08

What time we have we had to be there? What time they opened?

SPEAKER_00 26:12

Yeah, I don't I don't even know what time they open, but he he that's what he pulled up on. Friday, too? Wow. He's the man though. He's the man. He's sponsored.

SPEAKER_01 26:21

That's what I'm saying.

SPEAKER_00 26:22

He's buying 25 rank side tickets himself. Wow. We'll see.

SPEAKER_03 26:26

So we'll we'll be right there with them. Oh, exactly.

SPEAKER_00 26:28

You'll be with it. Uh stop at ridge with them before.

SPEAKER_03 26:31

Yeah, I know. Yo, the the card's a little early though, so so I know the doors open at five. Do you have a walkout time for for everybody?

SPEAKER_00 26:37

Or I don't yet. I wish I could because I could see them putting me first, honestly, because I'm not an MVP fighter. Yeah, but I also don't think that would be smart because if I'm bringing at least 300 people, if I'm the first fight, they're all leaving. No one's gonna stay to watch.

SPEAKER_03 26:54

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 26:54

So that's true. I could see myself being like right in the middle. I'm assuming like between seven and eight, which I'd be happy with.

SPEAKER_03 27:01

Okay. All right, we gotta we gotta get in there early though, just in case. Yeah, I think I think the whole card though, I think is uh it's early. Friday cards are usually earlier at MSG, so it's not like Saturday where they they show at like 11.

SPEAKER_00 27:12

Well, which sucks. I think the main card starts at 8, I think. Okay. On the like on ESPN, the main card starts at 8, I'm pretty sure. Okay.

SPEAKER_03 27:23

Okay. Listen, guys, if if you're listening to our show, we're every fighter's favorite podcast. Actually, we just I don't know why we don't get the good following. It's probably because uh who knows? I don't know why. But whatever, we don't care. You'll see us ringside. We we go to every fight. Uh that every fighter that we interview, we show up to to show our support to their fights. Um, Alex El Toro Vargas is back, Long Island living legend. Uh he's he's here, man. Look at him, look at him, look at him. And the service is good, so it wasn't us, it was it was their connections, which is also good to know.

SPEAKER_00 27:56

Thank God mine held up.

SPEAKER_03 27:58

Yeah, yeah. We only have one issue one time on that old program. I remember it was weird, but this new one's good. But lately we've been having issues, and I'm I go crazy, dude, because I'm like, listen, I don't got a producer, we we got nothing going on.

SPEAKER_00 28:09

You just raw dog it, that's it.

SPEAKER_03 28:10

But I want oh I raw dog everything, man. Everything and anything. You do too, man. You do too. Tell them, tell them we're on the way. Tell them we're on the way.

SPEAKER_01 28:21

Yeah, I got another baby on my way. Are you joking or no? No, next month, next month. Oh shit, congrats, congrats. You appreciate it.

SPEAKER_03 28:29

That's gonna be the end of the. I'm gonna have to find a new co-host, man. Yeah, yeah, definitely. You got speaking of that. You do you have extra shirts over there?

SPEAKER_00 28:40

Yeah, yeah. I'll I'll I'll get them to you.

SPEAKER_03 28:42

Um okay, I'll come scoop them. I'll c I'll come scoop them. Just uh DM me, obviously. We'll come scoop them. Yo, just MSG. We're like we're the fans of MSG, bro. Like, that's those are like our people. Yeah, the ushers know us. It's oh yeah, guys. So yeah, we can get we can get real rowdy.

SPEAKER_00 28:58

Because there's so many rowdy, loud people that are gonna be ringside. Like, there's you guys, and then a ton of others.

SPEAKER_03 29:04

It's you do bring a ruckus, you bring like it's like almost like a frat boy crowd, kind of.

SPEAKER_00 29:09

Like, yeah, you bring up a bunch of drunk hooligan. It's crazy because then I'll have like a family with like three young kids there, and then next to them are just like crazy people cursing, screaming, go nuts. A little bit of everything.

SPEAKER_03 29:23

Good people though. I can't wait. It's about to be a vibe, yeah. Friday night. I still gotta get off work, man. But I'll get off. Um what else what else though? You speaking of kids, you got you got no girls, right? No baby moms running around there.

SPEAKER_00 29:35

No, no, no, no raw dogging for you, man.

SPEAKER_03 29:39

No raw dogging.

Fired Up Mindset And Statement Goals

SPEAKER_00 29:40

No, but especially right now. I'm like, I don't yeah, I don't even want to talk to anybody. I'm just I'm not even in a position to. I'm like, I'm just I just want to fight.

SPEAKER_03 29:48

Are you are you the most focused? Are you willing to say you're the most focused you've ever been?

SPEAKER_00 29:53

Yeah, I mean, I'm always focused. I think this is the most like fired up. I've been the most like um I guess locked in, like kind of like like you you you it's almost like there was a calling.

SPEAKER_03 30:09

Somebody something shot down, like wow. And and and this is like you're about to be like a phoenix. Yeah, it sounds corny, corny as hell. Uh it's the only thing I can think of.

SPEAKER_00 30:18

It's just yeah, it's hard to explain. It's just like that. It came back like when I was younger, like more that that mean, like ready to like actually fight. Like I said, I was trying to be too perfect in the ring and uh outside the ring. That it you know, that's how I fought. I fought.

SPEAKER_03 30:34

There's like there's a chip on your shoulder right now. You want to make a statement.

SPEAKER_00 30:36

Yeah, kind of like a little revenge fight thing like that.

SPEAKER_03 30:39

That's that's for you, for you and everybody, like for you and everybody else, the haters.

SPEAKER_00 30:43

Yeah, yeah, exactly. Because I remember all those messages I got, and that's why I'm here.

SPEAKER_01 30:48

Oh man, keep replaying them. If you stop them, oh my god, you're gonna come in the NS.

SPEAKER_03 30:52

Ah, that's not fair, dude, because uh it's gonna be an earlier fight. I'm gonna be blacked out. I'm gonna remember the rest of the fights. Just give me some rounds, man. All right, give me some rounds.

SPEAKER_01 31:01

Nah, just stop them and then we'd be good, bro.

SPEAKER_03 31:03

Not that we condone that behavior, but that's gonna be me. So just it happens.

SPEAKER_01 31:08

That's just gonna set the tone for the rest of the night. You know what I'm saying?

SPEAKER_00 31:11

I have to. I have to do something. I've got to do something that's either an amazing performance or like I stopped the guy on that platform because that's how you get I could win. Look horrible, and it's not gonna get me anywhere.

SPEAKER_03 31:24

If you're on that platform and you are exciting, and you know that though, you're smart and and do something like that, yeah. That'll just elevate you right back to where where you were and where you should be. But what's the plan after this? And then we'll let you go again. I know you've been on the world podcast tour. We don't want to take up too much of your time, but after this fight, is the plan to stay active?

Staying Active After The Comeback

SPEAKER_00 31:44

Yeah, yeah, that's this is it's boxing now for once. Like I said, uh-huh. First time in years. So win this big, and then whatever comes next, whatever opportunity, I'm jumping right on. I'm just gonna stay in shape and keep it going.

SPEAKER_03 32:00

But uh you are always in shape though, man. I see you running, I'm like, god damn.

SPEAKER_00 32:04

Yeah, I never I never get out of shape. It was just getting back into the sparring at first tough, but when you have Wendy freaking world-class spar pushing you, and I I know it'll be like the fourth, fifth round, and that he's just jumping on top of me, and then yeah, he's the bad work, that's why we kept it simple with him.

SPEAKER_03 32:24

And actually, so I know for sure, I know for sure his Irish ass isn't fighting dudes like Wendy or sparring dudes like Wendy. I know that's not a good thing. No, he's not sparring anybody. Yeah, but come in there like he is, come in there like he is.

SPEAKER_00 32:36

Oh, I I already am. I I already know he's gonna come too because he's come to America and the garden is a hundred times bigger than it is to me, especially when I'm from New York. So he's gonna he's gonna show up.

SPEAKER_01 32:48

He's gonna have a lot of fans, too.

SPEAKER_03 32:50

Yeah, they do. The Irish show up for their fighters, so they do.

SPEAKER_00 32:53

So he's gonna come and fire it up. That's fine.

SPEAKER_03 32:57

Good, man. You got you got more of that fight. Like I said, you are the Phoenix Rise. About the flash uh hunger games, huh? All right, though, bro. Listen, we'll let you go again. We don't we don't want to take up too much of your time. Um, we always appreciate you're always welcome. But yo, after the fight, right? Promise me you come over to the crib and you watch a fight with us and here in the spa in, all right?

SPEAKER_00 33:23

100%. I I I gotta get there. I gotta get there.

SPEAKER_03 33:25

Are you are you coming back this way? Are you moving back this way? I know you're back out uh by the Medford area, right? Pat Med?

SPEAKER_00 33:31

Yeah, I'm in Belport. So I would love to move back out that way. Um but you know, find apartments and yeah, all that.

SPEAKER_03 33:39

Well, my neighbor, I think there's gonna be an apartment for that next door to me. Uh there was a there's a big scuffle outside uh before the show. It might be neighbors. Yeah, that's it. For those that don't know, uh right right before the interview, we we almost were late. Uh there was a neighbor fight outside of my front lawn.

SPEAKER_01 33:55

So this ghetto area over there.

SPEAKER_03 33:58

I know, right? I was like, oh my goodness, my wife is tweaking out, bro. She we'll probably I probably won't live here. We're gonna be moved tomorrow.

SPEAKER_01 34:05

But I thought I got out of the hood.

Closing Shoutouts And Favorite Podcast

SPEAKER_03 34:07

Alex El Toro Vargas, April 17th, MSG Madison Square Garden versus Ryan O'Rourke. I don't know what his nickname is. He's Irish, he's coming to fight, but they don't know El Toro. The Silent Assassin.

SPEAKER_00 34:21

That's his nickname. What is it? What is it? The Silent Assassin.

SPEAKER_03 34:25

The Silent Fart. Alex Vargas versus the Silent Fart, baby. We're excited for you, bro. We can't wait. Uh, obviously, we'll keep in touch. Um, take care, man. Any last words for you?

SPEAKER_00 34:38

Uh no, that's it. Just thanks to my fans, my team, friends, family, and that's it. I can't wait to light up the garden that night. That's it.

SPEAKER_01 34:49

Yeah, yo, it's gonna be crazy.

SPEAKER_03 34:51

Yeah, we can't wait because he he has a big crush on Alicia Bumgardener. So he's gonna be. So do I.

SPEAKER_00 34:55

So do I. That's all I got. Oh man, you can't.

SPEAKER_01 34:59

Yeah, we're gonna be rubbling like Alex. Can you give me the locker room, please? Yeah, yeah. Yo, nah, you get to see yo, you get to see all that. Get off of me, get off it. Yeah, you go to the wedding, you might shit, man.

SPEAKER_03 35:14

You're gonna be we could probably go to the way in too. You might go the way, uh, yeah. I don't know. We we got it's suck like the Friday night fights we love, actually. They're fun, but like you know, with work and it's just different. It's like a whole different thing, but that's also good. Uh uh, like the exposure on ESPN, ESPN plus, whatever. Friday night, everyone's home. Nobody, you know, Friday, the older gener, I guess the 20, 30-year-olds don't really go out on Friday night. Saturday's the bigger, the bigger thing. Yeah, Saturday's the you know. But all right, bro, we will see you, man. Thanks again, as always. If you could just shout out, and again, I just want to ask you, and and I mean this wholeheartedly, who is your favorite podcast with no disrespect to other podcasters?

SPEAKER_00 35:54

100% sparring my favorite podcast to be on. I actually look forward to being on it. It's not the same typical questions, it's a kind of chill conversation where you're just BS and so this is 100% my favorite podcast. My guy, my guy.

SPEAKER_01 36:10

Yeah, I told you that's what they like. Spread the damn word.

SPEAKER_00 36:15

Yeah, robots.

SPEAKER_03 36:18

All right, man. All right, bro. Yo, you'll hear us right. We'll keep in touch. Uh, just just let me know about them shirts so I can scoop them for real. And uh we'll definitely we'll definitely rock them at the fight because we we do create a lot of attention. Yeah, I'm gonna show you.

SPEAKER_02 36:30

I love it.

SPEAKER_03 36:32

We'll really need some clothes. Okay, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 36:34

I'll give them a few shots.

SPEAKER_03 36:37

All right, Alex, man. Take care, man.

SPEAKER_00 36:38

All right, guys, thank you.