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<v Speaker 1>Boxing is a port man's sport, and I found boxing.

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<v Speaker 1>Boxing found me, or we found each other because I'm

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<v Speaker 1>so opposite of what I used to be or what

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<v Speaker 1>I did. I am quiet, shy, almost introverted, but to

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<v Speaker 1>be involved with the sport that demands your respect and

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<v Speaker 1>it's about bravado and what have you. Boxing to me

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<v Speaker 1>was a sense of being calm, being safe because I

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<v Speaker 1>felt safe in the ring more so than I felt

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<v Speaker 1>safer outside the ring. That it kind of brought me

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<v Speaker 1>to the real world. My coach was saying that you

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<v Speaker 1>guys can win the Olympics. That's what most kids need

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<v Speaker 1>to hear. A sense of encouragement, depending where you come from,

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<v Speaker 1>how you were brought up, how you were raised, or

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<v Speaker 1>speaking of confidence to a young kid is powerful because

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<v Speaker 1>now I believe I can do something, and I just

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<v Speaker 1>worked hard, just worked extremely hard every single day. You

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<v Speaker 1>have to believe in yourself. You have to do your

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<v Speaker 1>version of roadwork, which could be going to work earlier.

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<v Speaker 1>The same principles that it required for me to be

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<v Speaker 1>a champion, It's applicable in everyday of life. And my

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<v Speaker 1>philosophy is called power, which is prepare overcome when every

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<v Speaker 1>round it's here, and it's here. I create the fight

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<v Speaker 1>in my hand. I see it, I feel it, I

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<v Speaker 1>taste it. For me. Talk about when I lost my

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<v Speaker 1>first professional fight, which was so devastating, emostly devastating because,

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<v Speaker 1>like as you stated, my friends, my family, they were

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<v Speaker 1>trying to calm me down, although I wasn't quiet. I

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<v Speaker 1>was like hurting side because there was a fight that

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<v Speaker 1>I thought that I should have won. I could have

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<v Speaker 1>won if I had a different game plan. But to

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<v Speaker 1>help you understand why I went the route that I

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<v Speaker 1>did was because Roberto Durand was one of the most

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<v Speaker 1>intimidating fighters ever prior to Mike Tyson. And he cursed

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<v Speaker 1>me out, he cursed my wife out, and he pushed me,

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<v Speaker 1>shut me. He did all those things. He was like

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<v Speaker 1>a bully. He was a bully. He challenged my Manhod,

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<v Speaker 1>he took my Manhu, and I said, you know what,

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<v Speaker 1>I'm gonna beat this guy at his own game. And

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<v Speaker 1>I went to that Irraine and I was fighting in

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<v Speaker 1>total toe, which I should not have done. I mean,

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<v Speaker 1>no one likes to lose, no one. But what makes

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<v Speaker 1>your winner is coming back, is getting up from knockdowns.

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<v Speaker 1>And I lived with that for a few months, and

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<v Speaker 1>I said, you know what, I can beat this guy.

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<v Speaker 1>So I came back to show Roberto Duran that I

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<v Speaker 1>can come back. So it was good for me. Well.

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<v Speaker 1>I tend to choreograph the fight because in my head

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<v Speaker 1>I was good at breaking you down, and I will

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<v Speaker 1>study tapes of you, watch your pet peeves. I was

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<v Speaker 1>I would understand what makes you take, what makes you up, upset,

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<v Speaker 1>and I will play on those things. All those things

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<v Speaker 1>were just for me, ways of breaking you down. Fundamentally

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<v Speaker 1>break you down, but more so here because if I

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<v Speaker 1>get if I make you miss enough well, and then

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<v Speaker 1>I make you pay for those misses, then you doubt yourself,

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<v Speaker 1>because that's what they call it, the sweet size of boxing. Doubt,

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<v Speaker 1>first and foremost is always, let's say present. Although we

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<v Speaker 1>won't admit it, but we do doubt ourselves. That comes

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<v Speaker 1>into play when you're not sure, be sure what we want,

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<v Speaker 1>but not really sure how to get there. I paused

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<v Speaker 1>give myself timing. And although palls can be five seconds,

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<v Speaker 1>palls can be ten seconds, can be ten minutes, can

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<v Speaker 1>be ten days. You gotta let this thing and this

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<v Speaker 1>thing come together, your heart and your mind. It all

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<v Speaker 1>has to work as a unit, one piece, doing your

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<v Speaker 1>due diligence. To make sure you have all the information,

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<v Speaker 1>because when I do my road work, my roadwork is

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<v Speaker 1>running four or five miles. My road workers also checking

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<v Speaker 1>out and knowing your weak points and strong points. It's

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<v Speaker 1>all those things that makes a winner. Muhammad Ali gave

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<v Speaker 1>me some advice many many years ago. He said, Ray,

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<v Speaker 1>be your own man, but control your own legacy and

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<v Speaker 1>sign your own checks. But I didn't understand what he

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<v Speaker 1>was talking about. But I also wanted to be different

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<v Speaker 1>than most fighters, unfortunately who have fallen on the wayside,

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<v Speaker 1>and that was to create my own legacy and maintain

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<v Speaker 1>And I was able to do that because I had

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<v Speaker 1>good people around me. I had good people who were smart,

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<v Speaker 1>who had morals, who didn't take advantage of me as

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<v Speaker 1>a young kid, a young teenager, a young fighter back

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<v Speaker 1>in the day. This is back in like in the eighties,

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<v Speaker 1>early eighties. I was like twenty five, twenty six, and

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<v Speaker 1>you know, I was on top of the world. I

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<v Speaker 1>had my titles, I had the money, had the thing,

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<v Speaker 1>and I wasn't prepared to do anything else. So now

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<v Speaker 1>all of a sudden, I meet new friends and all

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<v Speaker 1>those little friends turned me on to something they called cocaine.

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<v Speaker 1>So I became an addict. I became an alcoholic, and

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<v Speaker 1>I did all those things and giving myself no respect,

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<v Speaker 1>and I did that for a couple of years. But

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<v Speaker 1>the thing about it, I thank God. I'm a blessed man.

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<v Speaker 1>I mean, I am one a guy who who have

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<v Speaker 1>good people around him. And also I surrendered myself. If

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<v Speaker 1>you don't come to grips with who you are, you'll

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<v Speaker 1>never be happy. I am the happiness I've ever been

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<v Speaker 1>in my life because now I'm okay in my own skin.

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<v Speaker 1>But I am cool with who I am. I mean,

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<v Speaker 1>I can walk into this room and if no one

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<v Speaker 1>recognized me, it's okay, it's okay. I'm okay with who

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<v Speaker 1>I am. Life is a fight, life is a challenge,

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<v Speaker 1>and everyone is not nice. Everyone is not gonna have morals,

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<v Speaker 1>and some people try to take what you have. I

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<v Speaker 1>mean all of those things, and I just found a

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<v Speaker 1>place recently in the past couple of years that has

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<v Speaker 1>made me the man I am today. I've been ten

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<v Speaker 1>years sober. It was hard for me to say I'm

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<v Speaker 1>an alcoholic because I'm sugar raying in it. When I

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<v Speaker 1>Foally was able to say that my life got better.

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<v Speaker 1>My life got so much better. And I was sexually

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<v Speaker 1>abused as a kid, and I kept it to myself

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<v Speaker 1>for many, many years. It ate it me for so long,

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<v Speaker 1>and I thought it was just me who that happened

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<v Speaker 1>to me, And at certain times of the year or

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<v Speaker 1>time or times of the month it resurfaced. I never

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<v Speaker 1>dealt with it. I always pushed it away. And the

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<v Speaker 1>way I pushed it away was drinking or drugs. It

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<v Speaker 1>wasn't until I faced the reality of what happened to

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<v Speaker 1>me and accepted that and moved on that I became

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<v Speaker 1>a better man, a better father, a better husband. It

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<v Speaker 1>was such a release. And when I talked about the

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<v Speaker 1>sexual abuse, I would get so emotional, really really emotional.

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<v Speaker 1>It's so vivid in my mind. I could smell his breath,

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<v Speaker 1>I could smell his I can smell his body, smell

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<v Speaker 1>you know. It was that real and it is that real.

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<v Speaker 1>It took my life away because I I was never happy.

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<v Speaker 1>As much fame as I had, oh money as I had,

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<v Speaker 1>I was never happy. I drank to be happy. I

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<v Speaker 1>did cocaine a lot of it to be happy. So

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<v Speaker 1>my life for the most part was shut down, was

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<v Speaker 1>blacked out, and people saw me. What they saw was

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<v Speaker 1>an individual who achieved significant stuff. But it wasn't really

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<v Speaker 1>happy because all of a sudden, now I'm saying, who

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<v Speaker 1>likes me for who I am? It was getting to

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<v Speaker 1>that point. My biggest problem. I suppressed things. I would

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<v Speaker 1>never tell you what I just told you today. I

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<v Speaker 1>would keep it to myself. If it's bothering me, if

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<v Speaker 1>you did something wrong, I wouldn't tell you. Of all

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<v Speaker 1>the things. I'm non confrontational. But I found out that

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<v Speaker 1>stress and keeping things inside can can kill you, and

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<v Speaker 1>no I can't. It will kill you. There's no greater

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<v Speaker 1>feeling to me than to give back, to make it,

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<v Speaker 1>to make a difference. It, whether it's a phone call

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<v Speaker 1>to some fan, is wonderful. It's something that you don't

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<v Speaker 1>have to tell me. Twice, I got a call and

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<v Speaker 1>this guy he was given a few months to live,

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<v Speaker 1>but he wanted to speak to me. He wanted to

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<v Speaker 1>say hi, wo Jesus. And it's really resonated. It was

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<v Speaker 1>like I said, I got to call this guy, and

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<v Speaker 1>I did call. I called, I spoke with him about

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<v Speaker 1>an hour and I talked to this guy. I was

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<v Speaker 1>in tears, man, and I just I say, Man, you

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<v Speaker 1>keep fighting, man, he said, He said, Ray, you know

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<v Speaker 1>talking to you right now, man, has given me so

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<v Speaker 1>much more life and so much more carriage. It's just

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<v Speaker 1>little things that you do or you can do that

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<v Speaker 1>makes a difference in someone's life. And I cherished that

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<v Speaker 1>moment and I valued that time with that with that

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<v Speaker 1>young man, I've been blessed in so many ways. It's

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<v Speaker 1>nothing for me to make a phone call, but to him,

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<v Speaker 1>that gave him another another day, another week, another month

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<v Speaker 1>on this earth. It costs nothing to be nice. It

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<v Speaker 1>costs nothing to be nice. What's your definition of the

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<v Speaker 1>life well lived? It's about pursuing and accomplishing your dreams.

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<v Speaker 1>I tell people all the time to dream, to dream

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<v Speaker 1>the dream, because your dreams like your gps towards your success.

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<v Speaker 1>Your dreams are what allows you to see the light

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<v Speaker 1>at the end of the tunnel. It's what gives you motivation, determination,

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<v Speaker 1>and you go for that, and you go for that dream.

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<v Speaker 1>You know, you reach out and you work hard because

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<v Speaker 1>people tell other people what they can't do, so they

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<v Speaker 1>tell you you can't do that, and a lot of times,

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<v Speaker 1>nine times out of ten we believe them, but they're

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<v Speaker 1>telling you what they can't do. Don't let them tell

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<v Speaker 1>you what you can't do. I talk about success, I

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<v Speaker 1>talk about victory. Victory is find in so many ways.

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<v Speaker 1>For me, my victories are my family, my gold medal,

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<v Speaker 1>and my titles. And for other people, your victories can

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<v Speaker 1>be promotion, it could be a new home, it could

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<v Speaker 1>be something simple. No matter how you define victory, you

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<v Speaker 1>just got to go for it. You have to go

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<v Speaker 1>for it and be the fighter. We are fighters, and

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<v Speaker 1>if I know anything about fighting, I know how to win.