Boxing's Top Promotions: The Real Game Changers | Eric Priest DSH #702

Who do you got with him and Tyson?

Who do you got winning that fight?

I hate to say it, and I'm such like a Tyson fan.

Yeah.

Jake.

Really?

Yeah.

And my reason because of that is like Tyson, you see the videos of him hitting the pads and all that stuff, right?

He's explosive.

That stuff never leaves you your strength and whatnot.

And but like, if he doesn't get Jake out in the first two rounds, then I think age and a lot of the factors will catch up to him.

All right, guys, we got a professional boxer here today, Eric Priest.

Thanks for coming on, man.

I appreciate you having me, man.

Yeah.

Coming fresh off another win, right?

Yeah, about five weeks ago.

Yeah.

So feeling good.

Feeling good with that.

You know, we're on the right track for this year.

So, yeah.

Cool.

Was that a knockout?

No, it was actually, it was a tough opponent.

He was 21 and 4.

He had fought like former world champions, something like that.

So it was like a big, it was a good step in the right direction.

It's fine.

I step up.

So I went the entire distance.

Like, good learning experience.

Like, I won every round.

But so it was like a, you know.

Nice.

Yeah.

But it's a good sign.

Yeah, definitely.

It's usually at that level, you start trading rounds, right?

Yeah.

When you're fighting really good people.

Yeah, and that's the goal.

For the first step, it's like, I mean, like, you want to fight good people.

First of all, you're learning.

And then top of that, anybody worth fighting is good at this point.

You know what I mean?

So otherwise, you're just kind of like moving on a treadmill in your career.

So

how many times per year are you fighting right now?

At least four.

Four.

I mean, this year, I would like to crank in five, hopefully, within like, you know, from

this past fight from March to by the time next March, five fights.

That's intense, right?

Because Cannella only fights, what, twice a year?

Yeah, I mean, Cranela's at a different stage in his career where he's so established already.

And like, there's only so many people that

could even be in the conversation to fight him.

And I'm at a stage where I'm going from prospect to contender, where I want, like, by next year, I want to be in that level where I'm in the conversation of like, yeah, like, when's Eric gonna get a world title shot?

Got it.

So this year, I'm like, I'm really establishing myself as that guy.

That's cool.

So, are there rankings for boxing?

Like, UFC has rankings per division?

Is there boxing like that?

Yeah, so there's four sanctioning bodies essentially:

like WBA, WBO, IBF, and WBC.

i mean wbc world boxing council is the most important one i believe it's like probably the most uh respected organization so like that's the one that you really want to get ranked in and i i got ranked with them officially last year about a year ago um and so right now it's just climbing those and you know um that's why you hear the terms uh like undisputed unified champion because you have all four belts um and that that's that's like obviously the goal but oh that makes sense so there's four different belts yeah Holy shit.

Essentially, yeah.

And then, I mean, so if you win a world title, like that's awesome.

Like, like, you did it.

You're essentially the best in the world.

But

like, the goal is to unify.

So you'll find guys that have like two belts.

You know, it's like, okay, he's two-time world champion.

But, you know.

To really say I am the best in the world, like, you got to get all four.

Yeah.

Interesting.

So does Ryan Garcia have any belts?

No.

I mean, he would.

He would have had a belt if he made weight.

It's best fight, you know.

But since he came in three pounds over, he's no longer like eligible to fight for that title.

Got it.

So, so even though they fought and he won, it doesn't matter.

Doesn't matter.

Yeah, I mean, they were supposed to fight for the title because Devin was a champion.

That's why after the fight, Devin was like, I'm still a champion, you know, technically because Ryan Gerci didn't make weight.

Yeah.

You know, so what do you think of that fight from a boxing point of view?

Like,

what did you see from it?

I mean, good for Ryan.

You know, I feel like he went into that fight with a lot of people doubting him.

You know, Devin, he's a great boxer.

I don't know if I think Ryan's antics before the fight really kind of brought out a side of Devin that Devin wasn't fighting in the way he normally does.

He wanted to sit in there and just trade with a puncher

to kind of prove a point that he was like Machio, the alpha male, or this or that.

And it really worked to Ryan's advantage because that's how Ryan fights.

And he wants to catch you coming in.

And he did exactly that.

I mean, I was very surprised.

I think everyone was.

Yeah, seriously.

I mean, there are so many talks about if his mental health was stable, if he was on drugs, if this or that.

And he went out there and did that.

So good for him.

I wish he had the title because he's also a golden bull guy.

It's always nice to have another world champion in the family there.

Absolutely.

What do you think of the recent allegations with the steroid stuff?

See, that's interesting.

Because,

shoot, I mean, it's really,

there's so many talks, and a lot of people don't realize this.

When you're talking about steroids, if there's traces in your system,

it's basically saying,

a few statements came out and I was like, oh, like, there's only small traces of it Well, that's not really how like drugs and steroids are tested.

It's like it's in your system or it's not right, you know, it's like a yes or a no.

It's like kind of being like, oh, I'm like, I'm kind of pregnant.

You know what I mean?

It's like

you, you're, you got it or you don't.

And so, I mean, I've also heard like theories of like like scientists coming in and being like, I'm by no means a doctor, but they come in and they said,

like there are there are ways that when the body gets so depleted of water from cutting weight that your body naturally

releases a steroid.

Oh, wow.

And it could be at a higher rate.

So that could be why it might have popped.

So if he's, I mean, innocent or not, if he's clean or he's not, I don't know.

He has some time to prove his innocence.

But yeah, shoot, man, we'll see.

Yeah, that'd be really whack if he got banned from boxing.

Yeah, I mean, it would probably be like a long-term

suspension.

Yeah, I mean, Canelo's been popped before.

Oh, really?

Yeah,

there's a lot of fighters that have gotten popped.

Oh, so it's pretty common.

I didn't know that.

Yeah, but obviously suspension.

But the worst part about it is

that fight would be a no-contest.

Oh, so he wouldn't get the win.

No, yeah.

So on his record, it would be a no-contest, which would really, you know, be.

So Haney would still be undefeated then.

Yeah.

Yeah.

And that's what Haney, I think, is fighting for right now.

Yeah.

Dang, that's crazy.

I didn't know it was that common.

Yeah, I mean, I wouldn't say it's like everybody's doing it.

You know what I mean?

Like, I'm a clean athlete and everything.

But

there is things in there that.

Is it a urine test?

Blood test.

Oh, it's blood.

Yeah, blood test.

Yeah, I wonder if there's a better way to test if it's actually from a steroid or if it's just your body producing it.

Yeah, I mean, she, like, that's that's a question for a doctor, not me, but I mean, it'd probably help with a lot of like just random issues that might come up in sports, you know.

Absolutely.

So, you joined Golden Boy recently?

Uh, not recently, probably um

over a year ago, okay.

Yeah, so and that was really cool, you know.

What went into that decision?

Um, she, well, like,

it's probably right now, and it is the most popular promotion in the world.

It's like, you know, I mean, they got, they put on the biggest fights right now.

You know, it's like Ryan versus Ryan versus Dravante, Ryan versus Devin, you know,

like just, I mean, like, right now they're putting on the biggest fights.

And

so as a growing up as a kid, when I you always saw Oscar and, you know, he's such an icon.

Yeah.

So I was like,

you know, I really liked what he's done.

He's, he really has built the biggest stars in boxing.

A lot of people don't know this.

He's actually promoted like 10 of Floyd Mayweather's fights behind the scenes.

I didn't know that.

Yeah.

So he made Canelo, he made Ryan Gerci, he made a lot of these guys.

And so I felt like if I wanted to maximize my career, this would probably be the right move to win, you know, the right way to turn.

So do you think anyone will ever beat Floyd's record?

Yeah, I mean, people are people already have.

Oh, really?

Yeah.

I mean, like, there's guys like Julio or Cesar Chavez.

I mean, they fought like, I don't, I don't really know exactly, but it's like 80-something fights undefeated.

What?

Yeah.

He's probably, I mean, it's a big argument.

Who's the better like Mexican fighter of all time you know it's like canelo or juli or cesar chavez um

but yeah i mean there are people that have beaten that record i think floyd

established himself as that guy you know what i mean he like made it known that he was i'm gonna make 50 you know 51 and oh whatever it is and i'm not gonna be beat i'm gonna fight the best and floyd beat the best like i'm completely as a boxer and like from a skill standpoint he might be the best boxer wow so you have him as your goat yeah i mean from a boxing standpoint from not necessarily from like a fighting standpoint, but from a boxing standpoint, yeah, I mean, just from skill.

Yeah, tactical, right?

Yeah, I mean, he mastered the art of hit and don't get hit.

Right.

You know, whether that makes a boring fight or an exciting fight, he's, you know, he's almost so good.

It can get boring.

You know what I mean?

Yeah, he never got knocked out, right?

Yeah, never, never.

And it's like, I mean, I think also, in a way, it has worked as

a not good thing for boxing for having a record that good.

Because now you have these young prospects and stuff like that that they want to be Floyd Mayweather.

Like everybody wants to be Floyd Mayweather.

uh everybody wants to have that 50 o record and they're so scared to like fight hard fights because they're scared of losing right because they're like oh i take one loss it looks so bad but there was a time in like the golden era of boxing where fighters would fight and they would lose like the best would fight the best and i think like right now

because of like promotions like golden boy fighters are fighting like the best like they're putting on fights where like Just like the UFC,

the best are fighting the best.

The contender is fighting the champion.

And it's making boxing really exciting again.

Yeah, plus you got the influencer boxing.

There's a lot of eyeballs to the sport, right?

Yeah.

And I mean, like, people want to hate on a lot of that.

And, like, do what do, like, it's like, it's like a bunch of famous people playing football.

I don't think the NFL players will ever really respect them as football players, but it is bringing something new that the sport has never seen.

And I got respect for somebody.

And as long as you're training hard and stuff like that, even like Jake Paul.

Yeah.

I'm like, man, he's looking decent, right?

Yeah.

I mean,

like, he looks like somebody that started boxing a little bit late, but he works hard and he's tough.

He's, you know, it's uh,

you know, if you're doing that stuff, I mean, it's gonna work out for your favorite is he fighting like legitimate boxers, no, yeah, but he, but he's making a show out of it, and he's also, I think, he's bringing up a lot of uh fighters and bringing a lot of eyeballs, even to like women's boxing.

Yeah, that hasn't been on the card, yeah, it hasn't been there before.

So, I mean, good for him.

I don't really think he's doing anything terrible for the sport, you know.

Who do you got with him and Tyson?

Who do you got winning that fight?

I hate to say it, and I'm such like a Tyson fan, yeah.

Um, Jake.

Really?

Yeah.

And the reason because of that is like Tyson, you see the videos of hitting the pads and all that stuff, right?

He's explosive.

That stuff never leaves you your strength and whatnot.

But

if he doesn't get Jake out in the first two rounds, then I think age and a lot of the factors will catch up to him.

I think like,

I don't know.

I mean, Tyson made his career not really even going the distance with anybody.

Even in his prime, he was knocking out guys in the first and second round.

And that's what he was known for, this like notorious killer who would, if he catches you with one shot, you're done.

And so, I think, even at his age, you know, he's almost 60 years old.

It's like things just don't work the same.

Your head doesn't, your head doesn't take hits the same.

Absolutely.

You know, um, and Jake, Jake, I believe in hit hard.

Does Tyson have a chance if he catches Jake in the first second round?

Yeah, Tyson can knock anybody out, even still.

Um, but I mean, we'll see.

I mean, I'm honestly more surprised like the commission approved that this fight in general.

Yeah, it's a real fight, right?

Yeah, like a young guy, Jake, it's 27 years old, old probably like fighting a 60 year old man crazy yeah right i feel kind of bad like if i fought someone that old yeah you hit him like hey man you good like you know holding him up in the middle of the thing

your father's age you know yeah yeah that's what i'm saying yeah

um

do you care about like being undefeated as long as possible or is that something you think about a lot no no like i'd be like

Things happen in boxing.

Everybody has a puncher's chance.

Like when you're standing there, things are happening so fast.

Like

anybody can get caught, especially especially at the level I'm in, where I'm like, I'm really trying to turn from like a prospect to contender.

Like, I'm fighting other guys that are good, the guys have been there, the guys who have knocked a lot of guys out.

Right.

Um,

and things happen, like, you can't be scared of that.

Like, this is boxing, this is part of the sport.

Yeah.

Um,

dude, I, I mean, I think, I think I'm kind of cursed with a good jaw.

Um, you know, like, I've taken some hits, I've taken some shots, and I've been like, I'm surprised.

I'm so, you know, not even in fights, but in like sparring, you know,

it's like is that something you're born with or just training?

Your draw strength just gets stronger through sparring and stuff?

A little bit of both.

I mean, like, there are ways to train for boxing and build your neck, build these muscles that keep your head intact.

But

I don't know.

For me, I've just, I've always been like, I've been hit and I've been like, shoot.

I'll forget like three months of my life for like, holy crap.

For like for like, yeah, for like a few hours.

Are you serious?

I'll be like, what day is it?

This and that.

I'd be like, then they'll be like, oh, Eric, no, you finished.

You finished the sparring day.

You did great.

So I guess like my zombie subconscious was going in there.

And just even though I was like, just totally like,

they're like, oh, you didn't even wobble.

I was like, oh, really?

I don't even remember the sparring session.

Holy crap.

Yeah.

It's scary, bro.

Yeah.

I mean,

a little bit, but it's like.

Do you ever get worried about the brain health impact of the boxing?

Yeah.

I don't know.

I try to take care of.

I do everything I can, but it's also like, if you want to compete in this sport,

getting hit in the head is not a normal thing.

Most people, they fall on the ground, they hit their head, like, oh, I'm going to go to the doctor.

I got a concussion.

I'm like, in boxing, it's almost praised.

And it's kind of crazy when you think about it.

I'll take a shot in the head and I'll be like, oh, like, I'm like, that felt like a flash of light, a camera.

And I'm like, oh, no, but I'm good.

You know, you're almost praised for your ability to keep going.

Crazy.

So, I mean, that's kind of a weird thing.

No, that's super weird.

Plus,

there's not a lot of Koreans in boxing, right?

That's pretty abnormal.

Yeah.

Yeah.

I mean, he's putting on for the community.

You know what I mean?

Yeah.

I like the face of it.

Yeah.

I mean, I'm trying to.

I mean, there's another fighter named Brandon Lee.

He's a buddy of mine.

And he's good.

And he's up there.

But I mean,

yeah, it's to be, to represent such a culture that's really like, it's not saturated at all.

You know, it's like you get a lot of

like black people, like Hispanics,

you know, American, you know, Russians, a lot of that stuff.

But like, be Korean is pretty cool.

Yeah.

You know, yeah.

So are they big fans over there in Korea?

I definitely get some DMs.

Okay.

But I'm really, I mean, I'm trying to.

expand more out there.

I mean, I am like, it's kind of a weird thing being half Korean.

Yeah.

Because Cause it's like

white people are like just Americans, or like, I don't know, Caucasian people, like, to be politically correct.

Like, they, they, they think you're Asian, but then like you hang around like Korean people and stuff like that, and they think you're white.

You know what I mean?

So you really, you're like, oh, she, like, where do I belong here?

You know, I can relate, bro.

Yeah, I know exactly.

That's what I mean.

Like, it's, uh, you're like, oh, she, like, well, like, can you understand Korean?

I'm like, yeah, I can understand it.

Can you speak it?

And I'm like, Hearing that, I could survive, you know, like, that's my whole childhood, bro.

Yeah,

I didn't fit in with Asians because they were all studying.

And then I fit in with the white kids for sports, but they thought I was ass because I was Asian, but I was actually decent.

I was athletic.

It's a weird thing, man.

Like being that, being

in my own life, like going in a boxing tournament and somebody, oh, you're going to fight the Asian kid.

Immediately, you look, you look at those like easy meat.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

You know, and but then you would get in there and I was just whooping ass.

It's like, you know what I mean?

I'm dropping these guys even as a kid.

And it's like, whoa, this kid can actually fight.

Yeah.

But you're almost like starting with a step down for sure.

Like from a level of time.

Yeah, it's like you're an underdog just from the gate.

Yeah, seriously.

Because I mean, you know, it's like, yeah, Asians are always studying.

You know, they're not really.

No, it makes sense, though.

Because most Asians aren't athletic, if we're being honest.

So it's definitely not common.

Yeah, I mean, just from usually a size factor, a lot of Asians, I mean, like, you're a tall dude.

Like, you know, Asian guys are like smaller.

You know, maybe they play soccer or something.

You know, it's like.

I don't even think they're playing soccer, bro.

It's big over there in Crazy.

Yeah.

I mean,

they love soccer over there, but I don't really think they're that good.

Yeah, I've never seen them in the World Cup or anything.

Yeah,

I mean, then they find other routes.

You know, Samsung and K-pop.

And, you know, it's like,

you know.

So who pushed you to get into boxing or was it your own decision?

You know, my dad, he, he was like ex-special operations in the military.

And

you know, my brother.

Yeah.

Yeah.

It's a, he pushed us to just be winners, really, in like whatever we did.

And we both started off in combat sports.

He was like, the first thing you're going to know about life is that you're going to learn how to like defend yourself.

And not only that, you're going to learn how to respect yourself in the fact of you're going to learn discipline and a lot of things that just naturally come with combat sports and you're gonna learn how to take a hit, which is probably the most humbling thing in the world.

You know, you see all these kids who grew up and they never got punched in the mouth before.

Yeah, yeah, and they walk around these big egos thinking that they can do things.

But for me, it's like I've heard the quote multiple times.

It's like it took a lot of violence to become gentle.

Wow.

And so that I learned from a during a young age, like

getting hit and fighting, it's not easy.

Like, you know, it's a hard thing.

It's a humbling thing.

And that's why I walk around the street.

You know, I'm not craving violence.

I'm not out at a bar trying to pick a fight and things like that because I know what fighting really means.

Yeah.

And so that's kind of, that's kind of my upbringing, you know.

And then eventually I kind of figured I had an act for it at a young age.

And I just kind of, you know, went from there.

It's a tough love.

Yeah, definitely.

I'll say it worked, man.

I've never met your dad, but I met your brother and he kills it in business.

So you two are both like top like 1% in your industries.

Yeah, I appreciate it, man.

Yeah, he's a shark.

And like, that's, that's kind of how we're we're raised.

We just want to win whatever we do.

I believe I did anything else in the world,

I could be the best at it.

And that's strictly based off of work ethic.

Absolutely.

Yeah, that's great parenting because a lot of success is mindset.

Yeah.

So he put that in both of you guys.

Yeah, no, I appreciate that, man.

So, but yeah, anyways, I had a lot of amateur fights.

Jiu-Jitsux.

Nine years old.

Holy crap.

You could box that early.

Yeah, yeah.

You can buy.

There's little dudes running around.

The ropes are above their heads.

Dude.

You know, you're running in there, you know, cracking heads and whatnot but that's young boxing jiu-jitsu kickboxing oh you did all that wrestling yeah everything but then eventually you kind of hit a certain age you started narrowing in on one thing that was like age 14 for me and i was like i'm just gonna box and uh you know took that all the way basically to the top of the amateurs um

and um

had a little jaw injury uh took some time off and um got an opportunity to go train with the Manny Pacquiao camp out in Los Angeles and kind of proved myself out there and went pro.

That's legendary.

You met Manny?

Yeah, yeah, I've trained with him multiple times.

And

I did an entire camp.

He's actually the fight that he retired right on the end of his career.

I did that entire camp with him.

Oh, yeah.

The one with Floyd?

It was, he fought again, Jordanis Ugas.

Okay.

He was supposed to fight again at Earl Spence, but he backed out last minute

to some injury.

But it was cool.

I mean, even at his age at the time, he was probably 41.

Yeah.

You know, he was still such a tank of a tank of a person.

That's impressive.

So what's like the peak age range for boxing in your opinion she i mean like the body is just different depends how it grows and it also depends how you take care of it um

i'd say

26 27 to like maybe 31.

okay it's pretty young yeah yeah i mean it's not one of those sports where like i mean you are you are getting hit it's a very physical sport your body's deteriorating in the second so is your head

so

to keep those factors intact and to keep your career alive that's that's a hard thing to do you know it's not.

I mean, there are people who have won world championships at older ages, but that's very rare.

And the reason you know their names is because it's very rare.

Yeah, so I feel that.

Yeah.

What do you think of these UFC fighters coming over to boxing?

It's probably not smart.

Really?

It's not smart.

Yeah.

I mean, I know the whole Nganu thing, you know, with Tyson Fury.

Yeah.

It was a pretty close fight.

It shouldn't have been.

And there are athletic guys in MMA, but if you like,

I could probably sit there for about like 30 seconds and watch watch an MMA fighter shadow box.

And I would just like, I would know almost instantly how long you've been doing it.

You know, it's just, you, you just know.

Like, uh, based on the way your feet are set up, from, from the first time you throw a jab, it's like, all right, you, yeah, you really don't know what you're doing.

Yeah.

Or you do know what you're doing.

It's, it's just not the same sport.

And not saying that, like, boxers are better, but boxers are better at striking.

Yeah.

100% because you're talking about just a sprite striking sport.

In MMA, you're thinking about getting kicked in the face, getting elbowed, getting taken down.

Right.

So many different factors that go into that sport.

And so I'm like, you know, it's one of those things.

Like, I don't, like, stay in your lane for the most part.

I'd feel more comfortable with a boxer, learned how to grapple a little bit and went over to MMA.

I think it'd be hard.

Yo, for sure.

Oh, my God.

Yeah.

Yeah.

But, like,

it's still, I mean,

it's just different.

It's a different, different sport.

It's like comparing football to rugby.

Yeah, because Sean O'Malley or Ryan Garcia called out Sean O'Malley.

Yeah.

And Sean's actually one of those guys in MMA who who can use his hands very well.

I think he's probably one of the better fighters in the world using his hands in MMA.

But

compared to Ryan,

I don't know.

You're jumping into a different world there.

Yeah.

Yeah.

That'd be tough.

Any fights coming up for you?

Yeah.

So, I mean, right now we're actually finalizing it.

But

in the summer, for sure.

Like coming up here.

And how long is that training camp once you sign the paperwork?

I prefer to have them at least like eight to 10 weeks.

Eight to ten weeks.

And even when I'm not in training camp, like specifically, I'm doing physical therapy.

I'm staying in shape, not letting my body get too overweight to make it harder on myself to come back and, you know, just try to get back in shape.

It's almost a year-round job done.

Yeah, yeah, it is.

It is for sure.

I mean, like,

I feel like for any athlete, it should be a year-round job.

You know, like

the worst thing you can do as an athlete is have like a stagnant time where you're just like, it's just...

Blank space.

You know, you want to keep getting better.

You know, like any kind of forward movement is still a movement.

Yeah.

So, yeah.

And especially with the guys I'm training with now, it's like world champion level guys, you know,

sparring literally the best in the world.

Like by the time I get back and I'm going in a camp, like I want, in order to get that level, like getting, getting good at something is just hours in, hours out.

Right.

So the more hours I can put into it, it's just math.

You know, it's like

more you put in, more you're going to get out.

So if I can do that, then even in my offseason, then it'll benefit me long term.

You know?

And if you're sparring someone better than your opponent, you probably have some good confidence leading into the fight.

Yeah, and that's the whole goal, like to literally be sparring with someone.

Like, I mean, my whole last camp, I'm sparring with like guy, he's like number two in the world.

Holy crap.

You know, like these kind of guys, you know, and

I'm entering into that world-ranking conversation as well.

But fighting guys like that, it's like, okay, well, my opponent, he's not ranked that high.

Right.

So.

I'm going to learn more.

I'm going to get better.

And by the time I get to the fight, I'm more than prepared.

I'm ready to go.

So you're not even nervous at that point.

I mean,

I mean, I'm like, I'm ready for for anything i'm focused like nerve nerves come and go with things you know any fighter that says oh i'm not nervous you're you're lying to some degree you know it's like but are you are you scared no like there's it's a good thing to be a little bit nervous you'll perform better you'll be more awake you'll be more alert yeah um

it's pressure but uh if you can handle if you can perform well under pressure then that you know being nervous a good thing yeah you got to control them too because some people get gassed too early right like connor mcgregor sometimes just get gassed during fights yeah i think it comes out too hot all that stuff but even my last fight I fought 10 rounds straight and like

by the time the 10th round came I was so hot I had to skip my stab I was ready oh yeah you were still good yeah so maybe you should have went out stronger then right yeah I mean yes and no it was my first time doing 10 rounds yeah so it's like you don't really know if you're gonna be tired so it's kind of like you're kind of testing the waters there but you train so much you get so used to being tired like in your workouts and your preparation to it that even if you get tired in a fight like you're you're already you're used to it you've been there It's like you know exactly how your body's going to react and like how your mind, where your mind's going to go.

Is it going to that fight or flight?

Is it going to shut down on me?

Is my mind going to tell me I'm tired?

I should probably slow me down or I should be like, you know, fuck it.

Let's hit the gas.

You know, like, so.

How many punches are you throwing per match on average?

Per match, I don't, I don't know.

It's got to be like at least 100, right?

Oh, my God.

I'm probably throwing like 70 around.

Whole around?

Around, yeah.

Dude, that's like 500 a match then.

Yeah.

Yeah.

That's crazy.

Yeah.

I mean, you got to.

I mean, get get gassed after two punches.

Yeah, exactly, right?

That's what I'm saying.

I mean, it's funny.

I'll like,

I know somewhere out there in the world, some guy's watching my fight, and he's like, yeah, I could beat that kid's ass.

And he gets like gassed, like, walking up the flight of stairs.

Guys I hate on social media.

Yeah, it's so funny.

I'm like, all right, all right, Matt.

Do people try to test you?

Ah, shoot, man.

Not really.

Not

too much.

It is weird, though, because I'll go back to like my hometown.

This actually happened pretty recently from Kansas City.

And they're like, oh, like, Eric, like,

you're a really good boxer.

You know what I mean?

Like, you're making us all proud, hometown hero, this and that.

But he's like, but like, so-and-so, he's a better athlete than you.

And I'm like, okay, so like, I'm like, when did he stop playing sports?

You know, it's like, oh, like, okay, high school.

It's like, okay, well, so, like, since he's able, he was able to beat me and pick up basketball when I was in seventh grade.

And he was some like, like, middle school all-star.

Yeah.

I'm like, is he, is he a better athlete than like an Olympic snowboarder?

I mean, like, there's not even a, there's not even a metric to measure that.

You know, it's like, and people never grow up out of high school.

Exactly.

Or just like, and people just don't stop hating for the most part.

And you're never going to get away from that.

Um, if you're a failure at something, like, everybody's going to call you a loser.

If you're good at something, people are going to say you're not that good.

Yeah, it's inevitable.

You could solve world hunger and then someone will hate on it.

Yeah.

People will be like, oh, well, you could have done this differently.

Yeah.

You know, and then you're just like, you know, it's one of those things.

Like, I used to let it get to me when I was younger for sure.

But now I don't give a shit.

I mean, and you look at the guy that's hating, it's like some random profile.

Yeah, they followers.

They're private.

They're like five followers.

It's only 500.

Yeah, like they can't even talk to you on their main account.

Yeah, I mean, well, which I actually I did respect.

I was I was in scouts sale probably like last year one time and I had a random guy come up to me and say hey are you Eric?

I'm like, yeah.

It's like man I have to say I saw your last fight and I was really disappointed.

I thought you were way better than that.

And like I was like, first of all, like, fuck you.

But like, second of all, like, at least you said it to my face.

Respect it.

I can appreciate it that much, you know.

Yeah, was he just a boxing enthusiast, or I think it was just some random like dude off the street.

Okay, I was literally in a restaurant, just you know, just chilling out, you know, with a buddy, and then he comes up to me and says that.

And my buddy's just kind of like,

what?

Yeah, it was kind of a weird moment, but you get all that kind of stuff.

Yeah, well, it's important to have honest people around you, though.

Yeah, I think a lot of fighters' downfall is the yes men get in their camp and just, yeah, you know what I mean.

You see, a lot of fighters have downfalls with that, even in their own career, because nobody's willing to check them

on a lot of things.

And I mean, mean, I mean, to be successful or to be a failure, like it's all based around the people that you are around, you know, are people around you that you're learning from.

And I actually had a buddy, I had a buddy that had a conversation with the other day.

He's like, how do I like do something in my own life?

And I was like, look at your environment, man.

Like, where, where, are you placing yourself in an environment that's like bringing you opportunity or success or people are pushing you or they expect higher of you?

Or are you hanging around with people that are like just stagnant in their own personal lives?

And that like there's not, there's not a place where there's a network or an opportunity that can come to you.

So, yeah, it's like that's a really big environment's huge.

Yeah, that's why you moved to LA, right?

Yeah, it's like, if I, if I'm going to, if I'm going to do this, I'm going to, I'm going to have to physically put myself in a different environment, you know, where I don't know anybody, where the opportunity may come my way.

But I'm going to bet on myself and I'm going to do it.

Yeah.

And you have to do that.

You have to take the chance on yourself and just like, like, know, like, you, you can work.

I could have worked as hard as I could in Kansas City.

I, I was a guru, I was a great amateur fighter, but I would not have been able to go pro.

I would not be in this position if I stayed there.

Right.

Because you're already the best there.

Yeah.

It's like the network and a lot of the, it's like, I couldn't have done it.

I had to just pick myself like a fish out of water, go somewhere else and prove that I was, you know, and have those opportunities there for myself.

Yeah.

And the people around me that are better than me, truthfully, at that time.

It's like good amateur fighter.

You go to like, you know, I was training with like Freddie Roach and a lot of these guys.

And it's like, oh, like, I'm, you know, I'm a national champion.

And it's like, oh, I'm an Olympian gold medal.

Oh, that's a world champion right there.

And I'm like, oh, shit.

You know what I mean?

Yeah.

You're like, oh, wow.

Like, okay.

Damn.

And that applies to any industry, man.

I moved out of Jersey because it's not good for entrepreneurship.

Yeah.

You know what I mean?

Yeah.

Where did you initially go to?

I grew up in Jersey.

I moved to LA actually.

But it was during COVID.

So it's kind of like everyone was huddled in their homes.

Weird time.

Yeah.

Weird time.

I love Vegas, man, for business.

Yeah.

And I feel like Vegas is becoming that new hotspot for a lot of industries, like Hollywood, like sports events.

Yeah, boxing, UFC.

Yeah.

I mean, a lot of people are leaving Los Angeles and coming out here.

Yeah.

I think Mark Wahlberg said, like, Vegas will be the new,

Vegas will be the new Hollywood.

Yeah.

Well, that's 10 years.

That income tax, man.

You'll start seeing that with the tax returns.

Yeah, for sure.

For sure.

So is boxing similar to tennis where the top five to 10 people make 80% of the money?

Yeah, yeah.

I would say so.

I would say so.

Or like once you, once you enter in, like the, you know, there's probably, there's thou there's thousands of like five boxers around the world whatnot once you get signed to a promotion like there's i would say there's four major promotions in the world there's like premier boxing championships match room boxing which is basically all of the uk um golden boy and then top rank um so three in the us one in the uk those are the biggest ones and it doesn't matter where you are if you're russian if you're you want to come and get to one of those promotions yeah and golden boy probably has only like 35 fighters.

Oh, that's it.

Yeah.

And then it's like Matchroom maybe has 100 or

so.

I mean, really, I mean, probably only like, there's less than 500 fighters signed in the world, I would say.

To like, to be part of that 0.01% of fighters, it's like, that's when you start making in like real bread.

Right.

Because you're getting the real promotion.

Your name is really getting out there.

It's like being with the NFL.

It's like the

you're

yeah, you're you're in that point.

So that's that.

That's when real bread, I feel like, comes to you, you know?

Absolutely.

Wow, I didn't know there's only four.

Is that Eddie Hearn guy running the UK one?

Yeah, he runs Match Room.

Got it.

Which means it's a big promotion.

Yeah, I see him on Instagram a lot.

Yeah.

He does well.

Yeah, he puts on a lot of fights, like Devin Haney.

He's got with him.

Does he have the Furies under him?

The Furies?

Shoot, I think the Furies might be with top.

I think Fury might be with top rank and Tommy.

I don't even know what Tommy is.

You know what I mean?

I don't know if he's a reality star.

I don't know.

Yeah, I've been trying to figure him out.

So is he a boxer in your eyes, like a professional boxer?

I don't know.

Because he barely beat Jake.

Yeah.

I mean, it's like, I mean,

I think he got a lot of notoriety because his brother is like one of the best heavyweights of all time.

I think he should do something else.

Wow.

He's that bad.

I mean, he's not that bad.

It's just like,

can he move?

I mean, he just doesn't have the style.

And I also think, I think British boxing to an extent is not as good as American boxing.

Really?

Yeah.

I don't think it's even close.

Because Tommy's considered, or not Tommy, his brother, Tyson, right?

Tyson Fury's like one of the goats.

Yeah.

I mean,

I think so.

I think he is.

I think he's like.

He's just an an outlier over there, then.

Yeah, for sure.

I mean, there are some great British fighters, UK fighters, but I mean, I think the level of competition in general,

I think I can beat British, like British champions.

It's not as competitive over there.

Yeah, I mean, they come to the US and they get smacked.

Okay.

You know what I mean?

So it's just, it's just different.

So yeah, it's like, yeah, it's like how the NBA was 50 years ago.

Like U.S.

was just elite compared to every other country.

Yeah, I mean,

I don't know.

It's like, I feel like I would go over there and just smack

a a British champion, seriously.

Wow.

I've sparred with them.

I've like, I've worked with them.

You know, so.

I wonder what it is.

Just a different style over there or something?

Yeah, a different style, a different level of competition.

Like,

yeah.

And it's also, I feel like,

it is very popular over there.

Boxing is.

It's huge, actually.

In fact, KSI crushes it.

Yeah, seriously, yeah.

But it's just, I don't know.

I think you get like the.

In the U.S., you get a lot of the Mexican fighters that come up from Mexico.

And boxing is also like, it's like football in Texas down there.

They love boxing.

Mexico, yeah.

You get a lot of beasts that come up from there.

And then, I don't,

yeah, I think,

yeah, it's not, it's not, it's not the same.

Philip.

Yeah.

Who's been your toughest opponent so far?

Was it the recent fight?

No, probably

two fights ago.

I fought in Los Angeles against a guy from Mexico.

He was 13 and one.

The only guy who had beat him was the number one middleweight in the country.

Wow.

And

he's coming off like a 10-win knockout streak, pretty much.

And yeah, it was like a tough fight.

And

that's the thing that I think separates me from a lot of people is like,

I'm fighting tough guys.

I'm fighting guys who like want to fight, like who have been in there, who have either a lot of knockouts or dangerous opponents.

Like guys that would normally fight these people at like 17 or 18 and now.

I'm fighting them at when I'm 10 and now.

Because I mean, I realized that's the only way I'm going to grow in this sport is by fighting hard dudes.

And some people will look at those performances and be like, oh, well, like, you didn't knock him out.

I'm like, well, look at everybody else he's fought.

Like the guys that he fought at the time.

You know, I'm fighting him earlier than everybody else.

I'm taking the risk.

And yeah, I could try to fight my Uber driver.

Yeah.

But like, it's, that doesn't pan out for me in the long term.

Right.

I just get like a spectacular knockout and I go home.

You know?

Yeah, that's respect.

Because some people go up to 20 and oh, you can't even recognize anyone they fought.

Exactly.

I'm like, I'll meet a guy.

I'll be like, oh, you're like 25 and oh.

Yeah.

I'm like, why aren't you a world champion?

I'm trying to lock on a world title before like my 17th or 18th fight.

Oh, wow.

Is that uncommon at that level?

I wouldn't say it's completely uncommon.

There are people who have done it before, but

you'll earn a ton of respect in the boxing community if you've done it.

There's even like Teofimo Lopez.

He's actually playing in the Pokémon Tourism tonight.

Yeah, he did it in, what, like 17 fights or something like that.

He beat Lomachenko.

Wow.

And

he got so much respect in the boxing community because he was willing to fight.

And

that's where I'm at.

I'm more concerned about

that than I am.

I'm like, oh, these in the cloud of just getting all these spectacular knockouts.

Your risk tolerance is higher than most fighters.

You're willing to take that riskier fight.

Yeah.

Or else, like, why am I doing this?

Yeah.

If not, and I just climb to the top as fast as I can and be the best at what I'm doing, then there's no point.

Yeah.

You recognize your window, too.

Yeah, exactly.

And

I want to be a world champion by the time I'm like 26, 27 years old.

Wow.

And then I want to hold on to that for my prime than leave this world with my brain cells.

So like it's um,

yeah, and get out of there, like, you know, cash out and call it good.

Love it, man.

You know, I could see it, man.

I mean, these bags, Garcia just made 50 mil in that fight.

Yeah.

Crazy.

That was cool because he actually bet on himself.

I heard.

Yeah.

I didn't know you could do that.

I, I, honestly, I, I don't know, like, the rules and regulations behind that.

Yeah, you might have to look into that for your fights.

Yeah.

Sometimes I'll be like going into, I'll be on the way to the fight and I'll like check draft kings or something.

I'll be like, oh, like, I'm like, you know, I'm a minus, like, something.

I'm like, oh, people believe in me.

Like, that's nice.

Have you ever been an underdog?

No, not yet.

Not yet.

I've fought in guys that are like like where i i they could i could have argued that like i could have been it could have been like just a completely even match and whatnot but hey she let the people want to bet you know and i'm you know it's cool bam bro i'm gonna start uh start betting on you yeah man 13 and oh make you some money like my odds making some money there hell yeah anything else you want to close off with man she man um

i don't know i mean i just not really it's like

If you don't know me, you will.

I'm ready to go.

I'm ready to take the sport.

I think I bring something different to the the table than any other fighter.

Um, it's like

being a Korean American, uh,

like I just, I don't know, it's like,

I'm not, I'm not, I'm not, I'm not like every other fighter, and like the way that I look, the way that I talk, the way that, um, the way that I do fight.

Um, and yeah, so I'm excited.

I'm excited for this next year and a half, you know.

So, we'll link your uh your socials below, man.

Thanks for coming on.

I appreciate you, man.

Yeah, thanks for watching, guys.

See you tomorrow.