FROM HERE TO ETERNITY
It’s really great and satisfying to be back in Las Vegas with Mayweather Promotions, as nothing beats training at the Mayweather Boxing Club. Putting in quality work with my trainer Nate Jones, and of course, watching Floyd Mayweather prepare for his upcoming clash with Marcos Maidana.
It’s impressive and instructive to watch Floyd workout, and always motivating at the same time. He always pushes himself hard, be it on the heavy bag, body work with Nate or pads with Roger. The man is incredible; he’s just turned 37 and still strives to be a better fighter. When Floyd eventually retires, he will be sorely missed.
I’m pleased and privileged to be a part of his team. He’s brought me into his world and treats me like family. All he asks for is for me to give him my best – all of the time. He’s shared with me the superstars in the boxing world he believes I can fight and beat.
I’ll continue to work as hard as I can, as I also believe I can improve and become a world champion one day soon.
On Friday we had a team meeting where Floyd and Leonard Ellerbe, CEO of Mayweather Promotions spoke to the fighters over dinner. Listening to these two men who have accomplished so much during the 18 years they have worked together, tell us what they expect from us and how much they believe in the team. It was inspiring and motivational.
Saturday at the MGM Grand Casino, Floyd held a press conference about his fight with Marcos Maidana. It is titled “The Moment”. It’s going to be a great fight and I’m looking forward to watching it.
Floyd announced during the press conference that my team mate, Ishe Smith, will be challenging Erislandy Lara for his WBA world championship, the night before his fight. The fight fans in Las Vegas are in for a treat. Two nights of great action.
Later that evening Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez fought Alfredo Angulo in the MGM Garden Arena. It was a very hard fight, but as Floyd said this week “Losing to me is not a loss, it’s a learning experience”. Canelo bounced back in an entertaining fight, and it looked like he had been studying some of Floyd’s defensive moves.
Sometimes I like to reflect on life in general and my career. How far I’ve come and how far I have to go. I used to ask myself “why would a boxer come to Las Vegas for training camp?” There are all of these distractions, but I’ve now realised it’s a test to see how much you really want to achieve your goals. I’ve got a huge desire and a raging fire burning inside of me. From the start of my boxing career I’ve had my doubters, and still do, but that just spurs me on now. From beating former world champion, DeMarcus Corley, and two time world title challenger, Delvin Rodriguez to dropping split decisions to world champion, Danny Garcia, and two time world title challenger, Pablo Cesar Cano. Fighting on the biggest PPV boxing event ever at the MGM Grand Casino, being in hundreds of magazines across the UK, sparring 20+ rounds with Floyd Mayweather and being promoted by Mayweather Promotions. I’m doing absolutely everything I wanted to do as a child.
They can laugh at me when I have a setback, but that’s part of life – I just dust myself off and continue to move forward.
Everybody wants to be a star but the hard work, dedication and sacrifices required to get there works to separate out those who really have the determination and perseverance to stay the course, from those who just have dreams.
I’ve fought and won in FIVE different countries as a professional boxer; America, Luxembourg, Germany, Saint Lucia and the UK.
I’ve won 34 professional fights and have been ranked world number 4.
I’ve got a great team behind me. It’s now only a matter of time – we WILL get there.
AND THE BEAT GOES ON
Making the best of our life is all we can do, and if we can find the time to help some people along the way, so much the better. A small act of kindness can make a big difference to someone challenged by their own life struggles.
I was born in an area of London that feels like it has been forgotten over the past few decades – a target for all government cuts and has seen little investment.
Some kids don’t see any sort of positive future. So they hit the neighbourhood selling contraband, committing robberies and anything else to survive.
As a teenager in London, I never saw a future past my 30th birthday and many of these youngsters are the same.
Positive role models are very hard to find in the inner city – negative role models are everywhere. But when the only relatively successful people around you are criminals, it’s no surprise that’s what you aspire to be.
Knowing this doesn’t get me down, on the contrary, it motivates me and pushes me to continue to achieve my goals inside and outside the square ring. Knowing that so many people are proud of how far I have come, makes me know I must continue to progress into the unknown. And be that positive role model to thousands of kids and adults I will never have the pleasure to meet, but help them fulfil their own greatness that lies within them.
The number one boxer in the world, Floyd Mayweather is backing my name and has given me his stamp of approval. I represent Britain in America, fighting against some of the best fighters in the world.
It was Floyd’s 37th birthday last week Monday. He proves that age is just a number, if you look after your body and dedicate yourself to your craft.
Hard work got me here and hard work will keep me here.
I had a hard but productive four weeks in New York City training. I had great sparring with former world champion Yuri Foreman, powerhouse 154lb prospect Du-shane Crooks, skilful boxing twins Dean and Scott Burrell.
Training alongside some of the world’s best fighters in world champion Peter ‘Kid Chocolate’ Quillin, former world champion Yuri Foreman and world title challenger Scehew Powell is always inspiring and motivating.
I came to New York City some nine years ago in pursuit of a far-fetched dream, and that dream is now a reality. With myself just one victory away from a career defining fight against Danny Garcia, Lamont Peterson or Amir Khan. You know I’ll get there. It’s just a matter of when.
I’m now in Las Vegas to continue the hard work at the Mayweather Boxing Club.
The story continues………..
Hang out with a bunch of ‘I can’t people’ and you won’t! Hang out with a bunch of ‘I can’ people and YOU WILL!
“Natural talent only determines the limits of your athletic potential. Its dedication & disciplining your life that makes you great.” – Billie Jean King
LONDON’S GOT MY BACK!
London’s got my back! Ashley shows off tattoo in homage to the capital – read the Daily Mail article here
CITY OF DREAMS
After seven hard, but fulfilling months in Las Vegas last year I’m now back in New York City, the place where my “American Dream” started. I’ll be back training at Gleason’s gym in Brooklyn.
Gleason’s gym has played host to some of the greatest boxing champions in history; Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson, Mike McCallum, Roy Jones, Marvin Hagler, Carlos Monzon, Pernell Whitaker, Julio Cesar Chavez, Alex Arguello and my promoter, Floyd Mayweather to name but a few.
I’ve come a very long way. On my initial visit to America back in 2005, I had a record of nine wins and two losses. I now have a respectable thirty four wins and six losses.
Wanting to come to America was all about challenging myself to see how good I really was. This was necessary as I had a compelling and irresistible dream from the age of five that I wanted to fight and train in America. I didn’t know if I would make the grade, but I also knew that I would never give up trying. After training under the tutelage of Commonwealth champion and world title challenger to the great Aaron Pryor, Lennox Blackmoore, I knew I could hang with the best. Lennox trained world champions Vivian Harris, Wayne Braithwaite and Elio Rojas at that time so I was amongst great company.
Stan Hoffman, manager to over 30 world champions had seen me sparring world title challenger, Dmitriy Salita, and told me that I have the attributes that can’t be taught, and what many world champions have. He gave me my debut in America in 2008. Six months later I would go on to beat former world champion, DeMarcus Corley, who had just lost to Devon Alexander for the WBC number one spot.
Square Ring Promotions would then offer me a fight with former undisputed welterweight world champion, Zab Judah, on the undercard of Roy Jones v Joe Calzaghe at Madison Square Garden. Zab decided to turn down the fight for reasons only he knows – I’m still interested in fighting Zab.
18 months later I dropped a split decision to future 140lb world champion, Danny Garcia. Five months later I moved up a weight division to fight IBF world number three, Delvin Rodriguez. He was due to fight Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez in September. I beat him and scuppered that fight. He would later fight the Puerto Rican great, Miguel Cotto.
Fast forward two years and Floyd Mayweather signed me to Mayweather Promotions with a lucrative three year contract.
I opened up the televised portion of his record breaking PPV fight with Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez at the MGM Grand Casino in Las Vegas last September. I dropped a split decision to two weight world title challenger, Pablo Cesar Cano. Setbacks happens, that’s life. Losing is a necessary part of sport. It’s how you bounce back that is vital. I now have a nation that is proud and behind me as I’m representing the UK in Mayweather Promotions.
Lamont Peterson and Danny Garcia are the targets and my focus. I’m working hard in the gym to earn my shot at the champions. I’ve achieved everything I’ve set out to do in boxing. Being a world champion is the final goal for me to achieve. I believe it is part of my destiny.
You can never put a limit to what you can achieve in life. You can always achieve more than anyone believes you’re capable of – it’s all down to just how much you want it.
Working with the CEO of Mayweather Promotions, Leonard Ellerbe, and the Pound 4 Pound King, Floyd Mayweather is more than a dream come true.
Without goals and dreams it is so much harder to keep being positive whilst climbing the tough and unforgiving mountains that block the roads that lead to success.
