Beware of the Underdog

“To place your dreams before the crowd is to risk ridicule.
To go forward in the face of overwhelming odds is to risk failure.
But risks must be taken because the greatest hazard of life is to risk nothing.” – René Carayol

2014 is coming to a close. It’s been a testing year, but a good one that has seen me beat Angino Perez and Daniel Calzada in Las Vegas, Nevada. Next up is the tough and durable Miguel Zuniga in San Antonio, Texas. To end my first full calendar year with Mayweather Promotions with a 100% win ratio will be a fantastic achievement.

Fight week is at last now upon us. Some of the best fighters in the world will be battling it out in America this weekend; Erislandy Lara v Ishe Smith is the main event in Texas. My friend Ishe has had a great camp and is in a very winnable fight to become a two time world champion. He’s already in the record books as the only Las Vegas born fighter to win a world title.

I’m within days of my 37th victory. 40 will be my target for next year, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves – it’s important to focus on one fight at a time. I’m getting close to 12 years as a professional fighter. I have five more years to continue winning and inspire the next generation in the process. 50 professional wins is a record I’ll be proud to finish with. Very few reach that incredible milestone.

I’ve always believed in myself and I’ve always been the underdog. I’ve always benefitted from proving doubters wrong. It’s normal for me to do everything the hard way. Where I’m from, only the strong survive.

I’ve fought in America, Luxembourg, Saint Lucia, Germany and England. Winning in all those countries.

This is my tenth fight in the United States of America. A childhood dream kick started my journey but that dream did not know just how tough this would really be. The route available to me has been brutally hard and many have fallen by the wayside trying to get to where I am at the moment. It has been incredibly hard and quite lonely at times. It took a long ten years before a promoter backed me.

My determination and perseverance has been worthwhile and paid off when the number one boxer in the world saw my potential, believed in me, and put me on the biggest most lucrative boxing show ever.

I’ve always had to walk the untrodden path to fulfil my destiny. I’ve always had to go against the grain.

Many love me, a few hate me, but most I hope just respect me across the world of boxing.

Being the best I can be is what I demand from myself – every day. Pushing myself into the unknown, and be what people believe is not possible or available to me. I’m not in the business of doubting myself, in fact it’s the complete opposite – I must back myself every minute in that ring and I’ve become used to backing myself in all I attempt. It’s the only way to achieve anything in this tough life we have chosen.

It certainly helps when you have a great team behind you and I’m blessed to have that.

Come this Friday I’ll be looking to end my year with a sound victory and move on to a bigger, better and more lucrative 2015.