Do you see Lampley and those guys you mentioned — Kellerman — as your colleagues?
It’s kind of weird hearing that, but they are when I’m in the broadcast booth. They’re my partners. And I learn a great deal from those guys. Lampley has a memory like an elephant. He has no notes. He runs the whole show and he makes it look easy. Kellerman is a younger guy but he’s been around and has done a lot of things in television. It’s a cumulative effect on me to help me become what I want to become as a broadcaster. But the best thing is I’m able to make a decent living and I’m not taking any punches. So that’s a bonus.
It sounds like that’s very important to you.
Very important. Because ultimately, the broadcasting is part of my exit strategy. That’s what I’m in the beginning stages of creating. Because I’ll be 30 in February. I’m coming up on ten years as a professional. I’ve got ten years as an amateur in the bank. That’s twenty years of boxing — I don’t know how much longer I have. That sounds crazy to people when I say that as a 29-year-old, but I feel like it’s my duty to think like this. A lot of guys find themselves on the wrong end of their career, with no plan B and fighting longer than they should because they thought it would never end.
Is it a difficult experience to analyze a fight? You’re a fighter –
It is.
How so?
It’s hard for me to critique guys and say certain things sometimes. That’s one thing that Lampley and the folks at HBO told me from day one, that I have to be willing to do that. That’s something that I’m actively working on. But I also feel like I have an advantage, too. Take the fighter meetings for example. When he walks into that room, I understand the look in his eyes. They’re making weight so they probably haven’t eaten much that day, probably haven’t had any fluids. They’re getting asked certain questions they maybe don’t want to answer. I understand what they’re going through so I have a compassion that you can only have if you’ve done it.
All in all, it’s awkward sometimes but it’s getting easier to do. Sometimes I can predict something based on my experience. I feel confident knowing I can do the job not just from an intellectual standpoint, but experientially as well. I know what it feels like to get cut. I know what it feels like to get hit with a good shot and get your bell rung. I know exactly what a swollen eye feels like. So it just helps me bring something to the booth that’s unique and enhances what they’re already doing.
Was there a moment when you felt the most comfortable? Like a fight where you went, ‘You know I killed this broadcast.’
I’m really hard on myself. That can be good and bad for me. But I’ve had a couple of shows where I said you know what? I think I did good. My wife is always the confirmation.
“Babe, how’d it look?” And she’ll say, “You did that baby, you did good.” So if she tells me that then I’m not tripping. But I’m getting more comfortable. Whenever I get back-to-back shows without a big lull, that’s when I feel the best. But I’d say my biggest challenge right now is my on-camera. When they say three, two, one we’re live and you’ve got the mic in your hand and you have to answer questions on the fly … you have to look at who’s addressing you but also keep in mind you’ve got to make eye contact with the viewer, that’s what I’m trying to improve upon. I normally feel comfortable calling the fight. But it’s when I’m on camera is what I have to work on.
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