The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Boxing with Chris Mannix - Amanda Serrano - Katie Taylor fight week

Episode Date: April 30, 2022

Before a huge boxing weekend Chris sits down with Jake Paul, Shakur Stevenson, Corey Erdman, and Seniesa Estrada. Jake Paul stops by to talk about how this is a huge weekend for him, but as a promoter... and not a boxer. He also talks about who he is trying to get in the ring with next. Chris and Corey break down the Serrano-Taylor fight, what we can expect from it, and what we might see from Shakur Stevenson in his fight with Oscar Valdez. Later, Seniesa talks with Chris about her career, being a top 5 boxer in women's boxing, and what she expects from Amanda Serrano and Katie Taylor. Finally, Shakur Stevenson drops in to talk about how much he enjoys seeing Chris's scorecards. #HerdSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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Starting point is 00:02:34 Anthony Joshua is a composed and ferocious finisher Watch this Hosted by S-I's Chris Manix That was my moment Now with interviews, analysis And everything going on in the world of boxing When you have talent you are given another chance Here's Chris Manix
Starting point is 00:02:54 All right big fight weekend In New York Katie Taylor, Amanda Serrano, biggest women's fight in women's boxing history. That'll be a Matt Square Garden on Saturday. That's why you can watch on DeZone. Later that evening,
Starting point is 00:03:09 130-pound title unification fight, Chikor Stevenson, Oscar Valdez, out in Las Vegas. When I want to talk women's boxing, there's only one guy I bring in Cornelius Erdman from boxing scene.com. Also boxing broadcaster all around. And people that are just listening to this podcast,
Starting point is 00:03:28 which is all of you, I guess. Corey's got quite the outfit on today. He's got a TLC t-shirt, a Terry Norris Taylor. What was that, Meldrick Taylor? Yeah, Terry Norris Meldrick Taylor. Taylor hat. You look like you just fished through a trash can
Starting point is 00:03:44 and found, like, clothes to wear. I mean, to be fair, you called me to do this when I was literally at the gym. I mean, listen, I planned this outfit, too. To be fairer, you were wearing that outfit at the gym. Like, you were wearing it out. Well, I was wearing a good. Gold's Gym Stringer Tank at the gym.
Starting point is 00:04:00 I put a more appropriate shirt on for the hotel lobby to do this. Gold's Gym Stringer Tank. I'm glad you didn't wear that. I appreciate you. You see me in that. I have seen you in that. You take pictures of that. It's not a pretty sight.
Starting point is 00:04:13 So, Corey, let's start with where we are in New York. Taylor Serrano, mega event. We were at the press conference on Wednesday. Hundreds of media members were there from across the world. Ireland's covering it. The UK is covering it. major media outlets in the U.S. are covering it. Give me the kind of your take.
Starting point is 00:04:31 Like, how big an event to you is this? What stands out to you about the event specifically? Well, I'll put this into perspective. In, I think it was 2013 in Toronto. There was an international women's boxing conference for academics and writers. And I was a speaker at that event. And I think there were about 20 attendees.
Starting point is 00:04:49 So to go from that to now women headlining at Madison Square Garden, and the number of press members that you mentioned coming out and treating this as it should be treated, that's tremendous progress that I've witnessed just in my lifetime covering this sport. So I'm very proud of everyone that is involved in. I'm proud of every women's fighter that has come before them that has made this a possibility.
Starting point is 00:05:15 It's a dramatic turnaround because it wasn't that long ago, Chris, and you know this, where it was totally normal to be completely disparaging towards women's boxing and towards women's fighters just on Maine, online, you know, writing terrible things about women's fighters and putting them down. And to now... Bert Sugar wrote some of the...
Starting point is 00:05:34 And I love Bert. We wrote some of the worst things about women's box. Yeah, it's horrifying. And that's like, that's going back a little while, but I'm talking even like three years ago. It was totally normal and not frowned upon. And now to see people make that turn and treat this fight as they would any other fight
Starting point is 00:05:51 if it were two men headlining at Madison. Square Garden. That's tremendous progress. Well, this is like my thing. It's the first major event to headline. It will absolutely not be the last because there are some great women's boxers active right now. Clarissa Shields will be on the broadcast. Sanisa Estrada, who may be with an earshot of us as we record this will be in attendance as well. Just elite women that are going to be headlining. Like for the next couple of years, big events. Yeah. I mean, there are, I mean, and there are marquee matchups, of course, Seneas is going to be involved in many of them.
Starting point is 00:06:25 Shields and Savannah Marshall is going to be coming up a little bit later on. And this is just the beginning. And this is finally this is breaking a threshold to financially for women's fighters where these women are going to get paid seven figures, which was not in the realm of possibility
Starting point is 00:06:41 if you were a woman who wanted to box again, even three to five years ago. And now that is a possibility. You know, now we start getting more and more talent. You know, we see a lot of really good amateur fighters in the women's ranks who just don't turn pro because it's not worth it because you have to hold a second job in order to do this and now that that ceiling is starting to be broken this changes things moving for this isn't just kind of like one momentous occasion
Starting point is 00:07:06 I think this sets this tips the dominoes over for I think an influx of new women's talent in the coming years how about I've never seen Eddie Hearn flustered he was flustered by Jake Paul at the when Jake said I want to bet you a million dollars in this fight I think Eddie's face turned red Like I've never seen him shook like that. And he finally shook hands on. He's like, all right, yeah, we'll paper it up. Like, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, we'll do that. Like, he was flummoxed by all that.
Starting point is 00:07:29 All right, let's talk about the fight self. Taylor versus Serrano. Taylor's called it a 50-50 type of fight. I tend to agree. You know, who do you lean towards? Who do you give an advantage towards? I've gone back and forth on this. I mean, I think you can make two arguments.
Starting point is 00:07:42 I think you can say that Katie Taylor has had to fight through the kind of adversity that Serrano hasn't. yet in her career. And part of that is because Serrano, to her credit, has just been so dominant at every weight class. But I think it's also true that Katie has fought better opposition and bigger opposition. And she's had to come from behind in fights. She has come from behind to win those fights. She's experienced things in the ring that Amanda Serrano has not. On the flip side, you could maybe say, and Katie will admit this, that she's had some disappointing performances. And those are her words in recent fights. And that maybe Serrano is,
Starting point is 00:08:20 catching Taylor, you know, in the autumn of her career. I've gone back and forth on this. Like, there's a part of me that thinks that Serrano is more adaptable offensively and that if this fight turns out the way that I think it will, which is them fighting in a phone booth and, you know, forehead to forehead going at it in the pocket, that Serrano, I think, just has, is a little more creative offensively and might wind up giving Katie some trouble.
Starting point is 00:08:48 I'm not prepared to just say outright that Serrano's going to win, but like that needle keeps leaning in that direction for me. That's not the way Taylor needs to fight this fight. She's got to move. Yeah. You know, even Amanda, even though Amanda is not as powerful at 135, and we're recording this on the day of the way, and Amanda weighed in just under 134 pounds that she was eating all week long. Like she was not cutting weight. She was downing cheeseburgers and going out, and not going out out, but going out and eating on a regular basis. So she's going to be, Katie's going to have the physical size advantage going into this fight.
Starting point is 00:09:20 but she can't stand in the pocket of trade, right? Like, that just feels like a bad strategy for her. Yeah, but it's also, it's kind of Katie's mentality, too, right? And she wants to stand in trade. And historically, when Katie gets hit, she fires back with combinations, right? And sometimes that's been to her detriment. Yeah, I think it would be smart for her to kind of resist those urges a little bit in this fight and give Serrano some different looks.
Starting point is 00:09:43 Because, again, Serrano has basically been able to roll with Plan A in every single one of her fights. And so I think it would be good for Taylor, even if not for the entire fight, to your point, box a little bit, give her some different looks and make Serrano adapt a little bit because she hasn't really had to do that. She's been able to effectively steamroll most of her opponents over the last couple years. Yeah, I think it's a great fight. I lean towards Katie. I think she's been, to your earlier point, she's been in tougher fights. I mean, Amanda's got the seven world titles, but many of those were vacant titles that she won. Taylor will be the best opponent of her career by far.
Starting point is 00:10:21 By far. Whereas, you know, Katie's fought top 10 pound for pound women. She's done two fights with Delphine Pursune. She beat Jessica McCaskill. Like, she's fought the best around her weight class. And, like, McCaskill was a big girl, like physically strong. And Katie hung in there and, you know, battled with her. So I just think she's got a little bit more tools in the toolbox.
Starting point is 00:10:42 They'll definitely go to the judges. Yeah. But, you know, Katie's comfortable in these two-minute rounds. she's comfortable at this weight. I think she wins a close decision. My fear, as it always is in boxing, is that the judges are going to fuck this up royally. Like they are.
Starting point is 00:10:56 I think you could fear that in every fight. But this is one. Women's boxing when you have active punchers is tough enough as it is to score. I'm sure I'll screw it up on some rounds. People will disagree with me. Many of you tweet at me. It's much appreciated.
Starting point is 00:11:10 But my fear is that there's... I mean, I just go back to what we saw in Texas a couple of weeks ago, where Marlon Esparsa 100 to 90? I mean, twice. Like, 100 and, like, what are we watching? Like, they, and this, this judging crew is, it's not the A-list.
Starting point is 00:11:25 You know, Steve Weisfeld is not on this show. Glenn Feldman is not on the show or on this fight. So, I mean, that to me is a legitimate concern. I asked both camps, like, do you have any problem with the judges? Like, it's like, speak now, forever, hold your peace. And they said no. So I don't want to hear it afterwards. Like, if these judges who I don't know, I wouldn't call them the best,
Starting point is 00:11:42 if they screw it up, I mean, that could be what, everybody's talking about afterwards. Do you think the judges are more prone to fucking up women's fights because of two-minute rounds? Like, do you think that they can't, you know, because- I don't know if it's two-minute rounds. It's like the activity of the fighters, right? Right.
Starting point is 00:11:55 Like, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So it's just, it's hard. It's hard to score some of them. I don't know any other way to put it. Like, they're just hard to score some of these fights. And I, like, Amanda's a volume puncher.
Starting point is 00:12:08 Katie's a volume puncher. Like, you know, does Amanda sit down or punch a little bit more? Probably. Do they appreciate that more than Katie? these kind of flurring. I don't know, but like, I guarantee you. Like, if you listen to this podcast, I'm telling you, there'll be one abs of fucking looting outrageous scorecard.
Starting point is 00:12:25 Just one that's like 99-91 Taylor. Like, I'm telling you, it's coming. I mean, that's probably going to be the only controversy involved in this fight. I've never seen two fighters more complimentary of one another than these two. Like, they were, even in our, like, private fighter meetings, they were, they would not say a bad word about one another. Like, either personally or professionally. they just would not do it.
Starting point is 00:12:45 Do you think, I mean, Eddie wouldn't comment on a rematch clause, but this has got to, like, if this does well, it's got to be first of, like, three. Like, who, like, why wouldn't you? Why wouldn't you do a rematch? Maybe you do one in Puerto Rico, if you can. Maybe you do one in Ireland if Katie can get back in there in the aftermath of what happened with MTK,
Starting point is 00:13:02 which has effectively been the reason Katie has not been able to fight in Ireland. You can read about that story at s.com or in the magazine. Maybe you do it all over the world, but, like, there's no reason. to believe these two shouldn't fight multiple times. Like what else is out there for them? Yeah, and especially if this is the most profitable option for both of them, which is what you
Starting point is 00:13:21 want. Another point I want to make about Katie Taylor, which I think people don't often appreciate, is that it's not often that people who are kind of like vanguards and trailblazers in their space are also the most vocal advocates for everything going on. And Katie Taylor throughout her life has just always been at the forefront. a vocal advocate for women's boxing. You go back to when Aiba tried to make women wear skirts in the ring, tried to mandate that.
Starting point is 00:13:51 She said, okay, I'm not going to fight. You know, but women's boxing being in the Olympics, Katie Taylor was one of the people on the front line making sure that that would be the case. She went to Chicago and lobbied them, I think. Yeah, you know, and you hear often, like people like to say, they like to talk about how they want to inspire people. You know, we always hear athletes or just people just and generally say that. My goal is to inspire the next generation, whatever.
Starting point is 00:14:15 A lot of times you get the sense that people, they want people to say that they were the one to inspire them. They don't actually want to do that. I get the sense that Katie legitimately cares about the next generation of women's fighters and cares about women's boxing in general. I think that she's a really remarkable sporting figure that maybe hasn't been given the proper appreciation during her pro career that maybe she deserves.
Starting point is 00:14:39 Yeah. I think it's going to be cool to be ring-suffing up. for this event. I mean, 18,000 fans, whatever it winds up being, Irish and Puerto Rican fans. Yeah. Wild in that venue.
Starting point is 00:14:50 It's going to be really, official prediction. Give me, give me something. You have to put me on the spot? I have to, yes. Oh my God. Okay.
Starting point is 00:14:58 I'm going to say, it's going to be a draw. Wow. Okay. A draw. A draw. Yeah. Okay.
Starting point is 00:15:06 Is betting legal here? It's good. It's legal anymore, yeah. Okay. Maybe, maybe ethically, I should not bet on this. Probably not.
Starting point is 00:15:12 Not. Probably not if you're part of the broadcast crew here. Yeah, right. Yeah, maybe not. I'm going Taylor by close decision. I think she's just got, again, a few more tools than Amanda. I keep harping on the weight, even though, you know, Amanda says it's not a big deal. She feels just as strong at 135. You know, she couldn't really move Miram Gutierrez in that last fight. She won clearly, but at 126, I think Amanda Serrano is unbeatable at 135. Not so sure. She's going up against the best at 135. I also think Katie's coming into this fight as healthy as she's been before. Like, She doesn't talk about injuries and illnesses, but I know she's been battling some stuff in recent fights.
Starting point is 00:15:45 This is going to be the very best of Katie Taylor, and I think she's still got a lot left in her. Yeah, I was going to say one more point is that this is also a fight that Katie's been thinking about her whole life. Like she talked about how when she was turning pro, she was looking at Serrano as that fight that she wanted. So as much as this is a big deal for Serrano, this is also the fight that Katie's been chasing for years and years too.
Starting point is 00:16:05 So I think she's going to get up for this fight. Both of them will. Yeah, definitely. All right, let's go out to Vegas or pivot to Vegas. Shikor Stevenson, Oscar Valdez. If this wasn't Taylor Seron a weekend, we'd be there talking about that all the time. We're still talking about that. Chacour is coming up later on this podcast as well.
Starting point is 00:16:22 You know, Valdez is really good. I just think Chikor is special, like going to this, man. I think Chikor has got something. He's six years removed now from the Olympic silver medalist, two division world champion. And what I saw from him against Jemel Herring was a guy that grew into his body. Like just the way he kind of didn't just box. Haring, who theoretically was the physically bigger fighter, just took the fight to him, got physical with him in their ring, and eventually got him, got the referee to stop it. So I think it's a great fight.
Starting point is 00:16:51 I think Valdez is better than what he showed against Conce Sao because all that stuff was going on around him at that time. His own fault, but all that stuff with the positive drug test, he was brilliant against Miguel Berchelt. But I think, I think Schor is on just a different level than a lot of guys in boxing. He wins this fight. He might jump into the top 10 in my pound-for-pound list. Yeah, I think that Shakur is special, and I think that you see how other fighters talk about Shakur, you know, when people ask fighters for their pound for pound, or when they ask, which fighters do you like to watch? They almost always mention Shakur Stevenson as one of them. And when you hear that kind of appreciation from your contemporaries, that really speaks to me.
Starting point is 00:17:32 And, yeah, sometimes you just look at a fighter and you look at their attributes and how they operate in the ring. and yeah, they're special. There's something different about Shakur Stevenson. And to your point, I think he grew into his body. And I also think that he found kind of a meanness in the ring in his recent outings, too, where, yeah, he can push people around. He's not just enjoying the fact that he can outbox anyone in that division, anyone in his weight neighborhood.
Starting point is 00:17:58 He can also beat them up. And I think he's going to have to find that against Valdez, too, because Faldez is going to make him get physical with him as well. This is, I think just, obviously this is a tremendous fight, but it's a great style matchup, I think, to show the full spectrum of what Shakur Stevenson is capable of, if he's as special as we think he is. Yeah, I don't mean, Valdez can win.
Starting point is 00:18:22 He's excellent. Part of Team Canello, they work, but, man, I think Shakur is gonna want, like, and then talking to Shakur, you can listen to him a little bit later on, like, his confidence is through the roof right now. Yeah. Like, he's a guy that's just, it believes everything, going right for him at this moment. Well, and what is Valdez, like, a plus 550 underdog or something like?
Starting point is 00:18:41 I think that's deserved. Yeah, I just think, I think Shikor is just that good. But that's wild that Oscar Valdez is a plus 550 underdog, right? Maybe people are reading too much into the last fight because it wasn't good. But, yeah, he should be getting a little bit more credit, but I just, I wouldn't bet on him. I wouldn't bet money on Valdez. I think Shikor's is great. And, like, I think after this fight, if there's nothing, you know, sexy for him at
Starting point is 00:19:02 130, he can go right to 135. Right. Like, Jemel Herring told me that recently. He thinks that Shouers bound for him. 135 sooner rather than later. And you go up there, that's where a lot of money is. Big fights are there. I mean, this guy could become a superstar really quickly.
Starting point is 00:19:14 Yeah, I agree. And he's really growing into his personality, too. I think Shakur, and obviously he was a lot younger, was much quieter, was much more reserved earlier on in his career. And now he's kind of found that bombast that can appeal to people on either side.
Starting point is 00:19:30 You know, make you want to see Shakur lose or ingratiate him to the public as well. So I think everything is really coming together for Shakur at such a young age, too. I mean, this is a guy who can be one of the flag bearers for the sport for years to come. Yeah, no question. Corey, good to see you, man. Go change.
Starting point is 00:19:47 Please, don't go to the production meeting dress like that. And this has come from someone who wears white t-shirts every day of his life. Yeah. Well, I have my Whitney Houston. I'm every woman shirt. I sent you a picture. I texted you last night. Should I wear that?
Starting point is 00:19:59 How many beers deep were you at that point when you were texting? High noon, 15. Probably. Yeah. Corey, good to talk to you, man. Good to talk to you. All right, in the ring on Saturday will be two of the top three women's pound for pound fighters in the world. With me right now is a woman, I think, is top five pound for pound.
Starting point is 00:20:19 Number four on sI.com's recent pound for pound list. Why are you glaring at me, Seneas Estrada? Like that, I feel like that was... Number four, I'll take it. You'll take it. I mean, you can't really argue that point yet. Like, you're great. Amanda, Katie, top three.
Starting point is 00:20:33 If I put you, if I put you above Clarissa, I'd have to, like, hide. Like, she hunt me down. For your safety, I'll take number four. For my safety. I appreciate that. You were here in New York for Taylor Serrano. You're one of the best women's boxers out there. You are a draw in Southern California.
Starting point is 00:20:49 You are a two-division world champion. Being here, being part of this event, like, what are your feelings kind of going into this fight? Oh, it's great. I'm very happy and excited not only for Amanda and Katie, but for women's boxing in general. Like, I started boxing when I was eight when women's boxing was unheard of. of it wasn't seen anywhere. Like we had the era of like Lucia Riker, Christy Martin, Layla Ali. But I was too young at the time to watch them growing up.
Starting point is 00:21:17 So my dad would tell me about them. We would watch their fights. So we kind of introduced me to them. But when I started boxing at 8 and coming up in the amateurs, there was no females in the professionals to watch or to look up to. So it was like I said, unheard of and unseen. And now like women's boxing is. back like bigger and better than ever.
Starting point is 00:21:38 I know obviously some of your, most of your story, but like, how tough was it kind of, you know, chasing that dream, being eight years old and women's boxing not being a big thing, not knowing, like with men's boxing, at least you can kind of see the path, right? Like you can see, I want to go to the Olympics. I want to get a top promoter behind me.
Starting point is 00:21:55 Like when you're eight, you're nine or nine years old, 10 years, 11 years, and it's still not there. Like, how tough is it to kind of stay locked in on that? Yeah, women's boxing is, well, boxing in general is unpredictable, even for a man, like you said, like you have some kind of clarity of where you're going to be in the future. With women's boxing, you don't know anything. It's just super unpredictable. So when I first started boxing, I just knew I loved it.
Starting point is 00:22:20 It was, I was like, this is what I'm going to do. This is going to be what I'm going to do for the rest of my adulthood. But I didn't realize how difficult it was going to be at all. I was just a kid with a dream and this passion. And I don't think I realized it until I, was about to turn pro. When I turned pro is when I realized like, holy shit, like this is very difficult. Like what, like, I don't know if this is ever even going to be possible.
Starting point is 00:22:45 If women's boxing was going to break through the way it is now. But at the same time, I still always had that belief and that faith that it was going to happen. Like, I knew it. I just didn't know when, but I knew it was going to happen. And it just started happening within the past two, three years. Yeah. So it's all about timing, just saying patient. And I remember Dean when I first turned pro, he didn't tell me this for a long time.
Starting point is 00:23:11 Dean Campo was your trainer. Yes, my trainer, Dean Campos. He said, he finally told me one day. He's like, you know what? When I made my first $100,000 in a fight, he said, I'm going to tell you something that I never wanted to tell you because I didn't want to discourage you. But I thought to myself, if this girl makes $100,000 in her entire career, like, I'll be happy. And so when I made my first $100,000 in just one fight, he was like, wow, okay, like maybe, you know, she was right.
Starting point is 00:23:44 She wasn't that crazy after all because I would tell him, you know, like, no, I'm going to bake. And you went, and obviously I know this, and people that have watched you on DeZone on the broadcast know a little bit about this. But you went to Dean because of our good friend, Sergio, right? Like you grew up, you talk about boxing role models. You love the style of Sergio, like. Yeah, I love the style of Sergio. Um, Sergio, um, you're the one. Yeah.
Starting point is 00:24:05 I'm the one person in this world. I love Sergio style. Um, and then when I got to know him, I didn't like him as a person. Just kidding, Sergio, I love you. He listens. Every show. Yeah. And, uh, Dean did not want to train me because he was pretty much done training people after Sergio because Sergio was just, his career was just so stressful and he's just such a, it was a lot,
Starting point is 00:24:29 you know, so he didn't really want to be involved in boxing and especially to train a female. he was like, hell no, I'm not going to waste my time doing this. And I had known Dean since I was nine years old, but never trained with him, just trained alongside them in the same gym. And I totally changed Dean's mind about it. My dad gave him these videotapes one night and was like, here, like, you know, throw them on if you want to watch them so you can kind of, you know, get a feel for how she fights because Dean was just going to help me out a couple days a week and give me some tips.
Starting point is 00:25:00 And Dean puts the tapes on and he just like, in all. all of the things I was doing as a kid, like my defense, my movement, like all my natural ability and talent. And he was like, wow, like I never really paid attention to her like I am right now. So trained me for first week. And he was like, okay, I'm going to give her some stuff that she's not going to be able to do. Like these moves that he was teaching Sergio, that Sergio would, it would take months for
Starting point is 00:25:28 Sergio to learn. And I sparred two days later and I did all the moves that he told me to do. And like, my dad has, my dad records every sparring session. So on the video camera, you could hear Dean saying, holy shit, she did it. She fucking did it. She did this move. So they were freaking out about it.
Starting point is 00:25:46 And then Dean's like, yeah, these moves took Sergio, like months to do. But, like, she's just so naturally talented and, like, gifted that there's no way he wanted that to go to waste. He knew that he could make me even better. Your father's a big part of your story. You have brothers. What made your father say, I'm going to put my. daughter into boxing.
Starting point is 00:26:04 I'm going to, well, this is the path I want to help my daughter with. Well, he didn't want to put me in boxing. I have older brothers. So when I was a little girl, my only option was to watch wrestling and boxing. I had no other choice. So when I was five, six, seven years old, did you consider becoming a professional wrestler? I did not.
Starting point is 00:26:23 But I did get, I did DDT, but my brother have a scar on my lip until this day. So wrestling was, was huge. Bruttle DDT. Wrestling and boxing. My dad's favorite fighters are Beryl Duran. So when I was six, seven years old, he would throw on old Rupertile Duran fights. We would watch them.
Starting point is 00:26:41 And he would order to the current pay-per-view fights, whatever it was. And I immediately fell in love with boxing the first moment I saw it. So I asked him if I can box. Well, first I asked him,
Starting point is 00:26:56 Dad, do girls box? He said, yeah, they do, but there's just not that many. And I said, well, I want to box. So I begged him for maybe, like, three to four months to take me to a gym every single day. And he wouldn't do it. He would try to avoid it. So finally he did one day, walk into a gym. And my very first week or two, my dad set me up to spar with a boy because he wanted
Starting point is 00:27:18 me to get beat up so I can cry and not want to go back to the gym. But I had a beating up the boy making him cry. And then my dad, that's my dad's whole outlook on everything changed. And he was all in. And he was all in. He still is all in. He's all in. He was so in that like,
Starting point is 00:27:32 all the times I wanted to quit, he was like, nope, you're not quitting. I've never seen your dad without a t-shirt with your face on it. Yeah. Never, ever, ever, ever. All the times, whether he's at your fights or somebody else's fight, he is wearing a t-shirt with your face on, no doubt. What do you think of where women's boxing is at? Christy Martin was on a couple of weeks ago, actually this week. And she was kind of down on like the state of it.
Starting point is 00:27:53 She's like, this event's cool, but I wish I think it should, I wish women's boxing was bigger than what it is right now, the totality. She thought it would have come even further than where it is right now. Where do you, like, you think women's boxing's in a good place? Do you think it's trending in the right direction? It's heading in the right direction, for sure. And a fight like this is going to just open up the doors even more and break down the barriers even more. Thanks to promoters like Jake Paul and Eddie.
Starting point is 00:28:19 Like it takes, like Eddie was saying at the press conference yesterday, is all we need to do is give the women this platform and this attention and marketing. for a fight and people are going to watch. Like that's what I try to tell like, that's what I try to get through like Golden Boys head. Like give me the opportunity to like be the main event, to headline and and,
Starting point is 00:28:40 give me the right type of promotion and marketing for it and see what's going to happen. And like Eddie was saying about Katie, like I would tell people you just have to watch this girl. Just give it just watch her because, you know, you hear people trainers or just, you know, people, managers, whatever, talk about like a female fighter like, oh, this girl is great.
Starting point is 00:28:59 You got to watch her. You got to watch or you watch her. You're like, eh, you know. But there's certain top-level fighters like us that you just have to watch. And there's no way you can deny the talent. Whether you're male, female, you can't deny our talent. Yeah, it's right there. I mean, Eddie's always, he said something to me recently about it's not about paying, when we talk about money.
Starting point is 00:29:18 It's like it's not about paying women equally. It's about paying everybody their fair value. Like what value they bring to the show. And he's like, women bring the same value or more than most of the men out there. He mentioned like when Katie's, like, when Katie, first fought in the U.S. or one of her first fights in the U.S. in Boston.
Starting point is 00:29:33 It was at the Boston Garden. And Katie brought him in the locker and after and said, you see all those fans out there? Like, they're mine. Yeah. And Tevin Farmer is making like two times more than me. Yeah, that's happened to me.
Starting point is 00:29:45 Like, fighting at shows in L.A. Where I sold all the tickets and the fan base, like everybody was there for me. But yet I was being paid less than the men who were on the card who only had like five fans there. You know?
Starting point is 00:29:59 So I totally get where Katie's coming from with that. And I'm happy she's making her highest payday. Seven figures. Seven figures of both of them. And like the reason we say it's going the right direction. Like there's just, and Corey and I were talking about this earlier. Like there's just so many big fights for women out there. Like I can't wait for Clarissa Shield, Savannah Marshall over in the UK.
Starting point is 00:30:19 Like that's like, I want to fly over there and watch that fight. You and Marlon Espars are going back and forth all the time. You are, you know, you're. And even not let's see. Marlin, but like other champions in the light flyweight, flyweight division, minimum weight, there's a lot of talent in those weight classes, but no one's seen them because there hasn't been anybody like me to give them that platform. But people will see the talent that weight class. But you would Marlin to rematch headlines staples. Like that's like I always say this all
Starting point is 00:30:50 time. Like you are Marlin's biggest fan right now. Like you know, win Marlin, win those those extra 112 belts and I'll come back up and wait and we'll do it again this time headlining in a sold-out show in Southern California, which would be an unbelievable scene. This fight specifically, Taylor Serrano, what are the variables for you? Like, what are the unknowns? What are you going to be looking for early in this fight?
Starting point is 00:31:13 I'm a fan of both. And, like, I'm really, I'm just going back and forth with the, I don't know who's going to win. It's 50-50. Like you said, like everybody thinks, I think it's just whoever comes in with the right game plan from the start of the, the end of the fight is going to win. I think Katie, her best option is to use her amateur
Starting point is 00:31:35 experience and her movement to box and move around Serrano. And if she stays inside with Serrano, that's where it's going to benefit Serrano. I think Serrano has the shorter, sharper punches that will get there faster than Katie's in the inside. So that won't be a good spot for her to stay in the whole fight. So I think she has to box and move. Do you think that the fact that Katie's fought at a higher higher level opposition matters in this fight. Like you look at Serrano's resume, it's Heather Hardy's a name. She's definitely bought some good fighters, but, you know, not, if you make a list of the 10 best opponents between the both of them,
Starting point is 00:32:10 I would say Katie's probably eight of them. Oh, for sure. Yeah. Yeah. Is that a variable for you? Yeah. Katie's definitely the best competition. She's going to, she's, she's faced for sure.
Starting point is 00:32:19 And Katie's going to be able to adjust to certain things. I'm sure Amanda will be able to adjust as well. They, they know each other's styles very well. Like I said, whoever can stick to the right game plan from the beginning to the end. Do you think the weight matters? Though, like, this is not Amanda's natural weight class. Yeah. I think Amanda won't be able to hurt Katie, but I also think Katie won't hurt Amanda.
Starting point is 00:32:39 So, which makes it even better fight because we know it's going to be 12, 10 rounds, sorry, of just all out action. And Amanda's an advocate of three minute rounds, as are you. Yes. Why are you such a fan of three minute rounds? Because with two minutes, we just don't have time to do anything. Sergio, I don't have time to jab with two minutes. It's like what am I like that's the thing that surgery doesn't understand like about women's boxing is we have two minutes. I'm not going to go out there and jab and bore the crowd away with a jab like we have to go in there and score points we have to go on there and try to hurt hurt our opponent. There's no time for any of that. So I think with three minutes like I wanted to fight three minutes my pro debut like and every fight after that like I still try to I still advocate for it every single fight. So the way it works is the opponent has to agree the. The. Commission, the state athletic commission has to agree, and the organization of the title that
Starting point is 00:33:32 you're fighting for has to agree. Fall three agree, you can do it. The only organization that does not allow it at all is the WBC, because of some kind of scientific study they did on a woman's brain, like 50 years ago. I'm sure it was very scientific. The WBC committed a lot of resources to that. But I think Katie not wanting to do three-minute rounds is very smart on her behalf. Because with her style.
Starting point is 00:33:58 like she needs to just score points score and move. Serrano is a little bit slower and seems to like to set things up. So with the three minutes it would benefit Serrano. She also said to me interesting this week, she's like, my purse was already set. Like why would I add a minute per hour? If you want to pay me more. Okay. So about that, I don't agree with that.
Starting point is 00:34:21 Like I want to do three minute rounds no matter how much I'm getting paid. Like I said, when I made my pro debut for $1,000, I wanted to do three minute rounds. It's because I'm just, I'm a fighter. Like, I just, I want to fight three, I'll fight five minute rounds if I could. But yeah, three minute rounds, I just feel like if we want to be equal with men, like, why not let us fight three minute rounds. You're a spars if I was three minute rounds, right? Yeah, that was great. Like, yeah, nobody's complaining afterwards for about that. We're able to use jabs and set things up and see that. Sergio, use the jab. Three minute rounds. I will use the jab a lot more if I, yeah, I will use the jab a lot more if I do.
Starting point is 00:34:58 fight three minute rounds for sure. All right. Official prediction. I just told you. You said 50-50. That's not a prediction. You're going to call a draw. You're calling a draw too.
Starting point is 00:35:07 No, not a draw, but... That's not a prediction then. But it is possible for a draw with like the shitty judges that you were saying. Correct, yes. Because of that. Yes. You're still not giving a prediction.
Starting point is 00:35:17 You're waffling. You're waffling. Like I said, if Katie can box and move and have that game plan from the beginning, getting to the end of the fight, she will win. If she stays in there with Amanda and tries to bang with her, Amanda will win. Okay.
Starting point is 00:35:34 So what's going to happen? Somebody will win on a close decision. You're the worst picker ever. I don't know. It's really like, I'm not saying this because I don't want to like put the other down. Like I'm really a fan of both and I think it can go either way. Yeah. I think that's the best part of all this.
Starting point is 00:35:54 Like no idea what happens. Too many fights in boxing. You know exactly what's going to happen. Yeah, exactly. That's because the skill level is both, you know, at that the same level. Absolutely. Well, I appreciate you joining me, Sanisa. We'll hopefully see you back soon.
Starting point is 00:36:08 I hope so. I hope so. Anytime. Next couple months, July? I hope so. Get back in the ring. When we come back, Jake Paul. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged.
Starting point is 00:36:22 It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard radio app,
Starting point is 00:36:43 Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what you're saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football or my career in sports media.
Starting point is 00:37:00 Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes
Starting point is 00:37:18 of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream,
Starting point is 00:37:37 this is right where you need to be. Listen to The Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs? Or when Kanye had...
Starting point is 00:37:55 They said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do a little kill? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s.
Starting point is 00:38:16 To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack on day, but just so you all know. I mean, at this point, this is the second episode where we've discussed, correct. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you finishing that sentence. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really?
Starting point is 00:38:39 Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Fight fans, take your best shot with a $150. bonus in site credit guaranteed from Banduel Sportsbook. It doesn't matter if your fighter gets knocked out or tapped out. New customers get an instant $150 bonus in sight credit on your first bet of $5 or more from March 13th to April 4th.
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Starting point is 00:39:43 All right, Jake Paul has a lot of experience by now promoting his own fights. This weekend, he will be promoting someone else for the first time when Amanda Serrano steps into the ring against Katie Taylor. in what is being billed as the biggest fight in women's boxing history. That fight can be seen live at Madison Square Garden, where garden executives were telling me today, they expect it to be sold out. And you could watch it only on DeZone.
Starting point is 00:40:11 Jake, let's start there. Like, how's it feel just being a promoter this week? It's cool. It's way more chill. I just get to kick back, have some fun. There's way less pressure. So it's cool. But I love to support Amanda and still be.
Starting point is 00:40:26 around the fight environment. You know, my nerves still get going, and I'm just excited. What do you make of this fight being kind of what it is, just the size of the crowd that's going to be there on Saturday, the interest? I mean, it's going up against a really good men's fight in Shakur Stevenson and Oscar Valdez out in Las Vegas, but it's Taylor and Serrano on the Today Show. Taylor and Serrano at the Empire State Building, it's going to be lit up on Saturday night in the colors of Ireland and Puerto Rico.
Starting point is 00:40:55 What do you make of kind of the magnitude of this event? I mean, the buzz is insane. And, you know, I credit that to Amanda Serrano and Katie Taylor being, you know, the two pound for pound best going at it. And the women are so excited to see this fight. My female fans are like raving about it. My mom is excited. My girlfriend's excited. They're more excited than any of the other men's fight.
Starting point is 00:41:20 So I think for women in general, this is just such a big moment. and I challenge every young lady or a female in general to tune in on Saturday and to be a part of this historic moment. And, you know, it's just so cool Madison Square Garden and the buzz is growing, like you said. But it's just getting started. We still got three days left to promote this fight, baby. No, I think that's true what you said about the number of women interested. I mean, I live in Boston full time.
Starting point is 00:41:49 And they saw a lot of the women that I go to the gym with have come up to me and said, we're taking the Amtrak to New York to go see this fight. Women that have never been to a boxing match before. It's bringing in an audience that probably wasn't there. Which is incredible, you know, and it's so awesome to hear that and to be a part of that. And that's why this is bigger than just boxing. And for that reason, I think people want to tune in to be a part of this legendary moment because you're going to hear about this fight in the history books for a long time.
Starting point is 00:42:21 So one of the reasons, Jake, that it is such a big fight is, in part, due to the visibility you gave to Amanda over the last year, putting her on your undercards, making her the co-main event. You really could have worked with anybody to be the co-man. You could have elevated anybody. What was it about Amanda Serrano that made you kind of want to help build her like this? look I mean when I first met her she was a seven division world champion and she was telling me these stories about how she was only getting paid you know a thousand dollars five thousand ten thousand dollars here and there for fights and to me it didn't make any sense because I was like the only person to win in more weight divisions than you is manny pack you out
Starting point is 00:43:10 and he gets paid like 30 40 million dollars to fight so you deserve a bigger platform you deserve a spotlight and you know she was always supportive of me we hit it off as friends uh since day one and when i created most valuable promotions you know Amanda was also like around at that time and it just made so much sense for Nikisa and i to sign her and helps to start manage her career um and you know the rest is really history yeah i mean you talk a lot and you're visible a lot with UFC stuff and and how you want to see UFC fighters get paid more. But when Amanda did tell you kind of what she was making, you know, winning these world titles, I mean, kind of what was your reaction?
Starting point is 00:43:54 I was just confused, like, you know, and I just felt bad in a sense. Like, because when she was talking about it, she was like emotional about it and how she was, she was just like sad and she knew that she was getting taken advantage of, but this is also her passion and what she loved doing. So for her, it wasn't really about the money, but she knew she deserved more. And so for me, I felt bad. And I was like, you know, there's a lot we could do here to help
Starting point is 00:44:30 and change this around. I gave her the biggest payday so far of her career in that first time I put her on the undercard. So, and even that for her was life-changing. So you're working in this fight in conjunction with Eddie Hearn. Eddie's been a promoter for a long time. You've known Eddie for a while now. What have you learned about the art of promoting from Eddie Hearn?
Starting point is 00:44:57 You know, use fancy words wear it turtleneck and come up with awesome sentences that make this fight sound really cool and legendary. So yeah, it's all, it's really like a, it's like an art. He's almost a poet in a sense. How? So this is a 50-50 kind of fight. Katie has said it. Amanda has said it. How confident are you that Amanda's going to win?
Starting point is 00:45:26 I think I'm very common. I think just like stylistically, she has the advantage. She's more in her prime. Katie is a little bit older. So we'll see how they handle the moment. But Amanda's been on some big fights with my undercard in front of these.
Starting point is 00:45:44 massive crowds recently. So I think she'll have less nerves and come forward pressure and her working into the body, I think is going to be the difference in this fight. What's the one thing you're worried about going into this fight? I'm worried that she gets caught up in Katie's game plan, which would be like sticking and moving. I think Amanda's defense also has to be really sharp where, you know, sometimes Amanda gets caught up and she just keeps on going. She doesn't care about the punches coming back. The difference is Katie's, you know, a laser. And she's very accurate and strong as well.
Starting point is 00:46:27 So Amanda's defense has to be on point and she can't just fall into Katie's traps. Do you look at this fight, Jake, as being maybe the first of a few fights between these two women? I mean, great rivalries are often more than just one fight. It's funny you say that I was going to sleep last night, and I had this vision that we would be doing this fight week like two or three more times. So I don't know what that means, but my premonitions usually come true. So we might be, we might see a trilogy fight here going on. I don't know.
Starting point is 00:47:06 Or we could be totally wrong. I don't know. I mean, there's almost no way this can't be close. Right? So if it's close, and it probably can't be bad either. Like, so if it's close and it's good, I would imagine the appetite's still pretty strong to see it again. No, you're spot on. And I think that's where the premonition came from. And I don't know, like, I could totally see that.
Starting point is 00:47:30 This turning into like Arturo Gotti, Mickey Ward situation. Do you tell her anything about, I mean, Amanda's fought on your undercards, but she's never been a headliner on an event this big. Katie kind of has. Katie's been, you know, in a bigger moments, I would say, publicly. Do you talk to her at all about kind of how to handle that, given that you've started to handle it a lot in your life? No, I think Amanda has got it.
Starting point is 00:47:58 I don't think she really cares and has so much experience and doesn't really, you know, let the crowd get to her in that sense. And I don't want to be like overbearing or like try to step on her toes or anything. So I think she's got it, to be honest. But she's a professional. So we'll see. Are you going to be more anxious going into your going to this fight or going into your own fights? Definitely this fight.
Starting point is 00:48:27 You know, I really don't even get that anxious for my own fights. So I'll be way more anxious. I'm already starting to get anxious. At the beginning of the week, I was like, Like, I was like, nah, like, you know, I don't know, I'm not even that nervous. And now that as the days are going on, I'm getting more and more excited, but also more and more nervous. I think I'm going to probably lose my voice screaming for Amanda. Before I let you go, people kind of wondering when you're going to be back in the ring.
Starting point is 00:48:58 Have you given much thought to your next move? Yeah, I'll be back in August. You know, we're locking down the date, the opponent, and the venue. But a lot of names on the list and excited to come in hot off of the knockout of the year and put on another electric performance. Is Tommy Fury on that list? Yeah, he's definitely on the list. So is Mike Tyson and Anderson Silva and Bisbing and Sonny Williams and Floyd Mayweather and Oscar Dayboy.
Starting point is 00:49:33 You know, the list goes on, man. The list goes on. You seem to go back and forth on Tommy, though. Some days you say absolutely not. Some days you keep the door open. Yeah, you know, I'm a moody person. You know, I'm a moody person. So we'll see what ends up happening.
Starting point is 00:49:52 All right. Jake, good luck on Saturday, man. It's going to be a wild event and looking forward to being there on fight night. Thanks for joining me. Awesome, man. Thank you. When we come back, 130-pound champion, Shakur Stevenson. All right, it's a massive boxing weekend on the East Coast.
Starting point is 00:50:08 you've got Katie Taylor against Amanda Serrano on the West Coast in Las Vegas. You have one of the biggest men's fights of the year. Shakur Stevenson, Oscar Valdez, 130 pound unification fight. Schorkew Stevenson, 2016 Olympic silver medalist, two division world champion, trying to become unified at a very young age of this point. And as we always point out with Shakur, he's a massive, massive fan of how I score fights. Like he DMs me all the time. telling me how good I am and how much he wishes I could score more of his fights.
Starting point is 00:50:42 Am I getting that right, Chagor? No, that is definitely not the truth. I think you might be, you might have the worst scorecard since Harold Lederner. You said that last time. I know you brought Lederman into this last time, all right? I think one of y'all, y'all are definitely like top one and two all-time history, worst score cards ever. But he's an all-time great, man.
Starting point is 00:51:03 Like he's a legend in the boxing industry. Right, back in the day he was good, but like, The later part of his career, he wasn't good. But, Shakur, I'm in my early 40s right now. I should be, like, in my prime when it comes to scoring fights. That's what I thought. But every time I sit and wiping him the zone, I mean, fights, you don't do good, man. You're blowing it, blowing it.
Starting point is 00:51:24 You got a massive one this weekend against Oscar Valdez. You know, you call for this fight for a long time. And you have consistently been the guy that says, I want big fights every single time. out. Like, why do you, why is that? Why do you feel like you always, why do you always want the top guys in your division, whether it's 126 or 130? I mean, I'm just one of them people, like, I want to test my skills versus the best. I feel like, I got to get in there with the best of the best and prove that I'm the best. That's the only way to be the best is by fighting fighters and proving that you're better than numb. So, um, that's how I look at. I look at it like from a
Starting point is 00:52:04 competitive standpoint because I'm that type of fighter. Like, I want to fight the best. That's the only way I'm going to be recognized as one of the greats or legend in the sport is by fighting the best of the best. And I don't care who it is as long as they sign that dotted line, I'm ready to fight. Yeah, and you sound a lot like Errol Spence did here a couple of weeks ago. We said almost the exact same thing. Like, why would I want lesser fights? Why wouldn't I want to test myself against the very best out there?
Starting point is 00:52:31 Is that kind of the same attitude? Yeah, most definitely. You got to test yourself with the best. Just to prove you the best, like I said, I feel like that's the only way I'm, I even got the chance to fight for the Ring Magazine belt this fight. That's a huge thing and it's showing the respect level of the fight that I'm fighting. So this is a fight, this fight at the fight in Jamel Herron, who was a champion and was defending his title and coming out of one of the biggest wins of his career. and car for anything. They're going back and fighting this dude
Starting point is 00:53:06 off of one of the biggest wins of his career in Bertelt. I think I deserve every bit of respect for this. You mentioned beating Jamel Herring. You know, a fight like that, we've seen you fight with great skill. We have not seen you fight with that
Starting point is 00:53:22 kind of power at this point. What did we see new in Shakur-Stevenson? I mean, it just, you know, style makes fights and stylistically basically, I couldn't sit back and really like, well, I probably could have, but if I had sat back in box with him, he had had more of a chance because of the fact that he got the longer arms and he's the taller fighter, the bigger fighter, and he would have been probably able to keep me at a little range.
Starting point is 00:53:51 And that's his style. Like, he knows how to, like, keep people on the outside, use his awkwardness. And I told myself before the fact that I wasn't going to let him even be awkward in the fight. I was going to go in there and step to him and mentally drain him early on to know that I am who I say. I am who I say I am. I want these fighters to know from round one, two, three, and four that Shakur is everything he say he is. Like, he's that good.
Starting point is 00:54:19 So that was my goal in that fight. And it's a goal in this fight too to let Oscar Rout there's no, like, this is not just for sure. Did we see you in some way, Shakur, kind of grow into some manström? strength in that fight. You're still, as I said, at the top, a young guy. Did we see kind of a more physical side of you because of kind of your physical maturity? Maybe, maybe, but at any day, I feel like I was being growing into my physical strength. If you watch my fight when I brung boxing back and caught the do with a body shot and stopped them, I was bullying him at times too, like I would put my body on to me, physically being him up. When I fought Toka Khan, you could tell I was,
Starting point is 00:55:01 was the bigger, stronger fighter, and I took advantage of that. So I think it's been coming. It's just, you know, it was broadcasted a lot more because of the circumstances of the fight, and it was a lot bigger stage than normally. What are you expecting from Valdez? Does he remind you of anyone you've fought in the past? Maybe a Joette. Maybe a Joette, but the difference with dumb is Joette is not as strong,
Starting point is 00:55:29 and he comes with straight pressure. Valdez pressure is more so winging haymakers than hooks. So maybe like a Joette kind of stout because he's going to try to push the pace. And I expect him to be on Valdez. I mean, he's going to come in there and do whatever it takes to win. He's a champion. He's a champion. He never lost.
Starting point is 00:55:51 He always finds a way to win. But this time, he's going to know it's a difference. You got to come in there and try to crack a cold that is a real hard cold. the crack. Are you expecting the Valdez that fought against Miguel Bachelz or the guy we saw in his last fight against Kinseya? I'm looking for the Valdez who fought Bichelt. You got to understand after having bad performances like that. Fighters always want to get in and try to prove themselves and make up for their last performance, which I did when I fought Nakatia and then fought Jamel. So fighters had that on their mind. So I'm expecting the best version of Valdez.
Starting point is 00:56:29 show up at the end of the day. I don't think the best version of Valdez could be difficult Stevenson that he's fighting. There was the issue with Valdez with the positive test before his last fight. How comfortable are you going into this fight that you're facing a clean guy? I can't worry about that. Like I did everything in my power business wise. I feel like this the most. I don't seen Vida in any fight that I haven't had. It was a lot of Vida blood test, piss test going on in this fight. So I can't worry about that. I got to focus on my destiny.
Starting point is 00:57:03 I know my destiny is to be one of the best fighters ever. And the way to do that is by doing what I've been doing my last few fights. So I can't really focus on what happens. That's out of my control. All I know is I'm focused on getting in the ring and doing my job. One thing that Jamel said here on this show a couple of weeks ago was that he thought this might be your last fight at 1.35. We could see you move up to 135. You're laughing as you hear that.
Starting point is 00:57:31 What do you think about that? I'm only laughing because a lot of people before I fought Jamel, they were saying like Jamel is the bigger guy. He's a lot bigger than Shakur. But when I got in the ring with him, I felt like he was small. Like I looked at him. I'm like, yo, this dude is really like, he's all bones. He's like skinny and like.
Starting point is 00:57:53 So I'm just laughing because he's been in there with me. That means he noticed, like, I'm a lot bigger than what he expected. So I definitely, I disagree. I'm comfortably making 1.30. And I'll probably be here for a minute. Is the goal then for you to get, you know, to unify even further at 1.30, you know, whenever you get that chance? The goal is to be Valdez.
Starting point is 00:58:18 If I don't be Valdez, we ain't talking about no unifications. We ain't talk about me being undisputed. We ain't talk about none of that. The goal is Saturday night going there, be Valdez. That's what's in front of me right now. We can't look past him because if you look past him, that's what he's talking about. I'm going to try to catch him making a mistake.
Starting point is 00:58:36 And I won't be that fighter that make any mistake in this fight. You're still an improving fighter, as we saw in your last fight. Do you feel like you're improved going into this fight? Will we see new wrinkles to your game in this fight? Rinkles. I thought wrinkles is like when somebody, like a fault, like a bad thing. I can be both. It can be both. It's called layers then. Layers. Layers. Layers to your game.
Starting point is 00:59:00 Yeah, you might see some new layers to my game because definitely I'm not trying to show any ring clues. I'm trying to go in there and, you know, make it as dominant as possible. That's the type of fighter I am. I'm a dominant fighter. I don't like close fights. I don't like judges going rounds to anybody else. So I'm going in there and make sure that I win every round. Yeah, no question. Well, Shakur, the beauty of this weekend is that, boxing fans can see both the Taylor-Serrana fight and your fight.
Starting point is 00:59:28 I assume you're happy about that, that there's not going to be any kind of conflict in these events. Yeah, most definitely. I love the fact that they got all eyes on the ladies, and then they're going to flip the channel and be able to come watch me right after. So I fully support them. I'll probably watch a little bit of it,
Starting point is 00:59:46 but I'm more so going to be watching fights that probably emulate the fight that I'm going to fight. No question. Well, I promise you one thing. I'll be scoring Taylor Serrano, and then I'm turning my TV on. I'm scoring every fucking round of your fight. And putting it all on Twitter every single time out. Yeah, I don't think you should do that because you're not good.
Starting point is 01:00:10 So I would say sit back and enjoy watch the fight because, you know, you're not, that's not what your best at. I think that you stick to what your best at. I think you're good at interviewing people. Right. I love it. Chikora, good luck against Valdez, man. And thanks, as always, for joining me.
Starting point is 01:00:29 Thank you, Chris. When we come back, this week's picks brought to you by Fandul. Time now for this. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all,
Starting point is 01:00:49 embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days I'd put on 10 pounds, I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care which I'll say it. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media.
Starting point is 01:01:18 Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes
Starting point is 01:01:36 of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment. And the next, we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So if you've ever supported me
Starting point is 01:01:53 or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Do you remember when Diana Ross double-tap Little Kim's boobs at the VMAs?
Starting point is 01:02:11 Or when Kanye said that George Bush didn't like black people. I know what you're thinking. What the hell does George Bush got to do with Little Kim? Well, you can find out on the Look Back at it podcast. I'm Sam J. And I'm Alex English. Each episode, we pick it here, unpack what went down, and try to make sense of how we survived it. Including a recent episode with Mark Lamont Hill, waxing all about crack in the 80s.
Starting point is 01:02:34 To be clear, 84 is big to me, not just because of crack. I'm down to talk about crack all day, but just so y'all know. I mean, at this point, Mark, this is the second episode where we've discussed crack. So I'm starting to see that there's a through line. We also have AIDS on the table right now. Thank you finishing that sentence. I don't think there's a more important year for black people. Really?
Starting point is 01:02:57 Yeah. For me, it's one of the most important years for black people in American history. Listen to look back at it on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This week's picks brought to you by our friends over at Fandual, the big fight this weekend. Katie Taylor, Amanda Serrano, 135-pound undisputed championship on the line. two of the best pound-for-pound fighters in all of boxing. And this is as close, odds-wise, as a big fight can be. Katie Taylor is plus 104, Amanda Serrano minus 130.
Starting point is 01:03:29 So Serrano, a slight favorite going into this fight. I think that's wrong. I think Katie Taylor is going to prove to be the better fighter. I don't think she's going to dominate, but I think Katie is the better boxer in this fight, and I think she's going to outbox Amanda Serrano over 10 rounds. So take Katie Taylor, to win this fight. Now, method of victory, Taylor by points or decision is plus 155. Not the greatest
Starting point is 01:03:53 of odds, but I think that's the only way she wins. She hasn't had a stoppage win in some time. Now, not a big puncher anyway. So don't take the Katie Taylor by K.O. That's not going to happen in this fight. Take Taylor by points plus 155. Taylor wins a decision, retains our titles, and maybe it's the first of two, maybe three fights, maybe more against Katie Taylor and Amanda Surround. That's this week's picks brought to you by Fandul. That's it for this week's episode. My thanks to Corey Erdman, Senisa Estrada, Jake Paul, and Shakor Stevenson for joining the show. As always, subscribe, rate, review this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, wherever you download podcast. Next week we'll be in Las Vegas and we will track down Sergio Mora.
Starting point is 01:04:37 Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite, unhumor me with Robert Smigel and Friends, me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, S&L's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their Between Songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games.
Starting point is 01:05:14 Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Starting point is 01:05:37 Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast. Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand new week of fun, thought-provoking Star Wars-related episodes. Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the biology of tauntons and wampas
Starting point is 01:05:56 on the ice planet hot, or the practicality and corporate business sense of the Sith rule of two. Listen to stuff to bowl your mind on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

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