I admire people who have fought for change: Martin Luther King Jr., Harriet Tubman, Abraham Lincoln. I’m dead serious when I say that – those are my heroes. I also like Ben Affleck.
There’s so many people who come to me here in L.A., promising me this and promising me that. What I’m learning is figuring out what’s real versus what’s just talk.
If I’m fighting the best, then I can inspire a younger generation. I walk into the gyms and see girls boxing. They say I’m their inspiration. I love that.
I’m learning along the way, and there’s going to be some little bumps and bruises, but as long as I keep rolling with the punches, I will keep moving up.
I’m learning what triggers me. What to stay away from. What I do like and what I don’t like. To me, I’ve learned so much about myself that now I’m a stronger person. But I still deal with anxiety. Anxiety doesn’t go away.
It doesn’t matter how much experience Jayson Velez has, whether he fought for a world title or not. I’m going to see how he fights, and I’ll know what to do.
At the end of the day, you can have all the talent in the world. But if you don’t put in the work, nothing works. The engine doesn’t start going. It’s a car without gas.
