Inspirations: “My mom has been a great inspiration to me because she raised 13 kids with practically nothing but determination and hard work. She has been one of my best role models. She always taught me to reach for what I want to achieve. I always looked up to her because she got all of us clothed and fed and kept us safe. When I look back now as a young man, it’s an amazing thing to look back at what she was able to accomplish.
“I lost my dad to cancer in 2004, but he was an inspiration, too. He was the one who taught me to be humble. He always told me when I would come back from an amateur boxing tournament where I had done well that he was proud of me. But he was quick to remind me not to get a big head, to stay grounded at all times and don’t ever think you are better than anyone else just because you performed well in a particular competition.
“My trainer Kevin Cunningham is someone I met when I was 7. He’s been me with ever since. He has taught me many things. Here are few of them: Never give up and remember very few things in life that are good are easy to obtain. He always told me to work hard and look what it has done for me. His advice is what has helped me to get to whatever heights I have reached in boxing and life.
Boxing Inspirations: Muhammad Ali has always been one of my favorite boxers because he was so fast and cocky, but confident in a good way. ‘Sweet Pea’ Pernell Whitaker was a guy I loved to watch because he was a southpaw, like me, and always had the best defense. Cory Spinks let me train in his camp in St. Louis since I was very young. He was my idol, and as I grew up I realized that I could hone my skills, as he had done, and hopefully someday do it better. I don’t feel like I’m a clone of Cory. I definitely took some pages out of his book. Sometimes when I watch myself on tape, I’ll see myself doing something Cory did a long time ago, and it brings a smile to my face. It’s just part of who I am now.
