1 00:00:04,880 --> 00:00:07,640 Speaker 1: On this episode of Newts World. He was on his 2 00:00:07,680 --> 00:00:10,840 Speaker 1: way to stardom with a career as a six time 3 00:00:10,920 --> 00:00:15,960 Speaker 1: heavyweight champion, then an attack sidelined his aspirations and his 4 00:00:16,079 --> 00:00:21,919 Speaker 1: boxing future. David Nino Rodriguez was an undefeated boxer with 5 00:00:22,040 --> 00:00:25,439 Speaker 1: a knockout punch, headed for the heavyweight championship of the 6 00:00:25,440 --> 00:00:29,639 Speaker 1: world until an attempted murder left him with hundreds of 7 00:00:29,680 --> 00:00:33,159 Speaker 1: stitches in his throat, a permanently scarred face, and a 8 00:00:33,200 --> 00:00:37,640 Speaker 1: broken spirit. In his book When the Lights Go Out, 9 00:00:37,880 --> 00:00:42,360 Speaker 1: From Survivor to Champion, David describes his journey back from 10 00:00:42,360 --> 00:00:46,040 Speaker 1: the brink of despair with a no holds barred style 11 00:00:46,159 --> 00:00:50,200 Speaker 1: that reflects his boxer's craft. He reveals the turbulent past 12 00:00:50,760 --> 00:00:52,960 Speaker 1: that pushed him not only to the forefront of his sport, 13 00:00:53,479 --> 00:00:58,040 Speaker 1: but also into destructive behavior, addiction, and thoughts of suicide, 14 00:00:58,480 --> 00:01:02,960 Speaker 1: and ultimately to rede as an advocate for bullied kids. 15 00:01:03,480 --> 00:01:07,720 Speaker 1: I'm really pleased to welcome my guest, David Nino Rodriguez, 16 00:01:08,240 --> 00:01:28,840 Speaker 1: is the executive producer and host of Nino's Corner podcast. David, Welcome, 17 00:01:29,160 --> 00:01:30,959 Speaker 1: and thank you for joining me on news work. 18 00:01:31,680 --> 00:01:33,680 Speaker 2: That's an honor and a privilege. And thank you for 19 00:01:33,680 --> 00:01:34,080 Speaker 2: having me. 20 00:01:34,840 --> 00:01:37,559 Speaker 1: First, for the listeners who may not know you, let's 21 00:01:37,560 --> 00:01:40,000 Speaker 1: talk about your nickname, Nino. How did you get it? 22 00:01:41,280 --> 00:01:44,440 Speaker 2: Well? It was El Nino? Okay. So basically they were 23 00:01:44,480 --> 00:01:46,440 Speaker 2: doing write ups about me as a kid when I 24 00:01:46,480 --> 00:01:48,600 Speaker 2: was like nine years old, and they'll passo times and 25 00:01:48,640 --> 00:01:51,960 Speaker 2: they'll passo paper. This upcoming kid with all this talent. 26 00:01:52,520 --> 00:01:54,760 Speaker 2: I was attracting crowds at a very young age to 27 00:01:54,800 --> 00:01:57,440 Speaker 2: watch me box and they called me, you know, El 28 00:01:57,520 --> 00:02:00,040 Speaker 2: Nino or Elweto. I look like a white boy, so 29 00:02:00,320 --> 00:02:02,040 Speaker 2: it was a Nini. But they would still write that 30 00:02:02,040 --> 00:02:03,320 Speaker 2: in the papers, and I didn't know how to say 31 00:02:03,320 --> 00:02:06,200 Speaker 2: it properly. I would say Nino. So that stuck with 32 00:02:06,240 --> 00:02:09,000 Speaker 2: me my entire career. Trust me, I wanted something a 33 00:02:09,000 --> 00:02:12,080 Speaker 2: little more threatening, but the kid is all I got. 34 00:02:12,160 --> 00:02:16,440 Speaker 1: So well, then you became the threat once you were 35 00:02:16,480 --> 00:02:16,880 Speaker 1: in the ring. 36 00:02:17,440 --> 00:02:19,079 Speaker 2: What that was in the ring? It was game over? Yeah, 37 00:02:19,080 --> 00:02:21,480 Speaker 2: I was. I called myself the calculated killer. 38 00:02:22,000 --> 00:02:24,480 Speaker 1: Why do you think you were so good so early? 39 00:02:25,240 --> 00:02:27,240 Speaker 2: I think it was because my dad put me into 40 00:02:27,280 --> 00:02:29,560 Speaker 2: boxing at a very young age, at five years old. 41 00:02:29,600 --> 00:02:31,440 Speaker 2: I was picked on a lot as a kid. But 42 00:02:31,520 --> 00:02:33,920 Speaker 2: you know, people know in the seventies and eighties. You know, 43 00:02:33,960 --> 00:02:36,760 Speaker 2: when you're a kid, you get to just run the streets. 44 00:02:36,760 --> 00:02:39,120 Speaker 2: You just come home when the lights come on. And 45 00:02:39,240 --> 00:02:41,200 Speaker 2: I was always out on the neighborhood. So I was 46 00:02:41,800 --> 00:02:44,480 Speaker 2: constantly getting picked on and beat up as a kid. 47 00:02:44,520 --> 00:02:46,240 Speaker 2: And my dad just said he had enough of it, 48 00:02:46,280 --> 00:02:48,280 Speaker 2: and he just took me to the boxing gym tough 49 00:02:48,360 --> 00:02:50,680 Speaker 2: love and left me there. And the boxing gym was 50 00:02:50,680 --> 00:02:53,639 Speaker 2: in the ghetto, and he just left me there. And 51 00:02:53,680 --> 00:02:56,080 Speaker 2: my uncle was a trainer for the four Bliss Army 52 00:02:56,120 --> 00:02:59,320 Speaker 2: team and he saw me and just started training me 53 00:02:59,320 --> 00:03:00,800 Speaker 2: at a very young age. Let me tell you, I 54 00:03:00,800 --> 00:03:03,919 Speaker 2: was petrified. I was scared. I was terrified because in 55 00:03:04,040 --> 00:03:06,720 Speaker 2: my first visions of boxing, the first thing I saw 56 00:03:06,760 --> 00:03:09,520 Speaker 2: were these kids in the ring, blooding each other up, boxing, 57 00:03:09,960 --> 00:03:13,120 Speaker 2: sparring really hard, these two little ghetto kids, Mexican kids, 58 00:03:13,400 --> 00:03:15,480 Speaker 2: fighting each other. And I wanted no part of this. Man, 59 00:03:15,520 --> 00:03:17,760 Speaker 2: I wanted out of there. There was nowhere to go. 60 00:03:17,840 --> 00:03:19,880 Speaker 2: I had to stay, and it was just tough love 61 00:03:19,919 --> 00:03:22,639 Speaker 2: for my dad. I went under the tutelage of Tom 62 00:03:22,720 --> 00:03:25,680 Speaker 2: McKay and Rocky Delarza and they started training me at 63 00:03:25,680 --> 00:03:28,720 Speaker 2: five years old, and I developed a left hook from hell, 64 00:03:28,800 --> 00:03:31,799 Speaker 2: and I just took off with it. I ran with it. 65 00:03:31,800 --> 00:03:34,119 Speaker 2: It was my way to overcome my demons. I guess 66 00:03:34,120 --> 00:03:34,920 Speaker 2: you could say. 67 00:03:35,080 --> 00:03:37,800 Speaker 1: When you got in the ring, how did you feel me? 68 00:03:37,840 --> 00:03:41,720 Speaker 1: What were the emotions as you watched your opponent get 69 00:03:41,720 --> 00:03:44,240 Speaker 1: in and you watch the ref What did it feel 70 00:03:44,280 --> 00:03:46,760 Speaker 1: like as a young kid be right there? 71 00:03:47,320 --> 00:03:50,720 Speaker 2: You know? Terrified? You know when I first started fighting amateur, 72 00:03:50,760 --> 00:03:52,680 Speaker 2: I was terrified. I was terrified all the way into 73 00:03:52,680 --> 00:03:55,720 Speaker 2: the pros too, because it's a scary. You know, you're 74 00:03:55,720 --> 00:03:58,320 Speaker 2: stepping into the unknown. You really don't even though you 75 00:03:58,360 --> 00:04:00,480 Speaker 2: trained your ass off and you worked very hard, you 76 00:04:00,520 --> 00:04:02,440 Speaker 2: really don't know what's going to happen when you get 77 00:04:02,480 --> 00:04:05,800 Speaker 2: into that ring, and it's a flood of different emotions, 78 00:04:05,800 --> 00:04:09,200 Speaker 2: Like when you're leaving the dressing room into that tunnel 79 00:04:09,320 --> 00:04:11,240 Speaker 2: and the curtains open up, and then you're heading into 80 00:04:11,280 --> 00:04:14,920 Speaker 2: the ring. You're walking on clouds. I don't feel my legs. 81 00:04:14,920 --> 00:04:16,200 Speaker 2: I don't know how I'm going to be able to 82 00:04:16,200 --> 00:04:19,240 Speaker 2: take a punch. I have all these doubts flooding my mind. 83 00:04:19,839 --> 00:04:22,920 Speaker 2: I'm already toasted. I do enough. Everything's just a blur. 84 00:04:23,040 --> 00:04:25,320 Speaker 2: I can't believe I'm getting in the ring. Then you 85 00:04:25,360 --> 00:04:27,640 Speaker 2: walk up those steps, your whole team walk in with 86 00:04:27,720 --> 00:04:30,679 Speaker 2: you. You're under these bright lights, and then all of a sudden, 87 00:04:30,880 --> 00:04:35,040 Speaker 2: everybody gets out. You're alone, and you're looking across and it's, 88 00:04:35,080 --> 00:04:38,520 Speaker 2: all of a sudden, the most quiet place on the planet. 89 00:04:38,920 --> 00:04:41,200 Speaker 2: Even though the crowd's going wild, even though you can 90 00:04:41,240 --> 00:04:43,719 Speaker 2: hear the roar from the crowd, all of a sudden, 91 00:04:44,400 --> 00:04:47,560 Speaker 2: it's just the most quiet, peaceful place for me, even 92 00:04:47,600 --> 00:04:50,640 Speaker 2: though my nerves and butterflies are going everywhere. It's just 93 00:04:50,680 --> 00:04:55,800 Speaker 2: the most surreal place you could ever be. It's the battlefield, 94 00:04:55,920 --> 00:04:59,000 Speaker 2: right and it's just you and the other guy. And honestly, 95 00:05:00,120 --> 00:05:02,720 Speaker 2: that's what it took. That type of lifestyle is what 96 00:05:02,760 --> 00:05:05,479 Speaker 2: it took to take me out of my depression, anxiety, 97 00:05:06,320 --> 00:05:10,039 Speaker 2: suicidal thoughts. I mean, was that type of atmosphere was 98 00:05:10,080 --> 00:05:10,400 Speaker 2: the ring? 99 00:05:10,920 --> 00:05:14,120 Speaker 1: So your dad and your uncle played a real role 100 00:05:14,160 --> 00:05:16,799 Speaker 1: in making you outstanding at an early age. 101 00:05:17,960 --> 00:05:20,320 Speaker 2: Yeah, I kind of feel like it wasn't much my 102 00:05:20,440 --> 00:05:23,320 Speaker 2: choice though. It was kind of like my dad just 103 00:05:23,400 --> 00:05:25,159 Speaker 2: dropped me off there. I don't really know how to 104 00:05:25,200 --> 00:05:28,159 Speaker 2: say it, except that he told me I'm not going 105 00:05:28,240 --> 00:05:30,719 Speaker 2: to raise a coward and although I was in the 106 00:05:30,760 --> 00:05:32,880 Speaker 2: boxing gym, I was still getting picked on quite a 107 00:05:32,960 --> 00:05:34,800 Speaker 2: bit from the bigger kids because they found out I 108 00:05:34,839 --> 00:05:38,800 Speaker 2: was boxing and all this, and it just ensued up 109 00:05:38,839 --> 00:05:41,839 Speaker 2: until my junior high years. To win. I finally started 110 00:05:41,880 --> 00:05:45,240 Speaker 2: fighting back, and then I turned into the bully. I 111 00:05:45,360 --> 00:05:47,200 Speaker 2: turned into the guy that I didn't want to be, 112 00:05:48,000 --> 00:05:52,720 Speaker 2: and I started finding these guys and beating them up 113 00:05:52,960 --> 00:05:55,080 Speaker 2: and becoming the bully, the guy that I turned into, 114 00:05:55,080 --> 00:05:58,080 Speaker 2: that rabbit dog, that junkyard dog that I wanted to 115 00:05:58,080 --> 00:06:01,400 Speaker 2: make sure nobody ever met with me again in my life. 116 00:06:01,480 --> 00:06:03,840 Speaker 2: And I started becoming a big man. So I was 117 00:06:03,880 --> 00:06:06,560 Speaker 2: six three sixty four in high school, and I had 118 00:06:06,600 --> 00:06:11,279 Speaker 2: a little man's complex. So go figure the small man's complex. 119 00:06:12,800 --> 00:06:14,200 Speaker 1: So it's sort of like in your head you were 120 00:06:14,200 --> 00:06:16,880 Speaker 1: still six, but in your body you are now an adult. 121 00:06:17,839 --> 00:06:19,800 Speaker 2: I'm still like that till this day. I have a 122 00:06:19,839 --> 00:06:22,680 Speaker 2: small man's complex. I just I was picked on so 123 00:06:22,839 --> 00:06:25,520 Speaker 2: much as a kid that it just it stayed with 124 00:06:25,600 --> 00:06:26,479 Speaker 2: me my entire life. 125 00:06:26,880 --> 00:06:30,839 Speaker 1: I'm fascinated because you went to Catholic school, but the 126 00:06:30,960 --> 00:06:36,240 Speaker 1: challenge wasn't that you couldn't learn whatever. The modern normal 127 00:06:36,279 --> 00:06:39,400 Speaker 1: attitude about boxers is the challenge was that, thanks to 128 00:06:39,440 --> 00:06:43,080 Speaker 1: your mother, you were learning faster than the school. That's 129 00:06:43,120 --> 00:06:45,159 Speaker 1: a fascinating twist. 130 00:06:45,560 --> 00:06:47,560 Speaker 2: My mom started teaching me to read. I get four 131 00:06:47,640 --> 00:06:49,280 Speaker 2: years old, three or four years old, I was sounding 132 00:06:49,320 --> 00:06:51,560 Speaker 2: out words and reading, and I was reading on a 133 00:06:51,600 --> 00:06:53,839 Speaker 2: college level by the time I was in third grade. 134 00:06:54,200 --> 00:06:57,080 Speaker 2: And I would sit there in class and just be 135 00:06:57,240 --> 00:06:59,599 Speaker 2: bored to death as the other kids were sounding out 136 00:06:59,640 --> 00:07:03,120 Speaker 2: were and trying to reget through a sentence, and whenever 137 00:07:03,120 --> 00:07:04,400 Speaker 2: they would pick on me to read, it would just 138 00:07:04,400 --> 00:07:07,320 Speaker 2: ble bit a bit real fast. It was just completely 139 00:07:07,320 --> 00:07:09,960 Speaker 2: boring to me. So I started getting in trouble. I 140 00:07:09,960 --> 00:07:13,080 Speaker 2: started throwing spit wads at teachers and just trying to 141 00:07:13,120 --> 00:07:17,040 Speaker 2: create things to just keep my mind occupied. And I 142 00:07:17,120 --> 00:07:20,520 Speaker 2: was constantly going to the principal's office, constantly going to confession. 143 00:07:21,520 --> 00:07:23,600 Speaker 2: I had to go see the priest for confession, and 144 00:07:24,080 --> 00:07:26,559 Speaker 2: I got more of an adrenaline rush from just getting 145 00:07:26,600 --> 00:07:30,640 Speaker 2: in trouble, so that became my high. I was always like, Okay, 146 00:07:30,640 --> 00:07:33,200 Speaker 2: what can I do today to piss off the teacher 147 00:07:33,440 --> 00:07:35,080 Speaker 2: so I can go to the principal and hang out 148 00:07:35,080 --> 00:07:36,680 Speaker 2: with the principal Because I liked the principle. He was 149 00:07:36,720 --> 00:07:39,600 Speaker 2: my friend, and we'd talk in the principal's office and 150 00:07:39,640 --> 00:07:41,600 Speaker 2: he would always like, show me the shoe, shine, show 151 00:07:41,640 --> 00:07:43,640 Speaker 2: me some punches, you know, and I'd work out in 152 00:07:43,720 --> 00:07:47,120 Speaker 2: his office and we were friends. And so that's what 153 00:07:47,160 --> 00:07:49,400 Speaker 2: my life was like all the way up to junior high. 154 00:07:49,840 --> 00:07:51,880 Speaker 2: And then in junior high, I'd just got in so 155 00:07:51,960 --> 00:07:54,240 Speaker 2: much trouble. In my eighth grade year, I got kicked 156 00:07:54,240 --> 00:07:56,880 Speaker 2: out of four different schools. I was an ISS and 157 00:07:56,960 --> 00:08:00,880 Speaker 2: I was an alternative. I was expelled. Then that led 158 00:08:00,920 --> 00:08:03,680 Speaker 2: me into high school to where I dropped out when 159 00:08:03,680 --> 00:08:05,920 Speaker 2: I got my GED. I got my GED in like 160 00:08:06,000 --> 00:08:08,760 Speaker 2: two days. The GD teacher was like, you see all 161 00:08:08,760 --> 00:08:11,920 Speaker 2: these kids in this classroom, they're all studying for the GED. 162 00:08:12,000 --> 00:08:13,880 Speaker 2: And I was like, well, that's stupid. Why don't they 163 00:08:13,920 --> 00:08:16,440 Speaker 2: just go to school. He's like, exactly, you should go 164 00:08:16,480 --> 00:08:18,880 Speaker 2: to school. You just passed the GED, had one of 165 00:08:18,920 --> 00:08:21,000 Speaker 2: the highest tests the results in the last ten years. 166 00:08:21,040 --> 00:08:22,480 Speaker 2: He goes, what's wrong with you? Why don't you get 167 00:08:22,520 --> 00:08:24,440 Speaker 2: back to school, blah blah blah. I was like, I 168 00:08:24,480 --> 00:08:26,160 Speaker 2: don't want to be in school. I want to be 169 00:08:26,200 --> 00:08:28,480 Speaker 2: a fighter, and that's what I'm going to do. I 170 00:08:28,560 --> 00:08:29,840 Speaker 2: knew what I was going to do, and that's what 171 00:08:29,880 --> 00:08:32,720 Speaker 2: I chose to do. And I went right into training camp. 172 00:08:32,960 --> 00:08:34,559 Speaker 2: Right when I left and I got my GD, I 173 00:08:34,600 --> 00:08:37,240 Speaker 2: gave my dad my ged, I said, Dad, here you go. 174 00:08:37,840 --> 00:08:40,440 Speaker 2: He was so disappointed. I felt really bad about that, 175 00:08:41,200 --> 00:08:44,040 Speaker 2: but I went on to follow my aspirations as a 176 00:08:44,080 --> 00:08:44,920 Speaker 2: professional fighter. 177 00:08:45,720 --> 00:08:49,280 Speaker 1: So in that process, you go to the San Juan 178 00:08:49,360 --> 00:08:53,280 Speaker 1: Recreation Center in boxing gym. How big a influence on 179 00:08:53,320 --> 00:08:54,040 Speaker 1: your life was that? 180 00:08:55,320 --> 00:08:59,920 Speaker 2: It was massive because that area of Olpaso was very ghetto, 181 00:09:00,080 --> 00:09:02,960 Speaker 2: It's very a lot of projects, a lot of poor kids. 182 00:09:03,640 --> 00:09:05,440 Speaker 2: And I always called and even though I was just 183 00:09:05,559 --> 00:09:07,160 Speaker 2: middle class, I mean, all of them said I was 184 00:09:07,160 --> 00:09:10,000 Speaker 2: the rich white boy, blah blah blah. I got picked 185 00:09:10,040 --> 00:09:11,440 Speaker 2: on a lot, and I wanted to prove I was 186 00:09:11,520 --> 00:09:13,800 Speaker 2: just as tough as any of those kids. But I 187 00:09:13,840 --> 00:09:16,760 Speaker 2: was bigger than everybody. And this is a true statement. 188 00:09:16,800 --> 00:09:18,720 Speaker 2: And you can ask anybody that knew me when I 189 00:09:18,760 --> 00:09:21,080 Speaker 2: was a kid growing up. When I was twelve years old, 190 00:09:21,800 --> 00:09:23,840 Speaker 2: I had a deadly left hook. At twelve years old, 191 00:09:23,880 --> 00:09:26,400 Speaker 2: they were bringing in football players I played for the 192 00:09:26,520 --> 00:09:30,560 Speaker 2: UTEP football team that were taking boxing camps and they'd 193 00:09:30,600 --> 00:09:32,640 Speaker 2: put them in the ring with me, and I would 194 00:09:32,640 --> 00:09:35,800 Speaker 2: be knocking them out one by one. I mean, I'm 195 00:09:35,840 --> 00:09:38,560 Speaker 2: talking snoring. I mean, these guys were huge football players 196 00:09:38,720 --> 00:09:40,520 Speaker 2: and I was just a twelve year old kid and 197 00:09:40,559 --> 00:09:42,920 Speaker 2: I had a gift. I just had a gift with 198 00:09:43,040 --> 00:09:46,120 Speaker 2: that left hook. So I got pleasure out of this 199 00:09:46,400 --> 00:09:48,880 Speaker 2: and next thing, you know, I just decided this is 200 00:09:48,920 --> 00:09:50,240 Speaker 2: what I want to do for my life. 201 00:09:50,600 --> 00:09:52,440 Speaker 1: Didn't it make some people jealous of you? 202 00:09:53,880 --> 00:09:56,680 Speaker 2: Oh? Yeah, especially in my twenties when I decided to 203 00:09:56,720 --> 00:09:59,720 Speaker 2: turn pro and I started really knocking out guys. I 204 00:09:59,720 --> 00:10:01,400 Speaker 2: thought I had a lot of friends. You know, I 205 00:10:01,400 --> 00:10:03,559 Speaker 2: had about thirty thirty five friends that were always around me. 206 00:10:03,600 --> 00:10:06,560 Speaker 2: I guess you could call them an entourage. Some were 207 00:10:06,679 --> 00:10:09,560 Speaker 2: very close, we were like brothers. But later on in 208 00:10:09,559 --> 00:10:13,080 Speaker 2: my career I found out why they were really with me, 209 00:10:13,200 --> 00:10:15,800 Speaker 2: why they were hanging out with me. They're real motives 210 00:10:16,559 --> 00:10:19,559 Speaker 2: and it really bothered me. And I'll say to this day, 211 00:10:20,120 --> 00:10:22,000 Speaker 2: I don't talk to any of them anymore. But I 212 00:10:22,040 --> 00:10:25,200 Speaker 2: will say that I don't have many friends today, and 213 00:10:25,280 --> 00:10:29,320 Speaker 2: I'm proud of that because I realized what a lot 214 00:10:29,400 --> 00:10:32,240 Speaker 2: of people's intentions truly are and I couldn't see it 215 00:10:32,280 --> 00:10:35,480 Speaker 2: when I was young and dumb, doey eyed and bushy tailed, 216 00:10:35,520 --> 00:10:37,160 Speaker 2: whatever you want to call it. But I just couldn't 217 00:10:37,160 --> 00:10:39,679 Speaker 2: see it then, and I see everything so much clearer now. 218 00:10:40,280 --> 00:10:41,720 Speaker 2: But yeah, I had a lot of friends that were 219 00:10:41,720 --> 00:10:44,200 Speaker 2: around me that were really out to get me. 220 00:10:45,200 --> 00:10:48,200 Speaker 1: One of the people who plays a really big role 221 00:10:48,320 --> 00:10:52,320 Speaker 1: in saving your life is officer Joe Sullivan. Tell us 222 00:10:52,320 --> 00:10:53,960 Speaker 1: about that. It's a fascinating story. 223 00:10:55,280 --> 00:10:57,199 Speaker 2: You know, I can't help, but did you read my book, 224 00:10:57,240 --> 00:10:59,920 Speaker 2: because I a lot of people don't ask these d 225 00:11:00,080 --> 00:11:03,240 Speaker 2: tailed questions, so like, you're really digging deep here. I'm 226 00:11:03,320 --> 00:11:06,880 Speaker 2: actually impressed. Yeah. He was a police officer and he 227 00:11:06,960 --> 00:11:10,320 Speaker 2: was a boxer as well. He was a heavyweight fighter, 228 00:11:10,400 --> 00:11:12,880 Speaker 2: and I remember he would always come to the calls. 229 00:11:13,400 --> 00:11:15,920 Speaker 2: He would show up when I was in trouble, and 230 00:11:15,920 --> 00:11:17,520 Speaker 2: he would show up with one of his partners, and 231 00:11:17,520 --> 00:11:21,120 Speaker 2: they'd show up to a vandalism call or a disturbance 232 00:11:21,280 --> 00:11:24,280 Speaker 2: or whatever. He would arrest me, and he would arrest 233 00:11:24,320 --> 00:11:26,920 Speaker 2: my friends, but then end up taking my friends to 234 00:11:27,040 --> 00:11:30,160 Speaker 2: jail and dropping me off at home with my parents 235 00:11:30,480 --> 00:11:32,400 Speaker 2: and giving them a long speech on like why he 236 00:11:32,480 --> 00:11:34,880 Speaker 2: dropped me off this and that. But he would pick 237 00:11:34,880 --> 00:11:37,440 Speaker 2: me up every day after school and take me to 238 00:11:37,480 --> 00:11:40,240 Speaker 2: the boxing gym. He just felt like his responsibility. So 239 00:11:40,360 --> 00:11:44,440 Speaker 2: every day after school I'd get picked up three point 240 00:11:44,440 --> 00:11:46,679 Speaker 2: thirty at the bell. This was before I dropped out 241 00:11:46,679 --> 00:11:48,560 Speaker 2: by the way, and he would pick me up in 242 00:11:48,640 --> 00:11:50,640 Speaker 2: the cop car and drive me all the way to 243 00:11:50,679 --> 00:11:52,840 Speaker 2: the boxing Everyone thought I was getting arrested every day, 244 00:11:53,320 --> 00:11:54,480 Speaker 2: and he would take me all the way to the 245 00:11:54,520 --> 00:11:58,520 Speaker 2: boxing gym and train with me. And I got to say, 246 00:11:58,559 --> 00:12:01,560 Speaker 2: he played a pivotal role in my life life. I 247 00:12:01,600 --> 00:12:03,400 Speaker 2: owe a lot to that man, and I'm still in 248 00:12:03,400 --> 00:12:05,920 Speaker 2: touch with him till this very day. He is a solid, 249 00:12:06,000 --> 00:12:09,319 Speaker 2: solid guy, and I just I owe a lot to him. 250 00:12:09,760 --> 00:12:13,440 Speaker 1: Now there's a key point where you finally decide that 251 00:12:13,559 --> 00:12:17,240 Speaker 1: San Juan is not everything you need and you go 252 00:12:17,320 --> 00:12:22,400 Speaker 1: to Rockies bar and gym. What was Rocky's Bar in jim. 253 00:12:22,200 --> 00:12:25,280 Speaker 2: It was off Alberta Street, off Reynolds and Alpaso. It's 254 00:12:25,360 --> 00:12:27,439 Speaker 2: under the underpassers under a bridge. It was in the 255 00:12:27,440 --> 00:12:30,040 Speaker 2: ghetto and it was a bar. It was called Rocky's Bar. 256 00:12:30,520 --> 00:12:35,280 Speaker 2: Well outside the bar was a boxing gym. So basically 257 00:12:35,320 --> 00:12:38,000 Speaker 2: you have all the drunks, the neighborhood drunks getting wasted 258 00:12:38,040 --> 00:12:41,200 Speaker 2: in the bar, and then outside was the boxing gym. Well, 259 00:12:41,280 --> 00:12:44,600 Speaker 2: the way they groomed me and built me up as 260 00:12:44,640 --> 00:12:47,640 Speaker 2: a fighter was Rocky. God rest his soul by the 261 00:12:47,640 --> 00:12:50,120 Speaker 2: way he passed away. He was murdered. He was murdered 262 00:12:50,120 --> 00:12:53,320 Speaker 2: in his house by a woman. Next girlfriend blew his 263 00:12:53,320 --> 00:12:56,600 Speaker 2: head off. The way he would train me was he 264 00:12:56,679 --> 00:12:59,719 Speaker 2: go get the drunks in the bar, bring him outside, 265 00:13:00,040 --> 00:13:01,319 Speaker 2: put him in the ring with me, and have me 266 00:13:01,440 --> 00:13:04,000 Speaker 2: knock them out. And he would make bets with them 267 00:13:04,000 --> 00:13:05,880 Speaker 2: and said the bar that they couldn't hang with that kid, 268 00:13:06,160 --> 00:13:09,000 Speaker 2: that thirteen year old, fourteen year old kid outside, and 269 00:13:09,040 --> 00:13:11,080 Speaker 2: they'd come out and they'd put the gloves on and 270 00:13:11,080 --> 00:13:13,600 Speaker 2: they'd get in the ring with me and I'd drop them. 271 00:13:13,960 --> 00:13:15,960 Speaker 2: I mean, I used to have a really good time 272 00:13:16,040 --> 00:13:18,280 Speaker 2: doing this because these guys just did not know how 273 00:13:18,320 --> 00:13:20,480 Speaker 2: to fight, and they were drunk, so it was really 274 00:13:20,559 --> 00:13:22,960 Speaker 2: quite easy. He would give me fresh meat, you know. 275 00:13:23,040 --> 00:13:25,800 Speaker 2: He would just send the next drunk guy over and 276 00:13:26,120 --> 00:13:28,200 Speaker 2: I would beat him up a Rocky and then i'd 277 00:13:28,200 --> 00:13:29,920 Speaker 2: go hit the bags. And I got a knack for 278 00:13:30,000 --> 00:13:33,680 Speaker 2: knocking people out. I couldn't imagine something like that happening today. 279 00:13:33,760 --> 00:13:36,120 Speaker 2: But back then it was all fair game. 280 00:13:55,040 --> 00:13:57,960 Speaker 1: So he's having a big influence on you. Then he 281 00:13:58,000 --> 00:14:02,840 Speaker 1: gets killed, and as I understand it, you really fall 282 00:14:02,880 --> 00:14:03,800 Speaker 1: into a depression. 283 00:14:04,679 --> 00:14:07,680 Speaker 2: Yeah, because he was my mentor and he was like 284 00:14:07,679 --> 00:14:09,920 Speaker 2: a father figure to me. And I loved Rocky a lot, 285 00:14:10,000 --> 00:14:12,120 Speaker 2: and he did a lot for me for building me up. 286 00:14:13,120 --> 00:14:15,760 Speaker 2: I went to go train one day and he wasn't there. 287 00:14:16,000 --> 00:14:17,520 Speaker 2: I would always open up the gate and go in 288 00:14:17,520 --> 00:14:20,360 Speaker 2: the back where the gym's at, and he's usually there 289 00:14:20,400 --> 00:14:22,960 Speaker 2: with the stopwatch, just ready to meet me and get 290 00:14:23,000 --> 00:14:25,760 Speaker 2: me going and get me warmed up. And he wasn't there. 291 00:14:25,840 --> 00:14:28,320 Speaker 2: So sometimes he would go to like a fruit stand 292 00:14:28,360 --> 00:14:30,480 Speaker 2: or the grocery store and grab an orange or an apple, 293 00:14:30,880 --> 00:14:32,920 Speaker 2: and he'd be peeling it while I was wrapping my 294 00:14:33,000 --> 00:14:35,800 Speaker 2: hands or shadow boxing, and he'd be watching it and 295 00:14:35,880 --> 00:14:38,160 Speaker 2: watching me and mentoring me while I was getting ready 296 00:14:38,240 --> 00:14:40,640 Speaker 2: or warming up. And he wasn't there that day, and 297 00:14:40,680 --> 00:14:42,320 Speaker 2: I thought it was very strange. So I was looking 298 00:14:42,320 --> 00:14:44,120 Speaker 2: all over the bar. I was yelling his name. I 299 00:14:44,120 --> 00:14:47,160 Speaker 2: couldn't get a response. He lived in the house right 300 00:14:47,160 --> 00:14:49,640 Speaker 2: next to the bar. So I walked over there, raining 301 00:14:49,720 --> 00:14:52,080 Speaker 2: the doorbell, tried to open the door. It was locked, 302 00:14:52,680 --> 00:14:55,440 Speaker 2: and I just was very confused. His car was outside. 303 00:14:55,960 --> 00:14:58,200 Speaker 2: I just didn't understand what was going on, and so 304 00:14:58,920 --> 00:15:00,760 Speaker 2: I went ahead. And I can't remember if I got 305 00:15:00,800 --> 00:15:02,680 Speaker 2: in a workout by myself or I just left, but 306 00:15:02,720 --> 00:15:04,680 Speaker 2: I think I probably got in a workout by myself, 307 00:15:05,400 --> 00:15:08,000 Speaker 2: and I just left very confused, like this is not Rocky, 308 00:15:08,080 --> 00:15:10,760 Speaker 2: this is not what Rocky does. And I get home 309 00:15:10,920 --> 00:15:13,960 Speaker 2: and then the next thing I see, he's on the 310 00:15:14,000 --> 00:15:17,240 Speaker 2: news that he was murdered. So I rush over to 311 00:15:17,320 --> 00:15:19,880 Speaker 2: his house and there's yellow tape all over the house. 312 00:15:20,640 --> 00:15:24,040 Speaker 2: There's cops outside of his house. I see him on 313 00:15:24,160 --> 00:15:27,280 Speaker 2: the gurney and he's covered in a blanket, and I 314 00:15:27,360 --> 00:15:29,920 Speaker 2: just couldn't believe what I was witnessing. And he got 315 00:15:29,920 --> 00:15:33,480 Speaker 2: his head blown off by a jealous girlfriend. I think 316 00:15:33,520 --> 00:15:35,560 Speaker 2: she was like an ex barmaid or something like that, 317 00:15:35,720 --> 00:15:38,760 Speaker 2: just was jealous and just blew his head off with 318 00:15:38,800 --> 00:15:39,360 Speaker 2: a shotgun. 319 00:15:40,040 --> 00:15:43,640 Speaker 1: So how did you deal with the depression that set 320 00:15:43,680 --> 00:15:45,800 Speaker 1: in after the killing of your friend. 321 00:15:47,280 --> 00:15:49,880 Speaker 2: Well, at that point, I was already very depressed. Boxing 322 00:15:50,040 --> 00:15:52,760 Speaker 2: was the only thing that really relieved my depression. I 323 00:15:52,760 --> 00:15:54,680 Speaker 2: don't know if it was something that was genetic, but 324 00:15:54,720 --> 00:15:56,840 Speaker 2: I was always dealing with depression as a kid. It 325 00:15:56,840 --> 00:16:00,600 Speaker 2: really started at thirteen years old. I was in severe depression. 326 00:16:01,680 --> 00:16:04,160 Speaker 2: That's when I met my next trainer, which was Louis Burke, 327 00:16:04,200 --> 00:16:07,520 Speaker 2: who's had many world champions and was a contender himself. 328 00:16:08,280 --> 00:16:10,440 Speaker 2: I went and sparred at a gym or something, and 329 00:16:10,480 --> 00:16:13,120 Speaker 2: he saw me, and he saw my talents, and he said, 330 00:16:13,120 --> 00:16:15,520 Speaker 2: I'd love to work with you, and I said absolutely, 331 00:16:15,560 --> 00:16:17,360 Speaker 2: And I started going to see Louis Burke up in 332 00:16:17,400 --> 00:16:20,720 Speaker 2: Las Cruces, New Mexico, and I'd drive there every day 333 00:16:21,400 --> 00:16:23,080 Speaker 2: to get the work in, to get the training in. 334 00:16:23,160 --> 00:16:25,120 Speaker 2: And then when he saw that I was dedicated, Louis 335 00:16:25,160 --> 00:16:27,520 Speaker 2: took it as a full time job to start training me. 336 00:16:27,880 --> 00:16:31,960 Speaker 2: And Louis Burke is ultimately the one that turned me professional. 337 00:16:32,080 --> 00:16:35,520 Speaker 2: So Louis definitely took me to the next level. After 338 00:16:35,520 --> 00:16:38,680 Speaker 2: a Rocky Glarza was murdered, it was Louis Burke that 339 00:16:38,760 --> 00:16:41,760 Speaker 2: really took me to that next level. And the biggest 340 00:16:41,800 --> 00:16:44,920 Speaker 2: regret I have today was leaving Louis Burke in the 341 00:16:44,960 --> 00:16:47,960 Speaker 2: prime of my career because I thought I knew too 342 00:16:48,080 --> 00:16:50,280 Speaker 2: much or whatever it was, and we had disagreements. But 343 00:16:50,680 --> 00:16:53,000 Speaker 2: my biggest regret was leaving Louis Burke because he was 344 00:16:53,040 --> 00:16:54,080 Speaker 2: a hell of a trainer. Man. 345 00:16:54,840 --> 00:16:57,920 Speaker 1: You came up in part through the Golden Gloves program 346 00:16:58,360 --> 00:17:01,080 Speaker 1: and near mind, is that a pretty good program? 347 00:17:01,240 --> 00:17:03,720 Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean I think the program is really failing 348 00:17:03,800 --> 00:17:05,639 Speaker 2: the youth right now. I don't think a lot of 349 00:17:05,720 --> 00:17:08,760 Speaker 2: kids are boxing like they used to. Obviously, UFC and 350 00:17:08,880 --> 00:17:12,640 Speaker 2: MMA is really taking hold and a lot of kids 351 00:17:12,640 --> 00:17:15,359 Speaker 2: are doing that now. But I think the base for 352 00:17:15,440 --> 00:17:18,040 Speaker 2: any kid to learn how to fight is boxing and wrestling. 353 00:17:18,080 --> 00:17:19,520 Speaker 2: I mean, I think you got to learn those two 354 00:17:20,240 --> 00:17:23,439 Speaker 2: arts in order to really get a solid foundation. But 355 00:17:24,240 --> 00:17:28,320 Speaker 2: the Golden Gloves back then was stellar. It was very competitive. 356 00:17:28,359 --> 00:17:31,199 Speaker 2: It was a lot of kids in it, highly competitive. 357 00:17:31,280 --> 00:17:35,120 Speaker 2: My first amateur fight actually was against the Junior Olympic 358 00:17:35,200 --> 00:17:38,399 Speaker 2: champion and I knocked him out in the second round, 359 00:17:38,720 --> 00:17:41,320 Speaker 2: first ten seconds of the second round. And that's when 360 00:17:41,320 --> 00:17:43,760 Speaker 2: I knew, Man, That's when everyone knew that kid had 361 00:17:43,760 --> 00:17:46,000 Speaker 2: three hundred fights and that was my first fight and 362 00:17:46,040 --> 00:17:48,359 Speaker 2: I knocked him out, and everyone knew from that day forward, man, 363 00:17:48,359 --> 00:17:51,040 Speaker 2: this kid's going to go places. So it was really 364 00:17:51,119 --> 00:17:53,439 Speaker 2: just an amazing time in my life to just know 365 00:17:53,520 --> 00:17:56,320 Speaker 2: that I had all these aspirations and all these dreams 366 00:17:56,320 --> 00:17:56,800 Speaker 2: ahead of me. 367 00:17:57,800 --> 00:18:02,360 Speaker 1: What was the big challenge and moving from amateur boxing 368 00:18:02,840 --> 00:18:04,119 Speaker 1: to becoming a professional. 369 00:18:05,160 --> 00:18:06,760 Speaker 2: It wasn't a big challenge for me. Actually, if I 370 00:18:06,760 --> 00:18:08,639 Speaker 2: would have stayed in amateurs, I probably would have got 371 00:18:08,720 --> 00:18:12,679 Speaker 2: more experience. But I didn't have the style for the amateurs. 372 00:18:13,000 --> 00:18:15,240 Speaker 2: It was more of a point system, and a lot 373 00:18:15,240 --> 00:18:17,520 Speaker 2: of these kids were real busy and really fast. I 374 00:18:17,560 --> 00:18:21,040 Speaker 2: had more of a stalking, plotting system and style that 375 00:18:21,119 --> 00:18:23,639 Speaker 2: once I hit you, it was over. And they felt that. 376 00:18:24,119 --> 00:18:26,760 Speaker 2: When I went with my manager, Boss Spagnola and Louis Burke, 377 00:18:26,840 --> 00:18:30,000 Speaker 2: they thought they could groom me and maneuver me into 378 00:18:30,520 --> 00:18:33,119 Speaker 2: the right fights and step up the ladder the correct 379 00:18:33,119 --> 00:18:36,679 Speaker 2: way and build up experience as a professional. So professional 380 00:18:36,760 --> 00:18:39,199 Speaker 2: is different in the sense that the gloves are ten 381 00:18:39,320 --> 00:18:42,240 Speaker 2: ounce sometimes six ounds of your fighting in Mexico, no headgear. 382 00:18:42,840 --> 00:18:46,919 Speaker 2: It's a lot more brutal. But I think actually amateurs 383 00:18:46,920 --> 00:18:48,919 Speaker 2: can be a little more difficult if you stay in 384 00:18:48,960 --> 00:18:51,199 Speaker 2: it long enough. A lot of people that stay in 385 00:18:51,200 --> 00:18:54,439 Speaker 2: the amateurs too long keep that style throughout the pros 386 00:18:54,760 --> 00:18:57,560 Speaker 2: and they never develop into a really good pro. But 387 00:18:58,240 --> 00:19:00,680 Speaker 2: for me, I had about twenty am fights and went 388 00:19:00,760 --> 00:19:04,080 Speaker 2: right into the pros and they developed me. They thought 389 00:19:04,119 --> 00:19:07,480 Speaker 2: it would be better to develop me through the professional process, 390 00:19:07,520 --> 00:19:10,760 Speaker 2: through the ranks, then just get a bunch of fights 391 00:19:10,760 --> 00:19:13,360 Speaker 2: in the amateurs. So that's the decision I decided to make, 392 00:19:13,400 --> 00:19:14,240 Speaker 2: and that's what we made. 393 00:19:14,880 --> 00:19:19,600 Speaker 1: You had a real career developing and real potential, and 394 00:19:19,680 --> 00:19:23,480 Speaker 1: then in twenty eleven you get attacked outside of a 395 00:19:23,520 --> 00:19:27,000 Speaker 1: bar in ol Paso, Texas. Did you have any idea 396 00:19:27,080 --> 00:19:29,119 Speaker 1: this was coming, I believe. 397 00:19:28,880 --> 00:19:30,439 Speaker 2: It or not. It wasn't in an Opasa. It was 398 00:19:30,440 --> 00:19:33,280 Speaker 2: in Phoenix, Arizona. Was in Scottsdale, of all places. But 399 00:19:33,359 --> 00:19:35,720 Speaker 2: you know, and I don't play victim to this. That 400 00:19:35,920 --> 00:19:40,080 Speaker 2: year twenty eleven was very turbulent for me because I 401 00:19:40,160 --> 00:19:42,000 Speaker 2: was thirty six, and oh I had a lot of 402 00:19:42,040 --> 00:19:44,520 Speaker 2: pressure on my plate. I just broke up with my team, 403 00:19:45,200 --> 00:19:47,800 Speaker 2: which I regretted fully. It was like we were not 404 00:19:47,920 --> 00:19:51,600 Speaker 2: talking anymore. I went with a new team. I just 405 00:19:51,680 --> 00:19:53,920 Speaker 2: got done with a win against I think his name 406 00:19:53,960 --> 00:19:56,879 Speaker 2: was Hicks, my Kicks or something like that, and I 407 00:19:56,960 --> 00:19:58,919 Speaker 2: knocked him out in the first or second round, and 408 00:19:58,960 --> 00:20:02,080 Speaker 2: I remember I was out and I overdosed on drugs. 409 00:20:02,560 --> 00:20:05,200 Speaker 2: This happened twice in twenty eleven, the very turbulent year 410 00:20:05,240 --> 00:20:08,600 Speaker 2: for me. Twenty eleven February, I was at a bar 411 00:20:08,840 --> 00:20:11,320 Speaker 2: or a club in Dallas. I was partying with my friends, 412 00:20:11,400 --> 00:20:15,800 Speaker 2: and at this time, I was really juggling different extremes. 413 00:20:15,840 --> 00:20:19,639 Speaker 2: I was juggling alcoholism, drugs and being a professional fighter. 414 00:20:19,680 --> 00:20:22,000 Speaker 2: And if you know, it's like oil and water, it 415 00:20:22,040 --> 00:20:24,960 Speaker 2: doesn't mix. I was burning the candle at both ends. 416 00:20:25,720 --> 00:20:27,800 Speaker 2: So I'm at this bar and I'm partying, and I'm 417 00:20:27,840 --> 00:20:30,399 Speaker 2: doing everything with my friends, and I'm taking all these drugs. 418 00:20:30,440 --> 00:20:32,520 Speaker 2: I'm taking an adderall, I'm taking a handful of Viking 419 00:20:32,600 --> 00:20:34,919 Speaker 2: in I'm drinking alcohol, and all of a sudden, I 420 00:20:35,119 --> 00:20:39,119 Speaker 2: drink this stuff called GHB, which is a very potent drug. 421 00:20:39,400 --> 00:20:42,399 Speaker 2: And that was it. That's all I remember. And for 422 00:20:42,560 --> 00:20:46,000 Speaker 2: nine to ten hours of my life, I had no recolleation. 423 00:20:46,200 --> 00:20:49,119 Speaker 2: I just heard from a third party that I was 424 00:20:49,240 --> 00:20:51,560 Speaker 2: dragged out by the bouncers. I was thrown in the alley. 425 00:20:51,960 --> 00:20:54,439 Speaker 2: They didn't want the liability of a death inside the club, 426 00:20:55,240 --> 00:20:57,679 Speaker 2: and in the alley a nurse that was off duty. 427 00:20:58,400 --> 00:21:00,480 Speaker 2: When got my friends, I said, you better take him 428 00:21:00,480 --> 00:21:02,280 Speaker 2: to the hospital or I'm going to blame you. I'm 429 00:21:02,320 --> 00:21:04,160 Speaker 2: going to tell his family you all didn't do it. 430 00:21:04,920 --> 00:21:07,680 Speaker 2: He'll be blamed for his death. They raced me through 431 00:21:07,720 --> 00:21:10,359 Speaker 2: the highway to the hospital. I got to the hospital 432 00:21:10,400 --> 00:21:13,760 Speaker 2: and all I remember is waking up and seeing all 433 00:21:13,800 --> 00:21:16,800 Speaker 2: these doctors standing over me saying, we got him back, 434 00:21:16,840 --> 00:21:19,280 Speaker 2: we got him back. And there was like a crew 435 00:21:19,320 --> 00:21:21,879 Speaker 2: of like eight or nine doctors all standing over me. 436 00:21:22,200 --> 00:21:24,320 Speaker 2: Looks like I was abducted by aliens or something. And 437 00:21:24,320 --> 00:21:27,160 Speaker 2: just see this bright hospital light. And then I'm looking 438 00:21:27,240 --> 00:21:28,760 Speaker 2: up and I'm like, where the hell am I? And 439 00:21:28,840 --> 00:21:32,280 Speaker 2: then I remember the most telling thing and all of 440 00:21:32,280 --> 00:21:34,399 Speaker 2: that was the doctor's like, man, we almost lost you. 441 00:21:34,440 --> 00:21:37,159 Speaker 2: And I looked at him and I said, ah, should 442 00:21:37,160 --> 00:21:39,080 Speaker 2: have just let me go. And I threw my hands 443 00:21:39,119 --> 00:21:41,720 Speaker 2: up and I was very pissed. I was mad. I 444 00:21:41,840 --> 00:21:45,159 Speaker 2: just said, you should have just let me go. And 445 00:21:45,200 --> 00:21:48,399 Speaker 2: then they called suicide watch and they had nurses stand 446 00:21:48,400 --> 00:21:50,199 Speaker 2: over me and watch me. I was in the hospital 447 00:21:50,200 --> 00:21:51,480 Speaker 2: for three days. I think it was an ICU for 448 00:21:51,520 --> 00:21:53,080 Speaker 2: like two or three days, but then in the hospital 449 00:21:53,119 --> 00:21:56,119 Speaker 2: regular hospital room for another four days. And that was 450 00:21:56,119 --> 00:21:58,520 Speaker 2: the beginning of the year of twenty eleven. Then I 451 00:21:58,560 --> 00:22:01,840 Speaker 2: went off and won two more belts. I knocked out 452 00:22:01,840 --> 00:22:06,000 Speaker 2: Owen Beck and then I knocked out Byron Pauli. Then 453 00:22:06,119 --> 00:22:08,560 Speaker 2: after Byron Pauli, I was like, now we're in the 454 00:22:08,600 --> 00:22:11,200 Speaker 2: sights of a heavyweight championship of the world to fight 455 00:22:11,280 --> 00:22:14,400 Speaker 2: Klitchko or someone like that. We are right there, We're 456 00:22:14,440 --> 00:22:18,280 Speaker 2: getting offers, we're sending in offers, we're getting counteroffers, and 457 00:22:18,320 --> 00:22:20,200 Speaker 2: the world's ready to open up for me. And for 458 00:22:20,240 --> 00:22:23,200 Speaker 2: some reason, I just felt more pressure than I ever 459 00:22:23,240 --> 00:22:27,040 Speaker 2: have in my life. And I'm juggling all the extremes. Remember, 460 00:22:27,760 --> 00:22:30,320 Speaker 2: so after the Byron poly fight in December, so if 461 00:22:30,359 --> 00:22:33,080 Speaker 2: that happened in February. In December, after the Byron Poly fight, 462 00:22:33,880 --> 00:22:36,240 Speaker 2: I go out with my friends once again because I'm 463 00:22:36,240 --> 00:22:38,120 Speaker 2: getting ready to go back to training camp to train 464 00:22:38,200 --> 00:22:41,760 Speaker 2: for a much tougher fight. And I'm out in Scottsdale, 465 00:22:41,800 --> 00:22:44,080 Speaker 2: and of course I'm on drugs and I'm drinking again, 466 00:22:45,400 --> 00:22:47,159 Speaker 2: walking out of a bar, and I know there had 467 00:22:47,200 --> 00:22:48,760 Speaker 2: to have been an altercation in the bar, and I 468 00:22:48,800 --> 00:22:51,240 Speaker 2: don't remember exactly what it was because I was three 469 00:22:51,320 --> 00:22:54,320 Speaker 2: sheets to the wind. As I'm walking out, I hear 470 00:22:54,359 --> 00:22:58,399 Speaker 2: footsteps behind me faster and faster and faster, and then 471 00:22:58,440 --> 00:23:00,840 Speaker 2: I turn around and next thing you know, I'm surrounded 472 00:23:00,880 --> 00:23:04,199 Speaker 2: by about four or five men, and one of the 473 00:23:04,240 --> 00:23:06,240 Speaker 2: guys says, hey, man, I just want to shake your hand. 474 00:23:06,800 --> 00:23:09,480 Speaker 2: I'm swaying back and forth because I'm so drunk. I 475 00:23:09,520 --> 00:23:11,760 Speaker 2: stick out my hand to shake his hand, and out 476 00:23:11,800 --> 00:23:14,400 Speaker 2: of my peripheral vision, I see, like how a fish 477 00:23:14,440 --> 00:23:16,920 Speaker 2: would see a fishing lure. I saw something silver shine, 478 00:23:17,400 --> 00:23:22,080 Speaker 2: and as I tilt my head up, boom, and I 479 00:23:22,200 --> 00:23:25,240 Speaker 2: just feel my whole jaw gets slid open from my 480 00:23:25,280 --> 00:23:27,520 Speaker 2: ear all the way through my throat up into my lip, 481 00:23:28,160 --> 00:23:30,440 Speaker 2: and I leaned over and all my blood just starts 482 00:23:30,480 --> 00:23:33,399 Speaker 2: pouring out of my neck. And I thought, right then 483 00:23:33,440 --> 00:23:36,359 Speaker 2: and there, I'm dead. This is it. It's over. I 484 00:23:36,520 --> 00:23:40,440 Speaker 2: just got killed. And I see one of my friends 485 00:23:40,480 --> 00:23:42,480 Speaker 2: out of my peripheral vision come running up, going what's 486 00:23:42,520 --> 00:23:45,520 Speaker 2: going on here? And I hear all these screams and yells, 487 00:23:45,520 --> 00:23:47,240 Speaker 2: and then all of a sudden, he lifts his arms 488 00:23:47,320 --> 00:23:50,720 Speaker 2: up and they started viciously stabbing him in the arm. 489 00:23:52,320 --> 00:23:54,479 Speaker 2: He falls on top of me, and I remember like 490 00:23:54,520 --> 00:23:56,240 Speaker 2: he got stabbed three or four times in the arm 491 00:23:56,280 --> 00:23:58,160 Speaker 2: and shoulder, and he didn't even care. He was looking 492 00:23:58,200 --> 00:24:00,040 Speaker 2: at me. He's like, don't die on me, Dave. I 493 00:24:00,040 --> 00:24:02,959 Speaker 2: don't die. And next thing you know, I wake up, 494 00:24:03,000 --> 00:24:06,760 Speaker 2: I'm in the ambulance and blood is all over the EMS. 495 00:24:07,440 --> 00:24:09,320 Speaker 2: I saw worry on their face, and I just I 496 00:24:09,320 --> 00:24:11,399 Speaker 2: don't know why I did this, but I did. I 497 00:24:11,400 --> 00:24:14,280 Speaker 2: stopped and I said, hey, guys, guys, guys, please calm down. 498 00:24:14,680 --> 00:24:17,200 Speaker 2: I'm clean, because I knew my blood was all over them, 499 00:24:17,240 --> 00:24:19,600 Speaker 2: and they looked. I don't know. I just thought that 500 00:24:19,680 --> 00:24:21,199 Speaker 2: was the right thing to say, and then I blocked 501 00:24:21,240 --> 00:24:23,560 Speaker 2: out and that was it. That's all I remember. I 502 00:24:23,600 --> 00:24:25,720 Speaker 2: wake up a day and a half later and I 503 00:24:25,760 --> 00:24:28,119 Speaker 2: have three hundred and sixty nine stitches in my face 504 00:24:29,080 --> 00:24:31,320 Speaker 2: and a cosmetic surgeon just happened to be on call 505 00:24:31,400 --> 00:24:34,560 Speaker 2: that night that was there to fix my face the 506 00:24:34,600 --> 00:24:37,800 Speaker 2: way he did. But little did I know. You know, 507 00:24:37,840 --> 00:24:40,640 Speaker 2: they didn't take my life that night, but they definitely 508 00:24:40,680 --> 00:24:42,640 Speaker 2: took my career, and I wouldn't find that out till later. 509 00:24:42,960 --> 00:24:44,640 Speaker 1: I don't want to take you to recover. I mean, 510 00:24:44,640 --> 00:24:46,200 Speaker 1: it sounded like a pretty terrible wound. 511 00:24:47,000 --> 00:24:52,520 Speaker 2: I mean, physically, I guess a year, but emotionally, I'm 512 00:24:52,520 --> 00:24:56,760 Speaker 2: still recovering to be honest, I don't remember their faces. 513 00:24:56,800 --> 00:24:57,760 Speaker 2: They never got caught. 514 00:24:58,440 --> 00:25:02,160 Speaker 1: So here you are. Now you've been beaten up, scarred, 515 00:25:02,720 --> 00:25:06,360 Speaker 1: almost killed, but you decided to go back to boxing. 516 00:25:08,080 --> 00:25:10,359 Speaker 2: Yeah. The WBC had me in the top ten and 517 00:25:10,440 --> 00:25:14,440 Speaker 2: the WBA, and like I said, I was getting positioned 518 00:25:14,440 --> 00:25:17,040 Speaker 2: for a championship fight, and they put me on medical leave. 519 00:25:18,000 --> 00:25:19,639 Speaker 2: I went out to Las Vegas and I got with 520 00:25:19,720 --> 00:25:22,680 Speaker 2: another whole different team. So I've moved from two teams 521 00:25:23,400 --> 00:25:25,240 Speaker 2: and I got with a different team and I signed 522 00:25:25,280 --> 00:25:29,159 Speaker 2: with Main Events, and we thought it was to get me. 523 00:25:29,680 --> 00:25:33,159 Speaker 2: I guess a journeyman, a tune up fight before I 524 00:25:33,160 --> 00:25:34,880 Speaker 2: could get back in the ring again against a guy 525 00:25:34,880 --> 00:25:37,800 Speaker 2: that's in the top ten. And they got me a 526 00:25:37,840 --> 00:25:41,119 Speaker 2: guy named Johan something. He was six foot eight six ' nine, 527 00:25:41,480 --> 00:25:44,320 Speaker 2: big guy. So I'm getting ready for this fight. I'm 528 00:25:44,359 --> 00:25:48,720 Speaker 2: sparring big big men. I'm crouching down low, I'm exploding 529 00:25:48,840 --> 00:25:51,320 Speaker 2: up Bob Bob Bob, knocking guys out in the sparring. 530 00:25:51,960 --> 00:25:54,359 Speaker 2: I'm looking really good. I'm ready for this fight. And 531 00:25:54,400 --> 00:25:58,320 Speaker 2: then a week before the fight, he pulls out and 532 00:25:58,560 --> 00:26:00,440 Speaker 2: they come at me and they say, hey, he pulled 533 00:26:00,440 --> 00:26:02,040 Speaker 2: out of the fight. But I was already in shape. 534 00:26:02,040 --> 00:26:03,360 Speaker 2: I was ready to fight, and they go, we got 535 00:26:03,359 --> 00:26:06,320 Speaker 2: a replacement for you, and that was Darnell Wilson. And 536 00:26:06,359 --> 00:26:08,520 Speaker 2: I said, Darnell Wilson, and this guy's five to ten. 537 00:26:09,359 --> 00:26:11,800 Speaker 2: He's a completely different style than what I was training for. 538 00:26:11,880 --> 00:26:14,520 Speaker 2: But I took the fight anyway because I didn't want 539 00:26:14,520 --> 00:26:16,639 Speaker 2: to look like a coward. I was ready and I 540 00:26:16,720 --> 00:26:20,399 Speaker 2: just wanted to fight. But I had so much emotional 541 00:26:20,440 --> 00:26:25,520 Speaker 2: baggage and so much just distraught and frustration with my life, 542 00:26:25,600 --> 00:26:27,720 Speaker 2: and just after being attacked with a knife, it took 543 00:26:27,720 --> 00:26:30,480 Speaker 2: something out of my soul. I got into that ring 544 00:26:30,840 --> 00:26:34,560 Speaker 2: with Darnall Wilson, I just felt everything was off. I 545 00:26:34,800 --> 00:26:36,959 Speaker 2: just unleashed hell on him and we had I think 546 00:26:37,000 --> 00:26:38,960 Speaker 2: we had the fight of the year. We just were 547 00:26:39,000 --> 00:26:41,040 Speaker 2: trading punchers for six round straight. It was just a 548 00:26:41,080 --> 00:26:44,520 Speaker 2: crazy fight. And then the last ten seconds of the 549 00:26:44,600 --> 00:26:49,600 Speaker 2: last round you hear the and boom he caught me 550 00:26:49,600 --> 00:26:52,879 Speaker 2: with the left hook, knocked me out. All I remember 551 00:26:52,920 --> 00:26:55,639 Speaker 2: is waking up off the canvas and I see him 552 00:26:55,720 --> 00:26:58,160 Speaker 2: jumping up and down, and immediately I knew I lost. 553 00:26:58,160 --> 00:27:01,639 Speaker 2: And let me tell you, that feeling was worse than 554 00:27:01,680 --> 00:27:04,920 Speaker 2: getting stabbed in the throat for me, that feeling right there, 555 00:27:05,000 --> 00:27:09,280 Speaker 2: knowing that I threw it all away, I blew it 556 00:27:09,359 --> 00:27:14,359 Speaker 2: was worse for me so much more. And I cannot 557 00:27:14,400 --> 00:27:17,160 Speaker 2: tell you how I felt after that. My whole life 558 00:27:17,240 --> 00:27:20,399 Speaker 2: was just like a nuclear bomb went off. And I 559 00:27:20,440 --> 00:27:22,720 Speaker 2: tried to come back on another fight, got knocked out 560 00:27:22,720 --> 00:27:24,560 Speaker 2: in that fight as well. I wasn't recovered from the 561 00:27:24,640 --> 00:27:29,320 Speaker 2: last fight. So now I'm thirty six and two, no 562 00:27:29,400 --> 00:27:32,120 Speaker 2: longer thirty six and oh, and my whole life has 563 00:27:32,240 --> 00:27:35,159 Speaker 2: just gone, and everything I've ever worked for since I 564 00:27:35,200 --> 00:27:39,240 Speaker 2: was a kid just blew up in my face. Then 565 00:27:39,280 --> 00:27:41,680 Speaker 2: I get back in the ring. I win the last fight, 566 00:27:41,960 --> 00:27:44,280 Speaker 2: but I throw my back out, which needed an emergency 567 00:27:44,320 --> 00:27:49,280 Speaker 2: back surgery. So all these things just aligned, and you know, 568 00:27:49,400 --> 00:27:51,560 Speaker 2: ultimately the end of my career was thirty seven and 569 00:27:51,600 --> 00:27:54,119 Speaker 2: two with I think thirty five knockouts, twenty five in 570 00:27:54,160 --> 00:27:56,679 Speaker 2: the first round. But I still hold the record for 571 00:27:56,720 --> 00:27:59,560 Speaker 2: the most first round knockouts. But I could have done 572 00:27:59,600 --> 00:28:02,880 Speaker 2: a lot more, and I totally I have to say 573 00:28:02,960 --> 00:28:07,159 Speaker 2: I blame it on my drug and alcohol problem that 574 00:28:07,200 --> 00:28:07,600 Speaker 2: I had. 575 00:28:23,520 --> 00:28:27,040 Speaker 1: So how hard was it for you to go through 576 00:28:27,200 --> 00:28:32,040 Speaker 1: withdraw and to function without dependence on the drugs. 577 00:28:33,160 --> 00:28:35,520 Speaker 2: Well, those were always just an escape. I was going 578 00:28:35,560 --> 00:28:37,520 Speaker 2: through so much and boxing and so much of my 579 00:28:37,640 --> 00:28:39,480 Speaker 2: life that I didn't know how to handle it. I 580 00:28:39,520 --> 00:28:44,120 Speaker 2: didn't have the right I don't know what you would say. 581 00:28:44,160 --> 00:28:47,360 Speaker 2: I just mentally just there was just so much pressure 582 00:28:47,360 --> 00:28:48,719 Speaker 2: on me. I just didn't know how to handle it. 583 00:28:48,720 --> 00:28:51,080 Speaker 2: It was just too much. I didn't know I was 584 00:28:51,120 --> 00:28:55,440 Speaker 2: going to be this undefeated prospect, and I don't understand. 585 00:28:55,480 --> 00:28:57,320 Speaker 2: I was just every time I drank or did drugs 586 00:28:57,440 --> 00:29:00,800 Speaker 2: was escape from reality. I was having a good time 587 00:29:00,840 --> 00:29:04,320 Speaker 2: with my friends. I was womanizing and doing all of it. 588 00:29:04,320 --> 00:29:05,800 Speaker 2: Do you know what, young guys? Do you know? And 589 00:29:05,840 --> 00:29:08,280 Speaker 2: I just I thought I had all the time in 590 00:29:08,280 --> 00:29:10,800 Speaker 2: the world. I guess I just didn't, you know, And 591 00:29:10,840 --> 00:29:12,760 Speaker 2: I just live and learn. I guess. You know, father 592 00:29:12,840 --> 00:29:13,800 Speaker 2: time is undefeated. 593 00:29:14,120 --> 00:29:16,680 Speaker 1: So you turn from that though. You took those lessons, 594 00:29:17,480 --> 00:29:21,520 Speaker 1: and you've really focused your life on helping children who 595 00:29:21,520 --> 00:29:24,080 Speaker 1: were bullied. Talk to us about that. 596 00:29:25,760 --> 00:29:28,840 Speaker 2: Well, a friend saw me in the gym. I stopped 597 00:29:28,880 --> 00:29:30,360 Speaker 2: going to the boxing gym and I went to the 598 00:29:30,400 --> 00:29:32,400 Speaker 2: weightlifting gym, and there was a guy there. His name 599 00:29:32,400 --> 00:29:34,880 Speaker 2: is Salmontelongo. God rest his soul. He just passed away 600 00:29:34,920 --> 00:29:37,840 Speaker 2: last year. He was my age and he was a 601 00:29:37,840 --> 00:29:40,240 Speaker 2: professional basketball player in Mexico and he would see me 602 00:29:40,280 --> 00:29:41,640 Speaker 2: coming to the gym and he came up to me. 603 00:29:41,680 --> 00:29:44,080 Speaker 2: He goes, Dave, I can tell you're depressed. He goes, 604 00:29:44,120 --> 00:29:46,000 Speaker 2: you gotta do something, man. He was come with me 605 00:29:46,040 --> 00:29:49,680 Speaker 2: in my program and help me help kids. And I 606 00:29:49,720 --> 00:29:52,320 Speaker 2: was like, man, I'm nobody to help anybody. I don't 607 00:29:52,320 --> 00:29:53,920 Speaker 2: want to help anybody. What am I going to say. 608 00:29:53,920 --> 00:29:56,520 Speaker 2: I'm a loser, I'm a failure. He's like, Oh, you're 609 00:29:56,560 --> 00:29:58,600 Speaker 2: the champ. You're all pass those champ You got to 610 00:29:58,880 --> 00:30:01,239 Speaker 2: talk to the kids. And I was like, that's for 611 00:30:01,280 --> 00:30:04,000 Speaker 2: someone else. And he kept bugging me every day and 612 00:30:04,040 --> 00:30:05,400 Speaker 2: it was to the point that I was like, oh, 613 00:30:05,440 --> 00:30:07,080 Speaker 2: I'd see the guy and I'd go the other direction 614 00:30:07,240 --> 00:30:09,040 Speaker 2: and I was just like, oh gosh, here it comes, 615 00:30:09,400 --> 00:30:11,240 Speaker 2: and he come walking up through me. Hey, Champ, I 616 00:30:11,280 --> 00:30:13,360 Speaker 2: have you made up your mind? I'm like, dude, you 617 00:30:13,440 --> 00:30:15,600 Speaker 2: bothered me so much. I'm going to do it one time. 618 00:30:16,200 --> 00:30:17,840 Speaker 2: One time, I'm doing this for you and then leave 619 00:30:17,840 --> 00:30:21,600 Speaker 2: me alone. I did it one time and it just 620 00:30:21,720 --> 00:30:23,400 Speaker 2: grew on me and I let me tell you, I 621 00:30:23,440 --> 00:30:25,600 Speaker 2: showed up to the school in front of an audience 622 00:30:25,640 --> 00:30:28,760 Speaker 2: of about two thousand kids, and I got this strange, 623 00:30:28,800 --> 00:30:32,480 Speaker 2: little like return of an adrenaline rush. Nothing like boxing, 624 00:30:32,560 --> 00:30:35,880 Speaker 2: but something like that resembled it a little bit. And 625 00:30:36,480 --> 00:30:38,640 Speaker 2: I smelled like a liquor cabinet because I was out 626 00:30:38,720 --> 00:30:41,240 Speaker 2: drinking the night before. And I got up there and 627 00:30:41,240 --> 00:30:43,480 Speaker 2: I started talking about how I was bullied as a kid, 628 00:30:43,520 --> 00:30:46,160 Speaker 2: and the kids started laughing at my stories. And then 629 00:30:46,160 --> 00:30:47,800 Speaker 2: I could see the kids that were in the audience 630 00:30:47,800 --> 00:30:50,240 Speaker 2: that were being picked on, and I knew I was 631 00:30:50,320 --> 00:30:53,280 Speaker 2: resonating with them, and all of a sudden, it just 632 00:30:53,320 --> 00:30:54,760 Speaker 2: took a life of its own, and I was like, 633 00:30:54,800 --> 00:30:56,920 Speaker 2: you know what, sal I go, I'm going to do 634 00:30:56,960 --> 00:30:58,440 Speaker 2: this again. Man, you got it. I'm going to do 635 00:30:58,480 --> 00:31:01,000 Speaker 2: And I wasn't making any money. I was broke. I 636 00:31:01,040 --> 00:31:03,600 Speaker 2: was living on a couch, but I had my only 637 00:31:03,680 --> 00:31:05,880 Speaker 2: suit in the closet I'd put on and go out 638 00:31:05,880 --> 00:31:07,720 Speaker 2: there and talk to these kids. I'd take it to 639 00:31:07,760 --> 00:31:10,400 Speaker 2: the dry cleaners every day three days to get the 640 00:31:10,400 --> 00:31:13,200 Speaker 2: same suit clean, you know, and get out to the 641 00:31:13,240 --> 00:31:15,280 Speaker 2: schools and talk to these kids. And all of a sudden, 642 00:31:15,320 --> 00:31:19,320 Speaker 2: I felt dissatisfaction from it. And then the next thing, 643 00:31:19,360 --> 00:31:22,320 Speaker 2: you know, I'm feeling like, man, I feel like a hypocrite. 644 00:31:22,320 --> 00:31:25,000 Speaker 2: Here I am showing up hungover to talk to these 645 00:31:25,080 --> 00:31:28,080 Speaker 2: kids and how they needed to change their life, and 646 00:31:28,120 --> 00:31:30,880 Speaker 2: how I was bullied. And here I am a drunk 647 00:31:31,760 --> 00:31:34,440 Speaker 2: talking to these kids. But that was really the first 648 00:31:34,440 --> 00:31:36,440 Speaker 2: step towards my sobriety. To be honest with. 649 00:31:36,400 --> 00:31:40,160 Speaker 1: You in that sense, the kids were helping you change 650 00:31:40,200 --> 00:31:41,640 Speaker 1: as much as you were helping them. 651 00:31:42,240 --> 00:31:44,920 Speaker 2: They were helping me much more, much more. 652 00:31:45,120 --> 00:31:48,000 Speaker 1: I'm curious about two things. One, what kind of role 653 00:31:48,040 --> 00:31:51,640 Speaker 1: does your faith play? We went to a Catholic school system. 654 00:31:52,040 --> 00:31:52,760 Speaker 1: Does it matter? 655 00:31:53,760 --> 00:31:56,760 Speaker 2: Well. I was always a big believer in God, and 656 00:31:56,800 --> 00:31:58,480 Speaker 2: I still am to this day. In fact, I believe 657 00:31:58,520 --> 00:32:00,800 Speaker 2: more in Christ than I ever have before. But during 658 00:32:00,840 --> 00:32:02,920 Speaker 2: that time I would say I was just a fair 659 00:32:02,960 --> 00:32:06,200 Speaker 2: weather type of Christian. I wasn't really. I was like, yeah, yeah, 660 00:32:06,200 --> 00:32:07,520 Speaker 2: I know how to play the Rosary, I know how 661 00:32:07,560 --> 00:32:10,800 Speaker 2: to say the Our Father, the Hail Mary, and my consciousness, 662 00:32:10,880 --> 00:32:13,479 Speaker 2: I thought, was just so much bigger than that. I 663 00:32:13,600 --> 00:32:17,520 Speaker 2: was learning about all things, you know, dimensional and trans 664 00:32:17,680 --> 00:32:21,600 Speaker 2: interdimensional travel and aliens, and I was watching ancient aliens 665 00:32:21,640 --> 00:32:23,959 Speaker 2: and sacred geometry, and I was into all this stuff, 666 00:32:24,000 --> 00:32:27,400 Speaker 2: and I was just really just a believer of all things, 667 00:32:27,400 --> 00:32:30,320 Speaker 2: but not certain in one until recently, by the way, 668 00:32:30,400 --> 00:32:32,760 Speaker 2: But I don't know, but I always believed in a 669 00:32:32,840 --> 00:32:35,880 Speaker 2: higher calling. I always believed in a higher I always 670 00:32:35,880 --> 00:32:39,280 Speaker 2: believed in God. And that's really although I was completely 671 00:32:39,280 --> 00:32:44,440 Speaker 2: depressed and completely blackness, I still had. Even though the 672 00:32:44,640 --> 00:32:48,160 Speaker 2: fire was completely out in my soul, I still had 673 00:32:48,240 --> 00:32:52,080 Speaker 2: a little coal that was burning, and I knew that 674 00:32:52,160 --> 00:32:55,720 Speaker 2: if I could just stoke, that I could return somehow. 675 00:32:55,880 --> 00:32:57,920 Speaker 2: Now I really thought of my mind it would be boxing, 676 00:32:57,960 --> 00:33:00,360 Speaker 2: but it turned out not to be boxing. But I 677 00:33:00,400 --> 00:33:06,000 Speaker 2: still had that small remnant of a cold burning in 678 00:33:06,040 --> 00:33:08,640 Speaker 2: my chest that I could still be something. And that's 679 00:33:08,640 --> 00:33:10,480 Speaker 2: the only faith I had was God was going to 680 00:33:10,480 --> 00:33:13,680 Speaker 2: see me through this rough and terrible, turbulent time. 681 00:33:14,200 --> 00:33:18,680 Speaker 1: Your podcast is Nino's Corner, It's on Rumble, It's on 682 00:33:18,840 --> 00:33:22,320 Speaker 1: Nino's Corner TV, it's on YouTube. And I understand you 683 00:33:22,360 --> 00:33:26,120 Speaker 1: get like eighty million views a year. How did you 684 00:33:26,120 --> 00:33:28,040 Speaker 1: get into the podcast business. 685 00:33:28,480 --> 00:33:31,800 Speaker 2: It was a complete accident. So this is how God works, right, 686 00:33:32,360 --> 00:33:35,960 Speaker 2: I was newly sober. I just decided in twenty nineteen, 687 00:33:36,440 --> 00:33:40,080 Speaker 2: on the twenty sixth, December twenty sixth, twenty nineteen, I 688 00:33:40,120 --> 00:33:42,440 Speaker 2: was at a bar and I was looking at my 689 00:33:42,520 --> 00:33:44,840 Speaker 2: friends and I was about to commit suicide. I really 690 00:33:44,840 --> 00:33:47,560 Speaker 2: felt I already wrote my book. The book was mainly 691 00:33:47,600 --> 00:33:50,200 Speaker 2: for my family. I wanted them to really just know 692 00:33:50,240 --> 00:33:54,400 Speaker 2: who I was before I took myself out. I was 693 00:33:54,440 --> 00:33:57,440 Speaker 2: severely depressed. I was so depressed. I remember that Thanksgiving 694 00:33:57,480 --> 00:33:59,360 Speaker 2: that they had to pull me out of the bar 695 00:33:59,440 --> 00:34:01,360 Speaker 2: to take me to Thanksgiving dinner. Then then when I got 696 00:34:01,400 --> 00:34:03,360 Speaker 2: to Thanksgiving dinner, they kicked me out of the house 697 00:34:03,520 --> 00:34:05,760 Speaker 2: because I was so drunk. That's just the way my 698 00:34:05,800 --> 00:34:10,120 Speaker 2: life was. And well, it turned out December twenty sixth 699 00:34:10,160 --> 00:34:12,719 Speaker 2: of twenty nineteen, I just got out of the hospital 700 00:34:12,760 --> 00:34:16,800 Speaker 2: for heart problems due to drinking and cocaine and adderall 701 00:34:16,920 --> 00:34:21,320 Speaker 2: the whole thing, and I had a aphibulation. And December 702 00:34:21,400 --> 00:34:24,520 Speaker 2: twenty sixth, that next month, I'm at the bar with 703 00:34:24,560 --> 00:34:28,080 Speaker 2: my friends and I just looked at them and I 704 00:34:28,160 --> 00:34:31,359 Speaker 2: thought to myself, Wow, I really have not given God 705 00:34:31,400 --> 00:34:35,160 Speaker 2: a chance. I've really never if I do take myself out, 706 00:34:35,239 --> 00:34:38,280 Speaker 2: and I'm just saying real talk here, have I ever 707 00:34:38,320 --> 00:34:42,200 Speaker 2: really given God a chance? Have I ever really quit drinking. 708 00:34:42,360 --> 00:34:44,359 Speaker 2: Did I ever really give that a chance? I mean, 709 00:34:44,640 --> 00:34:47,719 Speaker 2: did I explore all options? And the answer was no. 710 00:34:48,920 --> 00:34:51,200 Speaker 2: So I was at a bar with my friends and 711 00:34:51,239 --> 00:34:54,160 Speaker 2: I was drinking, and I looked at them, and I 712 00:34:54,200 --> 00:34:57,160 Speaker 2: looked at the mirror behind the bar and saw myself, 713 00:34:57,200 --> 00:34:59,400 Speaker 2: and I said to myself, first, I don't want to 714 00:34:59,440 --> 00:35:01,680 Speaker 2: be like these guys in five years. And then I 715 00:35:01,680 --> 00:35:04,320 Speaker 2: looked at myself in the mirror in my reflection, I go, Wow, 716 00:35:04,440 --> 00:35:07,600 Speaker 2: this is who I am now. And I put the 717 00:35:07,600 --> 00:35:10,320 Speaker 2: beer down and I said, if I don't leave right now, 718 00:35:10,440 --> 00:35:13,760 Speaker 2: right here, I'll continue drinking for the rest of my life, 719 00:35:13,760 --> 00:35:16,719 Speaker 2: and I will die a drunk. I waved at them, 720 00:35:16,760 --> 00:35:18,319 Speaker 2: and I walked out of the bar and said I'm 721 00:35:18,320 --> 00:35:20,880 Speaker 2: out of here, guys, and I never returned ever again. 722 00:35:21,560 --> 00:35:25,719 Speaker 2: Now fast forward three months later, I'm freshly sober. I'm 723 00:35:25,719 --> 00:35:29,839 Speaker 2: in my backyard and I'm doing Facebook lives. And as 724 00:35:29,840 --> 00:35:32,560 Speaker 2: I'm doing Facebook lives, I'm just candidly talking like I 725 00:35:32,640 --> 00:35:35,479 Speaker 2: am to you, just talking. And I got like maybe 726 00:35:35,560 --> 00:35:38,040 Speaker 2: three thousand people on a live, five thousand people just 727 00:35:38,080 --> 00:35:40,239 Speaker 2: listening to me go on and on about my sobriety. 728 00:35:41,000 --> 00:35:42,600 Speaker 2: And I was really the first one to kick the 729 00:35:42,600 --> 00:35:46,319 Speaker 2: door open for this. Right before twenty twenty hit, the 730 00:35:46,400 --> 00:35:50,279 Speaker 2: movie Out of Shadows came out. The documentary, and it 731 00:35:50,400 --> 00:35:53,440 Speaker 2: was right at the same time. I started talking about 732 00:35:53,640 --> 00:35:59,799 Speaker 2: pedophilia and the problem that's within Hollywood and politicians and 733 00:35:59,840 --> 00:36:02,239 Speaker 2: all the stuff, and I just laid into it. Man, 734 00:36:02,360 --> 00:36:04,279 Speaker 2: I just went all in. And it was the first 735 00:36:04,320 --> 00:36:07,800 Speaker 2: time anybody really heard anything like that, and it went viral. 736 00:36:08,280 --> 00:36:10,759 Speaker 2: Like I had no idea that that video was going 737 00:36:10,800 --> 00:36:13,200 Speaker 2: to do anything at all. So I'm sitting there, I 738 00:36:13,280 --> 00:36:15,759 Speaker 2: turn off my Facebook Live. Like I said, three thousand people. 739 00:36:15,840 --> 00:36:17,720 Speaker 2: By the end of the night, it usually gets five thousand, 740 00:36:17,760 --> 00:36:20,200 Speaker 2: ten thousand views. And by the end of the night, 741 00:36:20,480 --> 00:36:22,360 Speaker 2: I go back and check my Facebook and I'm like, 742 00:36:22,400 --> 00:36:24,920 Speaker 2: wait a minute, this can't be right. Two hundred thousand views. 743 00:36:25,360 --> 00:36:27,719 Speaker 2: Then next thing you know, I'm like five hundred thousand views. 744 00:36:27,760 --> 00:36:29,560 Speaker 2: I was like, what's going on here? Next thing you know, 745 00:36:29,560 --> 00:36:31,920 Speaker 2: I'm putting my phone down and I'm putting it on 746 00:36:31,920 --> 00:36:34,719 Speaker 2: the dresser and then notifications are going off and it's 747 00:36:34,719 --> 00:36:40,240 Speaker 2: going killing my battery because I'm getting so many notifications. 748 00:36:40,560 --> 00:36:43,439 Speaker 2: Now I'm thinking to myself, oh, I'm dead. They're gonna 749 00:36:43,480 --> 00:36:45,719 Speaker 2: come after me. Whoever the hell I pissed off, and 750 00:36:45,760 --> 00:36:49,320 Speaker 2: I'm sitting there just sweating bullets. I remove it off Facebook, 751 00:36:49,320 --> 00:36:51,799 Speaker 2: but it's already been copy and pasted everywhere, so it's 752 00:36:51,840 --> 00:36:53,759 Speaker 2: all over Instagram and it's all over everywhere, and it 753 00:36:53,760 --> 00:36:56,360 Speaker 2: gets millions of views, to the point that it's getting 754 00:36:56,880 --> 00:37:01,000 Speaker 2: translated in Chinese and German all these other languages, and 755 00:37:01,000 --> 00:37:02,560 Speaker 2: people are sending this to me, and I'm like, oh, 756 00:37:02,640 --> 00:37:04,600 Speaker 2: I have people that I haven't talked to in a 757 00:37:04,719 --> 00:37:06,960 Speaker 2: decade calling me saying, dude, do you really say this? 758 00:37:07,040 --> 00:37:11,040 Speaker 2: I'm like, oh my god. It was a complete accident. Okay, 759 00:37:11,360 --> 00:37:15,640 Speaker 2: this was not something I planned. It was a complete accident. 760 00:37:15,840 --> 00:37:18,239 Speaker 2: And then from there, I was like, I can either 761 00:37:18,280 --> 00:37:20,400 Speaker 2: run from this or pray about it. I prayed about it, 762 00:37:20,400 --> 00:37:21,799 Speaker 2: and I was like, I did run from this or 763 00:37:21,800 --> 00:37:25,359 Speaker 2: embrace it. I decided to embrace it. I started going 764 00:37:25,400 --> 00:37:27,840 Speaker 2: on shows. Next thing, you know, I'm buying a computer. 765 00:37:27,880 --> 00:37:30,960 Speaker 2: I never had a computer, and I'm plugging in a mic. 766 00:37:31,000 --> 00:37:33,239 Speaker 2: I'm buying a mic. I'm buying a light. Next thing 767 00:37:33,239 --> 00:37:36,520 Speaker 2: you know, I'm like doing podcasts. And I swear it 768 00:37:36,600 --> 00:37:40,280 Speaker 2: just happened like that. Nothing ever was planned. I didn't 769 00:37:40,320 --> 00:37:42,640 Speaker 2: plan any of this. If you want to know the truth, 770 00:37:42,719 --> 00:37:44,359 Speaker 2: I didn't sit down the pen and paper and say 771 00:37:44,360 --> 00:37:46,359 Speaker 2: how am I going to be a podcaster. I had 772 00:37:46,360 --> 00:37:48,680 Speaker 2: no desire to be a podcaster. I had no desire 773 00:37:48,719 --> 00:37:50,520 Speaker 2: to do any of this. It just took off on 774 00:37:50,560 --> 00:37:51,960 Speaker 2: its own and created a life of his own. 775 00:37:52,360 --> 00:37:55,080 Speaker 1: Well, it's an amazing story, and people can go to 776 00:37:55,200 --> 00:38:00,360 Speaker 1: Nino's corner. You know, you're really a remarkable person in 777 00:38:00,440 --> 00:38:03,720 Speaker 1: that you have sort of lived your life as opposed 778 00:38:03,760 --> 00:38:06,400 Speaker 1: to planning and being in the shadows and what have you. 779 00:38:06,800 --> 00:38:09,919 Speaker 1: I admire your courage and no matter what happened, you've 780 00:38:09,920 --> 00:38:13,120 Speaker 1: got up and put another foot forward and kept trying. 781 00:38:13,880 --> 00:38:15,680 Speaker 2: I was a risk taker, and I just thought you 782 00:38:15,719 --> 00:38:18,480 Speaker 2: get more taken a risk than not. And it's just 783 00:38:18,480 --> 00:38:20,080 Speaker 2: like gambling. You got to go in there willing to 784 00:38:20,120 --> 00:38:22,040 Speaker 2: win big, but you got to be willing to lose big, 785 00:38:22,800 --> 00:38:24,719 Speaker 2: and if you lose big, you got to come back 786 00:38:24,800 --> 00:38:25,440 Speaker 2: and try again. 787 00:38:26,400 --> 00:38:30,560 Speaker 1: You have a fascinating American story. People have the opportunity 788 00:38:30,560 --> 00:38:32,719 Speaker 1: if they have the courage and they're willing to put 789 00:38:32,719 --> 00:38:35,759 Speaker 1: in the time and effort, amazing things can happen. And 790 00:38:35,800 --> 00:38:38,080 Speaker 1: you're an example, you know, Dave, I want to thank 791 00:38:38,120 --> 00:38:41,560 Speaker 1: you for joining me. Your book, When the Lights Go 792 00:38:41,640 --> 00:38:44,640 Speaker 1: Out is a great read. It's available now on Amazon 793 00:38:45,000 --> 00:38:49,319 Speaker 1: and in bookstores everywhere. Your podcast, Nino's Corner can be 794 00:38:49,360 --> 00:38:53,240 Speaker 1: found on Rumble, at Nino's Corner TV and on YouTube. 795 00:38:53,719 --> 00:38:56,680 Speaker 1: You're really an amazing guy and this has been a 796 00:38:56,800 --> 00:38:59,040 Speaker 1: remarkably fun conversation. 797 00:38:59,440 --> 00:39:01,960 Speaker 2: I appreciate. Thank you so much for having me on 798 00:39:02,040 --> 00:39:04,120 Speaker 2: as a privilege. When I found out I was going 799 00:39:04,200 --> 00:39:06,319 Speaker 2: to be on with the great Newt Gingrich, I was like, Ah, 800 00:39:06,360 --> 00:39:09,240 Speaker 2: this is cool. I'm going somewhere. Looks like I'm goid somewhere. 801 00:39:12,400 --> 00:39:15,759 Speaker 1: Thank you to my guests David Nino Rodriguez. You can 802 00:39:15,760 --> 00:39:18,240 Speaker 1: get a link to buy his book When the Lights 803 00:39:18,280 --> 00:39:21,600 Speaker 1: Go Out on our show page at newtsworld dot com. 804 00:39:21,960 --> 00:39:25,280 Speaker 1: New World is produced by Gingish three sixty and iHeartMedia. 805 00:39:25,719 --> 00:39:31,000 Speaker 1: Our executive producer is Guarnsey Sloan. Our researcher is Rachel Peterson. 806 00:39:31,560 --> 00:39:34,680 Speaker 1: The artwork for the show was created by Steve Penley. 807 00:39:35,360 --> 00:39:38,640 Speaker 1: Special thanks to the team at Gingish three sixty. If 808 00:39:38,680 --> 00:39:41,240 Speaker 1: you've been enjoying Newtsworld, I hope you'll go to Apple 809 00:39:41,280 --> 00:39:44,759 Speaker 1: Podcasts and both rate us with five stars and give 810 00:39:44,840 --> 00:39:47,600 Speaker 1: us a review so others can learn what it's all about. 811 00:39:48,440 --> 00:39:51,400 Speaker 1: Right now, listeners of Newtsworld can sign up for my 812 00:39:51,520 --> 00:39:57,120 Speaker 1: three free weekly columns at gingrishtree sixty dot com slash newsletter. 813 00:39:57,640 --> 00:40:02,320 Speaker 1: I'm Newt Gingrich. This is Newtsworld