Renowned Philadelphia boxing trainer Billy Briscoe & Ring Announcer Walter Waite Jr. of North Carolina

Ring Announcer Mr. Walter Waite Jr. and renowned philly boxing trainer Mr. Billy Briscoe join the programs and discuss life in the sport and his training of world class fighters like 154 pound warrior Gabriel Rosado. Billy opens up about his fight with GGG and importance of a solid team. Briscoe breaks down his trajectory from the age of 7 year when he entered his first boxing gym to his upward climb in the highest level in the sport. Walter shares  is introduction to fighting sports as a commentator and ring announcer after a career in the United States Army. This episode is hosted by Mark Roxey a trainer, manager, advisory to athletes in the fighting sports and president of Roxey Sports Entertainment & Management. 

Transcript

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Walter Waite : 0:11

Fight fans worldwide, you tuned into the number one boxing podcast today. This is boxing. Now, your heavy hitting hose All right.

Mark Roxey : 0:51

All right. All right. All right. What's up guys? Hey listen Welcome to another episode of the boxing breakdown. And I am super, super stoked for today's today's show is going to be awesome. It's It's fantastic. I am really I've been I've been waiting all day just reading up on all my guests and really getting ready for this amazing show today. So, today we're going to have two two guests. We will have ring announcer, Walter wait. Jr. and this is going to be a really, really interesting interview. And then following that we're going to have the world renowned Philadelphia's own Mr. Billy Briscoe in the studio. He's going to be here. We are going to chat it up. It's going to be awesome. So welcome welcome to the show. And and so I'd like to just tell you a little bit about my first guest, Walter Walter wait Jr. is a professional boxing ring announcer and ringside commentator. After serving in the army. As a combat medic for 20 years. Walter retired from the army in 2017. And he launched his career into professional boxing. Walter is a lifelong boxing fan and considers his role in professional boxing as a true dream. So I want to take this moment to welcome to the studio. Walter wait Jr.

Walter Waite : 2:42

Mark. I certainly appreciate it. It's great to be here and the platform that you have with this podcast. Very exciting for a guy like me. That breeze sleeps and eats boxing.

Mark Roxey : 2:53

Yes, you do. Yes, you do. And your voice. You have a million dollar voice my friend. You do and for those, I certainly appreciate that. For our listeners out there, the introduction to the show was brought to you by Walter. Wait, Jr. He is an amazing ring announcer I asked him to do the intro to the show today, and it's super awesome. I'm super stoked about that. So, um, Walter, let's, let's start, you know, just tell me tell me and tell the listeners a little bit about how you found boxing.

Walter Waite : 3:35

Well, Mark and everybody out there this evening listening, appreciate you listening. It's really an extraordinary story of me at the right place at the right time. I entered the army in 1997 and I was in the army for a full career. My last assignment in the army. I worked at a hospital and the hospital was added insulation call. Brad home of the airborne okay 82nd Airborne Division. Yeah. And every year the 82nd airborne division has a boxing smoker. So I was a medic I work for a doctor and I said Ma'am, am I able to go over and watch that boxing smoker? Sure enough, I've made my way over to the 82nd airborne division to watch me some boxing. While I walk in there. A young captain was announcing the fights in army uniform and his level of his level of excitement to say the least or is it very low in the army we call it being voluntold he does not want to be there Mark who is volunteer I said hey, Captain, you need a break. he hands me a microphone mark. I stepped in the ring and it was like I found a home away from from home, I announced that first night came back the next night championship night. 1000 soldiers in attendance and special guest merciless Ray Mercer, no. Ordinary evening to start my boxing career as a ring announcer

Mark Roxey : 5:18

Wow. That is outstanding. Like so. So I mean, so you walk into a boxing show and the guy just hands you the mic, and you find you're up how many people were in the arena? How many people were there?

Walter Waite : 5:38

Well, the initial the initial night that I announced maybe a couple hundred soldiers, um, but I had it back the second night there was about 1000 there, which for a guy that's never announced before as a whole lot. You know, in my career. I've announced stuff for more obviously now, right at the time, that was a big, big deal. And after the show, I'm a trainer from the local area walked up to me and asked me if I was a professional. And I said, Well, yes, I'm a professional soldier. And long story short, he linked me up with a gentleman that had a boxing smoker every month on the army base, right? And it was really at that boxing smoker, where I learned a skill set. And that advanced in the amateur boxing I announced my first amateur show in Knoxville. And then on the 18th of no member of 817 I made the 11 hour drive to Florida to announce my first professional boxing show you drove 11 hours 11 hours more 11 hours. Oh, that's that's dedication

Mark Roxey : 6:56

right there. That's amazing, but

Walter Waite : 6:58

it was worth it. Because I established myself and in that three year period other than this stupid Coronavirus, I haven't had any breaks I've been averaging each month, three shows now I am out I announced mixed martial arts also. Okay, well, mixed martial arts in boxing, averaging three shows per month, even a maximum of four times. Wow, it's been great. It's been great.

Mark Roxey : 7:29

Yeah. And and, you know, the Coronavirus? Definitely. You know, we've been talking a lot about that on the previous shows that Coronavirus has really gotten gotten the boxing community down. I mean, you know, no one's making a living. It's just really, really tough all the way around. And

Walter Waite : 7:50

it's hard times Mark but we gotta we have to remain hopeful and know that it will pass so everybody out there this anything that's listening it will pass. We have to stay positive and appreciate the things that we have in our life right now, not they, we aren't able to have to focus on the areas that we that we are in loss of at this point, but we have to appreciate everything that we have. You look like

Mark Roxey : 8:17

that. those are those are wise words, Walter, wise words and actually, you know, we just have to remind ourselves of how, how fortunate we are to have life, you know, life. Absolutely. And we can work from there. And you know, I do believe we will get back to some some boxing pretty soon. There's also there's also been an MMA match that just took place two weeks ago. And supposedly they did something like 700,000 pay per views at roughly $65 a pay per view. So somebody makes A lot of money there. Kudos,

Walter Waite : 9:02

joy and MMA. I truly do. Yeah. But my first law that my strongest love is boxing and we need boxing back in some way. Some fashion, we need it back.

Mark Roxey : 9:13

We need to and that's what we're here for. That's what we're here for. That's what we're doing. We're all boxing purists on the boxing break down. And so I appreciate you saying that. And, you know, I just wanted to what is it that that really makes a ring announcer critical to a show? Like why? for those folks out there that don't know what what is it about a ring announcer that that that makes the show so great.

Walter Waite : 9:43

Mark, I think that's a great question. And here's really, in my opinion, what's changed the expectations of a boxing fan and it is the great Michael buffer. Jimmy Lennon Jr. That's the expectation right now with those shoes. No, you know that there's no announcer out there at the regional level that can step in those shoes, but we can sure try. That's right. And it's the expectation. You know, if you go to a regional boxing show, you expect to see a show. You expect to see good boxing. Okay, that's right. If you go out for a good meal, you expect some salt on your meal, you expect some seasoning, the ring announcer is the seasoning mark. Right makes the show just a little. little better.

Mark Roxey : 10:39

Right. Right. Exactly. So So I mean, I can't agree with you more. I mean, I go to some some events and you know, I listen to the announcers and I, you know, it really does make a difference in a live show. It certainly makes a difference in a broadcast show. And you know, those those fences pastic amateur fighters out there. When they step up into that ring for the first time and they hear really good announcer announce their name. You know, it's something it's a sweet spot that that gets. I just want you to know that that a good announcer especially with those young kids, and those kids coming up through the amateurs, when they hear their name announced correctly, and beautifully that that sets a spark and sets a dream for those kids. And it is a really powerful moment and that that's what an announcer that's what I think of when I think of a really, really good announcer.

Walter Waite : 11:37

Mark, I can only speak for myself, I can't speak for others out there. But with announcing, I have pride and passion in my job. And I owe it to every boxer if it's if he's an amateur boxer, if he's a boxer stepping in for the first time. If the boxer is three In a team, or if he's the champion of the world, I owe him a championship style introduction. That's an i o that also that fans in attendance at night are watching at home. I owe it to him. Mark. That's right. It's my job. It's my role in boxing. You have trainers, do you have boxers? You have referees. Everybody has a role. That's right. I have a job to do. And I pride myself on accomplishing it to the absolute highest level.

Mark Roxey : 12:32

That's right. And you do and I love the listeners to get a chance to hear your ring voice. Would you fire that ring voice up for us announce some

Walter Waite : 12:44

gentleman he this evening stands next to the microphone for his podcast. Ladies and gentlemen. He is the one the only introducing saying more cool Roxy

Mark Roxey : 13:00

That's fire. That's what's up so So,

Walter Waite : 13:04

Roxy, did you know that you have a hard name to pronounce? Yeah. And here's why I there's Russian boxers Love it. Love it syllables are fun. A guy with a name like john smith, very difficult as an announcer. Right. But I Lohmann checkol. That is beautiful to announce, right. But it's the john smith of the boxing world that I really have to spice it up with some adjectives in order to really draw out a good introduction for that boxer.

Mark Roxey : 13:38

Right. So So yeah, I mean, I've ever been told that my name is hard to announce, but I can see I can see what's a beautiful

Walter Waite : 13:48

name mark. It's a beautiful name. It's just short on the syllable. So So Walter Walter Wait,

Mark Roxey : 13:55

Jr. What is it that you're up to what's next for You

Walter Waite : 14:00

What do you have on the horizon? Mark, what is next for me is hopefully to get back into that ring as soon as possible. And it's something that's on my mind each and every day. However, it's out of my with with everything that's going on within our nation in our world. It's out of my spectrum, right. So once that happens, I plan to get back into that ring. And I will have a stronger appreciation than I have ever had for the sport of boxing. And for my role in boxing as an announcer after this is all through,

Mark Roxey : 14:36

right, right. So listen, Walter, what I'm going to do is I'm going to add I want to get our second guest onto the show. Billy brisco and Bailey

Walter Waite : 14:51

Briscoe, an absolute legend. It's gonna be great to have a man this broadcast.

Mark Roxey : 14:55

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm pumped up. I'm going to take a commercial break real quickly here. And then I am going to have him on the show. Right after that. Okay, I'll come back to you and then we'll get right on on it with Billy brisco. Okay. Excellent. All right. This is this is about the spar bar how you got to spar bar over at your house.

Walter Waite : 15:17

You know, I have not seen a small bar, but I'm out in the country. I live on a farm mark. Yeah, and there's not many small bars or

Mark Roxey : 15:25

you can pick those things. up@amazon.com you can get them anywhere on there. They're out there. All right, here we go. Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to tell you about a very innovative product for the boxing and mixed martial arts world called the spar bar. This This unit is absolutely incredible. It's you basically it mimics a sparring partner without actually having a sparring partner. And you guys know at this time, you know A lot of us are not able to get together and spar, so the spar bar is your solution. The spar bar is endorsed and used by some of the world's greatest fighters including Anthony Joshua Sugar Ray Leonard Anderson spider Silva, Tyson Woodley, Roy Jones, Jr. and even you know, some Hollywood superstars are using it like Kevin Hart and usher. This thing is incredible. And if you want a piece of equipment, a single standalone piece of equipment that you can use in your home or in your gym, doesn't take up much space. They have a handful of different product lines, you can mount it to the wall, you can have a free standing unit. There, whatever your gym setup is, or your home setup is there's a product that you can use. So I just want to encourage you to check out the spar bar go to www dot spar bar.com and check out their product line. It's absolutely incredible. I can't wait. My spar bar should be coming any day now but you got to check out the spar bar. I've used it in a bunch of gyms I was at Gleason's jersey shore and they have a bunch of spar bars down there and I will tell you, that unit is incredible. Check out the spar bar again, www dot spar. bar.com All right, we're back. So, Walter, let me tell you a little bit about Billy brisco. Billy Billy is like you know when when he thinks of boxing, he talks of boxing like a religion. This Billy Billy brisco is from the Badlands and Philadelphia. That's his boxing headquarters and Billy is one of the true masters left in the sport. He is not just a boxing trainer, Billy is a true teacher. Right Billy Billy is a cut man. He's a trainer. And he is an encyclopedia of boxing. He prides himself in paying respect to the past and advances the sport into the future. He's firmly rooted, right? He's firmly rooted with his teachers, the people who have passed on the sport of boxing and given the sport to him. And he's also the the head trainer for Gabe Rosado and Christian carto and tons of other amazing fighters out there right now. So I'm gonna I'm gonna, without further ado, I'm going to try to get him on on the call. And hopefully he's gonna be with us today.

Walter Waite : 18:54

Perfect. I'm excited mark.

Mark Roxey : 18:56

Oh, yeah, me too. Guys.

Walter Waite : 18:59

I'm going out. My small bar after this I'm going to be a champion right here on my own backyard with my small bar.

Mark Roxey : 19:05

Right now Billy man Billy is incredible. This guy. I've worked some shows with him and

Walter Waite : 19:13

he's just

Mark Roxey : 19:22

as this Billy Briscoe What's up, brother? This is Mark Roxy man, what's up? You're on the boxing breakdown.

Billy Briscoe : 19:35

I see it nice to have to be on here with you on what's

Mark Roxey : 19:37

going on, man. How are you?

Billy Briscoe : 19:41

I'm doing pretty good.

Mark Roxey : 19:42

Yeah. How are you? I'm good, Billy. I'm good man. I just, you know, I just I've been all day thinking about this conversation with you. Really all day. I have so many things I want to ask you. And you know, I Consider you, one of the foremost trainers in the United States, if not the world, thank you. Yeah. And you What, what, what I love about what you're doing and what you have done for four decades is that you're one of the few boxing teachers that still teaching boxing. Not not just you know, running, running a corner, but actually teaching and I have been with you at at a variety of different shows. And every time I've been with you in your in your presence, you have always taken a moment to share your ideas about the sport and share your ideas about, you know, Hey, why don't you ever think about wrapping hands like this and you are just the one most giving trainer teachers out there that I know. So I just want to thank you for that and thank you for being with me today. Day. And yeah, man, I just like you. He's a man.

Billy Briscoe : 21:07

Thank you. I appreciate it. Yeah, yeah.

Mark Roxey : 21:10

Thank you. Thank you, Billy. Thank you. And so so I just I guess I want to start out for the listeners that are out there that that may. I mean, if you don't know Billy brisco, then you don't know boxing. But there are going to be some listeners out there that are going to learn a little bit about who you are, besides what they read or what they hear from other people. So I guess Could you just tell tell us and I have By the way, I have my friend Walter Wyatt, who's a ring announcer here. He's on the call too. And could you just tell us a little bit about like, how'd you get into boxing?

Billy Briscoe : 21:48

I got into boxing. Yeah. Good. My father started work with me. When I would like to help you you need unfortunately passed away at seven And

Unknown Speaker : 22:02

can I

Billy Briscoe : 22:06

write you their bill? Yeah.

Mark Roxey : 22:11

Okay. You're coming in and out a little bit.

Billy Briscoe : 22:16

Okay. I said, Well, my father started me off when I was six. But he was very ill. And he he wanted dying. And I was seven years old and and my mother took me to the gym and

Unknown Speaker : 22:29

basically,

Mark Roxey : 22:30

wow. So that's how you that's that was the date. That was how you got into boxing in the beginning.

Billy Briscoe : 22:37

Yeah. Wow.

Mark Roxey : 22:39

And what is your What? What did your father do like before when when he was alive? What was it?

Billy Briscoe : 22:45

What did he do?

Unknown Speaker : 22:48

And there you know, he was really old and father was born in 1912. Wow. He, you know, he lived with a great depression. He shows a lot of years in the Army, you know? With a more waterproof and either a drill sergeant mini came out it's greatly expanded in date and they've been a lot of Levittown I got there like a time and we need a lot of that and

Unknown Speaker : 23:16

I need your tracking like you know you don't know he did it all you know, right right. So he was boxing you know he boxing you know back in the day a lot of fights back then it was different you know?

Mark Roxey : 23:30

You got that right. It was different back then. Then what Um, so, so what got you into training specifically?

Unknown Speaker : 23:44

I bet anybody that knows me knows my coke bottle glasses. I can't see very well. Right But I'm gonna begin training and, and whatnot. One day one of the old timers that we're going to do They needed help showing a guy some good ability to teach gather, thinking like a jazz ladder, we'll come back to the basic, you know, I remember exactly what it was. And I showed it to him and then you know, then it me start showing it again. And then my eyeballs are would you know, I just you know I was young you know, I was heartbroken I couldn't get me pregnant okay now so yeah, it's okay you know, I'm gonna go to the new guys in the gym and help me and you know, so

Unknown Speaker : 24:38

I wound up

Unknown Speaker : 24:41

help gentleman there to fly this. Wow. Billy you were talking to my brother in law Turkey and it was funny because we will go to the moon to the on the device. It may be a little tricky to locate him but I was only a few years older. And then I was still kicking my butt. But

Mark Roxey : 25:03

Wow, that's an amazing story. I actually believe something I've never told you. You know, I mean, I've known you for a while, but something I never shared with you is that I also am, well, I'm blind in one eye blind in my left eye. And that was the reason that I was not able to turn professionals The reason I mean, I had an amateur career pretty good one. But I suffered a detached retina and that pretty much ended ended my boxing career. Thank God, actually. But, you know, that's what really prompted me to really that's what ignited my interest in becoming a trainer. And so I like I just, I'm just fascinated with you and your, you know, the amount of years that you've put in to the, I mean, you might, the way that I calculate this, you must have been doing this for over 30 years.

Billy Briscoe : 26:00

There was 35 a

Mark Roxey : 26:06

little more a little more than 35 years you I mean listen

Unknown Speaker : 26:11

yeah I like some of these guys you know that we see and you know I'm sure they mean well but they you know maybe they fought before some kind of gym and I teach a guy who ran a movie and they call himself a journalist doesn't work that way you know they're gonna punish you yeah you know like any trade like new people and their latest razor levels and nail gun competitor square they are to go to address later in the country they may get the hell out a minimum four years to become a gentleman local carbon mill you know if you put in all your time you pass all your you know all your plants sometimes or whatnot. It takes a hell of a lot longer than ever to become a good boxing teacher.

Mark Roxey : 26:59

No doubt out no doubt, I could not agree with you more than that. I mean, and and so, so what is it that you think? Okay, so there are trainers and then there are Billy briscoes and there are you know trainers that that for some reason or another excel in the sport, what do you what what do you attribute that to? What do you think a good one of the best qualities for a good trainer is?

Unknown Speaker : 27:30

Ah, that's a complicated question a lot a lot that goes into that, you know, yeah, you know, you have to, you know, you have to have patience. You know, patience is one of the key because

Billy Briscoe : 27:42

you know, you

Unknown Speaker : 27:45

got to be able to deploy your knowledge to people from people that don't have the patience that everything comes from that was a good lesson know, you know, guy with a play fight. I get how this can tap into. And then he said believes a lot of times we find it and become great teachers because everything came so naturally to them, that they automatically assume that comes on after the menu. Right? Like example, he said, he said, whatever the case the great fighters become great teachers and supervisors, and the greatest teachers that have lived with a great fighter they level up, right? But he wasn't a great teacher because he would come into the gym, he would show me and you had a turnover level. And then he would come back the next day, and if we can do it, manually paying attention, because everything came to him actually randomly Magnus in the game will come naturally to everybody else. Right, you know,

Mark Roxey : 28:42

yeah, no, no, absolutely.

Unknown Speaker : 28:43

Patience and a lot of other things you have to have, you know, you have to have the ability to really break down the techniques. And, you know, and be able to teach you different different ways of giving people you know, that Different kind of people are visual learners are different units. Yeah, everybody.

Mark Roxey : 29:07

Yeah, no, absolutely. And yeah, I definitely, you know, patience is something that, that we all have to work on. Especially people in the field of the sport of boxing, you know, trainers or anyone who's involved in a team has to understand the nature of patience. And you know, and also, like you said, teaching techniques is not requires a lot of time and a lot of persistence and a lot of patience. Until it until you your fighter receives the information. And, you know, I just yeah, I who were who have been some of your mentors because I mean, you, you know, the kind of trainer, if anybody, any of the listeners out there know, and you've watched Billy's work, you know, You got you can see a mirroring image of of all of the trainers that you've been involved in and I just I just who have some of those trainers been

Unknown Speaker : 30:14

really great

Unknown Speaker : 30:16

to see the tremendous divider in the 40s but yeah like is it gonna detach right man back then that's sent to the courier. But he has been born Montgomery into an untitled out here in Philadelphia, he would lean on lightweight gender equality for the grayed out columns to draw. And then after you know after the high injury, he was only 19 at the time he was you know, really depressed but it was mental Catherine took him into Germany up training guide within you know, he had got married and he moved up to New York. He lived there for like 30 odd years turning guys and he came back here to Philadelphia. Between dragon Chanukah leaf and a 111 it's important to get back down to the Heavyweight Championship, which can be shipping in the next box. All right, I'm gonna fight as easy as saying I'm down 24 with a lot of great fighters. And, you know, I was blessed that he was he took me under his wing and taught me almost everything I know about professional boxing in every aspect. Right.

Mark Roxey : 31:19

Right. Well, speaking of great, great fighters, I mean, you've had you've had your share of, well, first of all, you train fighters on the top that you know at the top of the game, and you are, you know, really one of the finest trainers, as I said at the opening of the show, and you work with Gabriel Rosato, and Christian carto and, and just hosts of other fighters. I wonder if you could just talk a little bit about your work with those guys.

Billy Briscoe : 31:51

And fighters. Younger

Unknown Speaker : 31:57

I've done a training flight training detection five and 15 years old because on him as a dad and trainers at the gym all that needed assistance all will help him we had a few guys you know they were full on fighters they didn't have the best record to know what the

Unknown Speaker : 32:16

opponents were they were

Unknown Speaker : 32:19

you know it wasn't intended neither and they you know they needed me to help him so I would help him out training these guys and then we'll go to the fights and you know they would end up in a fight and teach me You know, every aspect of the game from you know from teaching training strategy aspect, only man cut you know weapons and condition aside listen to that nature and and I was always blessed to have you know, what a lot of fighters that I shadowed, trained a lot of fighters food. Yeah. Can you speak to that idea and make you sign non disclosure agreements of what you You're showing. That's right. Yeah,

Mark Roxey : 33:01

you sign sign those non disclosures and and that precludes you from being able to speak about the work that you do with those. Those specific fighters. Yeah,

Billy Briscoe : 33:11

yeah. Yeah. You know?

Unknown Speaker : 33:18

Yeah, you know, yeah, I thought it gave

Unknown Speaker : 33:22

me walkthrough didn't he? Yeah. He was a few years.

Mark Roxey : 33:27

He was 18. And he walked into the gym. Yeah, he never had any

Unknown Speaker : 33:32

tough cases.

Unknown Speaker : 33:35

But he never, you know, you know that any backlash from his mother was very religious. She's a pastor, a pastor at a church and she didn't you know, she didn't do a lot of respecting way to do a team and then he started fighting. You know, our training certainly for two years. And like an amateur fights, and then we're going to go And you know, we've moving steadily you know, down into the world title. Wow that's the IBF 150 for the people that were doing this one and then the move up to 160 to fly triple G's How would you fight that?

Mark Roxey : 34:21

Yeah, no, no I, I saw that. And I saw the fight when it occurred. And I just, you know, I again like I just have to take my hat off to you Billy because the way that you conducted yourself in that fight was incredible. And was really a benchmark for trainers out there if you want to learn how to make that split second decision. And what what a trainer who cares about his fighter looks like you get to watch that fight because the fight night yo The fight between Gabe Rosado and Triple G was wasn't it was a it was a very, very powerful night and what what got me what got me in the fight was there's a couple of things one, the resilience of the gave Rosato the actual grit and resilience that this guy has.

Billy Briscoe : 35:24

Oh, yeah. Yeah, no

Mark Roxey : 35:32

yeah, no doubt he's he's a true when you look at it,

Unknown Speaker : 35:34

you know, he's a bad night You know,

Unknown Speaker : 35:39

I you know, I didn't know

Unknown Speaker : 35:42

either, you know, I didn't want to start the fight to the enemy stuff, you know, in the game only, you know, looking at women like, as I said, you know, he was he got cut. You had three cuts over one eye. A lot of people don't know that. Yeah. And the cup man we had. He tried his best he just couldn't keep it under control. You know?

Unknown Speaker : 36:01

Yes, come to the point where you gotta save a real fighter from themselves. When I was a kid, a long time ago, I work in a professional fighter like at night. And I had this kid that was

Unknown Speaker : 36:11

using Okay, fighter, you know, he wasn't dead. They gave them to me. They wanted me to work with him. So I'm helping him out. And we're fighting an eight round bow. And this guy is putting the putting the shellacking on Oh my god, the main beam may not hurt him, you know, but he's landed a shot. You know, my guy, you know, I knew my guy could break this guy down. We kept going to the body going to buddy, and we want to stop them in like, six months. So I told you, I told you my guy when he said, Yeah, Billy, but at what price? He said it's easy to be gay with another man's blood. Can you tell me a story about Sonny less than a triplet? I said, Okay. He said Chuck wepner got something something like 47 stitches in his or 70 stitches flat on a cut in the face broken over the socket book. No, you don't. And then after the fight was over, they say They told Sonny listen I said Sonny is he was a brave guy wasn't he? He said no IT managers were you know way with another man's blood it's a cliche I live by but it stopped the fight a little bit consumed and a little bit too late.

Mark Roxey : 37:13

Yeah, no and if you go back and you rewind that fight go back and look at that fight which I've looked at it a bunch of times you know, in the sixth round, you know, when the eyes starts to really give give give you guys problems. You know, I noticed that you were very very concerned about it and when you get when they when you guys got to the corner you specifically asked Gabe, you know, hey, listen. What do you want to do you think we should stop the fight? And, and I thought that was such a powerful moment. And then you know, his response to you was not, it was like another day walk in the park. Nah, don't sneeze, stop in a fight. I'm fine. I just can't see out of it. And, and then and then the bell rings, it goes on and then In the sevens, you know wants to take us through what happened in the seventh round.

Unknown Speaker : 38:07

Yeah, I should have stopped it then I should uh, you know, I should I should take upon myself to stop them. But, you know, he asked me to now I'm glad you can see what should I do as I get inside because even when you can't see a guy you and I both know when the inside you can feel them. That's not me. On the inside you can feel a guy, but um

Unknown Speaker : 38:30

yeah, I figured, okay. I figured I learned go out there. See what he can do? And then, you know, stop it, you know?

Unknown Speaker : 38:40

It's bothered him didn't want me to stop it. You know?

Unknown Speaker : 38:44

Yeah, I listen.

Mark Roxey : 38:46

Well, you know, that's one of the very difficult things as you know, I mean, you train your son, I train my son. You know, training when you're working. When you're working in a camp with your own child. This is a very, very difficult position to be in as a father right because you you think your son is invincible you know you want your son to conquer is either that or it's the other you know as the other thing but

Unknown Speaker : 39:12

but yeah rather than taking

Unknown Speaker : 39:17

away with us on blood sugar DC they will be big should be able to be King Kong Godzilla last month on the same night and if he doesn't do it gets all mad yeah and then there's the other guy like myself who's more scary married you know the kind of on his on the side of caution because you know grew up in his business like the guy that stood in the way with the sunblock not really not not fighters or you know they just came into the game with their son and this guy the other guy has been in the game Long You know, we've seen the effects of the harshness of the hurt before the speech you know, like I've been in attendance or three people died in a really messed up the last one was with them. The Russian kid in mgn dominum neural network in New York possible dot the areas in the underclass boy, and he passed away and then on. Do you notice right before that was the kid Francesco Rodriguez, and he's working on Kenny the blue ride and I was working with Angel cacio as we're going to cut that night, you know, wow, you're the one before that with the New York CLI, you know, like, I've seen and I think a lot of guys get hurt. So, you know, I try to err on the side of caution. That's why when I trained fighters, I tried to work a lot on defenses defensively, because on the backend people only work at 25 from time on they get twice as much more typical basic mathematics. The less you get hit the longer you last no matter what your style is, right, right. You know, like well Gabi father I don't I don't blame him because he was on the order not you know, not the top then I understand that. But there comes a time where you know, you keep second you scan it, you got to do what's right for the fighter, you got to learn how to save a real fighter from themselves. You're fine to go out on a shoot. That's right. I've got to make sure that they happen.

Mark Roxey : 41:03

No and you and you're connected the next guy but I'm not gonna make nobody on that

Billy Briscoe : 41:09

night. You gotta care about the fighters. You were on that

Mark Roxey : 41:12

Billy on that night. You did that, you know and in the seventh and the seventh round, when you call the fight, you say we gotta stop this I saw the urgency in your face, that you know how important it was for you to stop that fight. And I just I just again, like, you know, I have you in my corner anytime. Because Because I that yo that that kind of care that you demonstrated is you know trainers take note because that's what's up you know, we want to keep these guys in the know you want to keep these guys as safe as possible. And it's just not worth losing a life. Or an eye or or

Unknown Speaker : 41:53

No, not at all. You know? Like they tell it the one you don't see coming, the one that gets you if you can't see any of them are going to get

Unknown Speaker : 42:02

Yeah, so you know, he got he got probably the best and one of the best tinderbox in history I mean this guy you get him with a sledge hammer keeps coming up there with Jake lamotta if you didn't order the top row he took he took some losses Don't get me wrong but all the top guy the fall you've never seen him get you never seen him go out yeah what a mall

Mark Roxey : 42:21

he taught he listened he fought some killers. I mean he knows who the middleweight

Unknown Speaker : 42:27

division you

Mark Roxey : 42:28

know he he fought some great fighters who who would you think were some of his toughest fights just off the cloud and then you know

Unknown Speaker : 42:39

we're to budgie was obviously a very tough like yeah, then

Unknown Speaker : 42:46

chocolate we would beaten kid chocolate man and he got cut and I had either completely closed right but the doctor one letter wouldn't let it go because it was open but we had good chocolate. We You know, we got him we back him up. Another round the two weeks of stopping. Wow.

Mark Roxey : 43:06

Yeah I mean he fought Joshua Claudie.

Unknown Speaker : 43:08

And then he wasn't Yeah, he wasn't what me for the palani fighting or the

Unknown Speaker : 43:13

the Dave Lemieux fight. That was I was that guy the wrecking machine. You know?

Unknown Speaker : 43:19

He was a witness if I knew they would What? Jesse Reid?

Billy Briscoe : 43:24

Yeah, it was a tough fight for him to

Mark Roxey : 43:26

know. No, he I think he lost he lost the fight to date. David Lemieux right.

Unknown Speaker : 43:31

Yeah, yeah, they started he got a broken a broken orbital socket. Oh my gosh. And a detached retina.

Mark Roxey : 43:39

frightening. Yeah. Listen, see a warrior. Gabe Rosato, yo, fire. Yeah, hats off to you, Gabe Rosado because you, you know you're in the dictionary for warrior, that's for sure. But I mean, absolutely. After the Golovkin fight. I mean, he fought JJ Leon love You fought a rather sad night he fought Jamal charlo just for the listeners man he fought Glenn Tapia, right he fought he fought Salute. Salute cheek. What is it? So Saluki, as I say his name? Saluki lucky. Yeah, pardon me for that. But yeah, so lucky he fought so lucky. He, I mean, he, he fought some real real like that, like you said the cream of the crop in the 54 and 160 for that matter.

Unknown Speaker : 44:30

Yeah,

Mark Roxey : 44:31

yeah. So, you know, something that I was thinking about, you know, before I before I got on the call here with you is I noticed in a lot of your interviews and a lot of the times that I've been around you, when I listen, when people talk to you about the business of boxing. I noticed that and I commend you I noticed that whenever those questions come in, You kind of just defer it over to the management, you kind of defer it over there. And I know why you do that. But I wonder what your take is on. Like, can you just tell me a little bit about your feeling about about that when when when interviewers or people come to you with the business of the sport when you you know, just talk a little bit about that.

Unknown Speaker : 45:23

About the business say, I'm sorry, I didn't I didn't hear that what you were saying about? Um,

Mark Roxey : 45:26

yeah, I'm just I'm just saying that I know, I know that you. You will always like defer. You'll always say, Look, I don't handle the business. Right. I'm a trainer. Yeah, I'm a teacher. This is what I do. And I just want you to comment on that. I love that about you. I love

Unknown Speaker : 45:46

you always like Yeah, well, you know, when everybody in boxing had the place, you know and say, right and out of respect, you know, I just want to play the role that I meant, you know, means that when I'm hired to be the teacher or trainer, then that's what I do. If I'm hired to be a cup, man, and that's what I do, and then you have a cup of tea out here that I got, and I stay in the corner, and I keep my mouth shut, and that's where me Well, maybe I might tell you something, you know, because you have an extra set of eyes, I give mine devices and say No, well, you know, maybe, you know, trying to Jackson, do van life finish with a 45 on a Friday we'll have a noun with a jet, whatever, you know, JB, I can see that because I'm in a position where there's no stress on me until we get cut even if it's cut on. And unless you got like 50,000 cuts and I'm down a full bottle of adrenaline, I really need them right now trying to be cocky, but I'm confident that I'll be able to handle it. Oh, no, you, you being in the driver's seat as a chief Second, you know, you got a lot you kind of make the adjustment of your fighter to make the adjustment overtop of the other guy's adjustment. You know, you're trying to keep the guy in a fight. You know, there's like five or six different ways to skin a cat. You might see the fight one way and I might see another way and, you know, maybe the way you See, it ain't really working the way you want it to maybe I might see something that's missed, I added in and then bam, work. That's what you were looking for, you know?

Mark Roxey : 47:09

That's right teamwork because I'm

Unknown Speaker : 47:10

seeing a clear eye view because I have no stress. I'm under no stress whatsoever. In

Mark Roxey : 47:15

your different context, this is a different context in which

Unknown Speaker : 47:20

time do you know I got guys with me? You know, I'm on my, maybe my cup, man, something that you know, I got coffee. And I'm like, What do you see? But it's not a matter of egos. It's a matter of winning, you know, so I got we said, I didn't know what they're looking at. You know me in between them. What do you see? MANNY? You know, he's holding jab, follow homeboy hand you know, whatever.

Mark Roxey : 47:42

right you know. So just for the listener, things

Unknown Speaker : 47:44

like that. And you can you know, you can put that in because at the end of the day, it's not a matter of egos not a one on a lot of great teaching trainers had a good corner with them that added to, you know, added to their repertoire. You know, they might see Because they want to do under no stress, you know, I mean, they're helping you but they're not in the know. So you're the chief. You know, you're the driver. Yeah. You know,

Mark Roxey : 48:07

you know, when Billy in

Unknown Speaker : 48:08

the last a lot easier to see the full picture when you're the passenger, you know, you ain't got to concern yourself with your driving.

Mark Roxey : 48:13

Yeah, well, we work to fight together in October, you and I worked a fight together in October. And you were there. Right? Yeah, at the Met and you were there as a cut as the cut man. For me, and I, you know, when we when we took that ring wall, I'm like, you know, this thing. We're gonna go in and do do some work and, you know, if we get cut, I got Billy brisco. Not only did I have you as the cut, man, but one of the things that I remember from that fight is you off to my right. And I look back to you. And you told me to get get under you said you said he's got to get under. He's got to get under the left hook. Right. And so when when the fighter came back to the corner. I said to him, I said, yo, you got to get onto that left hook. And sure enough, in that in that sixth round, he got onto that left hook exactly the way that you saw it. I wasn't seeing that. You saw that. And so to your point, you know, when when you're sitting in that when you have that proximity, but yet, you're not, you know, having to deal with all the adjustments being made on the fly. You count on those people in, you know, that are in your corner to really see the things that you might be missing.

Unknown Speaker : 49:32

Yeah, yeah, it helps to have an extra set of eyes.

Mark Roxey : 49:36

Yeah, you. You're too, too well, you got four of them like me. So that's like eight eyes right there. Yeah. Oh, man.

Unknown Speaker : 49:48

So I got on it like 12 eyes.

Mark Roxey : 49:52

Exactly.

Unknown Speaker : 49:54

Any day on a sunny day I said ants on fire. Yeah,

Mark Roxey : 49:57

yeah. So so all right. So, I also have to ask you something I have to ask you a personal question about well, it's not a personal question. It's really a boxing question, but it's about Lohmann. chanko. Right? I like lomachenko I know you like lomachenko and I like lomachenko and you gotta be crazy not to like lomachenko cuz the man can fight

Unknown Speaker : 50:19

you know, I wasn't you know, I took I took a guy up when I was in wildcard when I was down in California training guys and ready and the guy router works to do it the wildcard he's not there anymore, but he used to work they had a Armenian kid named Mike and they asked me if I will go up to actual with them right dude you know perspiring I said sure, no pun like an hour drive up one on one. So we, you know, we drive up there, and I got to watch. I took my son woman, we got to watch a woman single, you know, up close in person. Very impressive. backdoor guy guy gave him like six rounds. Right? You know, he was able to do four rounds and then get out them. Get out the ring like he was fresh and excited. Bang in a bag and He started doing all these little, you know, washing all Ukrainian exercises and mental training and got very, very impressive. Wow. Yeah, I got a new a newfound respect for his whole game by seeing them up close and personal. I bet

Mark Roxey : 51:15

I bet and I heard you you mentioned you refer to him as similar to Willie pet. I heard you say that once. Is that is that Tell me about that?

Unknown Speaker : 51:28

Well, you know, they only pet You know, a lot of people don't want to give them as credit but what he's trapped with one of the slickest fighters that ever lived, you know, because defensively speaking, there's only three elements that defend the box. If you think about it, you got blocking and catch your head and upper body move your feet. And you can incorporate two or three other two or three elements. in one motion, it's much harder, and this guy's got it. I mean, his feet, you know, he cuts angles. He steps around, you know, he's very good defensively. You know, he's got good upper body movement and catchy shots. He slides around either massive range You know, and he's strong I mean, you got to see you know he doesn't he doesn't show his full strength in a fight you know cuz he's work anyway. But in the gym he was hitting these guys cuz we went up there like three or four times he took on this he hit these guys the big guys and he was hitting and man he the one guy he was like shit and it was wonder you'd like me to turn it up because he boxes he'll he'll like to hear back me too loud then I'll get out and he'll box you for too long then you get up in a box another guy for too long then I get back in. Yeah. So after the first rotation they would like, I'd like the first day we went out what's wrong though? And he was like, Man, this this mF is going to turn it up on it now I'd like wouldn't be gay just warmed up the first 60 jump on, okay, and then hit this one guy and the guy the guy was the guy with the middleweight and he hit this middle way with a body shot. You know the guy who he was? Yeah, he was a cell phone and the guy flew the gospel by hand so he slipped the right hand out so I flipped it and cutting the left foot to the body. Boom. Got the monster dam. Then he got back up any finished well, then they put this other guy in the guy we had. And he, he was south pole and he flew like a flute as always to a slow way jab. And our guy moved back and he walked in and went right hand to hit him with a jab left and boom dropped him. I was like, Damn, right. You know, it, you know, the way he does stepping out of range and stepping around cutting angles. He was leading these guys around the ring, like a dog on a leash.

Mark Roxey : 53:27

Yeah, I mean, you see, you see the weight guys quit. You know, I mean, they fight Yeah, they just quit and left and

Unknown Speaker : 53:33

right. He has the ability just without a fighter sees the processes. And then he reacts. This guy's got the ability. This reaction is so quick, right? You know, gonna say speed is in the body quickness into the mind. His quickness is unbelievable. Wow.

Mark Roxey : 53:51

Yeah. I mean, I could just imagine you being up there in Oxnard and watching that, you know, face. Yeah, we went up there like three times. I think it was That's how I watch it on film. You watch it in person. It's a whole different thing. You know, when you you're personally watching these guys work. Absolutely. And he's, he's, you know, he's just an unprecedented fighter. He's, uh, you know, I, you know, actually that brings up another matchup that actually I just read about I heard that Daniel Jacobs there's a possibility that there's a fight between Daniel Jacobs and Gabriel Rosato. Did you hear that or you know about that? Of course you do.

Unknown Speaker : 54:37

Not like me, you know, me and Gabi we're not we're not working together no more because he's out there in California. He's out there with other people. You know, I'm happy for him Let it you know, yeah, I'm glad you know, he's doing well he's got a little gym out there. You know, he's training like he kind of like fitness clients. He turned to like activists, he can hack this how to fight for the, you know, for boxing roles and whatnot. Right, right. Right. Good for him. He does. Like little rolls and he does like little rolls and like, series or whatnot. I'm not sure what, what he's doing right now but right, you know, he played in creed and then he was in Annapolis. So he's been in a few different movies and so

Mark Roxey : 55:14

yeah, no, I'm

Unknown Speaker : 55:16

just sharing them. Gotcha. Oh, I wish him the best. I hope you know, I like Daniel Jacobs. I know James Danielson. He was a kid. Yeah. And you know, I like Gabi Oh, you know, I just think it's a good fight.

Mark Roxey : 55:28

Any chance you wish them both the best any chance you think gave will give you that phone call? Because I'd love to see you you guys working together man that that that?

Unknown Speaker : 55:37

No, probably not. Because he's out there, you know, and he's got it. He's got it. You know, he's out there with them guys. Yeah, yeah, you know, I wish him the best. You know, I'm

Unknown Speaker : 55:47

you know, I'm fine. You know, I wish him the best.

Mark Roxey : 55:50

Yeah, no, I got that. I got that. Well, you are one of the preeminent trainers in the world and on my list. Thank you. You are Are you are right at that tip tip top of my list of, you know, amazing teachers and trainers and I just adore you. I'm just grateful that you you know you took the time to come on the call and be with me today and and I wish you all the best and I know I'm going to see you soon. But I just want to thank you for being on the call man.

Billy Briscoe : 56:24

Anytime.

Mark Roxey : 56:26

All right, brother. I'll talk to you soon. Okay.

Unknown Speaker : 56:29

Okay, stay safe.

Mark Roxey : 56:30

Okay you to piece

Billy Briscoe : 56:33

by Billy.

Walter Waite : 56:39

Absolutely mesmerizing. They hear the words of the boxing legend. Coach Briscoe. I can sit down with that gentleman. I hope we pass at a show where we can have, you know, at the hotel, sit there and have some coffee, and I can just hear his stories. Yeah, cuz I bet he can go For days, Wal Mart, Walter, he's, he's, he's, um,

Mark Roxey : 57:05

He's incredible. And you know, he's a treasure. He's a treasure to the boxing industry. And he's just a really great person. I mean, he's one of the good guys in boxing, and he certainly knows his stuff. And he's not, you know, he's always willing to share and help to pass it on to the next generation. I love that guy. And I'm just really, really grateful that he came on the show, and I'm super grateful that you were able to be with me and hear it. And I want to thank you for being on the broadcast. Man. You you are you are quality right there.

Walter Waite : 57:40

Mark, thank you so much. It was an absolute pleasure. And what you got going out there with this podcast is exciting, and I definitely will be spreading the word in the southeast. Oh, Walter, thank you so much,

Mark Roxey : 57:53

man. And thank you for being on the broadcast. And for listeners out there. I want to thank you for being with us. And We'll see you. That's it. That's all we got for today. And so we'll see you next time on the boxing breakdown.

Unknown Speaker : 58:16

Well, that's it.

Mark Roxey : 58:17

Thanks for joining us on another episode of the boxing breakdown. This podcast is released each week on Thursday. Check out the live stream of the broadcast on YouTube. You can like us on Facebook, follow us on instagram and twitter at the boxing breakdown. You can also download this podcast on iTunes, Spotify and Google Cast. This broadcast was brought to you by the Roxy sports entertainment, management and advisory services. Until next time, peace and love