"I understand he is in debt 12 ½ million on his house, etcetera, from programs where they disclosed it and I realize he doesn't have the balance of developing his mind and only his body. He lived off of his body for so long, but now his body can't do what it once did. It will soon not be able to do what it's doing now and he will start having to rely on his mind. If he hasn't developed skills with his mind, he will have no options," stated former world champion and commentator Bobby Czyz as he shared his thoughts on Evander Holyfield and talked about the current state of boxing and what he's been up to. Check it out.
PC: Thanks for taking time out to speak with me my man.
BC: No problem sir!
PC: I know you've been through a lot recently. How is everything going my man?
BC: Yeah, I've had some ups and downs. I'm sure you heard about the car accident. Some things are so simple when you've been in a coma for 4 weeks and your body is messed up and sliced up and shit. Some things didn't come back as quickly as I wanted. Even though the doctor said I heal faster than anyone he had ever seen, it still wasn't enough for me, but things are coming around.
PC: Before the accident, were you still actively in the gym?
BC: No, not that much. I'll do some summer camps up in the Catskills. I spar some of them guys, but it's like once a year for a little bit.
PC: What did you think of the year in boxing? How did you view 2008?
BC: To be honest with you, I didn't really follow it as much as I have in the past. I got torn away from it with the rehab and a lot of personal things I had going on. I had some issues going on. At the very end of 2006, my ex-wife passed away and I had some issues with my daughter. It has not been an easy time for either one of us. So I didn't pay nearly as close attention to it as I would have liked to, but as long as 2 or 3 superstars emerge in any division, it will hold the game together. But these sanctioning bodies with 5, 6 and 7 champions is pure bullshit. Everybody is trying to make the most amount of money sanctioning fights. You got the WBA, WBC and the IBF and having 3 to keep each other in check for years was okay, but then came the WBO,WBU, WBF and then the NABF; give me a break!
PC: You've been through your ups and downs in and out of the ring. What would be the best advice you could give a kid? Not just a kid trying to be a boxer, but just a kid trying to make it in life?
BC: What I would do across the board is something that my father taught me when I was very young. He told me, "You're going to find that there are just some guys out there that are just physically superior to most people their size and age. They just are." I'm not a religious person, but if you're one of those people that believe in God, he obviously did not create us equal. You look at George Foreman, who is 6'4 and 258 pounds, and then you look at Mike Tyson, who is just as strong as he is, but he's only 5'10-5'11 and weighed 215 to 220. He's a little heavier now because he's older, but you have big fighters and you have little fighters and you have some that are great and some that will never be great; some that just can't. Not everyone is created equal so you will have those people that are physically superior and then you will have people that are mentally superior and no matter how hard you try, you can't outthink them, you can't learn more than them or be better or faster than them. So what I would tell any child approaching any endeavor of any kind would be to have balance. Make sure he does the most he can with what he was blessed with physically as well as mentally. Make sure he goes to school and gets an education because your mind will last until you die. Your body, as far as physical output, will only last into your 20's and 30's and if you're lucky, your 40's. That is certainly a limited amount of time to accomplish things and capitalize on it for a lifetime.
PC: One of your last fights as a professional was against a guy that has lasted into his 40's, Evander Holyfield. Are you surprised to still see him fighting?
BC: I understand he is in debt 12 ½ million on his house, etcetera, from programs where they disclosed it and I realize he doesn't have the balance of developing his mind and only his body. He lived off of his body for so long, but now his body can't do what it once did. It will soon not be able to do what it's doing now and he will start having to rely on his mind. If he hasn't developed skills with his mind, he will have no options. That's sort of my point. I went back to school after 2 years and got my insurance license. I got involved in some different insurance programs and some other entrepreneurial things that will take time and research, but if I don't have the mind to understand the concepts and the principles and be intelligent enough to absorb it, I can't do it no matter how good of a champion I was or wasn't. My broadcasting ability and my ability to relate to people what's going on in a fighters mind and body gave me the ability to be a broadcaster. Not all of them could do it. Some freeze behind the mic and some just can't talk. There has to be some balance and that allowed me to do that for a little over 10 years. I still do it now; I just do more spot stuff. Showtime and I split. No big deal. Wherever I end up, I will be doing something.
PC: You were one of my favorite commentators because, like most ex-fighters that call the shots, you were very honest. Would you like to see more fighters behind the mic?
BC: Think about this, Larry Merchant never took a punch in the mouth, he's never trained or trained a fighter, never ran or sparred with somebody and had the duress of having 100 punches a round thrown at him to duck 'em, slip and roll off of them. He couldn't tell you the difference between a fish hook and a left hook in theory. In theory, yeah, he's a good observer and he's watched the game and been around the fights, but he's no better or worse than any good fan that can talk. I don't care who, across the board, it is. It's just like when you watch football. You see Lawrence Taylor and Howie Long, the players, telling you what's going on because if you haven't played the game, you don't know the skills it takes to do the things; the strength and training it takes and the knowledge of what it is all about. If you don't understand the entire process, you don't really qualify to be an expert analysis. You're not supposed to have an expert analysis if they haven't done what they're talking about.
PC: I think Merchant is to the point where, unless it's a blood and guts type of battle, he's easily bored.
BC: Some of the fights have to be thinking-mans fights. When I fought Robert Daniels, everybody was so used to me coming out and getting to work and making a war out of it because that was my style. I was strong for my weight, but that was at light heavyweight. At cruiserweight, I wasn't as strong. I needed to use my boxing skills, step around, step off, and make him miss and outpunch and outpoint him. I knew he was stronger and younger. After the fight, they asked Daniels, "What happened?" He said, "I had no idea Bobby could box like that." He didn't know, but it's not my place as his opponent to make him aware of my skills (laughing).
CHECK BACK FOR PART 2 OF THIS EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW AS CZYZ TALKS ABOUT MIKE TYSON AND MUCH MORE
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