"One coach told me one time, and I think he was definitely right, every boxing coach has to be some type of psychologist also. You're with the fighter all day, every day. A manager may make a call here or there, but you are constantly with that fighter. You learn all of their habits, good and bad, and you gotta get them to trust you and to trust themselves. The more they trust you, that will allow you to teach them a little more...I know boxing, and I'm not saying it like I know everything about boxing because I don't, but that's what I do because I'm a student of boxing and I teach these guys what to do. Sometimes they ask me questions because there are certain things that you can do and certain things that you can't do. You can never lead with a hook and turn your foot in a MMA fight. If you turn your foot, you are exposing yourself for a guy to kick your legs. They are gonna use that as a counter. It's the same in boxing as well; it's tough to get away with leading with the hook. It's just different little things," stated boxing/MMA trainer Fareed Samad, who works with world-class mixed martial artists like King Mo Lawal, James McSweeney and Todd Duffee. Check out what else he had to say as he talks more about the differences in training boxers and mixed martial artists.
PC: How is everything going?
FS: Everything is going well.
PC: Before we go into details, give our readers some of your boxing background as well as your training history?
FS: I started boxing when I was 16. Basketball was my favorite sport, but as you know, basketball can lead to fisticuffs. When I lived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the old heads would have boxing gloves out there, so if two guys got into an argument or something, they would put the gloves on and just go out there and fight. From there, I picked up boxing, went to the Army, and won some national championships. I won the All-Army Armed Forces championships. Professionally, I was 10-0 with 9 knockouts. I was a southpaw and I used to knock a lot of people out in the amateurs and professionally as well, so it was hard for me to get fights. But that's neither here or there. I can't complain about stuff I can't change. It got me into the coaching aspect and I'm teaching and that's what I'm doing now. I loved the aspect of teaching and training and I wanted to learn all of the time, so I started coaching. I coached for the Army team for a little while. My first head coaching job was with the All-Army female team. I coached there and it was like the hardest job I've ever had, but it was also the best job I ever had. I had to know...women are unstable at certain aspects, so I had to learn how to relate to everybody. I may have one I could holler at and then one I had to hug. I had to gauge different things. They go through a period at that time of the month, but they still had to box, so you had to learn everything about them and I did that. That's what I do. I train and teach and move from there.
PC: How much was the discipline in the military a carryover into your boxing commitment?
FS: Back in that time...life goes in cycles, and back in that time, a trainer or teacher in the Army wasn't very technical. We didn't have technical coaching in the Army. Still, to this day, it's rare. They just want you to get in good shape. But we had discipline to get in good shape, be where you're supposed to be and execute a plan. We say in the military that you have to be technically and tactically proficient. Technically proficient is to know your job and the tactical part is to employ your job and how to actively do it. That's what you carry into the ring. But I think the Army was great for me man. I wouldn't change a thing. If I had a chance to do it all over again, I would go right back into the Army and do the same exact thing.
PC: You are the boxing coach for King Mo and Todd Duffee, as well as some other mixed martial artist, and you go to a couple of different gyms. Tell us a little more about the guys you are working with and some of the things you are working on?
FS: The thing is I think you have to get into a guy's head. One coach told me one time, and I think he was definitely right, every boxing coach has to be some type of psychologist also. You're with the fighter all day, every day. A manager may make a call here or there, but you are constantly with that fighter. You learn all of their habits, good and bad, and you gotta get them to trust you and to trust themselves. The more they trust you, that will allow you to teach them a little more. I got all of my guys coming along slowly but surely. We are learning things about each other. I just went to Japan and Mo was out there, but I went with Todd Duffee. He took the fight with Alistair Overeem on 8-days notice and he only had 6 fights. His manager didn't want him to take the fight and he actually talked his manager into it. No matter what, if he talked somebody into it or not, as his trainer, I'm not going to leave him high and dry. He felt like it may be his only chance to be able to fight a top 3 guy, so he took the fight, but I learned a lot about him as a fighter because that was my first trip with him. I train him in the gym, but when you go to an actual fight, you learn different things. I learned a lot about him and he learned a lot about me. He has trust in me now. At first, it was like, "I like my coach," but this was our first fight together and I won his trust and I learned some things about him. I got a lot of guys that I'm training that are looking really good. I'm working with some guys out of Grudge and I work with Trevor [Wittman] as far as strategies. We work together with Nate Marquardt, Shane Carwin, who is coming back soon, and we just work on strategies. We're teaching them how to hit and not get hit.
PC: You're only working boxing, but how different is it for you to teach boxing to martial artists that have to not only concentrate on the boxing aspect, but protect themselves from kicks and takedowns while offensively throwing kicks and scoring takedowns as well?
FS: That's what I had to learn. I also train James McSweeney and he's more of a Muay Thai guy and it's evolving. I know boxing, and I'm not saying it like I know everything about boxing because I don't, but that's what I do because I'm a student of boxing and I teach these guys what to do. Sometimes they ask me questions because there are certain things that you can do and certain things that you can't do. You can never lead with a hook and turn your foot in a MMA fight. If you turn your foot, you are exposing yourself for a guy to kick your legs. They are gonna use that as a counter. It's the same in boxing as well; it's tough to get away with leading with the hook. It's just different little things, but I love it because I'm learning. I'm learning as I go.
PC: What do you feel James Toney could have done differently in his MMA fight against Randy Couture to have some success?
FS: Challenged him to a boxing match; that's what he should have done. I tell everybody, I am a boxer by heart. I have been boxing for a couple of decades and although all fights start standing up, the ones that are allowed to go to the ground end up on the ground. If you watch a street fight, you know it's going to end up on the ground with you on top of the guy or the guy on top of you. But I don't think...I'm not hating on boxers, but boxers can't beat a mixed martial artist at his own game. Now don't get me wrong, you can be a good mixed martial arts guy with some nice hands, but if you go mess with a professional boxer in boxing, you gonna get your butt kicked. That's what we do and it's something totally different. So I really think that he should've challenged him to a boxing match, or at least do 1st round of boxing, 2nd round MMA, and then the last be a little bit of both. But I didn't have him having a chance or a prayer in that.
PC: King Mo is a relatively young guy and he's a young fighter in the sport of MMA. What is his potential in your eyes?
FS: I think the sky is the limit. Mo will always be his own worst enemy. He's already won the championship of the world before. I think that Mo can do anything that he wants to if he puts his mind to it and the only downfall...it's like the greatest basketball player or great team is them killing themselves; overthinking. He wants to grow and excel. He just talked to me yesterday about going to Holland and training Muay Thai because he wants to expand. He wants to expand his whole aspect of the game, which is great.
PC: I appreciate your time. Thanks for the interview. Is there anything you want to say in closing?
FS: I just want to say this year to everybody there is a difference between losing a fight and being defeated. That's my pet peeve and I tell it to all of the guys. The key is, when you lose a fight, it is different from being defeated. Losing a fight is when you practice and train to do something and you have a plan and you go out and you don't execute that plan; that's a loss. Being defeated is if you do everything that you are supposed to do in practice in the fight and you come up short; that's being defeated. I'm not taking no losses this year. If you are going to work with me, we might get defeated, but we're not losing. If you want to hire me or you want me to be your guy, you gotta be mentally prepared to initiate the plan at practice and carry it on into the fight.
[ Follow Percy Crawford on Twitter @MrLouis1ana ]