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Monte Barrett
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When sizing up a fighter’s true worth there are intangibles that will often come into play. A fighter’s power, technique, poise, and overall ability are always on full display inside of the ring, but often we have to dig deeper and take a look outside the ropes to get the full picture.
Heavyweight contender Monte ‘Two Gunz’ Barrett's life has taken a dramatic change since giving himself to Christ, and the results have shown both in and out of the ring. Barrett has put together a great string of fights lately and he will have to keep the momentum going as he prepares to lock horns with good friend Hasim Rahman this Saturday, August 13th at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois.
When looking at Barrett (31-3, 17 KO’s), his personality and character stand out just as much as his skills inside the squared circle. With his recent actions one truly gets the sense that he has revived not only his career, but also his life in general. Barrett stopped by Bragging Rights Corner to talk about fighting his good friend this Saturday, his trials and tribulations outside of the ropes, and much more. This is what we discussed…
Fighting in Chicago this Saturday…
‘I’m excited. I’m fighting in the United Center where the great Michael Jordan played at. He was one of the greatest players ever. It’s great to be fighting there, but if I was fighting in a phone booth in the middle of Chicago I would be happy. My mind is focused on the big picture, which is the fight with Hasim.
Hasim ‘The Rock’ Rahman…
‘Hasim Rahman is one of the best fighters in the Heavyweight division. I’ve been knowing Hasim since I started boxing. I used to fight on his undercards. He’s a very strong puncher with an excellent right hand and a very hard jab. He’s a good fighter but I’m coming to win. I’ve been under pressure my whole life and I adapt well under pressure. You’ll see come August 13th.
God first…
‘Ever since I turned my life over to Christ my life has changed. By putting God first it has built my character, my strength, my tolerance, my focus, and I definitely have been resurrected. I have revived my career.’
Ying and Yang…
‘There is a lot that I think of when I look back on my childhood. My childhood was pretty much mixed. It was a learning experience to me because I was very open minded and I was very experienced for such a young age. I was exposed to sports. That was my ying and yang. Sports is what gave me my balance in life.
Like a big sister…
‘I had a very close relationship with my mother because she had me at the age of sixteen. She was pretty much my big sister instead of my mother. Through my mother I learned how to sacrifice.
Destiny…
‘I think throughout my life I always had a gift that I noticed at a young age. Whether it was in sports, or anything physical, like manual labor, I was always good with my hands. They used to call me the ‘Golden Child’ because everything I touched in my life has turned into gold. I’ve been very fortunate in the past to be very well adept at anything I took on. I knew I was going to be successful I just didn’t know what it was. Boxing turned out to be my destiny.
A late start…
I never became involved in boxing until the age of twenty-one. I think my late start helped me. In 1995 I met Mike Tyson he told me ‘You are at a very good age for this game. You’ve had only forty amateur fights and you haven’t burnt yourself out. You have experience, but in a different way. A lot of guys out there have hundreds of fights but they are already burnt out’. By being a late bloomer it helped me. Even in my career, out of the nine years I’ve fought, I’ve been only active for about five years and I am still very fresh and motivated.
Love and support…
‘I feel love from the people who I need to feel love from. More than anything I feel support from people who really know me and boxing fans in general who know what I’ve gone through. I can feel their support. They know that nothing was given to me and that it was all hard work.
Overcoming the struggles of life…
‘The experiences that have prepared me are my struggles. I’ve been through a lot. I’ve been through a lot of financial struggles and that held me back at one time. At one time I had a big house, a big car, a lot of bills, and no money. That was the lowest part of my life. I was writing bad checks and the heat was getting cut off, the lights were getting cut off, the phone was getting cut off, and it kept getting worse. My house was repossessed and I had to sell my car and pawn my jewelry just to get by. Shortly thereafter I was robbed at gunpoint. All that was happening at one time and I didn’t break at that point so I knew I was meant for something else.
When people see you losing they assume that you are breaking under pressure, but they really have no idea what you are going through. At the time I simply wasn’t ready for my blessing. God was just putting me through a test, and at the same time he was building my character.
Giving back…
‘I have four boys and one girl. Every parent wants their kids to have more than they had. Most definitely I want my kids to have more than I have had in my life. That’s one of the things that keeps me motivated and it’s what keeps me strong, is to give back to them.’
Knowing Tommy Parks…
‘Tommy Parks was a mentor and a good friend. He was like a big brother, definitely like family to me. In the short years that I had the chance to work with him I learned a lot. You knew that if he was dealing with you than he had to have a lot of respect for you, because he just didn’t deal with anybody who he didn’t have to. He was a very well off man who was very smart and intelligent. He was a wonderful man and him and his wife treated me very well.
'He helped me to stay grounded at the time when I needed focus. It was very hard for me when he passed. We had a lot of talks and he always told me that I was going to be his last champion. He really thought it could happen and even turned down several other fighters just to continue working with me. The difference about him was that he really believed in me.
Keeping in touch…
‘I keep in touch with guys like Zab Judah, Lamon Brewster, and Hasim Rahman when I’m outside of the ring. I live five minutes from Zab. We do pretty much everything together. We hang out and do the family thing together; his kids and my kids. We’re real good people and I have a lot of respect for Zab.
Fans…
‘My fans are very important. I do what I do when I feel it, and a lot of times I just think about all of the energy, all of the prayers from people who don’t know me yet still wish me luck. I really appreciate that energy from those people.
The Monte Barrett-Hasim Rahman meeting is the main event on Showtime Pay Per View this Saturday, August 13th. The telecast begins at 9 PM/ET and we wish Monte the best of luck.
Special thanks to Alan Hopper and Renee Aiken for help with this one on one. It was greatly appreciated.
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© Copyright / All Rights reserved: Doghouse Boxing 1998-2005
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Interview by Chris Robinson (August 13, 2005)
