Episode Transcript
[00:00:03] Speaker A: Hey there, it's Connor Walsh, production and social Media manager at MHA of Dutchess County. Before getting into multimedia production, I was a student athlete, just like a lot of you probably were or still are. In high school, I played soccer, lacrosse and basketball. And before that I played Little League baseball and I did karate. I loved playing sports when I was younger and it taught me a lot of valuable life lessons. It taught me resilience, work ethic, and how to be a good teammate. It had a great impact on how I identified myself and on how I managed my physical and mental health. This September, we're in. Introducing our latest segment on youn Best yout Called Champions for Mental Health. It's a segment on athletics and identity as we speak with local and professional athletes, coaches and trainers. And what a way to kick off the series than with the Legends of the Ring Autograph show. On Saturday, August 22nd, Mental Health America of Dutchess county sponsored this incredible event which was held at Cusdomato's Boxing Gym in Catskill. There's never been an event quite like this before in the boxing community. They brought in World champions, Hall of Famers and Olympic medalists. Not to mention, it even featured the baddest man on the planet, Mike Tyson. But don't worry, he was extremely nice and professional to work with. You'll actually get to see my interview with him later in this video. We weren't able to talk to every boxing legend that was there at the event simply due to time and availability. However, we did our best to get as many spotlights as we could. So that being said, let's get ready to rumble and enjoy these highlights from the Legends of the ring autograph show.
[00:01:27] Speaker B: Dr. Scott Weiss. How are you, sir?
[00:01:29] Speaker C: Good.
[00:01:29] Speaker B: Pleasure to meet you. I'm Connor. I'm with mha, one of the top sponsors. Cool, Connor, to have your book here confusing the Enemy. Yes, you might be one of the, I don't know, probably one of the top historians, experts on this gym, besides Cusimato himself.
What do you got to say? Being here today at an event like this and seeing practically all of Catskill and beyond come out here, I'm just
[00:01:51] Speaker D: really thankful that we can keep on promoting the legacy of kus. He did so much for the community, so much for individuals, and to see all these people come out, it's just fascinating and it's amazing. It's really, really awesome. I really think that Cus knew that being amazing was universal. And once he kind of got to the common denominator, he was able to share it with so many of his fighters. Not only making them great fighters, but amazing men. And that's what the book is about. It's showing character, how people build character.
[00:02:19] Speaker B: Building character. Absolutely. So with MHA Mental Health America, we are here to help people build their character, build their lives, help them through tough times. How do you think boxing is an outlet to people through those times?
[00:02:33] Speaker D: That's a really great question. I believe that internally, over time, people like to get out and they like to kind of express themselves in so many different ways. Boxing is such a good forum to not only get the physical part out, the mental part out. It's really going to help you internally no matter what.
[00:02:50] Speaker B: Fantastic. So were you ever a boxer in your own right?
[00:02:53] Speaker D: I was. I was a featherweight boxer. Fought at the Adult Forum and all over New York.
[00:02:59] Speaker B: Incredible.
[00:03:00] Speaker E: Incredible.
[00:03:01] Speaker B: So what was it then that inspired you? Getting writing and becoming an author after having this prestigious athletic career?
[00:03:07] Speaker D: I know I found Elaine. There was no book in the world on Customato and I couldn't understand why. And after a decade of worth of research, I was able to kind of compile everything that he put together and concise that into a book.
[00:03:19] Speaker B: Incredible. Incredible. Before I leave you being. We got. This place is swamped right now.
[00:03:24] Speaker D: I know.
[00:03:24] Speaker E: A little hot.
[00:03:25] Speaker B: I know it's hot too. I'm amazed I've been able to get over here. Any last little nugget for anybody from the MHA audience listening when this comes out.
[00:03:33] Speaker D: Mental health is so important these days, and it's amazing that more and more people are able to talk about it and get it out there. There's so much support.
It's out there.
[00:03:42] Speaker B: Fantastic. Thank you so much for your time. Appreciate you. Thank you. What's it like to be here at Customatos with a lot of your friends and colleagues?
When was the last time that you've been to this gym?
[00:03:58] Speaker F: Or have you ever been to this gym before?
[00:04:00] Speaker E: Twice before.
[00:04:01] Speaker B: Gotcha.
10 years ago.
What do you hope that you can enjoy with all the fans today? What do you hope you get out of it?
Jerry Cooney, you just got me in the face with that glove. Mind if I get a word? What is it like to be here today with all these colleagues and members of the sport?
[00:04:28] Speaker C: Are you kidding me? I'm living the dream. We got Larry Holmes, Ray Mercer.
[00:04:35] Speaker B: I see him.
[00:04:35] Speaker C: He's the beast, the headwind champ in the world right here.
And we got Michael.
We have Mike Tyson.
People, great people.
Look at all the stars down here.
So we're junior Jones, we're very excited to be here today.
First time ever being done.
[00:04:55] Speaker G: I love it.
[00:04:55] Speaker H: For me, it's an honor being here. I heard so much about this gym and so many great fighters coming out of the gym.
[00:05:01] Speaker B: Have you had a chance to ever train here or work here before?
[00:05:04] Speaker H: Never. Never. This is my first time in the gym ever.
[00:05:06] Speaker D: Really?
[00:05:07] Speaker H: I'm really excited. I mean, Mike Tyson's in the ring right now, and, you know, like I said, we got Jerry Cooney, Larry Holmes. We got a lot of fighters.
[00:05:15] Speaker B: Absolutely. Do you feel the history being here first time?
[00:05:18] Speaker H: I do. I feel like right now I'm a part of history also. So that's what makes it so great for me.
[00:05:23] Speaker B: You are a part of history. You had a hell of a career yourself.
[00:05:26] Speaker E: Thank you.
[00:05:26] Speaker B: Now, being back here, does it make you feel like a young man in sorts is like kind of bring you back to your origins? Even though this is your first time here, does it kind of make you feel young?
[00:05:35] Speaker H: Yeah, it does. Because of the fighters that's in here are in my era.
[00:05:39] Speaker B: What's it like to be in this legendary gym? Have you guys had experience here before? Is this your first time?
[00:05:44] Speaker E: Yes.
[00:05:44] Speaker G: It is not our first time. And what makes it so special is because Mike Tyson actually gave me my first world title. He made the belt on me, so that's what makes me excited. And of course, we are New Yorkers,
[00:05:59] Speaker B: so there you go.
[00:06:00] Speaker G: We are champions.
[00:06:02] Speaker B: Forget about it.
[00:06:05] Speaker I: First time here, I don't have any belts yet, but I'm coming. I'm on the way to becoming a champion. That's my goal, and I'm very lucky to be around champions. It motivates me. And Elise and Shim. Shout out to Elise and Shim.
[00:06:20] Speaker E: Beautiful.
[00:06:21] Speaker J: Well, for me, this is my first time here, but I've heard so many stories.
So many fighters have come to here. So I'm so happy and I'm so excited to be in a place where the best of the best have come and just done something that we love so much, which is boxing. So I'm excited to just feel the energy in here, and I hope that everybody's excited as well.
[00:06:46] Speaker B: Fantastic. So there's a lot of fans. I was just outside. There's a huge line out the block. What are you guys hoping to experience the most with the fans today?
[00:06:56] Speaker G: We are here to let them know that us female boxers, we representing, we here to stay, and we glad to meet everybody. And the interview is great. Hi.
[00:07:06] Speaker B: Just to have an interaction.
[00:07:08] Speaker J: The people, the fans talk to them. And, you know, have them understand whatever questions that they want to ask, especially about female boxing, like, we're here to answer. Because sometimes you got to talk to the root of the story to know
[00:07:19] Speaker B: what really goes on. Amen to that. I appreciate the transparency that you're bringing here today that all of Catskill, it feels like all of Catskill outside is going to appreciate.
Ladies, thank you so much. What's it like being here at Custom Autos today?
[00:07:34] Speaker F: This is amazing. I can't even believe they asked me to come up here all the way from Philly to be a part of this. It's a huge honor for me. You've got Mike Tyson here, Larry Holmes, Jerry Coon. I mean, you go down the list, it's great. Mickey Ward, Kelly Pavlick and me. Just another bump from the neighborhood, you know.
[00:07:50] Speaker B: Hey, but you know, you got a very, very legendary career of your own, right? For anybody in the MHA community that might not know about your career, what are you famous for in the boxing community?
[00:08:01] Speaker F: Boxing community? I'm a seven time hall of fame cut, man.
I used to be a fighter. Not too good, but I was a fighter in Philly. And I've been in over 100 movies. A lot of Florida Rocky movies.
Two of them I played myself.
I was on the Sopranos before. Like I said, I've been over 100 movies. But if it wasn't for boxing, none of this would ever happen for me, so.
[00:08:26] Speaker B: Absolutely. So speaking of how boxing opened this up for you, how do you feel like boxing is an outlet for people of all ages, all genders, everywhere? How is it an outlet to give people opportunities?
[00:08:38] Speaker E: This.
[00:08:39] Speaker F: Boxing is the only sport where you can just walk in at any age other than maybe, you know, 100 years old, you know, which is more like 40 or 50 in boxing years. But you know that you can get the opportunity to get in the ring, train and get a fight. You know, you don't just walk on the. On the New York Giants football field and go, hey, I'm gonna play. You know, but you come in, get trained, and you get. And it's only you and the other guy or you and the other girl, whatever. And it builds character, it builds discipline. There's no. All the other sports aspire to beat boxing, and that's what people get out of this. It might not be. They might not be in the greatest shape or when they come in, but they will. But then they leave and they'll learn something about in the ring and in life. Did you come to a gym they'll teach you about life. Not, not, not just in the ring, but outside.
No.
[00:09:33] Speaker B: You have some of the most inspiring answers I've been getting today. So I appreciate you. You said before how you got into some of the films. We got Rocky right here and everything.
[00:09:41] Speaker F: Yeah.
[00:09:42] Speaker B: What is one of your favorite film moments that you got to experience in your career?
[00:09:47] Speaker F: It probably is this, because this is what started it all for me. I was nine years old.
[00:09:51] Speaker B: Rocky too.
[00:09:52] Speaker F: I got to run with Rocky and Rocky 2, he picked me up at one point, put me on his shoulders at the top of the art museum steps, and that was it for me because I thought he was real. I told him I thought, I said, I'm Italian, I'm left handed, I'm small, I want to be just like Rocky. And like I told him, I didn't fight much better. I didn't get this face eating Cheerios,
[00:10:12] Speaker B: you know what I mean?
[00:10:13] Speaker F: But, you know, I thought, hey, I want to be like that guy. I ran right home, told my father I want to go to the gym now. And he didn't ask any questions and took me right to the gym. And all these years later, here I am. And there I was playing myself in another, in another Rocky film, which was Creed. So that for me, I tell my kids they gotta watch that scene every time. I tell my wife, I say, because if it wasn't for that, we would. None of you would be here.
[00:10:39] Speaker B: What we got here is tallyguard. Tell us about tallyguard and what you guys are doing.
[00:10:43] Speaker K: Well, we're building a medical sports compliance platform for the combat sports industry, specifically the fighter, to keep their medical records in one place so they don't have to go through every state and send them over. Gives them quicker clearances, more visibility to promoters, allows promoters to have good liability coverage and decrease risk because they know they have fighters cleared a month before the fights actually happen and their promotions go off without a hitch. You know, there's 44 state commissions in boxing and 44 different sets of rules for 50 states. We hope that Congress will pass the Muhammad Ali act, which mandates fighters to get certain medical diagnostics before they fight. The other thing we want to do is in game analytics and post game analytics so we have some data on that so we could treat people better and maybe decrease the mental health of the disabilities over time in the sport, Increase the infrastructure, increase the exposure and overall increase the sport.
[00:11:43] Speaker B: Absolutely. You talked about the legislation there and trying to get these bills passed in Congress. How can the everyday fan get involved with this in Order to support.
[00:11:52] Speaker K: Write your senator.
Senator Ted Cruz is actually taking this up. And write him and tell him how important this is. Because our fighters, our combat sports industry deserve this. They deserve an infrastructure that helps them, that keeps them safe and allows them to do what they do best. Fight and earn.
[00:12:09] Speaker G: Amen.
[00:12:11] Speaker B: Appreciate your time. Hold on, I'm going to show this off one more time. There's a QR code. If it's focused enough, people can scan the QR code later.
[00:12:20] Speaker C: There we go.
[00:12:21] Speaker B: Get a few seconds of it.
Thank you again for your time.
[00:12:24] Speaker E: Appreciate you.
[00:12:24] Speaker B: Hi there, Mr. Tyson. It's a pleasure to meet you.
[00:12:26] Speaker F: Thank you.
[00:12:27] Speaker B: What is it like to be back here where it all started for you?
[00:12:30] Speaker E: Man, I don't even have the words now. It's like I'm going back in the future. When I come in, I see I. I came here at 13, I trained hard. Now I became a fighter because of custody of. Every time I walk the street of any city, any country, I can't walk the streets. I think you're the reason that happens. I can't walk the streets of no country. Because of Customado.
[00:12:52] Speaker B: Absolutely.
What would you say the legacy that Cuz d' Amato has left on boxing, not just for you, but for boxers new and old?
[00:13:00] Speaker E: He left the magazine. And this is not from ego perspective. This is just some fact. He left a legacy that probably would never, ever be forgotten.
[00:13:09] Speaker B: Amen.
[00:13:10] Speaker E: I'm not talking about myself from an eagle perspective. I'm talking from cuss ideology.
[00:13:19] Speaker B: What's it like reuniting with so many friends, colleagues, boxers? I saw all the pictures you were taking before. What's it like to reunite with everybody that you got to grow up with?
[00:13:28] Speaker E: Hey, listen, just to come in here and see some of my next. The old next door neighbors. I used to live by me for seven years.
I see people I'm teaching that were my teachers seeing their kids, people I went to school with. I like being back in my path. This one, this is why I tell everybody the best time of my life. I'm talking about being champion, everything doing, moving, being here for seven years. That's the best time of my life right here.
[00:13:53] Speaker B: That is beautiful. Mr. Tyson, thank you so much for being a part of this event. Thank you for coming to the Hudson Valley. I'm excited for the day that you're going to have.
[00:14:00] Speaker A: And that's it for today's episode. Big thank you to Ed Dupont and everybody at Customato's boxing gym in Catskill. Big thank you to all of the boxers Whether we got to talk to them or not, we appreciate their time and energy and everything that they offer to the catskill community. On August 22nd, we got more episodes to come in our Mental Health for Athletes series, so please stay tuned for that. For Mental Health America of Dutchess County, I'm Connor and keep being a champion. I'll see you next time,
[00:14:27] Speaker G: Sam.
