BONUS: Taking on The Monster: Sam Goodman

The public has had a long held fascination with detectives. Detective sy a side of life the average persons never exposed her. I spent thirty four years as a cop. For twenty five of those years, I was catching killers. That's what I did for a living. I was a homicide detective. I'm no longer just interviewing bad guys stead, I'm taking the public into the world in which I operated. The guests I talk to each week have amazing stories from all sides of the law. The interviews are raw

Thanks for having me on stake to be.

Well, I don't know how excited you are, but we're going to find out. But I'm certainly excited about Christmas Eve, not for the presents that are coming, but for the fight that's going to be on Christmas Eve. When you take on, arguably, pound for pound, one of the best fighters in the world. How are you feeling.

I'm feeling really good, but believing there's going to be presents after the fight. So when I'm bringing all those belts back to Australia, you know, that's the That's the biggest person I could have ever asked for. So look, I'm working extremely hard to go and do it, and I'm putting in the work each and every day. But I'm in a good spot. I'm feeling really good in training, feeling great and yeah, I'm putting in the work.

I know this that whenever you talk about and it's starting to get starting to get a lot of media exposure because of the significance of the Every time I hear you talk it's not if it's when I will achieve. Is that the way you approach a situation like this.

It's how I've approached every fight, and nothing's going to change for me with this one. The only thing that sort of has changes. I've just pushed the envelope even more with the workload. So I've honestly, I've worked myself to exhaustion through this training camp ever since we found out that this fight could happen, and yeah, it's just been almost I've always worked hard, I've always stayed consistent,

Yeah, it's what you're saying there. I've speaking to people that you've surrounded yourself with a good team, and we'll talk about them later, but they're all saying you're at another level, And I think at first I've seen a couple of your fights, but I think I first saw you sparring probably two years ago, went there with your manager Peter Matreski, to a gym mum down near Cronola, and I came away exhausted on how hard you went.

Definitely. I think it's just from the work we put in. Like my coach Shoel, you know, he works us into the ground, so we put in a lot of work. And I think a lot of other people when they come and train with us or do a bit of a training camp, they're a bit shocked with the workload and how much we train for how long we train, And it shows in the fights. It shows in the sparring, you know, especially when I'm working with multiple different guys and you know they're starting to gas up a bit

Okay, you, what's two weeks out from the fight now? Just do a rough calculation rough roughly.

Too, roughly about two and a half.

What what are you feeling right now? Do you want do you wish you could make it happen now? Or you is excitement building? Is? Yeah? What's going through your mind at this point in time.

I've still got another hard week and a half to get through a training so it's it's still a bit of work to go. So at the moment, my focus is on I'm not looking past each day. So each day I'm just doing what I'm meant to be doing that day and focusing on that. So I'm not looking too far ahead. Not let me head get in the clouds and start fighting the fight before I get there. It's just all about focusing on the job we're going to do each day, and it'll be the same on

The way I've approached every fight. Every fight that.

You're about to have is always going to be the biggest one you take on. So it's it's like I said, nothing really changes for me here.

I'm fascinated by the mindset that goes also with the physical training training in boxing. But let's wind it back a little bit. We got you at the world title fight, but you don't just wake up one day and say, hey, I'm going to be a world champ in or a fight for a world title. Tell us about yourself growing up. Where'd you grow up?

So grew up in Abbim Park, so small town, like tight knit community and just really I got into boxing to get a little bit fitter for footy, and like originally I wanted to get into the wrestling and stuff like outline, I love.

Me, wwe me the old boy.

The old boy told me that the wrestling I was going to be doing is not like jumping off the ropes and what I'm seeing on TV. And I thought, no, mate, You've got no clue. So but then I ended up dislocating my elbow playing footy, and he just thought, give the boxing a go because you don't want to get thrown in arm bars and stuff that early on. So done that had my first spar and after that just never.

Looked back, how old were you about ten nine or ten?

So it was just something that I was always a little bit of a rap bag of a kid, you know, like always punching on my cousins or me friends. You know, who caused the ruckers. But so it was just something I was drawn to. That that combative like nature was always I think in me and just something I've grown to love. And even when we've got a bit older and all the mates were into surfing and they were,

It's interesting you said there that you were training and then you had your first sparring session. That's when you knew that's what you wanted to do. That separates people, doesn't It's just you either enjoy it or you don't enjoy it. It's all right to train, you see a lot of people train boxing, but then the next step is how do you how do you react when you get hit and do you enjoy it? And do you enjoy the combat of being in a ring with someone?

Clearly you did yeah, and that's I think it might stem from a bit of footy and like I said, just knock about you know, it's a contact sport as well, and.

I think that might have helped.

You know, I was always a bit of an undersized kid as well when I was playing footy, so I was always you know, getting thrown into the mixer and just used to a bit of contact. And yeah, so when I was with the boxing, and it's you know it eventually when you're fighting, it's people your own size was sweet as so it was, yeah, just something I

Yeah.

Yeah. Did it give you just stepping away from the boxing, did it give you a sense of calmness away from or confidence away from the boxing ring, knowing that you could look after yourself.

Yeah, a little bit.

Like I was never not not heaps confident as a kid, like I said, always bounced around for all lot of me footy teammates and it's the same group I got around me today. So but it definitely did does give you a bit of confidence and a bit of a swagger when you walk. You know, you know you can handle yourself. But it's also comes with a bit of a responsibility. It's a different world out there, and you don't want to be walking around like you can't be

I think that I've had a lot of people on I catch killers and their life's gone in the wrong direction, and boxing sometimes bore them back in the right direction. But one thing that boxing teaches them that yeah, you know there's always someone better, there's always someone that's a different way that someone can get you, and that you don't walk around without arrogance, and you don't feel that need to need to fight.

Absolutely, And it's just like I said, anything can happen if you if you're out there on the street. You know people have weapons, people have you know, they can outnumber It's never a fair fight. So it's not even that like I look at street flights down my hands start hurting just thinking about punching someone.

So just way they just want to strap my hands.

Obviously, I couldn't think about it now. Yeah, it's just you don't go out for that sort of stuff anyways. You know, if you're going out, you're going out to.

Have a fe and you've got quite a conservative group of friends too, that, strangely get called the mad bunch. Quite a quiet group of people going about their business. We're going to talk about the mad bunch of mad bunchs later on. So when did you like an amateur career in boxing? Just talk people through, because I want people and people that don't understand boxing. It's not like

So I started off boxing obviously at Lake Laura PC well I see and had a good few fights there, But it was really once I won my first Australian title that I really thought I'm going to give everything else away and everything I'm going to do is going to be drilled towards this, but that was about I was probably about twelve years old and that's when I met Joel, who knows still to this day he's my trainer, but he's been the biggest influence on my life and my boxing career by far.

And yeah, so it stemmed from there.

But we, like you said, you start at the local level, then you go to your state titles, your nationals, and once you start doing that, you're looking to sort of go overseas. And we've done plenty, plenty of training camps in the amateurs overseas England, China, stuff like art so and then started competing overseas so America, Russia, Germany, England again, all places like that. So it's as took me all

Big big commitment there, But to you'd have to be totally focused. I'm just talking the amateur at this stage. We'll talk about the professional shortly. But with your schooling and that, did you have like Australian titles? Did you think this is my pathway or did you have a another option there was never get a trade something to fall back on.

Or did you I got told that a lot.

Yeah, that was a narrative that goes around the line.

Everyone was telling you need a plan, B, you need to be doing this, and I was just like, and I think especially your teachers and even some people in my family look here like you're still a kid or whatever.

I'm going to make this work. This is going to be my job.

This is what I'm going to be doing for a living, and I'm not going to have to do anything else after I'm done doing this either. So there, everyone's always looked at me like I was a bit crazy and stuff, but here I am doing it. So it's yeah, it's like everyone told me, you've got to get a trader, You've got to get a real job, and stuff like that, and people who know me know how useless i'd be with all that sort of stuff. I couldn't be on

For the rest of my days.

It's a tough gig, isn't it.

I'd take your hat off to people who.

Do it, but yeah, it wasn't for me, and I always knew that my path was through boxing.

Well what excites me here having someone like you on the podcast And we get all sorts of people who've had highs and lowers in life, but you're really chasing your dream as we're seeing it. Then you're not far off from your achieving your lifelong ambition. I just think it's so cool. What do your parents think about your boxing reservations? There?

Now?

There are?

They've always been incredibly supportive of what I've done and what I'm doing. So it's like I couldn't have done this without my parents as well. So you know, my mom and dad musty stuff like they're always got hime me gave me a massive push and I think maybe after I finished school and stuff, there might have been And you know, you're fighting for you know, only a few bob, and you're not making any real money when you're starting off as a pro. You know, my mum

We're we're sweet.

So we're about to fight for the world title, and look, I believe I'm going to win it and you know, set my future up forever.

Okay, how long have you been pro for?

Since two thousand and nineteen, so six seven years.

Just explain that. Explain to people difference between amateur boxing and professional boxing so people listening can understand.

So amateur boxing's it's three three by three minute rounds when you're now they've taken the head gears off, but it's still bigger gloves, you're fighting in vests, and yeah, it's.

It should be.

I don't like the word amateur because some of them are great boxes and people work like they are professionals, so you have to if otherwise you don't reach a

You they talk about different levels in boxing. You know, some people reach the level when there's the next step up and next step up? Did you know this a difference in professional boxing? Because in professional boxing you're going to come across some hard cases people you know, journeymen and people that know every trick in the book. And did you know the set when you were the crossover from amateurs to professional.

Little subtle differences.

I think maybe you always work with pros as amateur as well. When I was inspiring and in the gym, But to be honest, I didn't try and change everything I'd done well. I just needed to do that for longer and being you know, just really dial in on all my all my skills and and learn to progress it as a pro. But it's like I said, it's different sports because you're you're working it to like you

Suits your your game. Who did you look up to boxes that you looked up to as a young fella.

Early on, Mike Tyson, Roy Jones, and then once I started learning that, you know, I'm not punching like those guys, and you know, yeah, exactly all right, So I started looking at a lot more of the Eastern European guys, so like guys like Lomachenko, massive fan of him, like Dimitri Bivol, will sick. I love watching that Eastern European, like that Soviet style. So I think there's similarities as well in the way my coach coaches as well. So little nuances that we do you can see in those

And he's training. You would have seen the specials on the training and his footwork and the technique.

And very unique and very very different to what you see a lot of other people doing.

Just watching watching New SPA, and I was very fortunate just a last week coming up and watching you SPA. The Maloney brothers, both of which their last fights were in world title contests. You fought them for ten rounds, rotating one in for four and the other one in for six rounds with a thirty second break. I went up there with Johnny Lewis and watched that, and I

Absolutely, I go in with every sparring session with a tactical approach. But it's like a fight, you know, So it's getting used to those same feelings that you feel before a fight. You also got to put yourself through the mixer a bit, so it's yeah, you've got to work extremely harder and get the body ready to be in a fight. So I think ultimately the way to do that is you've got to fight. So it's it's I think it's essential and you can't tivvy tap around

But it was a willing sparring session. We've been worthy of a pay per view fight that there was no holding back from what I saw between you guys.

Nah, it's always good work with those two boys, and yeah, long mate continue.

You mentioned Joel Keegan and Luke of Phipps with training. Watching Joel speak to you in the corner just during that sparring session, I was impressed by the calmness that he created and the clear and concise messaging that he was giving to you about what he wanted you to do. Are you hearing that when you're in the ring, And how much is having someone like in your corner mean to you.

He's usually the only person I really can hear in the fight. So everyone likes to go on about can you hear the mad bunch or whatever, and everyone chatting. Usually the only two voices I can hear when I'm fighting is Joel and Luke. And look, their messages are always always understanding what they want from me and what they want me to do. So it's look, my success comes from those two blokes, really, so I just try and listen. And you know, they say jump, I say

No, it was impressive, and I could see the relationship, and I thought the instructions would really just switched on and concise that. I'm thinking if I was in that position, I'd want someone calm like that, feeding me, the providing the feedback and giving me.

When we get it wrong, he loses. He's cool a bit as well, so it's almost a bit of a few factors in there as well. If you're spar after someone else and you know they're they're bugging it up or whatever inspiring and you're next in, yeah, figuring out like you've put the heat on me now. So there's always a bit of pressure to not upset him. But look, he's the best at what he does as well. So like I said, without without Joel, I wouldn't be in this position.

Okay, I want to for a gain for people that don't follow boxing or understanding the type of commitment that you've got to put in from the time that you signed for this fight or it might be twelve weeks out from the fight. What sort of training do you have to do? Your life has to be And I see you this morning, you look tired, but you're spar sparring yesterday. And we could only get you on today because I was begging to get you on and we could only get you on today because this is your

So whenever we got the call that the fight was going to happen, which would have had fourteen to fifteen weeks out of us. It was probably just before September. I think that we knew that the fight was going to happen. It was just all about you know, putting in crazy amount of work and getting the body ready to you know, to be in the biggest fight of my life. And it's been you know, some some weeks

So it's it's a.

Lot of work, but it's stuff I still enjoy, you know, the training and working towards this. You know, Like I said, this has been my goal since I got into this sport, and I know that I could have put in an insane amount of work to achieve this, and that's what we've done. So ever, ever since we got that phone call, that's been you know, you know, two to four times a day since the seven days a week, and it's basically been my life. I've just ate, slept, drank boxing. It's it's nothing else.

There's a fine line too, because I hear here, Yeah, the experienced trainers say that you can ever cook someone as well. So it's as in, train too hard that you've got nothing left by the time you walk walk in the ring. So you're conscious of that, so you're downtimes your rest time.

Look, I'm looking to overcook him on December twenty fourth, So that's that's my plan, and that's what I'm going to do. So look, I'm going to be fresh by the time I get in there. You know, I've got time to freshen up while I'm in Japan. At the moment, I know, I've got to be working hard and doing everything possible to. I think some of the overcooking and that I think a lot of it can come mentally as well with people and they get tired and they

Hanging around watching professional fighters prep for their fights and all that. One thing that's I see fairly consistencies. There's a lot of laughter and carry on to take the pressure off, a lot of practical jokes, a lot of just some crazy shit that goes down just for a laugh. Is that all about taking the pressure off because it is so intense what you're trying to achieve and build.

I think a little bit of it.

But in our gym, a bit of a store organic, it just happens. It's got a bit of a tent, like we've got like a footy team environment at our gym. So it's just always it's a good place to be around if you're going there and everyone's super serious. Everyone's you know, and like we're serious when it's time, it is serious. But when you're just sitting around, you know, if no one's talking to each other, no one's having a laugh and a joke or poking a bit of fun.

Okay, can we talk about because I'm going to bring Brendan in shortly, but can we just talk about that the day of the fight? Just talk us through through that because you've been there. You've got twenty three fights undefeed, not nineteen and nineteen No, sorry, nineteen and a fights, so you've prepped for it. You've done that. Tell us about the day of a day of the fight's what's going to be happening.

I'll cheat it like mostuff for days, like I'll get up, I'll go for a coffee, I'll hydrate in the morning and then go out for a coffee and get having me breaky, and I'll just treat it as another day half the time, you know, if it's a Saturday or whatever that you're fighting, I'll have a pump with the boys or whatever and just relax and not think about

And that's the consequences of it, like the danger that's associated with anyone that steps steps in the rapes in boxing, the consequences of a victory. And I don't I don't want to tempt fate because I don't want your thinking past that. But it's going to be life changing.

Yeah, one hundred percent, it's going to I know that. But it's it's something I've always I've always expected of myself, something I've always dreamt about was becoming a world champion and setting out to do this. But I know that there's definitely going to be you know, it's going to change, but always expected it too. And I'll just like like I have with everything else, I'll take it in my stride and I'll get on the things. I won't build

Couple of days.

So we went for about four or five days to go actually watch him.

When you popped up and there, we got up in the ring.

So we are we you know, played musical chairs, got closer to the ring, yelled out at him, and you know, we got called in the ring boy him. So it was it was funny how that one worked out, but it was. Yeah, it was a cool experience, and yeah, it's a it's a good place. The people over there are great, and yeah, I'm looking forward to getting back over there.

You know, you're not going to be the the crowd favorite over there. He's a local hero. Does that work for you or against your or it doesn't matter, it doesn't matter.

I don't listen to them when they're going for me or if they're doing me. So you know, if you listen to them, you'll be sitting with them. And that's the approach I've always had with We've listened to the crowd, or reading stuff online, whatever, you know, I've always just worried about what me and my team think and what we need to do. And that's how I've approached everything. I don't I don't read nothing, I don't watch nothing anymore.

How many people you got close people you've got coming over to support you.

I think we've got about eighty odds.

So it's just close personal friends.

Yeah, lot more people I know and speak to.

So it's it's it's pretty cool on Christmas Eve, you know, to take take that sort of many people over. You know, if it wasn't Christmas Eve, I reckon we be looking to even more. But you know, Christmas is you know, everyone's looking to spend up with families and stuff a little bit. But we're still gonna We're gonna make plenty of noise over there, and you know what we're like, you know what they're like. So it's the Japanese. They're pretty quiet and our bunch of mad as they come.

They're quiet, but they love their boxing and they know their combat sports and they've got that Samurai spirit in them.

So yeah, they don't want to take them on like our bunch.

None of them know how to fight, and they all think they can. So it's yeah, that's color opposites.

We might have another episode of I Catch Killers on how they how they survived in a Japanese prison. It could be the same with it with the people close to you and going over there. You said eighty people, and I would imagine it would be that. I know you're a popular person. Do you feel the pressure of because the whole thing's around how you perform, on how you perform on the night, do you feel does that pressure or is that something you've become.

Conditioned to To be honest, it's it's no heavier. The heaviest pressure I feel is the pressure put on myself, and that's that comes with of my training from Like, I'd feel the same honestly, if I was fighting this bloke in front of you know, three judges and my coaches, I'd feel the exact same way as if I go and fight him in front of a hundred thousands. Wouldn't bother me one bit. So it's never something I've really

You've got a pretty philosophical outlook on things. Is this world that you've inhabited made you grow up quicker? Or yeah? Take the responsibility.

In some things. Other people will say, I'm still a kid. If you speak the speak the baby.

Or when we refer the baby, he's not actually a baby. He just acts like a baby. We're talking about Peter Mactreski, who helps manage you and yeah, a good, very good. Yeah, but yeah he's a bit crazy. Yeah, don't listen to everything.

Yeah, Now with some things I think i've you know, I'm definitely very mature with and then other stuff I'm.

Completely useless with.

So it's but yeah, just me outlook on my sport and how I approach things is something that you know, I've.

Always looked at.

People that have done great things in life or whatever, and I think I've chose good people to look at and how they approach things. People gone about mental coaching and stuff like that. For me, it's very hard to you know, speak to someone who and they're going to tell me how I should be feeling before something they've never ever done understand And so I.

Find a lot of that stuff a bit.

You know, they're teaching out of a textbook or whatever, whereas you know, you get to see someone who's been there and done it might not be boxing or fighting or whatever, but they've done something, achieve achieved something or you know, whether it's something from history that you can learn. Often you pick all things that you like out of that and you make your own sort of approach with it. And that's how I've always took things on and been inspired by things that I'm drawn to.

I like that approach. It's a real old school philosophy. But in looking to people for examples and looking to mentors. But yeah, I just think you've switched on for what you've got happening there. Intensity will burn you out. I see the way you conduct yourself around the gym and just when you're coming in here you can have a laugh. And that's so important because you burn yourself out if you haven't got that. But you switch on when need be.

Thanks for having me on.

It's exciting to be just a part of us such a big Australian fight. It's really excited to just be part of the build up and to talk to you about it.

Well, for people that you know, I'm trying to drag a lot of the eye catch killers listeners into the boxing world. But a unified world title like all the belts, You want to just break that down what we're talking about, because people would have heard discussions of unified world champion, what it actually means.

Yeah, so unified understand.

I'm sure Sam already is aware of this, but this is for our listeners. Sam, he's probably talking about it.

So basically in boxing these days, there's four major sanctioning bodies. They each have about WBC, wb A, WBO, IBF, and it's very rare that you have one fighter have all the belts in any division in a way has that Sam's fighting for all the belts, which is is super rare. And yeah, so the magnitude of this fight you can't

And he's not it's not the best days are behind him. He's still at his peak and he's considered considered the pound for pound.

Yeah.

Absolutely, he's in his peak right now. He's living it. He's fighting world champions, he's fighting number one contenders. This is in a way, you know, not to take anything away from any of the other great performances in Australian boxing, but this is like, you cannot get a boxer and opponent more at the peak and with more on the line than what Sam's traveling to Japan to do in a couple of weeks.

Sam, were there any opportunities to go and easier path and call yourself a world champion on just one of the belts? Was there options available to you?

There would have been interim options and stuff along those routes, and to probably delay it and then wait for him to move up or vacate.

But that's not what I'm about.

You know, I don't want to be someone who's going to duck and I'm excited by the challenge. And like I said before, if I didn't think I could beat this guy, I wouldn't wouldn't do it. It's something I really believe that I'm going to go and go and shock the world. And I just hope everyone does remember when I go and do this that he was at the peak he did. You know what he's done, and you know,

Well, it's gutsy and that's what I've been saying right from the start, and I think you'd have to agree. Brendan, Yeah, I.

Mean he's anyway said twenty eight wins, twenty five have been by knockout. He's in his whole career, he's lost only a handful of rounds. Like he's he's called the monster for a reason. He's a very scary man. And Sam sort of touched on there there are probably options he could have taken, waited for in a way to go up a division fight for a vacant title, but like he says, that's that's not what he's about. That's not where he got into the sport. He wants to do something great.

Now he's called the monster, You're called the ghost or mister Mandatory.

They mix it up each fight, so I've never really gave myself a title or whatever.

But that's not where I'll put all my focus.

You know.

I think the Ghost came from an American writer and they just ran with it for a while and stuff like that.

Is this year idiot mates that Nah.

That was American, right.

I think it was after the Lean fight of the Doheny fight, wrote an article about me and said I moved like a ghost, and that's sort of sort of stuck.

So I think it comes from there.

Peter, is that that person in the corner that's pointing to himself going that was me?

Yeah, I could be.

So the Ghost takes on the on the monster. Mister Mandatory. Now there's a factor in the there's some substance to that in that you are the mandatory fight for in a way in two of the belts, is that you're understanding of Brendan.

Yes, and that's sort of been the story of the past. I suppose six months you've Sam's had a couple of fights in Australia, but he's had this, He's been the mandatory challenger and always had other fights that he's taken, and it's it's it feels like this fight has been building.

Up for about eighteen months since I've went mandatory. I went I won my mandatory fight eighteen months ago, so it was either set out then and waited for a shot as well. So but it was another thing I wanted to stay active on, to keep getting better, staying camps and keep taking on challenges to prepare me for this.

So that's what I'm like.

You wouldn't find another fighter, I think in the world that has had as many fights as me since getting that position.

So because every time you're fighting and you're fighting some good pain, that's you're putting it all at risk again, aren't you.

Exactly?

You lose that fight and your shot goes, so someone else's ranking will overtake yours and everything you work for has gone. But like I said, you've got to get paid, you've got to keep working, you've got to keep getting better as well. So that's all things I've done in the process, and not just the fights, but the camps as well. Gone into that. That just the development and just preparing myself and going to new levels each and every time is something that's set me up to win this fight.

Okay, fighting in Japan. I've been to Japan. I know how interested they are in all forms of mine, marcial arts and combat sports and they're fanatical fans. What sort of deal is it like Christmas Eve in Japan in Tokyo.

I think it's going to be a really interesting atmosphere because you have a big crowd, knowledgeable crowd, but super respectful.

And the stadium I understand rough figures twenty thousand that was being sold out and people were so cen to get tickets that became on a lottery basis to get tickets there.

Yeah, that's how much of a superstar anyway is in Japan. People love them. And there's also been big historic oracle boxing moments in Japan as well. Mike Tyson's lost to Buster Douglas that was huge. So there's a deep history of boxing in Japan too, which obviously you know in a ways sort of the king at the moment.

Well, when we talk about history in Australian boxing, one of the earliest memories I have as a child was watching this crappy black and white TV as a kid, hardly walking watching the father watch Lionel Rose fighting fighting Harada. That was fifty years ago.

That was huge.

Yeah, so again Sam, Sam sort of walking in those those footsteps steps big underdog story. There's a great, great yarn of Lionel Rose flying back to Australia and he saw the quarter of a million people at the airport to meet him, and he thought the Beatles were on his plane because he you know, he didn't know they were all coming out to see him. So I wonder if we get quarter of a million out to see the airport and Sam comes back to s after Christmas.

But Sam does that sort of put in perspective the type of the magnitude of what you're trying to do. Here Here, I am saying, I've got a memory from fifty years ago of something that you're going to step in in a couple of weeks and do.

Yeah, it does.

Really it's it would be a bit surreal once I go and do it, I guess. But it's like I said, it just feels normal almost for me. Like I always knew i'd be in this position, and I always knew that. I've got it written down in a book that you know, i'd fight and beat this guy before he came into my division.

So it's you've been gunning him for a long time.

I just knew it was inevitable. I knew that he'd be moving up, and I knew that when my chance come up, I just thought, how tim it would work. I'd fight this guy and I'd have to beat him. And so it's something I've almost manifested, and I just always thought i'd be here and you know, it would be normal, and it'll be the same once I win this fight.

You don't pick on the little fellers, is little bit, because like what we're talking about, with someone like you, there's only i'd say every three or four years someone separates from the pack and he's thought of as a pound pound for pound or someone that no one wants to take on. You're looking at him, go, I wouldn't mind the piece of piece of that gutsy move.

Yeah, well, it's it's just stuff that he excites me. If you want to make your own greatness, you've got to go out and do great things. And that's what I'm setting out to do. You know, I'm not in this sport to to, you know, just knock about and win a few regional titles or whatever. I'm in this sport to be great and to be a world champion. He's got all the belts and he's got what I want. So and I've never built anyone up to be more

Everyone's beatable.

It's high level sport, you know, so on any given day, anyone can be beaten. I know that, and you know, I know I've got to be very good, and I'm preparing myself to be that, so I'll work myself into the ground to go and do a job on him.

Okay, you're word on the street. That's how we roll in eye catch killers. I've got a rumor that's been passing around about my and you mentioned Brendan. You mentioned Mike Tyson losing the Buster Douglas in takeout Sam. There was one fight that you looked up to, apparently that's at a very early age, Mike Tyson, and in fact you dress like him and acted like him. Black boots. If anyone's iconic photos of Mike Tyson, he's in his black shorts, He's got his black boxing boots on and

There's a little bit of footage of me coming out for me first flight, and yeah, it's just crazy, like I think we made maybe Mum sprayed my boots black and stuff like that. I've got black shorts I think third fight or whatever.

But yeah, it was.

It's funny to look back on now, and especially how I was trying to box man, how that kid thought he was ever going to do anything.

He's just crazy.

But it just goes to show you you put in the work, you know, and you stay consistent, you keep out things you know, you will get better. Because yeah, I didn't have much talent at all when I started out.

You had attitude and how to go. If Tyson can do it, I can do it. There was something about him, the way he came out in the ring. But because it was a little bit different for.

Your factor at the back, strayed black. Yeah it was.

It was very unlike Tyson like but and especially the way I thought, as well, bring in some bombs. So I don't think that's a straight shot. So that's maybe the only comparison I could could rader Mic.

To be fair, you probably looked more like Mike Tyson.

I was probably closer to Mike the other week, and like.

Yeah, that was a bit sad. It was a little bit, but we all got dragged into it. I got dragged into it. Sat there, got I was disappointed how the fight went. We're talking about the fight with Jake Paul and Mike Tyson, But when on reflection, I was excited in the build up to it.

Yeah, it got me going to get everyone every time.

And yeah, if you're a tragic like I'll watch everything like from the UFC to the boxing, all the all the sideshow stuff, and the people who have a problem with it simple answers don't watch it, and they all do and they all tune in, they all buy it, and it's like, what did you think. He's nearly sixty years old, and you know, it's great to have a bit of nostalgia. And you know, people think he's going

It looked like they trained him from the waist up but not the waist out, like he had the movements in the arms, but the feet.

You look at the pad videos and the padman's doing more work and it looks unreally like the people are gone.

Man, he's good.

He's going to knock JQ. I'm you're talking about a twenty eight year old guy who's I'll give him his dues. He's actually had a bit of a go, and you know he's tried to learn the sport. I'm not saying he's a good boxer by no means, but he's he's tried to learn the sport.

He's kept at it for a little bit. He's going to be handy, and he's fighting a six year old man.

He's putting himself out there, and you know, everyone it's Mike Tyson. Mike Tyson's that little bit a little bit different him to the rest of us. But yeah, it got me. But I'm fascinated, fascinated. You've watched Sam's career, You've been following his Sam's career and building up What type of fighter would you describe Sam as?

I think the Ghost is an accurate, accurate sort of nickname because he's elusive. He moves really well, very skillful, but he'll get you too, like he'll nab you. So I think that's what it is. Like you say, yeah, you wanted to be Mike Tyson Sam, but you maybe didn't have that sort of power being a smaller guy. So you have to be more technical, more proficient, you know, very tight, very precise. So it's a different kind of

You certainly your fitness and your movement. That's what I picked up on. But I was also not surprised, but I thought your defense, So I really saw your defense working as well. You weren't or you're rolling with the

For me, it's it's it's his power. It's his power and his strength. But he's always just had this aura, like for five six years. You go into an Na fight and it's it's appointment viewing because he's the best at what he does, but you just kind of know that he's he's gonna win eventually. But I feel like Sam, you were there for the neary fight earlier this year, and he got knocked down. And eventually time catches up to everyone and he's going up. He's coming up divisions.

This could be could be the time.

Like as much as we've been talking up in a way as this unbeatable monster. Yes it's Sam Sam. I think he's going to get him at the right time.

Great, we're lulling in a way into a full sense of security. That's all. We'll wind it back. More rumors on the street round Erskineville. It was brought to my attention that your mum the probably your rest of the family son. You're going to have a trade to fall back on if this doesn't work out. And you've done your hard labor two weeks working on her building site.

I just had to let her know that I'd be digging a few holes to turn that sort of money. Yeah, I think her and my dad were on the on the drink for a good week after I signed that, so they had a few So I think it was a bit of a relief almost for your mum the last few years as well, like she's been you know, she hasn't worried about it, and my mum has always been super supportive. But I think just starting out, you know, it doesn't seem when you're fighting for fifteen hundred.

On a show or whatever.

You know, it doesn't seem like there's any sort of pathway to Everyone's always telling you as well, there's no money in box.

And you're here repeatedly everyone, So.

You're constantly getting told that by promoters, people that manage fighters, and you know, it's it's you make what you make of the sport for yourself and that's all it is. But yeah, you're constantly told that you're up against it, and.

Yeah, well you're brought up. It's not only the battles in the ring, it's battles outside the ring to get this fight. Soquedos to the people that have got you to this fight? Do we have to do? We have to do? We have to He's done very well for me, So now we're only because he's sitting in the in the studio and we like just putting giving it to him a bit as he does to all of us

Under you know, I like to give him heaps as well. But when when I first signed with him as well, he you know, he saved me from you know, sign with another promoter where I was almost looking at a contract. And because you need people to invest in your career, and it gets to a point where like you can't do it on your own, li like unless you're you're already got a lot of money behind you. So it's it's not something you can invest in yourself and.

And make it work.

You've got to be paying sanctioning fees for rankings. You've got your opponents cost an absolute bomb, so you need promoters to back her. And look, working with Baby, you got me, got me the best deal at the time, and it was Yeah, that that almost like straightaway change the trajectory of where everything was going on for me.

They know and start faith in you.

And exactly right they are.

They invested heavily, you know, especially starting out to get fights. And this is at fights, not even in my weight division, not for not for belts, just to just to keep me active. And they're paying opponents that you you know, you would think that's that's crazy money. How they're they're getting that, And then I'm fighting for fifteen hundred dollars,

Well, full full credit to your whole team. And also in regards to Peter as we refer to as Baby, he's actually fought for a title over in the over in Japan.

Yes, we're already want to know, against his team, so he beat one of the cornermen.

So he's never worried about those semi warriors, so never.

So we're taking that we're already one up so when we go over there.

But it's all it's all good experience. And I saw you when we came up watching your spa the other day and even Johnny Lewis having a quiet word in your ear and speaking to Joel and all that type of that's all these pieces that you need to come together, isn't it exactly all the experience?

Well, touching on like speaking to guys like Johnny, the guy that's been there and done it. And that's when I'm talking about your drawing motivation from people listening to the right things. Guys like that who have they've been there, they've done it, they've they've seen it all. They're the sort of people that you know you've got those you always listen, listen to you, and you're clutching onto every word they say because you know they they've been around

Yeah, I would imagine you would Brendan just on the navigating the fight, like the fight world, just not just Sam's career, talking talking about that how brutal it is, trying to manage your way through. It's a cup freak world. And it's not by chance that we have a lot of people linked to boxing that come into this podcast. I catch killers, if you know what I mean. But the crossover, Yeah, that's a nice way of putting it. There's a crossover. But it is a ruthless business, isn't it.

Yah?

It is. And to even get to this point, to get Sam in a position to fight for all these titles, just to get here as a minor miracle, like you need so many things to go your way, not just in the ring results injuries, but having the right people the money, the sponsors, the right kinds of fights, you know, with the right sanctioning bodies to get rankings and stuff. It's it's really a crazy thing that so many people have pulled together just to be able to get to

That was all to raise money and pretty much go and use that money to compete overseas and and stuff like that. So it's yeah, it's a lot of the time that that sort of stuff. It's just investing in yourself and you spend all those years starting out. You've got to put that sort of investment in it. It is tough, you know, It's it's very tough, and sometimes you do just need some scenario as a look at, and not with any of my flights, but around just

And your last fight, you busted your hand, and then I know, a couple of days after it was like, jeez, the anyway fight might be gone.

There's just so such fine margins that.

Broke my hand in two spots, and it was I was lucky to under undersplaced fractures, didn't have to go under the knife.

So little little stuff that just work out in your favor. And you can think.

It's faded or whatever. I just I believe you're putting putting the right work. You put in hard work, and you have good people around, good things will happen, and that will happen for a reason. So I think that's what's all led me to this point. I've done the right stuff, I've done the right work, I've listened to the right people, and here we are ready to shock the world.

Absolutely no shortcuts too. By the way, you've gone about it, you haven't, haven't taken the easy path. Well, we'll wrap it up, but before we do, I think it'd be remiss with me not to mention the mad Bunch. There's quite intellectual group of Sam's friends. Just a couple of quite some quiet guys, quietly spoken. Yeah, consider him respectful. Brennan, you've seen a lot of things in boxing. Could you describe the mad.

Bunch and mad Well? The mad Bunch. So I've run this by Baby. I'm allowed to tell the story. I wasn't allowed to write it last year when it happened. So Sam was fighting Ray Salim on the Gold Coast I think it was June twenty twenty three, on a Tim Zoo undercard.

Is it maybe to get a ranking or go number one man?

Yeah, so to go to go to mandatory Raceelems come down from America the night before the fights. I don't know how many of the Mad Bunch, A couple of them, five to ten, maybe find Salim's hotel room or where he's staying. They ring them, they're ringing them, They're ringing them saying it's a sarta or you started drug testers. This is at midnight and then knock on his door. But this is this is all part of the.

Game.

This is all boxing. This could be a baby pete cheers you wind up. I'm not sure, but this the yard's too good.

Well it must it must help you see him having mates like that. And full credit to you because a lot of people that come up in whatever field in life, not just boxing, but other that brush their mates aside. But it's clearly your you're rising, but you're bringing your friends with it, and I think it helps keep you grounded. But it's also shows respect to your mates.

One hundred percent.

If you looked in all our group chats and stuff, I'm probably the one that cops it the most. So yeah, you definitely can't get ahead of yourself or I think you're too big for your boot. It's like I can't get a photo with someone about with when one of my mates a bit about them taking a photo of the photo getting taken.

Like it's the night there.

So yeah, it definitely keeps you grounded. But it's good. You know, you always have the same people you started with. And you know, I've never never even it's been a thought or whatever. I think that comes from my family and how exactly right. And you know if you lose that, yeah you've got nothing in life. So you always got the ones you started with, and yeah, that's how it's going to be to day I'll go out.

I think the crew that you've got round, they're going to be for you, there for the good times, bad times, or if you gathering people on your way up as soon as and you see it in boxing, you would have seen it, like a lot of people love hanging around the winter. If someone starts to lose a lot of people.

And you can sense the people that are there for the right reasons and the people that aren't as well. So I think it's just a simple way to keep it. You know. Yeah you've got the same circle that you're arted with and you know you just crack on doing your own thing and worrying about that. So that's like I said, I've I've got the same mates, same same group of people I've always had, and you dragging with me all to the top.

So that's that's a plan.

What to watch the fight Christmas Eve? What time is it going to be on the you know time difference?

I reckon probably over here I'd say eleven perven eleven pm, So.

Okay, nine thirty baby pieces, nine thirty over here that start.

Yeah, two hour time difference to Japan and seven thirty.

Great, So we've just missed the fight up make sure you turn up on time. Well, look, Sam, I've really enjoyed having the chat today. I've enjoyed following your career and I've got that much admiration for what you're aspiring to a chuir and yeah, like full full credit to you, no shortcuts, and yeah you're a normal bloke chasing the dream that most of us just dream we don't actually actually chase it, so full full credit to you.

Thanks mate, Thanks for having having me on, and yeah I can't wait to do it. And next time here i'll hear of all the.

Belts, bring all the belts in. Then we'll be getting some baby can get a favor of me holding the belts and Brendan yourself, and yeah, thanks for giving an insight into that and you're looking forward to the fight.

Yeah, I can't wait. Thanks for having me on and love love talking boxing, and thanks for Sam letting me be a small part of this journey. Getting to see it up close is the dream, same thing sort of you know, I was watching Mike Tyson in the nineties on the Lounger and Florida. So to be able to get this close to it and see what it's like and see what it's all about as a dream come true.

So you can't wait for this one.

It's exciting. Thanks guys, Thanks Sam, good luck with it.

Jeers Manitches maybe and that

To Die