Hey, everyone. Welcome to Tales From the Bros, and this is Michael Georgiou, your host and cofounder of Imaginovation. So I have a very, very special guest with me here today. He's born and raised in Gouldsboro, North Carolina. He is a super flyweight professional boxer with a record of 15 1 and 1, 11 knockouts, 6 titles, and 2 international titles.
I feel like I'm calling a fight. He was also voted twice for 2018 prospect of the year Yeah. And has recently signed with highly respected promotional group known as Zanfer Promotions, who is run by highly respected Fernando Beltran.
Yeah.
He has defeated all odds against him by joining the boxing game at age 23 and easily beating well known boxing contenders around the world. Please welcome mister Stop Running, Dwayne Beeman.
Thank you.
Man. Thanks for being here.
I love oh, man. It's already love. Already love in the building. I'm feeling it, man. I'm feeling the energy. I'm feeling good. I'm feeling good.
Cool, man. So I I know there's some things to kinda kick off, so I wanna let you let you know
your your business here before
we start.
Before we even start the interview, I wanted to address one thing that people was writing to me a lot. A lot of people was writing to me, and they was and that's the main question people was asking was, why did I fight? Why did I fight that last fight? Yeah. Being sick and being under the weather, not feeling good, why did I do it?
Even even famous fighters was text me that, some a couple of hall of fame refs hit me up and, and and asked me, like, why did I do it? Even though they said you I still feel like you won the fight, you know, why did you do it? And, some people just thought I was just under a lot of pressure and because it was in Mexico and all this stuff. I want to address this right. People blame my promoter.
People blame my coach. Mhmm. People were just all over the place, and nobody was pointing a finger at the person that stepped in the ring. That was me. I stepped in the ring. Yep. I decided to do it, you know, even though I was sick. And the reason why I did it is if you know Dwayne Beeman, you know my only fear in life is living with regret. I don't fear death. I don't fear, losing people.
I don't fear, like, anything, like, but God. Yeah. And living with regret. And I felt like after if I if I didn't fight, I I was gonna be living with that whole instinct. That was the biggest crowd I ever fought in front of. I mean, we talking about 15, 16000 people. It was it was amazing. And and I heard and I felt every 16,000 purse of people when I walked and they booed me. I felt everything. I was like, woah.
That's what it feels like to get booed, you know? That was a real boo, you know? And so I I just didn't want to live with the idea, like, because I would've been I would right now, I'd be sitting somewhere thinking, man, I could've beat that guy. I could've beat that guy. But knowing that, and that's that's the reason why.
I don't want nobody blaming nobody because a lot of people trying to blame my team and my coach and why I got sick. And the reason I got sick, I just it was just a bad patch of food. Whatever they gave us, because I just think another fighter got sick too. Even even my, a spokesperson for me, Sal Rios, that was with me, he got sick. Yeah.
We all had to get shots in our booty that night. I mean I mean, we all had to get penicillin shots. I had to get I had to get IVs. I had to get something a little more worse because, I had the biggest portion. Yeah. I had a steak. And they said the steak like to eat, man. And you know I like to eat. You know? So I ate a big old steak, and the steak won't done right. It won't done whatever. Maybe it was bad meat. Maybe the state was just old. I don't know.
From Mexico.
And I was in Missouri. Yeah. And, I and I remember having a lemonade with it, and then maybe it was the lemonade. So so I had me over there slump. Like, I was slumped. So I just wanted to address that before we even get into the interview. Mhmm. Y'all know I'm always gonna keep it real. I'm always gonna be straight up with everybody. And that's why I just want people to know that. It's it's it's it was my decision.
Mhmm.
And I'm a live with it.
I think that's perfect, man. I think the way I mean, that this goes into, like, my first question as well. I mean, I've known you for over 4 years now. We, you know, we box in the same, same gyms in in Raleigh. And from knowing you, man, and just in not even just you personally, but even your social media, you you never give up. You persevere. You're not afraid of nobody. It doesn't matter what the record is. It doesn't matter who they are or how big they are.
It doesn't matter, man.
You're not afraid. And that's why I admire you. I think you're an inspiration. And I think, you know, from you just doing all these things and and overcoming all these struggles and challenges, man, it's just it just shows who you are, and it just adds to your story.
Oh, yeah.
So with that being said, I want you to kind of tell everyone your story. Tell tell everyone Dwayne Beeman's story and and how you joined the boxing gym and why you joined the boxing gym. Gym. So really what's what's your why behind it? What's your why behind it?
Well, I
always wanna be a boxer. And I was
driven not by money. I was driven by not by a lot of things. I was driven to be, like, the the baddest guy. You know? I I want to, I want my name brought up in barbershops. I want my name brought up in when they talk about, like, yo, but if you had to fight Dwayne, what would you do?
You know what I'm saying? Sorta like that Mike Tyson feel, you know. Like, I always wanted to be to to do that, and my parents won't win that. And they they won't win no boxing. Like, it's no boxing in North Carolina. They won't win that. And and and even right now, they say ain't no boxing in North Carolina with me not being here. Oh, we'll talk we'll talk we'll talk about that in a little bit. Here.
Oh, we'll talk we'll talk we'll talk about that in a little bit. Oh, yeah. Yeah. I mean, you really introduced Teddy Woods. Go ahead. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. We get it.
We get it. We get it. But, so I just it was no boxing here, and that's why all I wanted to do. But once I got to college in Southern Virginia, I was sneaking out to a gym, and a man would open the gym for me. And I had my laptop with me, and I would study off the laptop, and I would listen to coaches to explain jabs and listen to coaches. And I was just practicing it, practicing it.
And then next thing you know, the guy just because I always look physically in shape and look physically right. So, one day I came during the day and the guy was like, yo, just jump in the ring. I jumped in the ring with a 20 and 2 pro. He was 22. And I held it down. Like, I held it down, man. I was hitting him a lot and he and he won't hold him back. Like, he was like, alright. This dude kinda embarrassing me a little bit. Like, I wanna take him out.
He couldn't take me out. He couldn't he he couldn't take me out. And they he was like, hey, I wanna bring him back. How many amateur fights he got? And then the guy was like, that was his first time sparring. Wow. So that's That's 23. 1, 2, 100. The guy said and the guy said the guy said, the 22 guys are like, hey, look man, he gonna be something. If that's his first time sparring, like, ain't no way. How he looked at you're lying.
Like, they didn't even believe like, anybody that was in the gym did not believe that I was my first time sparring. So that's when I knew, I said, man, I might got something. I might be something. And and that guy hit me a lot. And I and and he couldn't even rock me. Like, I was and that's when I was like, yo, I might got a chance too. I'm like, it takes some blows, but I don't wanna take them. But I was like, yo. I'm like I'm like
But you like the from talking to you before, you like the adrenaline. I do like like, I was like, you you ever care to get hit? You're like, man,
I kinda
like it.
Yeah. Yeah.
Alright, man. This guy's made for boxing, man. Yeah. Yeah. And that
and that was the that was the whole deal about the last fight. Yeah. I was fighting, but I was just like, I don't want him to hit me. You know what I'm saying? Because I was thinking about it like, I don't know if I can take it right now. Like, I'm so weak. I'm so sick. Yeah. I I don't want him to touch me. But in earlier fights, you see me, man.
I walk right up on him like, oh, You know? Like like smiling, and I couldn't smile that fight. I used every energy just to fight, and I couldn't smile. I couldn't joke. I couldn't be myself. And that's you know, it it it is what it is. But you best believe, my next fight, I'm coming out like coming out like Dwayne Beeman, smiling and joking.
Now when did I say you on Facebook before? Like, a few days ago, I said I feel bad for the next the
next fight, man. Oh, yeah. Like hell yeah.
Hell, yeah. And that's what I said.
Like, hell, yeah, dog. You already know. Like, my I told and I just got off the phone. Shout out to coach Joe Vargas. Joe Vargas, what's up? I love you. My head coach, I just got off the phone with him before I did a talk before I got here, and I told him I said, hey, man. I need one favor from you. And he said, what's that? I said, my next fight when I my next fight, I need you to just give me the 1st round.
Don't say nothing. Just give me the 1st round. Put let me take my robe off. You don't say nothing. Just let me go out there. Let me just do what I want. I want to get back something from that from that last fight. Yeah. Let me just go out there and just do my thing. And I'm telling you, whoever I fight, though, is gonna be I'm a go balls out like bah bah bah bah.
Just going at him. And then I said, then you can coach me after the 2nd round. Let me get something out my system because I got so much bottled up. Even when I was sick laying there with the IVs in me, I was still thinking about what I can do and what I'm going to do. Yeah. You know? So and I and I hope people doubt me. I hope people doubt me off their last performance. I really do.
Man, but, you know, if you think about it, a lot of you even said, a lot of, professional boxers, they said, man, why did you fight? Why did you
fight? Like, man,
you must be crazy. Like, that's that's hard to have. A stomach, a stomach bug. Right? Mhmm. Or a stomach, food poisoning. And I think, like I said, man, I think that's Even in the sense a lot about
your character. The doctors the doctors didn't even believe that I did fight. Like, the of course, the the the ring doctor I had to see right after the fight, he was upset with my team. He was just like, you should never been in the ring. Mhmm.
You know? And then, like, when I had to go see a personal doctor because I felt like my condition was getting worse, that that that doctor didn't believe I fought. Didn't even believe it at all. Didn't believe it at all, you know. And then I had I had I had, you know, while I was sitting there, I showed him some showed him, like, no.
This was this happened Saturday. He was like, dude, he's the people what you have, how much you contaminated. He's he said your pH balance is off too. I was like, dude, I thought that was only women. Like, I didn't know men can have a pH balance. Like, I said, what are we talking about?
Your city levels up. Yeah. Yeah. Like, what I what? What are we doing now?
Like, what are you like, whatever you putting in me, if I'm about to grow Can I give
you, like, a shot of, like, apple cider vinegar?
I don't know what he got.
Because, hey, that calms your stomach down, man. Yeah. Apple cider vinegar. Yeah.
But see, food poisoning not just your stomach, though. You know? It's not just your stomach. Yeah. It's everything, though.
It I I felt like I felt like somebody hit me in the back with a sledgehammer. When I was walking to the ring, it felt like somebody was hitting me in the back with a sledgehammer, and I was walking. And, and I wanted to tell Saul was with me, and he shout out to Saul with BowTech and Promotion. He was rubbing my neck, but I was I wanted to, like, push him like, yo, man. That y'all hurt. Like, don't rub my neck, man. Right now, I don't wanna feel nothing. You know? Like, massaging her. Yeah.
It was like massaging the massager. You know what I mean? So, it's like when I was in there again in the IV, like, everything just hurt. Like and that's why, you know, well known boxers and guys were hitting me up. Like, why you do it? And people that have experienced food poisoning, they'll tell me, like, I don't know how you do it. Like, how do you do it? Mhmm. They just they just give me all the credit in the world. Like, I can't believe it.
Like, you even did it. And I took some body shots and some low blows, and I still was still coming. You know?
Man, I think, you know, with, I know I mean, I have I I know that you're gonna be, you know, you're gonna have a world title soon. I believe it. I strongly do. And we'll talk about HBO in a little bit. But, like I said, I think all these different challenges and struggles, they add on to your story.
And this is this is just like another stepping stone to get to get into that to that point, man. And so kind of jumping back, let's rewind a little bit. So rewind so I know you got, you know, you got a promo boxing promotional company in North Carolina. Yeah. Stop earning promotions.
Talk about your scribble right there.
Yep. Yep. Exactly. Yep. So when you were boxing in North Carolina, you were you were fighting and you were a businessman.
Yeah.
So you lately, last year, you made huge career changes, and a huge switch. Yes. So tell me what happened before you made that transition to head to the West Coast. What kind of what what happened here?
So we were here We was we was doing good as a promotion team. We was probably in the beginning, we were just, you know, didn't have nobody no partners involved, and we was just kinda making ends meet on the shows at first. Then we had a big show and that that that that put some extra money in my pocket and put some extra funds and things. But then I started thinking, like, man, maybe I should take on partners and get people involved. And the biggest struggle that I had with stop running promotion is out defining good people to help.
Like, it it's okay to invest money, but what it would like, if you invest 5 say you invest $5,000 in my company or something, but then you want 3 VIP tables which cost a 1,000, how much do you really invest? You get what I'm saying? Yeah.
I know what
you're saying. Or you invest more than that, but then you say, hey. Let's have a partnership. I put this amount in, but I'm a bring this amount to it. But you don't bring that this amount, but you still wait for a return. Mhmm. See, I had bad partners. I started dealing with bad partners. That's when I knew it was about time to get out. Yeah. Because if you if you if you getting money or get receiving and you having people here that's supposedly your team, they're not really your team.
They're just trying to get get back. And then I and I started noticing. I was like, man, I'm making people money around me.
They're not investing long run.
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And I'm like, I'm I'm making people quick money, but what am I getting what am I getting? Mhmm. You're not getting you're not bringing not a single ticket sale. I mean, these people that that that was, like, trying to be partnered with me won't bring in a single ticket sale, but but chipping at the door. Mhmm.
You know, chipping at things. So I was like, you know what? I'm out. I said, I'm a do I'm as I'm getting up out of here. I say, I'm a move in silence right now, but everybody piss me off. And Mhmm. And if the final straw was it was a company, and I had them on our flyers. Never had nobody else on the flyer with me, but it was a company that I had with me. And the deal was they put the amount, I I don't care, man. I don't care.
I I'm a go ahead and tell it. They put $25,000 in. Right? Mhmm. And that 25,000, I put shoot. Jesse right there about 60,000. I put 60,000 in and they put 25. A little higher. You get what I'm saying? I put way more.
I put everything in for the last couple shows. I put everything I had in for the last couple shows. Yeah. And I had somebody put in 25. And their and their deal the deal was they put a be with me for a couple shows and but they put to be bringing in bringing in fans and bringing in tickets and bringing in something. Mhmm. You know what I'm saying? Promote. Even promote.
Yeah. They weren't
doing none of that. So I got on the phone with the boss and say, hey. Listen, man. I'm really not happy. You're not doing nothing. Like, you're I I don't have no help here. Mhmm. You know? And and even in and shout out to sideline promotion. I was even having problems with my own promotion team because I was like I felt like I was the only one out there.
You know what I mean? You're doing everything yourself. Everything, dude. It's bad. It's bad when you got your you got your notepad in your hand, and you got your belt on your shoulder. Yeah. And you showing up to these places like, hey. Look. I'm trying to get you to come on out to the fight, and I'm trying to market myself as a potential sponsor and everything. So I asked the man. I asked the guy.
I said, hey, can you please maybe just come down here for a week? And, he's already got a book. I'm already coming down a week. I said, really? Like, before we even had a conversation, I'm coming down a week and I already told I already told my wife and, and blah de blah, then I'm coming down there to help you promote.
He got here. First of all, he won't picking up the phone when he got here. And I finally got in touch with him. I'm I I went to the hotel. So I'm at the hotel with the guy, you know, and he's showing me, you know excuse me. I we we I'm a be raw on this. I'm a be raw on the thing. He's showing me some fat chick that he met on Instagram that that's who he gonna be spending his time with. I'm like, dude, like, first of all, you're married. That's number 1. You're married.
And we're and we're and we're supposed
to be doing a business right now. Like, you're not gonna be coming to the shows. You I got all I had, like, 6 people lined up that we're supposed to visit that day. And he's in there trying to get some fat shit from Hickory, North Carolina. I can't make this stuff up.
She wasn't part of the promotion. No. She wasn't. No. She wasn't. He probably prom he probably promised her a ring girl spot.
I don't know exactly what he promised her, but I won't happy. And I knew right then as I'm done with them, I don't care. You can go spread all the lies about me. You want to. You can do this, do that. I don't care. I don't care. I don't care what they did. I don't care. Call the box commission. Do whatever. Mhmm. I'm done. I'm done. I'm done. I am done. I was done with North Carolina as as people, you know, as as as as the fighting community.
Yeah. Yeah.
Yeah. I was done with the boxing community. Not the boxing, commission because I still love them. Shout out to India, all of them. I love them. But boxing community wise, they never supported me. They never had my back. They never I don't care about them dudes. I don't care about them dudes. I don't care about them fighters. I don't care. I don't follow them on Facebook. They all follow me. You know me? I don't care.
I don't care what they do. I wish them the best of luck. Mhmm. Even the people even the people that did me wrong, I wish you the best of luck. Talk about me. I don't care. Spread my name.
They're talking about you.
Yeah. They're talking about me. I don't care. So that that that was part of my reason too for leaving because I had it's crazy. I had HBO execs come to my show.
Yeah. I remember that. Yeah.
They they came to my show, a couple of my shows. You know what I mean? Mhmm. Just to say, hey. Look. If this if this guy can do it, we're coming here. If he can really keep selling tickets, if he can bring crowds, like, he he's a he's a great talent. We're coming here. But I couldn't I couldn't get over the hurdle. I couldn't get over the hurdle. You put
you put North Carolina on the radar.
Yes. I put I put us on a I put us on a major radar and shout out to all the people that's coming up from North Carolina that's feeding off my blueprint. Mhmm. Jaquan Towns, I know he's promoting like me.
Yeah. Yeah.
Michael William junior. Them guys, I see I see some people. Yeah. And I wish them the best and do your thing. You know? But don't count on the boxing community. Count on the fans because I got the biggest supporters and love from people, and I could've I could've that's my angle. That's the only thing I wish I had did is, me and Jesse shoulda angle our approach to the fans more.
Yeah. I
was trying to get help from business corp, business and stuff like that and business is business. They looking for a fast buck. No. I should have been down to earth with all the fans and let them know, like, hey, listen, I need y'all help. I need I need y'all come to my shows, you know. So that's that's that's that's part of that's part of the reason I had to get up out of North Carolina.
So it seems it really seems like everyone relied on you Everything. To promote, to do the marketing, advertising, the branding, everything. And then they're expecting, well, you know what? Let him kind of promote. He's got this large reach.
And I'm just gonna hit my quick buck, and I'm out. Yeah. Yeah. You know what I mean? Or or come back because they no. Because I did. Everybody that that anybody that say, oh, Dwayne, I Dwayne did me dirty or something. No. I made you money. You made money off me. That's why you kept coming back. Come on now. I I stay how many shows I do here? 11, 12?
Yeah. We did a lot.
You don't do 11, 12 if you're a bad business, man. Nah. So that's why they can never say that, but I I let them talk. I don't care, man. I'm I'm getting money now.
But you know what? But but but you know what, though? So those challenges that you went through with that, I mean, at least you it it gave you a good understanding of the business of boxing. Yes. You see things a lot of people don't see. Yes. Right? A lot of these boxers, regardless of how good they are, you know, that they don't understand the business side of it. They're just they're these some of these promotion companies, whatever. They're they're Yeah. They're they're taking money
Yes. Yes. And then and and and I also but one downfall on me is that maybe I know too much about the promotion side, and that's why I make kinda decisions I make because, like, bell, Beltran, Fernando Beltran, my promoter, and Saul Rios, we both take a promotion. Them guys, they know I understand that stuff and they that's what they love about me too because, like, I'm understanding. I know what it takes to promote.
I understand what it takes to hear the day, bring the fighters in, doing all sorts of stuff. I understand all that stuff.
They also know you're smart with business.
Yeah. You see what I'm saying? Yes. So they can't
something wrong, if something if something don't add up, then
I know. You know, little things. So it's a, I'm and then and even with being coach, I I got great integrity. Like, I'm a run. I'm a do all the things I need to do when my coach is not watching. Even right even right now, I'm supposed to be on vacation, but I'm not really on vacation.
I know I'm a I'm a start working out, like, in the next 2 days. Yeah. You know? So, I I understand so much, but it could be my little downfall too because one thing about my team, Jesse can tell you too, like, I try to bring everybody along. I always try to help everybody that's around me. And I have to be selfish now. It's no more stop running promotions right now. I have to be selfish.
Yourself.
I gotta focus. It's it's Dwayne Beeman. Yeah. That's what I gotta keep I gotta reiterate that a lot to myself. Like, Dwayne, don't worry about it. It's about Dwayne Beeman, you know. So that's what I'm doing.
So I and I see yeah. You know, I was doing your Facebook lives, and I love them.
Yeah. And,
some of them were really funny. You know
what I mean?
We we chat with Facebook lives, and some of them had some
good laughs.
Yeah. Yeah. But, you know, with North Carolina and just boxers in general, what how do you perceive the the North Carolina boxing scene from the rest of the states? And you can kind of I know you have a big spiel on this.
Oh, man. I'm a tryna sum this up real quick. Okay. Okay. North Carolina Boston. Oh, man. I okay. So when I came in the scene, I knew it need change. Alright? And what I did was defend the fighter. Even right now, I defend the fighters. Like, my last one, my last thing that I jumped out there and talked about North Carolina, but I was talking about the cheesy belts that they the promoters are giving fighters.
Yep. Because
they're trying to copy this image of Dwayne Beamer because I fought the I fought for belts. So right now, they're trying to do that. They but they'll never pay homage. They'll never say, oh, Dwayne did this first. This how would you do it? Or they'll never contact me and say, hey, Dwayne. What was how did you this work out for you to do belts and how did you you know what I mean?
Yeah.
Like that or get pick my brain to get some knowledge. Like, people gotta understand there's I had a situation even with the IBO with with with the belts. The my intercontinental belt, they sold me a bad belt A bad belt. Like, that's blocks in business. That's something that I didn't know happens. They sold me a belt that was damaged. Damaged belt and didn't expect me to pay a sanctioning fee on it. You get one of them? So I said, I'll be owed. Like, I'm not I'm not with it.
You get what I'm saying? So that's something that I could tell another promoter. Watch what you buying. Watch what you purchasing. Watch what your sanction and buyers are paying for.
Watch what watch behind the scenes because you may get screwed in the end. So instead of getting knowledge like that, these people try to go or, or to do their own thing. They didn't try to say, oh, we doing it like this without giving any kind of acknowledgment that I started it for you. Right. So North Carolina boxing, I say, is the wild wild west right now with no law.
Like, you know what I'm saying? And I mean, it's it's so wild. North Carolina box is so wild right now. It's not even you know, in the Wild Wild West, they had, you know, Django Unchained or something like that. They had bounty hunters.
They ain't even no bounty hunters right now. You know what I mean? They ain't even no bounty hunters kinda controlling what's going on, and it'd be it'd be really putting the box commission in bad, situations. You know what I mean? But I'll I'll, and it's just a bunch of people trying to get a quick dollar, but you can't get a quick dollar off a product that's not moving like that.
North Carolina is not moving like that. Mhmm. It it in boxing in the boxing community, it's not moving like that. So why are you trying unless you're trying to understand that let's give them something good to to to come, but you can't be greedy in this game. And everybody out here is trying to be greedy, and that's the problem.
It's like there's, like, a big lack of momentum.
It's a lack of momentum. It's no more momentum. These and then I see other I see I just seen this fat heavyweight. You know? He over here running around trying to be stop running TV. You know? Like, he trying to do Dwayne Beamer stop running TVs without the whole camera system. You know what I'm saying? You can't speak like me if you didn't do nothing. You haven't beat nobody with a good record. Like, these guys are speaking like they doing something they're not doing.
Like, it's it's like they're trying to do all these things without paying their dues.
Yeah. Without paying their dues. Yeah. And that's why I said back to the wild wild west. Yeah. How you gonna rob a bank if you can't even rob a convenience store? You know what I'm saying? Like, you you get what I'm saying? You don't have no game plan. Like, they these guys are just out there with no game plan.
The coach the coaches too. Like, these the coaches, the coach there was a coach from Durham. He he sent me a message. And he I mean, literally literally, this man said in his message, I wanna congratulate you. Not for losing the fight but I wanna congratulate you because they said for getting screwed over there in Mexico. I wanna congratulate you for that. Cool. I was like, alright. Well, that mean you're just a hater you want me to lose. That's cool.
You want me to lose? Alright. I mean, everybody entitled the opinion. You remember the guy that jumped on my Facebook live? He just whatever was wrong with him. But alright. Cool. You don't you just wanted me to lose. Thank you. Alright. But then
the guy send you direct messages?
Yeah. He sent me a direct message saying this. But then you go and say this in the same message. I told everybody. So that means everybody is talking about Dwayne Beamer. You get what I'm saying? So you're making
me look more popular.
Now you're saying, I told everybody that, you're not invincible. So right there so you say you telling everybody I'm not invincible. So right now, you already comparing me to an invincible being. That makes me feel so good. You get what I'm saying? Thank you, bro. You were making me feel so good. I I told everybody you you're not invincible that your time was coming. You know what I'm saying? Like, how you write a message like that to a man, a grown man right there?
And you're older than me. You know what I'm saying? How you write a message like this? So but that tells me right there where That
shows you're doing something right, though.
Oh my god. It shows me where I'm at in North Carolina, bossa. I am the top pedestal. That means there's no one even near me
Yeah.
In my state. This is my state. There's no one near me in boxing.
Yeah.
Nowhere near me in boxing. And I can clearly say that with all the utmost respect to everybody. That's not a that's not one of those, oh, do I need to stay humble? No. This being do I need to be real? I'm being real. There's no one near me.
I know you hate that question.
So, you need to stay humble. I hate I hate when people say that. Stay humble. Stay humble. Stay humble, DeWayne. You know what what
I'm saying? Like, like, come on. Humility.
Yeah. Like, like, I'm on a Like, dude, do you want somebody that's fake being humble? Like like, you know, or do you want somebody just being genuine who they are?
Yeah. Yeah.
And you have to understand, you gotta see who he is. Like, humble is humble is getting up when I don't want to train and train him. Humble is giving God all the glory for everything I have accomplished. Long as God know I'm humble to him, long as God know I'm humble to him, I don't need to be I don't care what y'all think.
You're not here to you're not here to please you.
I'm not here to please Because
you know what? They a lot love. They don't care about you. They don't.
So why
so why are you gonna waste your time and effort? They you know what I'm saying? They don't they don't care about me. You know?
So, like like, why do why would I care about and but that's why I say to the fans, I love the fans. I love the people that's not part of boxing.
Who's supporting you?
Who's supporting me? Yeah. You see when I write something, you see all the comments Yeah. Everybody jumps up there and say, hey, yo, Wayne. Don't worry. Don't worry. But see, that's the reason too. That's the reason too. And that's and let let's talk about I wanna talk about another thing.
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
People always talk about lessons learned. Everybody everybody shout out to everybody that wrote that to me. They said, Dwayne, you didn't take a l. This is like a lesson learned. You learned something. But y'all don't really know what I really learned. Mhmm. I went against God's will. That's why the decision didn't go my way. I went against God's will.
Something that I always do before I fight is I pray. Mhmm. I didn't pray. I didn't pray before this fight. I I used to call my dad and get a prayer for him. I used to call my brother and get a prayer for him, or I called both of them. But I knew my dad got power over me. And I knew if I called my dad, my dad was gonna make me not fight. I know my dad. I knew it, and I and I aborted him.
I aborted everybody. I wouldn't talk to nobody because I was like, man, I talked to my sister. She gonna tell me not to fight, and she gonna be right, and I shouldn't. Uh-uh. You know? I I went in there for the wrong reasons. I was thinking about how much I was gonna get. I was thinking about money. I was thinking about I was thinking about the crowd. And my dad told me 2 things.
My dad told me when I was growing up, before boxing, he told me, do not make a decision for money and do not make a decision for pride and glory. And why you think I and why you think I stepped in the ring? I stepped in the ring for those two things. Yeah. And that's not that's not what I am about. That's not what I'm about. That's not what I'm about. So that was my lesson learned. My god my god. Mhmm.
And I I don't wanna use the word humble. My god sit there and spank me. And my god reached down here, pulled my little pins down, and gave me a little spanking on the bed. At
least now you know.
Now I know.
Saying? So it wasn't us
to learn nothing. That's my dream.
Gonna make mistakes. It's just part
of the It's part of the life. It's part of the life. And and once they say he won, I I look I look. If you see the camera, I looked up and I then I turned and I said, sorry. That's why I said this guy. I said, sorry, guy. That's what I said.
So now that you have I mean, Dwayne, now that you have all this experience, you've been, you know, boxing for over 10, 15 years. You've been, you know, you don't understand Oh,
I ain't hit 15. Oh, I only been boxing, I wanna say, what, 7 years?
Really, you said?
Yeah. Yeah. I'm talking about officially, like, actually put my gloves on. Right. Right. Right. Yeah. They remember, I couldn't I couldn't do nothing, until I graduated. And I graduated 24, 24. So I couldn't do nothing until then now then I could box, you know. So 8 years.
Yeah. So, you know, with your experience in in just the business side of it and fighting, do you see any corruption of boxing? What what's your thoughts on that? Well, I just I just felt it.
I just I just got a I just got a dose of it minutes ago. You know? But it's it's crushing it's crushing everywhere. It's crushing everywhere.
With promotional companies and dealing with others.
Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Just long listen, man. The best long as people ain't greedy long long as money involved, it's always gonna be some corruption.
Yeah.
Long as money involved in something, it's always gonna be some corruption. And I've seen it, man. I've seen I when I first moved to Vegas, I've seen a lot of people who were trying to get me on cars, and they saw how much tickets I could sell. I remember the guy told me, Samsung Promote. She said, hey.
Look. I can get you on this car how many tickets you could sell. Like, literally, I brought him $5,000 worth of tickets tickets within, like, 2 weeks. And he was like, oh, I gotta get and he was just trying to do it. He he was trying to get me he was like Jesse was down there with me, dude. He was trying to get me to fight anybody, but the laws in Vegas is hard. They saw my record and who I beat. They won't go just let me fight anybody. And I told him that. I knew that anyway.
Yeah.
And he was just trying to fight. Find find this guy. Find this guy. Then they brought a guy from Africa, you know, with a good record. And then the guy, the African fighter failed the test.
He failed his he failed his medical test. So that's why that fight fell out but that was a blessing. Because I probably would have been going with that promotion team, and and and they want the best choice for me. I've been fighting maybe once or twice a year, and that's what that's the offers that I got from, like, Mayweathers and and the bigger promotion other promotion groups is they offer me contrast, but their minimums for for for fights a year was like 1 to 2 fights a year. And it and if they don't give you that second fight, they get they got like a, a couple months and then the following year to get you there to fight.
So they protected all the way around in the country. That country is protected all the way around. You know what I'm saying? It was different with Beltran. Beltran's like this. Like, look, man. This is how we gonna do it. He he said he called me his brother, man. He like, brother, man. That's how he say it. He said, listen man, I'm a make you a lot of money, and I'm a make you a world champion. Sound with me.
That was it.
And he's and I was like, how many times I could fight a year? He said, as many times you want. I said, dude, that's it. I
said disrespected. The guy's
going to be called. Everywhere, man. So lastly, that's that's all I need to hear. Thank you. You did I think about it. He had me fight he had me fight twice in a month already. Who who do you know 15 to know fighting twice a month and stuff like that? Like, he he he got me right where I need to be. He got me right where I need to be.
Seems like he has a road map for you. He got a road map. Smart. He has a
strategy for me. Great road map, and we just gotta continue doing the we gotta doing the we gotta continue doing what we gotta do. And I'm with a great team. Shout out to my gym, the arena gym. I've I got, like, I'm I trained at, like, the best gym in California, man. The
arena. Just good.
Yo, man. The San Diego gym is just it's beautiful. So it's just like I went from my stories went from having no help and just having people, but just 2 loyal people. Shout out to, Jessica and Jesse. They was right there with me. Right. You know? I had 2 loyal people, but really didn't have no help after that. And Josh Josh Hodges from South Carolina. Sorry. Josh, shout out to Josh. I had those people. That's it. I went from really no help. You know what I mean?
And then and and we had our battles too. You know what I'm saying? Godly, we had our battles. You know? How many times you guys could quit on this life? She had quit she had quit every other show. You know what I'm saying? Like, quit. You know what I mean? I ain't doing it today. In between. Yeah. In between the shows. It's hard
to run a business, man.
It's hard to run a business. Yeah. It's hard to run a business.
Boxing and doing everything yourself.
Yes. Yes.
And so Yeah.
So I went from basically not having not having to now I have a whole another team, and I gotta keep trusting that team. You know what I'm saying? But we all trust each other and earn it and learn each other. Shout out to Saul Rios. He gave me a big hug after that fight.
And and and me I can't say that me and him always had tension, but we I always I've always watched Sawa. I always watched his movements. I was like, man, is he here here with me or is he is he looking for a paycheck off me? You know what I'm saying? I I I always had and I and I'll be honest.
I always had that little thought. And I bet he probably had little thoughts in his head like, is Dwayne really here for me? Is Dwayne got my back? But after that fight, we hugged each other, and he said some stuff in my ear, and he and it brought us so close. Even my coach my coach, it brought me so close with him and everything.
Like, I I fully trust my team and I love them. I love them. So and and and he said I had to go through something bad to to gain their trust. I if I went and wanted not let a guy, and I've been like, oh, you know what I'm saying? Let, you know, move on. But
So would you would you ever wanna jump back into the the, you know, business of boxing, or would you wanna just stay stay fighting? So even after you retire, would you ever wanna jump back in?
Or Yeah.
Yeah. Yeah.
I don't I I I can see myself being, like, a, probably a strength conditioner coach or definitely a promoter. Like, I I could talk your head off now. Like, I could I could promote, baby. Or matchmaker. You know what I'm saying? Like, I could do I could do all those things because that's what I did. I did for myself. People don't know that. People used to think I let I'm a go ahead. I'm a let the cat out of the bag.
So when I used to match myself in the fights, I used to, I used to act like I was Jesse Hart Jesse Jesse Mercer or Josh Hodges.
So it was funny.
I would put Jesse in so many bad situations because Jesse I would speak on the phone like I'm Jesse. Right? I would talk to people like I'm Jesse. And then, I get the fight made and stuff. So guess what? When them people show up for weigh ins, they wanna meet Jesse. So Jesse stand over there like, dude. And then they're
like, hey, Jesse talked to you on the phone. And, Jess,
oh my god. Listen. He was the best actor.
He was the
best actor. He was
like, yeah.
Yeah. I remember you. How you doing? How you doing, Elmo? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. You know what I'm saying? He will
he will play it all without being him recording. Like, I tell him little stuff like, yo. What's the name? He's gonna come at you. You know what I'm saying? Say this, such, and such. I would try to coach him on certain stuff, but I couldn't remember all this stuff. It was waiting time. I'm ready to weigh in. So I get but I used to always look over there. I'll be I'll be smiling looking at him like, look at this dude right here. He is moving across he
was moving around the crowd talking to
people that never met him, but they think they met him. You know what I'm saying? It was hilarious. He he don't even know who fuss at him.
I cut so many people, I gotta fuss out.
Like, you know, they did I'll
be like, hang up there, suck up. You know what I'm saying?
Like, you know what I mean? I was Jesse. I was Jesse on the phone, man. So I was like, well, hang up then. And they'll call me back like, well, we sorry, Jesse. You know what I'm saying? So Jesse had time there were times people would come to him, and they would be like, hey, man. Sorry about what I said on the phone. You he'd be like, oh, man. Don't worry about it, man. We good. Then he would look at me like, what the world?
What What what we talking about?
You know what I'm saying? Like, it was funny, man. But that it was little secrets I had to do. Ain't nothing that I did that I did that other companies didn't do. Like losing money, making money, all companies do that. Yeah. Scrubble no. I don't know a single company that that would just flirt out successful their 1st year anyway. It's always up and down. So ain't nothing I've nothing I've been through that other companies ain't been through.
So I know that I could jump right back in and stop running promotions and be a promoter when I'm done.
So from going from North Carolina to the West Coast, has your training is the the training strategy, the resume, is it completely different? Like, what do you what do you do now to train for a fight? Like, getting into nitty gritty of your of just because, man, because I I I know, like, when I sparred stuff, boxing's hard, man. We talked about this. It's
Yeah. Yeah.
It's a hard sport, man. Just cardio and it's, you know, how I mean, it's
I'm a, I'm a be honest with you. I think since I moved to the west, I think I'm a better, boxer. I moved to the west and became a more of a better boxer, but I think I lost some of that grit. Mhmm. And and I was like, I think it's it's too fruity over there. Like, I love the west coast, but it's too it's too it's too soft over there.
Like, you
know what I mean? I I hate to say it like that, but it's like I I felt like I'm just getting a little too I'm too too, too what no. What's that word that guy used on the movie? He was like, the worst thing is you don't got, not commercial. Hollywood. Not Hollywood. It was something where he was like because right now, in a boxing world, you need to be a animal. You need to be vicious. Yeah. The word that he said, you had got to Comfort. No.
It's not comfortable. Domestic. Domestic. Domestic. Yeah. You don't got too domestic now. You know what I'm saying? I think that's what I went through. I I I got too domestic. I got too comfortable.
I things was falling in place for me so well that I got I got domestic. I was like, that's probably the worst thing, but this right here gonna make this right here made that that anger come at that that greediness. And because and now I can mix with better boxing and and and being strong because, like, it feels crazy, but the older I get, the stronger I feel, the the better in shape I feel. You know what I mean? Like, I just feel like nobody can touch me.
You know? A lot of times, I feel like that that I that that I had to get sick for somebody to even make a make it look conventional. I something had to be wrong with me to even make a fight look good. Because even even when I sparring from the Canelo and Abel Sanchez, all these top, We talking about top guys in this in this sport. They saying they looking at me like, yo, what in the world this guy been in?
Who is this guy? This guy gonna be a world champion. You know what I'm saying? They they seeing what I'm doing to all these so called really good fighters that y'all think are so good, you know? But I just gotta make sure I do it.
That's a hidden gem.
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. But I gotta make sure I'm still doing that in the ring. So that means I gotta start taking care of myself. I gotta make sure that that I'm eating the right stuff now. I gotta make I gotta watch myself a little more closely.
Are you are you doing, like, 2 a days or is it
Oh, yes.
So is is the, what would be the hardest type of training for you? Because I know you run a lot. I mean, you're probably doing some not crazy lifting. Right? You wanna be lean.
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. The mountain. The what? Me me and the mountain. Me and this mountain, man. Me and this mountain be fighting, man. We we really we really be going at it. Like, literally, some days some days I beat this mountain, some days the mountain beat me. You know? So the hardest thing that been is the elevation.
So did you go to the Big Bear?
Yeah. Yeah. When I was in Big Bear now it didn't Big Bear didn't affect me. Like, I don't know. Everybody was talking about the elevation before I got there. Maybe maybe that's what site me site things up. Training? Yeah. Elevation training. But at the tour days, because I train in Mexico a lot.
Like, I train in Mexico a lot because they got guys my size for sparring, You know? I gotta get more comfortable. I always beat up big guys. But over there, it's so many guys my size or a little smaller. And I and I realized in my head, I was like, oh, shoot. It's a little more difficult to fight a smaller guy. I have noticed that. Or even even my guy
you fought you you, you knocked you knocked out that 6 foot? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Was that North Carolina? Yeah. That was North Carolina. Yeah. So, like, I've noticed, like, you know what? I do 10 times better with guys bigger than me. And so I was like, okay. That's why I started training in Mexico. I gotta still get going I gotta get that experience going to get smaller guys because all the champions are my size are smaller.
And the Mexican fighters, they have a lot of grit, man. Oh, yeah. They got give up.
They don't give up. I mean, dude, I I beat up I beat up a guy. He was preparing for a fight. We was sparring. I beat this guy up so bad, man. And I felt like, dude, why they still got this guy sparring? But I beat the brakes. I beat the brakes. I was just beating him up. And then when we came out of the ring, find out the guy was, like, 18 and o, and he just was like he took his headgear. I was like, well, hey. You know what I'm saying? Like, he was just like, whatever. You know? Like, hey, man.
I got I He was just like, I got beat up. Like, oh, well, can you come again tomorrow? You know what I'm saying? Like He
got hung up?
Yeah. It got hung up. But no. It would. Yeah. Yeah. But I don't even think he he enjoyed it. He enjoyed I mean, both busting nose, my bleeding. And I even think our bruise is awesome. And he's talking about coming tomorrow. And I was like, dude, you got a fight coming up. Like, that's not American. That's not America. So I gotta get on that level because guess what? The champions gonna be like that.
Right. They gonna be greedy like that. And I can't have that in my heart saying, oh, I'm beating up this guy. I can't feel no, man. No more of that.
So you're training like some of these guys. I know your friends are Sean Porter. Like, so is his training a lot different than yours? I mean, that guy is he's world champion too.
Yeah, man. Dude, Sean Porter couldn't shout out to Sean Porter, but Sean Porter couldn't even keep up with me, dawg. Like, nah, man. I was I was nah, man. Even these top level guys y'all see my training was harder than theirs.
My train I trained myself harder than them and they know it. They know it. If I train along them and they see me they see me go these rounds, even Canelo was like, oh, man. Like, this dude is legit. He's fight he's fighting a featherweight and we actually had to pull the featherweight out of the ring and keep him yeah.
We gotta keep him in there and pull the featherweight out of the ring. So people see what I'm doing, and they already know that this is this is, I'm at a monster level. But I just gotta I gotta continue taking care of myself to make sure it shows in the ring. Because I could do all that in the I could do that all in practice. I could do that all in the and and spawn and stuff and practice and all that stuff, but I gotta show them that in the ring. I gotta show it in the ring.
Yeah. So let's look to the future.
Yes.
Future. Alright. Not for the past. So what's Dwayne's what's Dwayne's plan for HBO? I know we talked about HBO a little bit.
Yeah. Yeah. I
know that's kind of like I know you're gonna get there. So what's what's kinda what's the plan? How what's it gonna take for you to get there?
Oh, just trust in the process. Trust in the process with Fernando, Sanford Promotions. They already guaranteed me to be up there. And, I've seen some seen some things that that that I can sign to get get get the ball rolling, but I just gotta trust the process and let them go.
Hey. So we do you guys have to win in order to get there?
Or is it No. It's see, with that, it's not about winning and losing. Well, of course, I'm gonna win my fights, but it's not about winning and losing. It's about being the right team and being the right opportunity. So I just gotta trust the process and let them do it.
But, also in the same sense you see, the the plan is people think there's a reason why I'm fighting in Mexico. Like, I don't know whatever reason they think I'm fighting in Mexico, but the idea is to build up that that, that is Spain or the I highly like this because the Expanding. Expanding. You know what I'm saying? So this build up that expanded all, culture, man. Like, the the fan base. I have to build it up. I have to build it up.
They know who you are.
Yes, man. I do. I want the I mean, I want I gotta, I be in Rosarito or Tijuana. People come up to me and be like, beaming, beaming. Let me get a picture. And I'm like, yeah. No doubt, dawg. You know what I'm saying? Like, it's cool. You know what I mean?
So, like and I stand out like a I stand out like a sore thumb. Like, you if you really at at that gym, when I went in that arena, though, I was the only black man there. And it was like, you know, I stand out. I stand out. Everybody wanna take a picture with me.
Everybody wanted to even even with the decision, they everybody was rushing to me. So, they understand that, and these people travel. They expanded, expanded culture, man. They love boxing, and they would travel. They would travel to see you fight.
So that's why we want when we go fight on HBO, we want we want people yelling when they yell out Mexico, Mexico or something, they saying it for me too. Right. Because I'm like one of them. If I keep coming to their hometowns and and and I come to their hometown to fight their top guys. I don't be trying to fight their bums. I've been coming to the Who who oh, this guy, he lives around the corner. Oh, he got a good record. That's who y'all love. I I'll fight him. You know what I mean?
Like, I'm not coming here trying to and that's what happened with that last fight. You know what I'm saying? They was they was they were pushing a narrative that I was trying to fight less opposition. But the top guys wouldn't fight me. They pulled out the fights with me. You know what I'm saying? They didn't wanna fight me. So, like, I'm just gonna continue building up that Hispanic, crowd because I need them. I need them.
I mean, man
They'll they'll make my chest bigger. Let's just talk business. They'll make my chest bigger in HBO. If and, like, HBO yeah. HBO and HBO bring me in and they see that I could sell to the expanded outside and the Americans. Yep. They're gonna be like, yo. Let's give them a bigger check. Instead instead of instead of instead of set instead of a 175, let's give him 300 k or let's give him 400 k. Let's let's give him the bigger check because he's a big draw.
And that's what it's about. That's why I'm fighting down there. People be coming up with all these stupid stuff. Because a lot
of them that Dwayne, there's a lot of them they don't know. They just think about they isolate the sport. Yeah.
Right? And they
don't think about the business behind it for you. I know what you're doing because you're expanding your reach. You're gonna get fans around the world. And then what's gonna happen is when HBO comes to you, they're gonna say, man, this guy has reached all over North America. That's we're gonna get a return on that very, very quickly.
We're gonna return on it quick. Every even HBO is looking for a return. Like like like everybody's looking for a freaking return. You get what I'm saying? And and that's why I that's why I'm saying like, so why hate me for leaving and leaving whatever situation that I was in because I was trying to get a return. I'm not getting a return from the people around me. Right. They're not returning nothing. They're not helping me with nothing. I'm out.
So the same thing I know with the the further I get, these people
are gonna be looking for a return.
You think Beltran doing all of this just for no return?
Man. Unfortunately, he's
not in there. Yeah. He he looking for a return. How can we promote Dwayne so big that we're gonna get our money in some off of him and still be taking care of him too. Mhmm. You know? Like he said, me me and him talking. We want my kids set for life. We want we want things set for life for me before when I when I leave the sport. So, you know, that's that's the plan.
So what's the future for Dwayne Beeman? I know you got your shoes. You got retail. You got put them you got your little you got your little brand. Yeah. You got
your shirts. Yeah. Yeah, baby. Shirt. Dwayne Beeman.
I I I you know what I'm saying? You got I should ask you to bring you one, man.
I should have. I'm so sorry, man. My bad. That's alright. But yeah.
So what's the future aside from just combining, you know, the business side of it and and and, you know, I know what the whole HBO thing. So what are what's the plans?
The plan is to get the plan is to return North Carolina.
Okay.
See, people don't know that. Like, I I I do need to return North Carolina. This is my home. This is my home. This is what I have this is where I was inspired to do what I'm doing now. But I had to return with something more than what I left with, a lot more than what I left with. I wanna return with a couple of world titles. I still I still feel like North Carolina owe me. I'm sorry. I feel like I I I invested a lot of money, a lot of everything into North Carolina, and I want some get back.
So when I come back when I come back, I want to sell out in a a major arena. I wanna fight in maybe the PNC. I wanna fight in one of the Charlotte Gymnas. Like, I know I want I would yes. It'd be a great feeling in front of my own town, like, in front of my own people, my own people. So, yeah, I do what I gotta do out here. Show every show everybody that I can fight on a worldwide scale. I'm a world class athlete.
How about Beamin Arena?
The be hey. Beam Arena sound hey. Kinda close, isn't it? Hey. That sound good. Close. You Hey. They got a they got a nice little ring to it. Yeah. Yeah. That's that got a nice little ring to it. So, like, yeah, we could fight in the beam arena.
You know
what I'm saying? So that's
how got connections with all these these promoters. I'm like, you're saying they gonna get your back.
They will back me up. So, like, that's the whole point. It's just being become becoming such a figure that when I return here, that these arenas pay me to fight there. You get what I'm saying? You think Floyd had the that when they when he announced a fight, they paying him, like, oh, no. We'll pay you this to come here. We'll pay you this to come here. I don't wanna be yeah. I don't know. I don't want to what we used to do back in the day, we had to find a venue and pay it and then say, hey.
Let's fight there. You know? No. No. No. No. I don't want it like that. When I return, I want I want matter of fact, when I return, I want Dorton Rina to call me and be like, hey. You remember you, paid us 25100 and you didn't even do a show here? We still got that money.
So what we're gonna do is you know what I'm saying? I want them to I want them to say, hey. Listen. I want what we're gonna do is give you a free show. We we we're gonna pay you extra and give you half of concessions or you know what I'm saying?
Right. I want to become such a figure in the sport and do something different that nobody done because I'm already doing that too. I'm already doing it. There's no other fighter that started what I did, doing what I did. Even they that's why they love me in Vegas or Cali or anywhere.
When they know my story, they be like, oh, man. You did it. You did it. Like, the the only thing you did it. I wish you could've maintained it, but, nah, you can't maintain it without without these big it's too much it's too it's too many politics.
What did we talk about on the on the phone the other day? Remember we talked about a little bit about business? We talked about how how easy it is for people to give up. Yes. Very easy for people to do. When it gets hard, people quit.
Yeah.
It doesn't go their way, so they quit.
Yeah.
That's why it's not meant for everybody. If it was that easy, everyone would be everyone would
be Exactly. Exactly. You're one
of those people that didn't give up, and now you're doing it.
Yep. Yep. And I and and and and my whole saying is like this, though, it's harder it's harder for me not to try than to give up. You get what I'm saying? Yeah. Oh, yeah. Hey. It dude, to give up is it would take everything in my power to give up on anything. Yeah. To anything. So, like, it's just it's easier to it's just easier to to try. Like, it's just push forward. It's easier for me.
And that kinda goes into one of the last questions here. So what tips or I would say methods or strategies or what whatever you wanna call it would you give future boxers and entrepreneurs?
Are we talking about North Carolina? Because that's the only people I wanna give tips to. Then do it. Yep. Yeah. I don't give I don't wanna give nobody if you ain't if you ain't from North Carolina, I ain't trying to give you no tips on how to do nothing in the sport
of boxing. Tips on business
end boxing. Alright. So North Carolina bosses and and promoters and coaches, just copy Dwayne Pemey. I'm joking. I'm joking.
I'm joking. But, I would say I would say this. The truth is the truth is I gave North Carolina a real good blueprint on how to, promote yourself and put yourself out there because nobody else is doing it. Right now, there's no big major PRs that's putting theirs putting their own money behind boxers and stuff like that. So right now, new boxers got a 10 you y'all gotta turn up your promotion.
You gotta turn up your promotion. Make yourself look bigger than whatever you are. You know what I'm saying? Turn up the promotion, but also be in the gym and understand that nobody's gonna take you seriously unless you fight some quality, composition. Opponents. You you got you gotta fight somebody good eventually. You know what I'm saying? So why not try to fight that person on your hometown? That's what my whole deal was. You know?
Yeah. That's my tip to you. Like, try to keep the home, hometown advantage. But the way you keep hometown advantage is you have to invest in yourself. You have to find something that that makes you stand out. So my tip is my tip is train hard because if you don't got those qualities, you don't have to go beat somebody. Right. So train hard. That's that's that's it. And and the coach is here coach is here.
My advice is did y'all I don't got no license. I don't know what I'm saying. Work, man. Work. Shout out to Hit Hard Box, and them guys are great guys. They they work. They work. So these coaches, instead of talking about it, work. Work. Instead of being on social media tweeting about nothing.
Like, nobody cares. You're gonna be old with no champions and no fighters good. Like, coaches, go out there and work. And if you and if you got bad product, if you got if you know you got guys in the gym that ain't doing nothing, let them go instead of trying to serve them up to for for for a paycheck. You serve them up for a paycheck, it's only gonna make you look bad because guess what?
That that Durham coach that contact me talking junk to me, at the end of the day, you're nobody in the sport of boxing. People gonna only contact you if they want, the get one of your fighters to lose. And you got nothin you building nothin' but losers. You get you already telling them that another man is invincible he's not invincible. He's in, like so you you glorifying 1 man that's not even in none of your fighter's weight classes. Like Yeah.
Where your head is at? So that's what I'm saying to all the boxing coaches and stuff like that, work on your craft, improve your craft. That's one thing that I always did. I always improve my craft. I always felt like I can get better. I always I used to I used, like, the Dragon Ball z philosophy. Like, I'm always gonna go a level higher than Goku. You know what I'm saying? Like, jokingly. You know?
But that's what I say. That's my biggest advice is improve your craft, people, because people are all watching y'all from North Carolina because of of the noise I'm making over there. They all
watch Amos Amos says in the bible, man, laziness is for fools.
Yeah. So
Dax. You gotta work, man.
You gotta be you gotta be on new crap.
Enough room for laziness in this world.
Yep. Yeah.
So last few questions is I always ask everyone this. Alright. I never answer it differently. So how do you define failure? How do you define entrepreneurship? And how do you define success?
Okay. I think you define failure by not not reaching your potential. If I don't never reach my full potential, then I think I fail. I think I fail. It don't matter if I'm 3 time world champion, whatever.
I don't care what my resume say. If I don't unlock my potential as a boxer, as a dad, as a person in life, then I fail. Then I fail because that's what it's about. It's about exceeding or becoming greater, becoming a becoming a God. I think that's one thing that I think God put in this to become better every every day every day.
Be like his image. We might never be perfect and be him, but he never said you can't shoot and try. He never said it in the Bible. He never said he never said in the Bible, I can't try to be like God. You know what I mean? So I think the failure, the define failure is not trying to be, not unlocking your potential and not being not trying to be God. Because I'm I'm a try I'm trying. I'm trying. I'm trying to be something like that. It wasn't And how
do you define entrepreneurship with success?
And that's separate question? Yeah. Okay. How do I define entrepreneur? I define it as a person that's willing to give it their all. Because me hanging out with I hang out with celebrities and I hang out with, people that that have a lot of money and they got so many stories about how often they fail, fail, fail, fail, fail, fail, fail. They failed so much, got booed off stage. You know? So I'm thinking about what Cardi b told me. She got booed off stage so much.
Oh, wow. You know what I mean? But they persevere. So I think a entrepreneur is somebody that's willing to give it their all. They have to. It's so many people trying to sell so much every day. Every I can walk out. I can walk outside and there's somebody trying to give you something to to look at their image. You turn on your phone, somebody trying to sell you something. Right.
So there's so many entrepreneurs. Even if they don't call themselves entrepreneurs, they are they are trying to be entrepreneurial. So my my idea is to define that is that somebody that will give it their all. They will sacrifice they will sacrifice it all. They have to.
You have to. I I before I left, I had I had a speech with my 2 boys. Even though they're young, I had a speech where I said them both on my left and I told them, I said, hey, daddy gotta go away. But Dada is doing the that's what they call me, Dada. I don't want y'all to think of that. He's been walking around calling us a Dada. You know? He looks just like you, man. Yeah. Yeah.
I had them myself, by the way. I had my kids by myself. But, anyways, I'm joking. Shout out to their mom joking. Victoria, she does a wonderful job with my kids. She's she's a wonderful person all around. So anyway, so I had a speech with my kids. I told them. I said, hey. Listen. Daddy gotta go away but I'm doing it for y'all. I'm doing it for y'all. I said, y'all are y'all are it. Y'all are it. You know, y'all are y'all would live on without me and stuff like that.
And then, my my oldest son my oldest son gave me a hug and said, daddy, I understand. I understand. I said, you do. You understand? He said, yeah, I understand. And I said, I said to my younger son, I said, you understand? He said, he understands. I understand. He said he understand. So, like, so he pointed at my other son, like, yeah. He understands. So I guess he get it too. He'll get it too.
You know? But, that's that's something entrepreneur has to sacrifice whatever it could be. I know that I knew being right here wasn't gonna get me where I needed to be. So that's that's
So I think that pie goes into success as family. Right? Success. Making them proud. Right?
Yes. Making them proud. Man, Listen, beef without all the trophies and all the the belts, everything I could win, I'm still gonna be eventually, one day, I'm a be old news. Mhmm. I'm a be old news one day, dawg.
At end of the day, I'm a be old news. And that's why I'm saying when I meet these boxers, that that that are old news now, and some of these coaches that were never news. You know what I'm saying? I just don't I still don't wanna be that guy that I see that's always talking about what he used to do. Can you guess what that guy is? The guy that lived with regret. Right. I don't wanna be that guy. I just can't. I can't.
I hate to get emotional, but even I get emotional even thinking about that. I just cannot be that guy. I cannot be that guy that will sit around and talk about who I used to be or or I this. Or what if I did this or or I had it like this or other I can't be that guy. That's not real success. That's not real success. If you have to do that, that's not real success. If you have to tell somebody that you're successful, you're not successful.
Right. That's good advice.
That's my closing. How we close this thing.
So well, so I mean, that's why you're gonna build less legacy. Legacy.
I'm a build a legacy. I'm a build a legacy, and people can always say, I wanted to be, like, I wanted to be in places with my kids, and they say, yo, you know me. Your dad was this. Your dad was that. And then I'll be like, thank you, sir. Picture and keep it moving. I don't wanna be I don't wanna be that guy sitting there like, yeah, I did, Gotta hear myself talk. You know what I'm saying? No, man. You I don't wanna be that guy. I just don't wanna be that guy. And I
think it goes back to the just the way you treat people. Right? And being honest and being loyal. Yes. All these things play around your legacy. It's not just about,
like, the But loyal but loyal to the people that's loyal to you. Respect is earned. It's not given. Just because a guy been in the boxing for a long period of time or he been in any career for a long period of time, that don't make him demand your respect. You can give him respect, but respect is earned.
Respect is earned. I know and and even your line line of work, anything, like, anybody you meet understand, like, you can shake their hand as a man, but you still they gotta treat you right. Right.
Oh, yeah.
I don't care what their credentials say. They gotta treat you right or you gonna treat them you you should treat them like they should treat be treated. There you
go, man. That's perfect. So, Dwight, where are you gonna find you, man?
Oh, man. You can follow my Instagram, bane_beeman. And we gotta get that bane back in my in in me. You know
what I mean?
You know how bane was. I I gotta be that dart guy again. I gotta get back on my dart stuff. So bane_beaman. You know, beaman. And, of course, my Facebook is always popping. Be come to come to my Facebook and be entertained. I I my Facebook is enter it's entertainment. Like, that's what that's what my Facebook is all about, entertainment. And then, that's the only 2 things I got, Instagram.
What website did you
Oh, I the website is about to get up because we're just trying to get all our merchandise done Nice. Before we go with the, website. Because I don't want people trying to order stuff that's not there. So just I'm sure
you put a shout on Facebook
when it's ready. Oh, man. You already know. It'll be air throw right on Facebook, man.
Well, no. This is perfect, man. I really Dwayne, I I appreciate you coming here, man, from Goldsboro. You know, You're back in North Carolina for a little bit, man. And I
know you're
not I know it's not a vacation, but Yeah. Yeah.
You know,
it is what it is, man. But thanks again. Really, really appreciate it, man. And
I appreciate
it. Honor.
And everybody that was watching, you know what I'm saying? Hopefully, we can drop you'll get this footage to me. We could put it out there again. And, and thanks for having me, Giorgio. Man, you always been a big supporter. Let me let me give Giorgio a shout out. Put the camera on, Giorgio. He always he always been such a supporter and he always but he always, kept it real with me. You know what I mean? Even if something go bad, like, he'll keep it real with me.
He'll tell me, like, hey, yo. You mean you gotta watch yourself. You gotta do this. I remember that little situation with Durham, and I remember him hitting me up saying, hey. Look, man. You'll watch yourself, man. These guys don't care about you. Mhmm. So, you know, don't put yourself in situations. So, I wanna say thank you, Georgia. Yeah, man. Thank you for having me, man. And you know I you know, when I come to NC, I don't really tell nobody I'm in NC, and and I had to do this for you, man.
I had to. I appreciate it, brother. It's an honor. Thank thanks, man.
Thank you.
It's a blessing. Thank you. Cool. Well, thanks again, everyone, for listening. And this is Michael Georgio, your host on Tales from the pros and until next time. Thanks guys. Alright. Hey, guys. Thanks a lot for watching tales from the pros. Please subscribe to our YouTube page and also follow our social media.
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