Leonard Ellerbe | Ep 91 | ALL THE SMOKE Full Episode | SHOWTIME Basketball

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Speaker 1: Welcome to All the Smoke, a production of The Black Effect and our Heart Radio and partnership with Showtime. Welcome back to another edition of All the Smoke. We're coming to you live from Atlanta, Georgia. Jack, what's going on? We're all here for a special blockbuster Showtime pay per view event that's going on tomorrow night between Javante Davis and Mario Big Fight. Tomorrow night. Javant is moving up to weight classes. We got an expert in this space here, Jack, introduce some force, great the honorable. Then all in the building. Man, thanks for being here. Appreciate your brother for having me on. Y'all show Man clean as usual. You know you gotta visit a business schedule this weekend. We know you gotta be at the weigh ends and all that stuff. So we appreciate you coming by any time. Talk to us. How you got in this space, Man, Um the Blessing Um as a as a youngster, I was an amateur boxer and I'm coming up a little bit, a little bit a little bit coming up in that DC area. You you know, that's the only way to survive. So coming up through the amateurs, got a chance to know Roger Boy his uncle, and we were friends for many years. And actually I used to come back and forth from DC to Vegas and he used to work with me, and he always used to talk to be talking about my nephew, my nephew, my nephew. So, um, I was in Vegas one year and em Floyd came through and I think we might have been like thirteen years old, and Em Floyd was the same way he he was until this day. This is you know, full of joy, just always flashy, played boy. He was that way. He was that way of thirteen years old. And then, um, so we got a chance. He was actually in Vegas for fight I think was a Tyson flight. We got a chance to meet and you just had some good dialogue. Like I said, he was a young there. And then we kept in contact, you know, as I was coming back and forth to Vegas and and um, when he was getting ready to turn pro, Roger you know, suggested, hey, once you come during the team and it kind of all started there. And that was in like when he moved from Grand Rapids to Vegas. Yeah, so you service cu CEO and financial manager of Floyd. What's that journey and experience has been, like I mean, arguably the greatest fire of all time, unblemished records. So I'm sure there's been a bunch of money rolling in and a bunch of crazy experiences talked to us about some of that. Man, it's it's been an incredible journey. Um, But I didn't do it by myself. I had a wonderful team still had that same team, and I have a great partner in Al Hayman, you know, so that's made the transition very, very smooth. Al is one of the most smartest guys in the entire world. Harvard graduate, you know, and so we worked closely hand in hand day by day and in you know, managing an incredible portfolio like Floyd Mayweather. You know, it's just again it's a tremendous task, but you know, we are Floyd has been a tremendous sacrifice, and but it's been an incredible journey. You're credited with helping fighters keep more of the proceeds than they were able to do in the past. Where did that business acroman come in? Because that's one thing to me. I mean, the big guys get a bunch, but just as far as everybody kind of eating you've been instrumental and guys being able to get more than they normally did. And that's that's one of the men Al's model has been from day one is that the fighters deserve the line share of the money because you know, for so long there have been two guys in the business who controlled the entire playing field. That was Bob Aaron Don King and and unfortunately, you know, a lot of fighters um had got taken advantage of, you know, and um, um, that's not my opinion, that's what know. They And so we had the philosophy that we wanted to change the entire mindset, you know, let the fighters, because the fighters are one that is going out there, risking in their lives and putting everything on the line. So they deserve the line share of the money. And that's kind of where it all started. And and you see now that especially like in Al's case, you know, we we work hand in hand with a number of great fighters in the industry, and everybody's happy, you know, because they have a tremendous platform and they're making the most money that they've ever made. And and again they have people who are behind them who are instrumental in guiding their career, you know. So the whole objective, like a guy like Earl Spence for an example, is that you you go out there and you you you fight the biggest and best fights, but you have to think big picture post boxing, you know. And that's what Floyd has been. He has definitely been the leader by at because we put him in a position where again, not only did he make over a billion dollars in the sport, but um, he has nine figures in the bank. He gets a seven figure check every month for the rest of his life. And he still looks you know what I'm saying. He was able to go fifty and old and have an illustous career and be able to walk away, walk away with all his falconies at a young age, you know, forty two years old, you know. And he has the ability to go off and do anything that he wants to do. Yeah, and and everything is paid for, Everything is paid for, beautiful, And so tell me this maybe other promotions. Um, looking back at it, looking back at when y'all were starting and where it is today, what was the vision? The vision was Floy's vision. He wanted to be his own boss, want to be his own bosson and he's always talked like that from day one, you know, because he had saw so many you know, so many fighters who had paid the before him, that had gotten taken advantage of, you know, so he didn't want to do that. You know. He wanted to surround himself with smart people and be able to make good, sound decisions and set itself up for you know, post boxing, where he didn't want to end up in a situation like fighters before him that you know, so many of them, they had given their entire lives to the fans, you know, but then they didn't have anything to show forward after their careers were over, and most of them were not able to you know, speak, you know, and then again their brains all. You know. Yeah, it's been so unfortunate, and he wanted to be able to set a positive example for the younger generation because you know, hey, you can you can come into the sport, surround yourself with a good team and be positive and then set yourself up for the rest of your life. Leave with your money. Attack transferring to Tank Davis, who was a guest of ours during the quarantine, to come a long way since his two thousand seventeen splashed on the scene, talk to us about some of his ups and deals and used to the maturity you've seen to him as not only as a fighter, but as a man as well. That's a great question, matt Um. You know when Tank first um, he first got signed to us, you know, being from the Baltimore area, I'm from d C. So I know the things that he's experienced and coming from the background and he's come from and you know, you oftentimes your product of your environment, because that's all that you know. And so our our goal, envision was to remove him from that situation. Him and his family, especially his mom, you know, as they had they had was building a close bond, you know together they had been through so many things as a kid, you know, when he was a youngster, him and his brothers and be able to remove him out of that situation and show him a different side of life. And that was for its sole objective is to remove him out of that environment because he was such a meen this talent, and being in that environment, all you're gonna be is subjective to the same kind of things because the people are still doing the same things. And you guys, see that tell us how you know, people he was boxing with growing up were dropping like flies. His friends were dying everywhere. And it's still been happening. It's still been Yeah, And I'm so proud of him because again, you know, he's made definitely over the last couple of years, last two years. You know, he's had some missteps along the way, just like any any young any young athletes, and all of a sudden, you know, has this instant stardom and then making millions of dollars and so they don't make good sound decisions. But I can honestly say Floyd has been a great, great role model in that aspect for him because he's actually been in those similar situations, you know, and going through that as being a young fighter, and he made something. He made some experience, i mean, some um mistakes along the way, but he learned from those mistakes, and he learned at the right time. Time, He caught he got it all together at the right time where he was able to take control of his entire career, you know, before he had messed up really bad and um. And that's what we've been able to do with Tank and and Ford to show him because he's been through those similar things that look, look, this is how you deal with this. Don't put yourself in this situation because this is gonna lead to this. Watch the women, watch this and that because you know, you know, keep keep the people who are down with you your day ones as close as possible, but you're gonna lose people along the way. You know. Loyalty is everything, and that's the that's the great bond of me and Freda Stabbish because you know, coming up, you know, it was all about I was focused. You know, I'm still I was still young, young myself, but you know I was working twenty hours and twenty hour days, seven days a week for fifteen years straight. You know. Our rejective was getting getting to the finish line, you know, and we were focused on, you know, the goal in hand, and that was being in control of his own career, making good decisions, you know, and taking it from their setting a positive example for all these other fighters. I'm I'm a I'm a big time boxing fan. And I said this after tank last fight, and I impressed it with the knock. I said, now you see when you take him by that environment, and he locked in to training and away from all the nonswers how great he can be. And I had to say that because a lot of people didn't know what Take had been through. But I knew the shift he had made because I could tell how he was hyper path for the fight, you know what I mean, And I've seen it, and I said that on Instagram. I said, when you're taking by the environment, you put him around the right people and the right training, this kid is gonna be real scary man. And he was able to see that. You couldn't have said that any better. And that's why we've been very impressed with him, because Floyd's you know, gold was to get him out of that environment and show that you could come to Vegas, you could lock in what's your team, because this is all what it is about, is the preparation, the mental preparation, you know, to get ready for these big fights. And this is how you handle the pressure, This is how you handle the media. You know, you have zero distractions out here in Las Vegas, and now when it's time to go to war, you can go handle your business. Because I think you said some very interesting and unknosed former athletes. We know this too. The fight is kind of the prize but there's so much mental that goes into it. How much would you say is mental? We think it. I mean, once you get to the NBA, we kind of feel like it's nine percent mental to be able to avoid and stay away from other distractions to focus on the task in hand. Would you say it's similar in body? I would say the same. They not about about, you know, and that's you know, when you got a guy like Floyd who's leading by example, and that's how he's always man. He always keep his composure. That's when impressed me that that the whole the mental makeup of him is just I've never seen nothing like that. That dude is able to focus under any circumstances. And he when it comes to his job, he takes his job very very seriously. You know, when it comes to family friends, he's like, nope, y'all, y'all deal, y'all get at the air. I gotta focus on my job because this is how we eat, you know. And and that's that's kind of he's always led by example, and he's done a tremendous job with guiding Tank in that way. You know. That's why it's it's like that bond that those two have. It's just and that's what so to me, what's so impressive about Floyd, especially in the day and age where it's just so many distractions and so many people get once they get to the top, they get tired of it, or they want to find something, or they want to wrap, or they want to play basketball, they want to do some other ship. That was the one thing that impressing me with Floyd was just his mental discipline and focus to be the greatest the whole entire time period still period. It's so crazy that y'all mentioned that, because there have been times where you know, like especially early on, you know, when he first got his big check, you know, um, especially the very first pay per view fight, like after the Oscar fight, and I can I can recall this on Saturday night, you know, he gets to check and it's time to go to the bank on Monday morning, and you know, mostly everybody's thinking, oh, we're getting going on vacation, but it's like, we ain't going nowhere. You're talking about we're going to the gym. And that's just been his whole mindset. After hundreds of millions of dollars, you know, he's the one that again, he stayed always stayed locked in like he and his work ethic has always shown that. Again, no matter how much he's maybe, he always trained and thought like he was broke and it always kept him hungry. You know, I love the last Tank fight Lio Santa Cruise fight. What was what was y'all thinking going into that fight? It was a big fight for him and what what was what was your thinking going into the fight for him? It was a huge fight. It was Tank's first pay per view fight. He's fighting a tremendous champion and Leo Santa Cruz a four division world champion. And you will hear the critics out they're saying he was too small and he was that, but that's just because you know, jealousy plays a big role in everything everything. You know, we knew it was or they project their fears on you, like I'm worried about this, So let me try to make you like that's not that. We knew that that was a pathway that would lead to you know, him, Tank established himself as a as a pay per view star. You know, he still has a ways to go, but it was it was a great segue because again Leo Santa Cruz was a four division world champion and recognizing all the boxing as an excellent fighter. And we knew that he you know, he was gonna put his country on his back and he was coming to bring it. Was coming to bring it, and he showed you that. It was a terrific fight, you know, with a lot of back and forth the first few rounds and then Tank to set him up and hit him with the big shot that obviously went viral. You know that was especially that of a bro man. We we didn't with that. That was the one when they posted, right, they had us film ourselves kind of watching the fight. Women knockout happened. It was incredible. Everybody was comment on that Brown everybody, magic, everybody, everybody. But that's what you want to see in boxing, Like you don't see too much of that, especially from a smaller guy, you know, with so much power. You know, everybody like what Tank Davis, Tanking Davis, But y'all don't know the Tank Davis we know, and and the power that he showed that fight to get that knockout. You know, people want to see knockouts. You don't see that that much these days, not even in heavyweights. That's exactly why Jack that he's the most exciting fighter in the entire sport, right, you know, because he has the ability to to connect with this younger generation. And that's why in his case that you know, they's he's been through a lot of the things that most of our culture understand, you know. So he's a very very relatable person. That's the dog. That's why they gravitate to him. They come from everywhere to support this kid. And again, he has a style. You know, in today's generation, everything is like right now, and he has that the style where he gets the fans exactly what they want to see and being h you know, being a pay per view, being involved in pay per view and people are paying that money. He said, that's what they want to see that and he gives them excitement just like and I'm not comparing the two, just like Mike Tyson was when he was much younger. And that's what I love about Tank is that you know when he comes to when he steps up in that ring, he ain't gonna play with it. He ain't gonna play with he ain't gonna fill you out. You know, He's coming there to knock your head all the way off. I was as I was at last fight here in the landing. I'm glad. I'm glad y'all came back. Um when he for a game balla ball man and I'm talking about the stars came out. You was here, the baby brought him out on the star. You know. I was right at the ringside and he wasn't. It wasn't the best performance, but everybody came out to support him. And it ain't like that in Atlanta. You have you have to be somebody in Atlanta, but everybody to pull up and support you. Tank, haz Alanna, I'm glad you brought him back in for this big fight, man, because yeah, and they showed us so much love. That's exactly why, you know, um Ford and Tank wanted to come back down here because again, the prior to we when we came down here in two thousand nineteen, Atlanta hadn't had a big fight. And well it with twenty twenty some years and Feld, you know, so it was a great honor to come down here and and and do it in front of our culture, you know, and and the energy and the building was just stupid. It was just stupid. I wanted I almost got into with somebody then that I was so hype. We're in Black Hollywood, man in black Hollywood. What should we expect this weekend? What kind of problem does us pose outside of the size of vantage. Well, the size advantage, it means a lot. It means, it does mean a lot. And you know, especially like if you you saw them at the press confidence or you've seen any of the pictures with them to stand, you know, next to each other. You know, he that reminds me that she reminds me of Tyson. Remember Tyson always had to look at his people a little Barrios is six inches taller, he has a much longer reach, he has very good speed, and he has excellent power, and he's a much bigger fighter. You know. So it's a very dangerous fight. And that's why Tank you know, he understands that it's a tremendous challenge. But you know, that's what defining his legacy is all about. And there's no other fighter out there that can do what he's doing right now. You know here it is that he's he his last fight against Santa Cruz was that a hunting thirty pounds, and he's moving up two way classes two way classes. You know, that's just kind of like walk around it that way though, right, yeah, yeah, exactly, And you know, um, but what has allowed him to do is the show these this this younger generation that you put your mind doing anything, and you know he wants to be different and set a good example because there was a criticism from from the haters out there, you know that Santa Cuse was you know, much smaller. So then he says, okay, well let me go up two way classes. You know, so you gotta get you gotta props. If he's able to pull it off on Saturday night, it should be a tremendous fight. Though tremendous fight. Stack Card co made event with Lubin and Rosario, who both you know, took tough else to Charlo trying to get back on track. Thoughts about that. I like, yeah, I love Luban and this kid is uh we're talking about hungry. Yes, yes, you know. He's working with Kevin conning Ham, who's one of the top trainers in the business and has been for many years. They've been they've been working down they down in um in Florida, and every time you look up, they just grinding and grinding. So uh, Lumen is on a mission to get back. Well. Now, he's never been champion um at fifty four, but he's looking to you know, make his mark and and with a victory over Um Rosario on Saturday, he's looking to make a big statement because he wants the opportunity to potentially get back in there with with Jamale if he's able to get you know, past his next fight. You know, Um, but that's a tremendous fight in Rosario. You know he's Dominican, you know. Um, he's had a great camp and he had you know, obviously he's coming off of the l to Jamale and Um, so he's looking to you know, get back. You know, he said that, you know, he went through some things in his last camp and so that's a tremendous fight. That's a main event itself the fans as far as getting them getting the bang for the buck this weekend. We got a tremendous card from top to bottom. Everyone's goal is to be undefeated like Floyd. Obviously, these two fighters are coming off losses. How tough is that mentally physically to shake off knockouts like that and be able to come back and still put your best foot forward. Well that's a that's a tremendous challenge obviously. But the truth is, you guys know everybody can't be on the field. It's just not it's not realistic. You know. Fortunately for Floyd, he was he was different. He was different. You know. He keep that that's his his whole focus, you know, it was to be the best. He wanted to fight the best, and he put in that work. He led by example by the hard work and dedication. And this generation, younger generation, they cut a little different, cut a little different. Yeah, and see that he never take that man never drank, never smoked a day in his life. He would take it. He would take his family to the club. He boy all the bottles. He spent fifty at the club on on you know table, and that's it. That's all. Let me know if this is true. Al Harnson, you know it's my brothers and Alison live in Vegas. Yeah. Sure. He said. He walked in the club one time and he saw Floyd and the Floyd had on headphones and like, why does he got on headphones in the club? He said, he he asked for what he listened to and he say he took one of them out and putting his ear and and actually it was left right, left, left right, left right, left, left right, like something had to do with boxing. I was like, I couldn't believe that all these people in the clubs staring at him and he's listening to boxing moves or punches in his headphones. Do we do that? Actually, man Ford Ford is a different dude. That's and that's that's why, that's why he's a genius. That's why he is a genius. Man. I have so much great respect for that brother, you know, because he he's on the next level. He's always consistently thought outside the box and always been three or four steps ahead of everybody watching to the beat his own draw, marching to the own bat, I mean, and it's just amazing just even coming on fire last event here it is he was able to do a million buys as a retired fighter, and that hadn't been done last time anybody did anything close to a million buys. Well, obviously Tyson and Tyson and Um and Roy Jones just did it, you know, and there, but obviously those are too Hall of Fame left, but the actual active fighters in the sport last time that was done was in two thousand and seventeen and oh that was May. Whether it did this dude is cold, man, this dude is cold. He did over a million buys fighting a YouTuber. That's crazy, and that's why we get all calls from all these you know guys. You know we built relationships and football, basketball everywhere. It's like, man, how does this dude do this? And he's able to still stay relevant. He decided to go get a bag, you know, go somewhere and sit down for a second, get another bag. Putting cars in this deal I got stop putting them in my deal man, buy me a car, put that in my deal. Thinking, you know, talking about speaking thinking outside the box. Obviously this last event that was just in Miami between Paul and Floyd and the energy around it again, the money around it, the the ability to steal draw people at this point in his career being removed and retired, also just the whole experience from your guys, the side of of the of your camping and is he done done or could it possibly happen again? I mean he's coming out here and getting a hun a million for thirty minutes. Yeah he I mean who knows. I mean, he's he if he wants to go out and do something along those lines. I want to make that clear. He's definitely retired from fighting any of these young casts. Yeah, yeah, is there because he's he has nothing to prove, right, he's proving everything. He's beat everybody in this generation and generation before, and he's been the top dog and made all the money, got the bank roll and and left the bod uh you know. Um, but what he's able to have been able to do is stay relevant through social media, you know. And he's just still hungry. He's just still hungry if you see an opportunity out there to generate some revenue. Even though he's set beyond generation, you know, he's still and he and what I love about him he takes care of so many people. We know, so many people, so many people, and it's just you know, he don't say much and he just he he has a tremendous heart. Yeah. I think that's one of his greatest attributes. Yeah that this dude's hard. It's just it's bigger than life. A good friend of mine. Um international Red and yeah yeah, red on you know what I'm saying. Red is one of the most solid people I know in my life. So that's when I knew Flaw was a good judge of character because Red has been around a long time. I'm from Port Arthan. He manages Bumby as well, sure that I mean. And and when Floor brought him a boy job your company, I knew. I said, Now this says a lot, just says a lot to meet for Florida because Red is one of people I respect more than anybody. So that's that's said a lot to me about he has put so many people on Andre's so many so many people have come and gone. He's looked out for so many people, so many people. I mean, he's just again he's been He's made a tremendous impact on this generation, you know, with with setting a good example. Is there any difference between Florida the fighter and Florida businessman he approaches it this Same't was any difference. It's pretty much the same. I mean, he's the beast with it man, and it's like he's just then he's consistently thinking outside the box. You know he'll be He'll call you up in early the morning. It's like, you know, I'm gonna take this go take this meeting. And I just got to run over to Dubibe. But you know they're gonna pay me a meeting and a half just to take the meeting. No, I gotta go do it. I gotta I gotta go do it. I gotta go do that to take a media Yeah, I'm there. I take it. All of meeting, learned how to shake hands with the right people, and and he's built so many friends, you know, over the years. Relationships, yeah, everything, everything, absolutely. What's your thoughts on athletes from other sports stepping in the ring and the Ocho Sinko stepped in the ring a couple of weeks ago, and you know he had no regrets. Nate Robinson doesn't hurt the sport of boxing to you, not at all, not at all, because I admire guys who who continually to look for ways to elevate themselves. And with Chad, he's the greatest tame A good friend of mine' been knowing him for years. And what he used to do when actually when he was playing football, he used to come out to Vegas once in a while and he used this far. You know, he always wanted to He always had an infinity for the love of the sport and he wanted to stay connected to the sport. And um, so the opportunity came. We was gonna when Floyd told me he wanted to do this, this exhibition with logan. Um we wanted to be creative and bring something else, you know, to the table, you know, another type of exhibition. And then I reached out to Chat and I was like offering him the opportunity. He was like, heck, yeah, yeah, outside of the outside of getting up here. Yeah, one of the majority of the raims outside he was all balanced when that happened, you know, but he had fun with it. Was a great opportunity. And actually we just spoke yesterday. He's like, Yo, hit me up. I'm with it because he say, good dude, solid brother, solid brother. April. Okay, that's right. You made your you made your debut on Instagram posting the picture saying Floyd made me do it. Talk to me about that, but then also what you've learned of the power of social media since then through promotions and just kind of showing the world what's going on. That's a great question, mat because you know, early on obviously from the business aspect, you know, me and al are locked into so many different things, you know, on the day to day base. So when when social media kind of evolved, you know, being a little old school and they called me the old head, you know, um, I then't initially kind of wasn't receptive to it. And then you know, for it was like, yo, hell, you gotta get you gotta get up on this man, because this is the way. It's the way of the world. What you know, what the culture is all about now and how we're gonna be able to market and do our stuff. So I was like And then so from the aspect of when he was getting ready, I think for a fight or something. And so when you're interacting, you know, you see stuff and the fans are responding to something. So I found myself getting into it with the fans and Floyd was like, no, no, no, no, we don't do that. Man. He's like, look, it's like this, he says, why are you gonna sit there and argue with somebody you don't know and who actually has no impact on anything that we're getting ready to do, he says, he said after the fight, when he says, on Monday morning, when we go to the bank, who's going with us. He said, So why does that matter with anything anybody saying? He said, let them say whatever they want to about me, because you know I would always get piste off because they're saying things that you know obviously aren't true. And then you know, I'm defending him. He said, don't worry about that. He said, yeah, he said, we don't care about nothing. They say nothing. Nobody said. We in our own lane, doing our own thing, and we're gonna keep on getting money. And that's what it was. And so that was one of the tough lessons that you know, I had to learn early on about social media. You know. But my team, actually my team actually does a great job with our platform. They're the ones that do everything. I'm not as active, you know, especially on Instagram, and because I'm too busy, you know, you know, I'm focused on the business and you know, we got so many things. You only need to post number pictures and you clean anyway, that's what I need to do. Let him know how clean you is every day. Yeah, that's it. But you have to be attribute your style to just just you being you. Yeah. Yeah, it was something you know going up as a youngster, you know, d C. It's just all about that swag the men and the women, you know. So a couple of old heads, you know, coming up, it was like, you know, dressing was everything. You know, um, looking good, smelling good, keeping yourself, growing well, groom you know, and and you're able to get in a lot of doors that way. People you know, you know what, they respect you and look at you a little differently, you know. Um. And I've always taken great pride in that, you know, how you present yourself and you know, so it's been a thing from ever since I was a kid. I took great pride and how I look, you know, whether it was the elementary, junior, high, high school, college, whatever. Yeah, you know, Dion sand has gotta say and you look good, you play good, they pay good, and and that's you know here is I'm I'm representing the biggest guy ever in our sports. So you know, I'm representing the brand, right you know. I know you're real close to Dame Lily. He's a big boxing fan. You mentioned how Ocho used to train when he played. I use boxing as a training tool during my basketball career. Thoughts on the evolution of kind of other athletes using boxing as a tool to prepare for their other sports. Man, I'm not a great question. Man. Dame is a great example. I have such great admiration for that brother. I mean, because what he's been able to do is get better and better each and every year and add more and more to his game. And so he's taking boxing as a tool, uses as a tool to extend his range. You know, um throwing a lot of punches until your arms get tired. So he's able to obviously go further and further back. You know, we're just shooting, and it's just you know, obviously the range of motion just and it's just automatic and I'll never get tired, and it's just it's like it's automatic. And that's why I mean that dude, he's so locked in. It's so impressive, and he's like the biggest boxing fan. He could actually be a commentator. Yeah. And when I said he knows his stuff and me, he'd be hitting me up. I hit him up and and we talked about this. We talk all the time, like my almost every day, almost like every day. I mean, when he's in the bar letting Miami, he's trying to get him to come out that day. Yeah, Yeah, yeah, just out. I talked to him last night. He's telling me he wouldn't be able to make it because he's in Mexico and you know all of that stuff. So before we get to these uh quick hitters, you've been blessed to be around the greatest boxer of all time. You've got someone else coming through the pipeline and Tank Davis. What is it you've talked about them? What is this ride and experience been like for you? Personally? It's been an incredible ride. I mean you know now, um, since over the pandemic, I've actually had an opportunity to kind of just sit back a little bit and just kind of watch a little bit of our journey, you know, because I've just been so locked and it's still really locked in. But um, now you know with Floyd, you know he's retired. Now, UM, I don't have to work twenty hours a day. I have a tremendous team, and UM, so I'm able to, um just kind of really appreciate things much better. And then I actually have uh a different look, you know, especially like a lot of things we went through and not a lot of things I didn't know and see because you just be so locked in the moment, you don't get a chance to appreciate a lot of different things. Much like, wow, like we've we've done a lot, you know, and I look back on it, and it's just like because we started when I say we started at the bottom, I mean, I can remember us driving from from Las Vegas cross country to Grand Rapids, handing out flyers, you know, grass food kind of stuff, you know, telling you know, people to to watch his fight on is being you know, and that's just kind of how it all started. And this dude. People thought he was going to the clubs, you know, they're not. But see he was just keeping his face out there and staying standing close to the streets where people felt comfortable with him, like okay, that's a cool. Yeah, And he's out here in our environment. You know, we could go anywhere in New York anyway, in the streets anywhere. He was always respected, you know. So it's been a great opportunity to kind of look back and you know, over over these last twenty four years and just have a greater appreciation. It's just truly a blessing being this you know position. I see, That's what I was warning because as athletes sometimes being so caught up in the moment you never appreciate the actual accomplishments at each step that, you know what I mean. And you see it now too as someone that was writing to him, just kind of understanding the significance of the history you guys made during the process. So now you kind of get to look back out of that, like, damn, we really did some ship. Yeah. I mean, it's just like this dude was actually like the highest paid athlete in sports, not just boxing, in sports for a number of years, and I used to get the calls. He got the calls bron Tom Brady, every every top player in each sport were like, what are y'all doing? You know, because you know, ball players gotta you know, get a big contract for four fives years to get the hunting something man and Floyd going out, then get one night, one night, one night, twice a year, right, and then go get a hundred in an exhibition fight. Yeah yeah, fair quick hitters man. First thing to come to your mind, let us know, who do you have? Who do you like in the finals? Atlanta? Nice? Nice, but you're just talking about it before Trey Young is out here doing this thing. He's doing this thing man, and gotta give you know credit obviously the coach NICKM Millan, I'm doing, you know, and they got a good, solid young team and man, very proud of, very proud of. Yeah yeah, good core. Rank your top three Floyd fights of all time Oscar Della Hoya, um Canello and a tural Gotti. You know, I thought she was gonna say Si Shane, Si shan't rocking, and Floyd flawlessly beat him after that flat he walked him down, but she shan't cut a little differently. He actually thought that he was much stronger than Floyd and all of that. But see, people, Floyd is a different kind of beast. He's like, you know, he looked one way, but it's different when you get up in there for dog dog and when he got caught with that big shot. That's what I've seen in the gym, not get hit with the shop, but like how he's aggressive like that he walks the guy out and he talking to him. See that's see, that's that's what meant. That's what I love. I got so much respect fro him because he was rocked and he wasn't the type when he get rocked. Okay, I'm gonna run. He got rocked and got right and went back to the middlettle ring and stood there and walking down the rest of the fight, and was talking to him the whole time, and what you're gonna do, what you're gonna do now, outside of Floyd, if you could sit ringside, go back in history and sit ringside to any fight, what the fight would it be? Sugaray, Leonard, Marvin Hackler? Of course? Of course, of course. The first word that comes to mind when I say these names, Floyd Mayweather genius. Do you want to tell Davis Beast, Calvin Ford excellent trainer, none of the elbe low key yeah, Loki And either way it's stand out of the way in your opinion. Top five boxers of all time Floyd Mayweather, Sugary Robinson, Muhammad Ali Per Now waka mm hmmm. They're gonna hold you to it too, hold you to this. That's a good one. Who's that last? One? Day? The last spot? Holy feel yea respect? Yeah? Yeah, the side of my favorite fighters last and find a question. If you can have one guest on all the smoke, who would have been? Why? And I already know who I want We already know who we want. But whoever you're answering is you have to help us get him, get that person on the show. Who Yeah, thank you. That's always what we wanted to here, that's what we wanted. Yeah, we're gonna make it happy. We're gonna rub off on us. We're gonna get some more money flow, make that happen. That's real money. Might just five follow him in here, It might just follow my pocket. Man, We're gonna make that happen. Hey, man, Well, we appreciate your time. We know you're busy. Man. Thank you for sharing your time with us, sharing your stories. Look forward to more of your greatness and we'll be ringside room for Javante and Man. I just want to say I appreciate both of your brothers. Man, y'all y'all are doing y'all thing, man, and y'all lean by example for the entire culture. Everything y'all talk about, from politics to the sports, I mean everything. I love what y'all doing. Man, you're doing y'all things. Well, that's a wrap special edition Leonard Ellerby Make sure you guys tune in tomorrow night showtime pay per view for the big Javonte David's fight. We'll see you all next week. This is All a Smoke, A production of The Black Effect and Our Heart Radio in partnership with Showtime