On June 7th, I was able to sit down and have a talk with Braxton Smith. He had originally contacted me with a direct message on instagram. When I noticed who had contacted me I have to admit, I had quickly thought, “Oh, here we go again. Another fighter is going to be mad at me for speaking the truth.” However, that was quickly put to rest. Smith said in the message, “What’s up, Steve this is Braxton. I just wanted to tell you, that article for PFC you did on me was perfect and spot on. I definitely can explain the decline and why I’ve been terrible the past year, but just wanted to tell you, great job with the paper!” I will admit - I was shocked and dumb-founded a bit, and after a minute of composing myself, I responded, “ I would love to do an interview with you - to let you tell your story. Oh and thank you for your compliment.”

When it came to scheduling the interview, we quickly settled on Sunday, June 7th in the afternoon. I’m not afraid to say that I thought the interview would be filled with excuses and sob stories, ranging from “injuries” to “my dog died” - I’m not kidding, I actually thought that, and I was annoyed. I expected to see the same out-of-shape Braxton Smith most of us had grown accustomed to over the past year. I couldn’t have been more wrong.

When Smith turned his camera on and entered the call screen, I was startled and wanted to clean my glasses. I pondered, “Am I getting punked? This can’t be him. When I realized I wasn’t seeing things, I blurted out, “Damn man! You’re ripped as shit!”

I quickly learned that the old Braxton who walked at 300+ lbs. Was gone. He didn’t exist. Smith went on to explain that he was now walking at around 230 lbs. His face was bearded-up and didn’t even resemble what I remembered. A big smile was on his face and he laughed every time I brought it up. We talked for about 15 minutes before I realized, “Oh yeah, I have to do an interview.”

We chatted about why, after 5 straight wins by KO, he let himself go and figuratively, fell apart? He openly admitted it and told me he had lost his love of the sport. The drive was gone. It was stolen from him, and he let it happen. Braxton went on to say that it sent him on a bit of a spiral, and losses accumulated. He wasn't in a gym and didn't really have a trainer. He was training himself and walking into the ring without anyone to back him.

I saw the look on Braxton’s face change to sorrow as he explained this. All I could do at that point was to imagine the humility it takes for a man to admit where he failed, and that’s even harder for a fighter to do - Here was a man, a fighter, a former heavyweight champion, allowing himself to be exposed and vulnerable.

At this place in time, my respect for this man - this gladiator - couldn’t have been higher.

We continued to talk about his well-known and deadly overhand right punch - you know, the punch that normally introduced people to bedtime stories. I asked him if he added more skills, more arrows to his quiver? He talked about his patience and his cardio, then continued with how much they had improved. Those words were overshadowed by his positive attitude and confidence - not the typical fighter arrogance we hear at pre-fight press conferences, but an energy that I could feel through the camera. I was in awe.

I thought back to my fight analysis video where I said that if the old Braxton Smith showed up to fight Sabeev, he had a chance. I was wrong. The old Braxton Smith is gone. What will enter the cage on July 18th at the Comerica Center will be a new creation - Faster, more hungry, better trained, and a desire to destroy anyone in front of him - A Beautiful Monster, Braxton Smith.

Watch the full interview: https://www.instagram.com/p/DZTIoHXod1Q/

Sincerely,

Steve Pinder

Media Director, TXMAHOF