AIR DATE:
EPISODE: Episode 66
Joined by Mike and Cedric is Joshuah Lupia, a Pro Boxer out of Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada.
Watch Knuckle Up’s Mike Orr and Cedric Benn, who always discuss up-and-coming young, hungry, and (usually) undefeated boxers during his live daily show at 4pm EST (9pm UK) on TalkinFight.com or YouTube.com/c/TalkinFight
#TalkinFight #KnuckleUp #JoshuahLupia
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Transcribed:
Foreign [ Music ], thanks for tuning in to today’s episode of knuckle up with yours, truly Mike Orr, and we have a special guest for you today in the studio with us, and that is Josh supia.
You might remember him from Wednesday at Rebel entertainment man with that wonderful slugfest that he put on uh Josh thanks for coming to join us today, man uh thanks for taking time out of your schedule.
I know you’re nice and healed up now, I’m Looking ready.
You know you looking good, I’m a lot better than you were that night after all that battery man uh thanks again for joining us, though thanks for having me definitely um.
So let’s get right into it.
Man, like um y’all, know you’re in the sun.
You know you’re in the Canadian boxing scene, uh not too many people know that we we have legit boxers man like yourself you’re, supporting that nice undefeated record now: 7-0, six knockouts wow.
How did it all start man? What age it was like? I was like 11 or 12 years old when I started, but I started doing uh Brazilian Jiu Jitsu first like MMA, and then I was doing Muay Thai and then uh.
I switched to a club in Niagara Falls that did like everything they’re like an MMA gym and uh.
They had boxing, so I started like boxing voice type BJJ and then after, like six months, I was like you know these UFC fighters don’t make much money like this is like a lot of works and I was just playing boxing.
I, like I started veering towards that and I was like they make a lot of money and I like it better, so I was like all right I’ll do boxing yeah honestly, I went down the same road BJJ, the Muay Thai yeah.
I know what you mean.
Man, there’s not uh, not too much action going on for that.
Right now and um you got ta live in the gym for that stuff, yeah um.
So what age did you actually start competing at uh? I think I think my first fight was 12 12 years old.
I had my first fight, amateur and then uh.
I think I had some like the way amateur works.
You have under 10 fights you’re considered a novice, so I had like six and then they moved me to open class and then within like a year and a half I was at the provincial level, then National level.
I think I won my first Nationals in 2012.
I think it was so I would have been I’m in grade nine, so 13.
, who are some who are some influences growing up like watching Mayweather, obviously he’s massive as soon as I started, producing that’s why I was like that’s.
I was looking at his numbers and I was like okay yeah yeah, but then once I started to see that all this numbers still, they still make better.
So I was like yeah but uh May weather Koto Shane Mosley that whole era margarito right, uh Pacquiao.
Those guys think we’re who I grew up watching who were the influences to turn pro uh man.
Honestly, after my last Nationals, I was just like tired of amateur uh, not saying that, like anything like, I got robbed or anything like we.
I had a close fight in my finals of my last senior Nationals.
I was 17 and I thought some guy from uh Montreal who’s like 27, 28.
and uh.
We were in the finals, it was in Montreal and whatever it was a close fight and he got the win.
So now I was just thinking I was just like man, like I’m 17, and once I turned 18, I can turn pro I was like.
I don’t want to like just like put it in the hands of these judges, because in Canada people know it’s pretty political and now all that stuff.
So I was like, let’s just turn pro.
I was with uh my coach Chris Johnson at the time and he was big on eBay going pro anyways, so yeah we just switched and went pro and I like the Olympics Olympics would be cool.
But I don’t know it’s not that I will wait four years and then something bad does happen so yeah.
I see it all the way.
Wait, another four, maybe right yeah, it’s a maybe always if you’re, not French, and can’t, if you’re, not French, Canadian, it’s tough.
So that’s what a lot of people don’t understand.
Man, like you know like Toronto, had a great marketing history.
We’Ve had a great party Heritage, uh all of Ontario has it man, but it’s it’s like everything kind of floated over to the Montreal way, and everybody believes that Montreal is like that Mecca of boxing for Canada, and you know, they’re not because you’re getting all the Fighters from the rest of Canada, yeah, honestly man, we got to put the we’re gon na, put it back on the map.
Well, they host these Nationals and it’s like man, you don’t knock them out.
You get a close decision, it’s probably not going your way and then they connected a new rule too.
When I was on there, they’re like oh, even if you win, we get to pick who the best fighter is, which is fine, but when it makes sense to get a young kid who’s turning 18 years old to be on the national team and some 28 year Old right in close fight with them, because I just know I was knocking everybody out that tournament and I went to decision with him but like right I was 18 knuckling grown-ups.
I know you know so you got the power yeah.
You should probably be putting that that young kid on the national team, but whatever it doesn’t matter, no, no, no, no, no, no you’re, Pro 7-0 um, what’s uh with some of the short-term goals, where you see yourself in, like uh, say a year year or two Uh we’re trying to get.
I want to be headlining cards in the next year, so I want to get to uh try to get to 10-0 before the end of this year.
Lee’S gon na got me pretty busy, so please got something lined up we’re in the works of something hopefully soon.
So if that happens, it happens, but for sure I’ll be back in December.
Uh definitely I’ll be there for that.
One too I’ll be right.
Side watch it for sure a year from now I want to be, we’ve got to start yeah.
I want to get ranked right, so yeah World ranked and uh.
I think I’ll be there in the in a year we’ll be like we’ll be able to get myself ranked pretty high up there.
I want to stay busy.
I missed two years right, so I’m free yeah and then what happened with my legs so yeah.
You know what Kobe really put a damper on a lot of people’s uh.
You know their their climb in the career and it’s it’s it’s going to take a lot to bounce back for it.
But you look like you’re doing well at it.
Man and it’s just staying busy yeah.
Hopefully you do get to that 10 uh that’d be nice to see before the end of the year, um what’s uh? What’S what do you think the biggest obstacle that you faced so far in uh in boxing, because I know there’s a ton of politics, man and especially here in in Ontario? What do you think is the biggest challenge? That’S come your way: finding a finding a real gym to train at and find real trainers.
It was tough uh Canada, like the disrespect to like Canada, like are the boxers in Canada, but it’s like it.
The the US has everything they’re, more advanced, they’re, more advanced than us in every sport.
It’S like so I went out to I was trained in Canada and everything was good, but I was like man, I got ta go to the next level.
Like I mean in Canada, we don’t have the sparring, we don’t have the the the the amount of Fighters that the US has so right that obstacle that took about three months to find a gym.
I went to Miami first spent like a month and a half in Miami just going to gym to gym, to see how I liked it I was by myself too.
I was only like 20 years old doing this stuff.
Oh wow yeah.
I was just walking in blind to gyms and then uh.
I took a trip out to Vegas uh and then we were very.
I was in Vegas for like two weeks and just trading at gym and gym, seeing how I liked it there and then uh.
One of my buddies got in contact with the trainer, I’m with right now, Marco Contreras and uh.
He was like yo.
I got this kid.
I was only two and I was a pro.
It was three, no two.
No, it was three no he’s like.
I got to get my buddy he’s like my buddy’s 3-03 Naco.
It’S like.
Can you take a look at him? Uh he’s in Vegas right now, but he’ll come to Oxnard California and come to the gym.
So Marco texted me was like yeah come through so uh when I showed up there, Marco had a guy who was I’m not going to name drop, but he was World ranked he was number.
I think he’s the number one Contender at the time for uh the WBO.
I think it was at 147 and I thought it was 147 pound fighter at the time which I learned, quick, they’re way too big at least well back then they’re too big.
For me I was young, a small and uh.
I was only walking around like 154.
, so, like oh wow, no reason for me to think, and I was 140.
I should be 147 right, so we walked around like 190 180 of these guys, they’re big dudes they’re massive guys of that size right yeah.
So Marco see me he’s like okay he’s six foot tall, maybe he’s like.
Maybe he waited you know.
Marco was like he probably weighs like 170.
You know, like he’s, got this guy weighed like 180 at the time, so we sparred and uh yeah.
We went on it for six rounds, we did like six hard rounds and then, after that Mark I was like yeah.
You should stick around and train here and he’s like he’s like what would he weigh and then we figured I was like 154.
So Mark was like yeah, you got to be 140.
and then yeah, but that was a huge obstacle, but then once I got there, it was super comfortable, yeah man going from gym to gym that young in the US.
Like it’s all dogs out there, there’s there’s 20 of you, you know, like you got ta and every sparring match is a battle.
It’S not like nice, like relaxed, boring respect.
You know guys there’s no respect yeah everyone’s there, everyone’s trying to earn their spot, especially like everyone’s talking and like trying to stand out there, whatever.
What’S the biggest part about training that you hate, I hate, training, [ Laughter, ], that much but yeah.
Honestly, that’s you know, that’s not that’s an honest answer for real.
That’S a lot of sense for real the thing I hate the most uh.
I don’t know like probably just like cardio like when you got to do like long runs or some like that.
It’S like I’d rather just uh Spar, yeah, it’s like nice and easy, but yeah cardio, sucks man like when you’re doing like long long, distance, stuff or like yeah.
If you got like a, I do strength conditioning like my schedule, is pretty pretty uh strict, but I work out twice a day five days a week, and so we got strength conditioning in the morning and then boxing at night.
But the strength conditioning is like dried.
Full because, like you, wake up workout and stuff like that, but when I’m in California I like training, I don’t mind it.
It’S when I’m home, when I’m like you’re in your comfortable bed and like I got my calendar out of it yeah you’re, just like I don’t feel like training, but in California I got no distractions.
So, like I don’t mind it, but still the strength conditioning is like it’s tough, it’s tough to like want to get into and actually want to do it.
But I got a trainer there that pushes me to do that, so so um, what’s uh, what’s the long-term goal like where do you see yourself at the end of this, when you’re ready to hang it up, what what’s well? Definitely in it to to uh make a career out of it for sure, but I I think it’s realistic for me to win a world title, I’m doing all the right things, I’m with the right people.
I train with guys that are there and guys that have been there, so you know it’s like I’ve seen how they did it and learning from them and uh when you’re in that atmosphere it.
It seems very possible when you’re with those people, if they’ve done it, you know I’m doing all the same things they did so right.
Yeah, you lost your last fight Wednesday.
It’S only Wednesday right like wow last week, Wednesday against uh Reyes yo.
Can you run it? Can you run us through that fight a little bit break down for us man? That was some crazy, crazy rounds, man that went down yeah.
I a lot of people respected me after that fight.
If they didn’t respect me before so, but uh yeah, we didn’t know much about them.
We knew he was three and oh, we didn’t know he was on the uh Mexican amateur national team.
So obviously he’s got probably a lot of amateur experience.
Yeah.
We found that when I was at the weigh-ins, he was wearing the sweater and my Marco’s Mexican to Marco new right away.
Marco’S Mexican-American, so Marco was like yeah yeah he’s on it, so we we knew all Camp though, like three and Oak he’s, the guy sees five like he’s, beat some decent guys.
So he’s not like a sludge, and we didn’t want to slouch.
I wanted to be tested, uh, so yeah we trained and we were ready, but we didn’t know he was also six foot.
One, like I don’t think, he’s taller than me, but that wasn’t a big deal either because I was farming would actually got my last two sparring sessions were the guys that were a little bit taller than me, so it actually worked out perfect, but uh yeah.
We were expecting a tough fight and then once that bell rang – and I seen him come out the way he was standing with his style, I was like yeah this guy’s, not a he’s, not a slow she’s.
Definitely here to fight and uh yeah man he’s fast yeah yeah.
How about I was like because, usually like my job, just like I I I I got a fast jab and like yeah, I usually owe jab people.
I still owe jab them, but, like I was like man when his through his first job.
I was like okay he’s he’s in shape too, like yeah and he could crack but yeah.
The first two rounds were like okay.
I was kind of like patient still and not throwing too much and then the third round he landed some good shots and uh.
I took him and then that was just showing everybody like.
I could take a punch too.
You eat them, man yeah, I’m pretty sure.
I got some good.
I got some good shots of that too man yeah you eat some and I was like yeah yeah people were like after that, but they’re like.
Maybe you could take a shot, so I was taking those shots and then we went back to the corner with the round and Marco was like: you need a you need to step on the gas.
You took it easy there and he took advantage of that and he landed some big shots on you.
I was like all right so at the fourth, when the fourth round, when the bell rang, I just pushed the fight, and I came out like like I didn’t.
Even you know, he made some big shots at third round where people were like he’s.
Probably Josh is probably done and then I just came out like fourth round just firing and just taking it.
It was like a different uh.
It was like you flipped, a switch yeah, a little tired and then it was like you just yeah and then you’re right at it, and you just came like a turning point.
Like the crowd was going insane yeah I mean I dropped him at the end of the fourth yeah yeah.
I just I don’t know man I spared with I spar with dogs.
You know so it’s like I.
I never panicked.
It’S like, I was taking those shots, but like I’m used to that, I’m sparring with real Fighters like guys that are high up there in the world and then guys that are just like they’re, not bombs.
Like I get versatile sparring, so I get I get guys.
I could crack.
I get guys like a box like so like I’m used to that I was just like.
I was ready.
I did a lot of rounds of spying before this fight because I fought last in July and like that was a quick training camp.
Like I, like, I only spent three weeks with my trainer, Marco.
I was in Florida before that, with a doctor just doing Rehabilitation.
It was all over the place we really scrambled and in this fight it was like we had six weeks to actually just buckle down and and actually get a proper training camp after a three-year layoff of fighting.
So it really showed like I was ready, yeah yeah when I was getting hit instead of panic, like my training, didn’t Panic, he knew it was okay.
Everyone was good.
We were pretty calm the whole time when I watched back the film I’m like like that could have went bad, but no, you didn’t you handled yourself under that pressure.
Man, you you regrouped came back honestly.
I just thought you were taking a bit of a breathe around.
That’S all yeah caught a couple shots you were like.
Who cares? I got a good chin and they came out and just destroyed them so yeah.
I know it was a great great fight uh to all the fans out there.
Yes, you can check that out.
It is on this channel so make sure you watch that fight.
It’S a great one, um yeah.
So what um? What’S up? What’S the date? What’S? What’S it, what was the day like in Camp going going into this one? You said the last one was kind of short.
You know three weeks.
What was it, what was the camp like going into this one camp for this one was uh.
It was just done proper.
I went out in uh end of July, so like basically right after my fight uh, I just flew back out, so I was kind of I’m just don’t shaved right.
I was in good shape, but uh we started.
I started nutrition plan with Craig the nutritionist.
He introduced me to him uh he’s out in the UK, so he started doing my nutrition.
He does nutrition for a lot of like top uh athletes in the UK and uh, what boxers um and then so.
We started the nutrition plan that made a big difference and then uh.
My schedule was so strict and I don’t skip days of training unless, like like super sick or something like that, yeah yeah we had like such a good camp.
I didn’t no injuries.
Really.
Nothing really was wrong, so everything was like just like done proper to a T and uh.
We just slowly started increasing the rounds of sparring.
We were trying to spar three days a week and we’re we’re getting that we’re, and I was getting worked with all different kinds of uh Styles and all that stuff.
And then the last two weeks were just like intense.
We went really intense with sparring and all the training but yeah I wake up, do my strength and conditioning in the morning, then I nap throughout the day and then around 5 p.
m.
I’M in the boxing gym and then uh.
So that’s five days a week and then it’s just Saturdays, we just do strength, conditioning and I guess Sundays – off: okay, wow wow, so the nutritionist do you like it? It’S a new thing, yeah feel more energy, more energetic more.
Like I had so much energy.
I think I felt strong felt healthy.
It makes a big difference.
Obviously it depends on which nutritionist you you use like, because I know people that use nutritionists and they hate it and uh, but using Greg I’ve.
I don’t know it was the best and he had me eating lots like I was eating great.
I was eating good food.
I was eating lots and I never felt weak.
I never felt deprived like even leading right up to weigh-ins.
He had me eating like a lot and I made weight.
No problem like weight, wasn’t even an issue, and I was like I was at the back.
I was in the best shape I’ve probably ever been in, like I felt great, and even after the sixth round of that fight I felt like I could do eight no problem, [ Laughter, ].
I wasn’t even breathing that heavy at the end of the round.
I was like like so what Marco first thing he said to me.
So how do you feel you tired? I was like honestly, I could do more.
I was like, but I was like.
Obviously that was a crazy fight.
It was a tough fight, so but yeah yeah you, you could go a few more rounds.
So what’s the next, so the next fight you’re looking for, is it going for eight next one yeah yeah we’re stepping up to eight yeah.
The next one December for sure is gon na be eight and uh.
We got a few good opponents.
It’S gon na be another good fight.
We don’t really want quite any slouches.
Like I don’t know like you know, that’s that’s one thing.
That’S one thing, Canada that I’ve noticed with a lot of Canadian boxers.
Is you guys you guys really pick and choose who you’re gon na fight? Because you don’t want these? Like you know, these padded fluffed records and you know just beating these nobodies, because when it comes down to it once we hit that International stage it like it sucks, then I have to say this, but we get slept on and uh.
You know our Fighters, don’t really they don’t get the recognition and it’s almost like.
We have to prove ourselves a little more than everybody else, because Canada is so not involved in the whole international boxing team.
So you know I commend you know.
I commend you for doing what you do man, because, like honestly, you guys fight tough opponents, like you guys, step it up.
Every fight, you’re, not looking to fight somebody equally you’re, looking to fight a guy better, so you can be better.
Is it is it? Is it hard to always do that, like fight fight that style or just yeah, I don’t know for me, it’s whatever, because I don’t know you know you know in Cali.
Just makes you more comfortable with it when you’re, when you’re spying, with guys that are just just that good.
You know so it’s like when you come here, it’s kind of like it’s kind of a breeze that fight these fights like, even though that was a tough fight.
I still never like, like at one point, felt where I should have been worried or anything like that, but uh yeah, some people in Canada.
They stack the records They Pat them and stuff like that, like exactly yeah, you want to cheating yourself and like if you’re, if you’re good and you got it, then fight the guys man, because, like at the end of the day, you could be 15-0 with 15 Knockouts but you’re fighting these steps and there’s there’s 10 other guys in the U.
S that are assigned to these major big, like promotion companies that did the same as you.
So it’s like you, you don’t stand out at all and there’s some dating guy.
It’S like do you sell like no, these guys, you got these guys out there that are selling Arenas and stuff so like yeah, but if you’re, some guy 15-0 and you’re fighting these serious fights and you’re You’re Gon na Be Ready for anybody at that point because, Like you keep stepping up the level of competition you’re only gon na get better, there’s so much.
I just learned from that that fight and going six rounds for the first time ever, like that’s all important, like the experience and everything that I’m getting from this is great, so yeah man like fighting these tough fights and winning them and coming on top.
It’S like you know, I’m only getting better so which um for everybody out there who doesn’t know who you are, but definitely we’re gon na find out who you are eventually um.
What fight do you think would best describe uh you as the The Boxer that you are out of all your seven victories so far, I’ll send some since the change in my life.
Definitely the last one.
People are definitely wondering about my leg and stuff like that and how it works.
I’M I don’t notice nothing, but that last fight just showed that I could I could fight I, if I don’t knock someone out stuff, doesn’t go my way, I’m still I’m mentally strong.
Still you know, a lot of people would be defeated that they’re hitting these guys with their best shots, and these guys are taking them.
But there’s guys out there like that man they’ll, take everything and get them with so like yeah.
You just got ta be mentally strong, so I just showed that I could take a shot too and I’m down to go to war.
My face was all busted up and whatever it’s like your face like and then Steve, my others was saying on the broadcast like after the third round.
He was like they’re, like that, was a rough round for lupiah and Steve’s like yeah, but like one one round’s, not gon na change or something like that, and I was like yeah yeah.
It was good.
You know I was beside them all.
They were commentating on it yeah.
Definitely I agree with them 100 man that you know that one round nothing, but so hopefully, well December, will see you on a card.
That’S gon na be great man.
I can’t wait to see who you’re gon na be fighting.
I know you’re gon na announce it eventually and we’ll all get to find out who’s who’s.
The next victim in front of you uh.
Do you remember, do you remember the first that that feeling you got the first time you laid somebody out in the ring knocking someone down yeah yeah, I was young, I was knocking guys I was in amateur, so it was like the first one I had was Uh, I think I only had like 10 fights and I dropped.
The kid pretty hard at a club show in in Niagara Falls was in my hometown.
It was our collection that was, that was a cool feeling and uh.
I actually rocked the kid bad.
He didn’t go to sleep, but he went down pretty hard and his legs were gone.
Man I was like that was yeah.
They used to tell me, like trainers and stuff used, to tell me like not once you start, knocking people down like there’s no better feeling, especially in your hometown and stuff, and when I did that that was pretty cool but yeah you always you never really forget Right and then like I was a kid too and like guys, would come in the gym, like growing men and then I’d be like 14, 15 and we’d be dropping and stuff like that.
That’S like box, though, like they boxed and they would want to spar, and it’s just like.
Okay, like I wouldn’t have sparring, because sparring was tough to get too right.
So my training at the time would just throw me in there and I’m spotted these men at dropping the left hooks to the body or you know, I’d be just smashing them and they just take a knee or something like.
I was still little but yeah.
That’S awesome man.
You know, I love that that’s great stories knocking old man out when you’re, 14 and you’re still doing it today, that’s great yeah, and then you know you paid for it yeah.
It was like killer mentality.
You got ta have that killer mentality, that I’ve never had that as a kid my brother had it there’s a few other guys at the gym that had it but yeah we just whoever they put in there.
It’S like go to town.
Do what you got to do.
That being said, you want to be loved, or do you want to be feared? Yeah I’d rather be feared.
You know, I ask, I ask a lot of people that man and and honestly they go.
The other way and they say, love man.
I like I, like I like to hear it.
When a guy says he’ll feared man, you know, fear us up.
In Canada, people hear us yeah.
When you install fear into people, they act a lot different.
Yeah people can change up a lot when they get here.
When they’re feared right yeah, the love will come when they hear you that’s right.
You know well Josh, honestly, I’m not gon na take up too much more of your time.
I know you got ta get a nap in probably before you get to the gym or something like that, two-day training stuff that you do uh.
So yes, thank you again for coming to join us here on talk and flight and uh my show will knock a lot man.
It was an honor to actually talk to you and meet you great performance.
Last week, I can’t wait to see you back at Rebel in December man.
Definitely gon na be a big one.
I can’t wait to see you smash somebody out again.
Thank you, but yes tell the talk and find fancy join today.
Thank you for tuning in to today’s special episode with my special guest today Josh lupiah.
Thank you again brother.
It was my pleasure, um yo, let everybody know where they can hit you up on your insta and all that kind of stuff.
Joshua Joshua underscore VPS.
It’S all my platforms, I don’t usually use Instagram yeah, follow me on there guys.
You heard it here, man, it’s your man Mike Wilson, we’ll see you next time Knuckle Up.
Thank you.
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