Live with Andres Cortes | Knuckle Up with Mike and Cedric | Talkin Fight

Joining Mike in the Knuckle Up studio is an undefeated super featherweight, Andres Cortes (16-0, 9 KOs).

Watch Knuckle Up’s Mike Orr and Cedric Benn, who always discusses 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

https://talkinfight.com/live-with-andres-cortes-knuckle-up-with-mike-and-cedric-talkin-fight/

#TalkinFight #KnuckleUp #AndresCortes
@trboxing

Transcribed:

What up talking fight fans, thanks for tuning in to this special episode of knuckle up, hosted by myself mike orr and my man, cedric ben, in the den and as promised we have brought him today.

We got him in the studio 1609 ko’s, mr andreas cortez.

Let’S get him in here and talk to the man and see what he, what he’s all about? Let’S hear his story: how’s it going man.

How are you good? How about you guys not bad, not bad? I guess you’re just getting off your training you’re a little tired, so we won’t keep you too long.

We just yeah we’ll roll right into it.

Man um tell us your story, man how’d you get into boxing.

What age were you and uh? What made you start? Uh honestly, i’ve been like a fan of boxing.

My whole life um.

I didn’t have any family that were previously fighters um other than my brother, but um.

So you know one day my mom just decided to um take us to the boxing gym, just like any other sport, and i kind of just fell in love with it, and it grew on me, as you know, as a per like you know, sport and it Gave me like that self-confidence and always kind of kept my mind sharp.

So i guess that’s why it was.

You know such such a good thing on my life.

That’S excellent! What age did you actually start? Uh actually tell us, you know everyone tell us about your first.

Your first sparring experience.

I’Ve been sparring shoes since i was like well, you know not real spartan but, like i just went off since i was like four years old, like my dad would get friends and just put on the gloves with the other kids but um.

As far as i can remember, um, i loved it so much because i would just knock down everybody um.

I had like this really good overhand and i would just keep throwing it and um yeah.

I mean i just it felt really good so um when i actually went to this started.

Go i started going to the gym when i was around like like six seven.

I was always in the gym um, but i actually started training when i was like six or seven, because my brother was um.

You know training every day, but i wasn’t at age yet so, okay and what um? What what gave you the confidence to to to make that transition from amateur to pro? Was it you, your coach? That said you know you’re ready to do this um honestly, i never wanted you know to to to go to the olympics.

I never really really had that like goal, i never.

I never saw myself as like a like a great amateur fighter.

I didn’t want to be labeled that i didn’t i didn’t honestly.

You know i didn’t care too much like i would.

I would do fights with no coaches.

I would go to shows like amateur shows, with no coaches.

No, nothing.

I would have people there like ask around to wrap me up.

You know work my corner.

I was that kind of guy.

So i wasn’t.

I wasn’t like.

Never like um, you know.

Oh, i want to make the team because i beat you know to female all these great guys.

I know i could have, but it wasn’t.

I was more concerned on you know i wan na i wan na turn pro i wan na.

You know, take the headgear off i wan na.

You know i wan na really, you know not go out.

Yeah dude do a real business in the ring.

What was it like, um like who? Did you first sign with when you turned pro um, so i did my first three fights in uh mexico and um uh mayweather, always since i was training there, because i’ve been uh if you guys know andrew to be that’s like my good uh childhood friend, like Oh yeah, very good boxer.

I like him.

Oh you guys been friends: oh wow yeah, i’ve known him since i was like i was there at his first amateur fight.

I was there like his first day in a boxing gym, so i’ve known that since forever and um he the one who like brought me to that into the mayweather gym.

You know he’s the one who told me they used to train here.

So i started training there.

Then i sparred, like javonte davis.

I was um getting paid for it um so that that’s when i got noticed um i was.

I was noticed before that, but after i sparked tink davis and we were literally like you know, neck to neck and he was knocking out.

Everybody well still is so when they saw that i was an amateur and he was already maybe like.

I want to say, like 14-0, so when they seen that they um that caught like floyd’s attention – and you know like that – that’s when they got real serious about sign me and i was and then um i so i did my first three fights i didn’t want To wait on nobody, so i i did my first three fights in mexico, then um mayweather one day just said: hey give me your number and leonardo b called me and i i went to the office and, and we worked out a deal, are you still? Are you still a free agent right now, yeah um yeah, so i’m working with top rank right now, i’m um! I don’t have nothing long term, it’s a really short term with top rank right now, it’s kind of like um.

I have a couple more fights with them, but after that um yeah yeah, i’m so pretty much.

I i’m a free age i haven’t been.

I haven’t gotten the promotional deal yet, but i do have like fight to fight contract right.

So what are? What are? Some of the short-term goals uh that you want to achieve and say like the next six months to a year.

What’S what’s the plan um honestly, i’m i’m ready for whatever you know.

I feel like.

I got a lot of proof and i want to show everyone that i that i am the best so um, i’m keeping my doors open, i’m i’m willing to fight whoever you know, i’m even willing to go to 135 um.

You know i’m just i’m ready for whatever, but realistically i want to get my first, my first 10 rounder.

I want to do that um, my next fight for sure um.

I think that should be in april.

I do want my first turn: rounder and um.

You know get going from there, one of the guys watching over in england right now uh.

He wants to know what it was like fighting at the mgm grand um yeah.

It was pretty cool uh.

I fought there twice so um the bubble was was a little different but um when i fought uh my first time it wasn’t a lot of people, so i didn’t get like that real real feeling, but when i i did fight in the malay bay under danny Garcia and brandon rios and i got like uh that was more of an experience that, like i’m, i was born and raised in vegas, so i always as a kid probably like i don’t know six seven i was i seen marquez fight antonio barrero.

I went to the hopkins fight.

I went to like all these yeah, so you know thinking back and then doing it.

So it’s like walking out doing those ring walks.

It’S like yeah.

It’S like it’s like a great feeling like it’s like an emotional feeling yeah.

I bet i bet yeah, that’s cool man.

What um? What do you feel is your um like take us through uh uh um, one of your when your favorite uh best training camps like how was it a lot of times? You hear guys, you know say they.

You know a lot of things happen in training camp, whether it was a small injury or something happened.

You couldn’t get find the right.

You know sparring partners, but uh, which fight do you feel you had like like the best training camp? Like everything went smooth? You did all your mouth and just take us through a little bit of a breakdown on what you did for it um my best.

I i mean you know.

I have really bad ones too, but i can tell you both um [ Laughter, ] um, honestly, my best was when i fought genesis cervanya, because i felt like um.

I had had a decent performance to fight before so they were overlooking me.

They thought i was gon na be uh um.

They thought i was just gon na um.

You know i was like an opponent, so i kind of you know that guy was, you know, a punch away from beating oscar valdez, so you know he’s definitely respected and i’m still, you know making my name so um i felt like i had to you know: Come to prove something and and get you know, knock him out, which i did so um that that camp was like.

I was working out three times a day.

Um all my focus was boxing.

I didn’t have what honestly, i still don’t have any other distractions.

It’S just you know: boxing train eat when my next workout um, so pretty much that that consisted of you know waking up early going for my for my run and then boxing gym then strength strength at night and um.

You know doing that.

You know six days out the week um you know and uh yeah.

You know.

Obviously some days are different because it and it’s hard for me to find sparring so not every day is the same, but um i make the best out of my situation.

You know i’m not invested yet to be able to to get exactly what i want in my camps, but um.

I definitely make the best out of it.

Do you find it hard to stay focused uh in the city of sin? Uh, you know honestly.

I, like i said i was born and raised here, so you know nothing off yeah.

I mean everything i see like i kind of already like already kind of vision, well to say like if i was to go to the casinos like.

I already know what i’m i’m gon na see it’s it’s expected for me but say to like someone, that’s not from here.

They might, you know, think it’s crazy or like the girls, the women.

You know me i’m just kind of already expecting that.

So i guess it doesn’t throw me off and i guess i don’t really want to you – know be in that environment, because i’ve already seen it so many times, nice nice, you kind of have home advantage when you’re fighting in vegas, because you’re used to it.

Oh yeah, crazy, like definitely a lot of a lot of fighters, believe it or not.

Like keith thurman, i went to the fights he was.

Actually he actually bettered on himself before the fight um before he walked in yeah he was betting yeah.

So that’s like me, like you know, i don’t.

I don’t think about that.

I see the odds, i see the lines but i’m just like you know.

I can bet any other day.

You know so it’s just like.

I don’t care too much like i’ve.

Seen other fighters playing uh, you know like blackjack like one before their weigh-ins.

Like i mean it’s just like i don’t know i just i don’t really really want that.

I don’t really care for it.

So i heard uh i heard you were working with uh tyler tomlin, how uh yeah yeah? How was it getting him ready for his fight yeah? It was good.

It was a good experience.

You know seeing um another city, i’ve.

I’Ve never been to um, seeing how you know his environment is, and you know kind of like i guess, like you know, going into his world.

You know as far as like boxing and um.

You know it’s definitely different than than you know vegas, but you know it was good.

So we know – and i know you just i know um you know you’re 16 to know.

Obviously we know you know you’re ready for anybody.

It’Ll take on anybody um, but is there anybody in specific that that you’re? Looking for shout out to uh to our boy uh carl from the last bell uh boxing show in the uk, he has there’s some great fighters in the uk in that weight class.

He’S wondering if you’re gon na fight anybody over there or just anybody, just you know in general who do you want? I mean like like i said you know me, i mean i i tell you know my team.

You know just have whoever’s ready.

To be honest, i’m willing to fight whoever um honestly uh i want i want like.

Obviously i want big names i want like, like uh, andy vences.

I want big names, i don’t wan na.

You know fight the guys.

I’Ve been fighting, i want.

You know solid fights so um, you know i’m willing to step up to to whoever, but i mean you know the the question is who’s going to fight me that you know that’s the real question.

That’S right! That’S right! You know because i’m like i said i i tell my brother that all the time you know you know they ask all we think about this guy and i’m, like you know, and in my head they’re, all the same, because i’m a fighter, that’s what we do Is fight you know, i’m not worried about.

You know what they’re doing or or who you know.

I said you know get them in the ring with me and that’s it but yeah i mean honestly.

I i really – and i and i really mean that you know if you know if, if you know you hear from like these matchmakers and stuff like me, i’m i’m i, oh i’m gon na cut out my frozen a little bit.

I can kind of hear him in the background we might have to move over a little bit.

Champ you’re kind of freezing out try to hold the phone, steady, try to hold the phone, steady, don’t worry, we’re fixing it folks we’ll get them back in a second okay.

What do you think separates you from every other fighter in your division? What what makes you the great athlete you are? Um, honestly i i um, i feel, like i, i believe in myself, um, i believe in my and my abilities, and i mean i’m always ready.

I think that’s another thing.

A lot of these guys um, don’t work like me um, you know i make sure i put in 110, always i i i’ll make sure i’m mentally prepared as well just as physically, and i mean it’s easy to say, but you know when it comes down to It it got to be that way in this sport um, and i think that that’s what really separates me.

It’S not i don’t.

I don’t believe in in talent.

I believe in hard work, so i mean yeah makes sense, makes sense.

Who would you say, was your uh, your most challenging fight to date? In your career i mean, i would have to say, um.

I think well salinas when i got knocked down um, but you know there’s a there is a backstory to that fight.

I did only have like three weeks to train after covid.

Well in covid.

You know they gave me the opportunity – and i was just like yeah, so that guy was training for about like he knew about that for like six months or something like that and um.

It was either a do it or don’t do it kind of moment, so i was just like i was really hungry, so i was like yeah.

You know.

I was literally just jogging for the previously before the three weeks and then we had like uh.

We were working with um, another guy and we kind of bumped heads as a coach.

We we tried to add them all to our team and we started bumping heads so that i think that that added you know less time of of like focus.

Training yeah was like just a really do we lose sound.

I think we lost sound again.

It’S unfortunate.

I can’t hear you champ yeah, oh darn, oh man.

We can’t hear him can’t hear him champ.

It’S unfortunate we’re having technical, i’m, probably telling a great story right now.

I know man.

I know i know the sound’s gone man, [, __, ], [, __, ] darn.

What oh, we lost the sound here with future champ, andre savage cortez, sleeks, yeah, undefeated, nine kos.

You back now champ.

Can you hear us yeah? I think we can hear hello.

Yes, yep.

Can you hear us now you? You must have been telling a great story: man, oh and we lost the sound, oh shoot we’re gon na we’re gon na get him right back guys.

This sounds like a canadian fight night hello.

I cut out.

I cut out for a second just point: the camera down just a little bit, bring it down just a little bit.

There we go there.

We go perfect, perfect, perfect, perfect! You must have been telling a great story when the sound cut, unfortunately yeah uh, where, where what was the last thing, i said, oh, we were talking about you.

We were talking about tm well, first of all, we were talking about uh, your toughest fight um, and you mentioned the the the salinas fight which is pretty funny, because usually i have my other laptop right beside the one we’re on right now and that’s the fight That i have on on right now when you’re fighting him um, but you still fight.

I know you got dropped, but you still came back like you came back stronger as if you didn’t, even if you’d even get dropped at all and yeah and uh.

You know and that just i tell people all the time.

That’S one thing: no matter how hard you train like having heart like if you get dropped, to be able to come back and and still and still perform as if that didn’t happen, you know that that that’s that’s more than train, that’s something that that you’re born With that heart, so yeah, you know much respect for that yeah.

Thank you guys.

You can continue on from there.

I guess yeah i mean well, you know back what i was saying.

I mean uh, so i didn’t train for that fight like i had it was the cove at times of the bubble time so i had about.

I got offered like three weeks before that the two fight and uh so three weeks and i wasn’t in the gym at all the gyms – were closed, so um pretty much.

I was just running and um and you know looking at it as an opportunity.

I took it and um, you know i didn’t i didn’t perform, how i wanted to, but i made the best out of it and um.

So i was told that that guy had like six months and he was in the gym and all kinds of stuff um.

After the fight day, i told me so he was well prepared and you know me not being prepared.

So is you know that that makes huge difference? You know, and if you see like my body from now to to then you know, my body has also changed a lot right.

What um? What do you think have have been the biggest challenges that you face so far, uh in in your career? What has been the the hardest thing? I mean honestly just uh promotional, like legal legal stuff.

I think that’s what i deal with a lot and um.

You know it sucks that you know sport of boxing has it, but it really does so um.

I think i’d be in a whole different position.

If, if everybody was just able to fight everybody – and there was no type of you know – no politics, [ __, ] yeah, i think uh, my career would definitely be different, but it’s okay, you know um.

I know um when it’s my time will come uh.

You know, you know, everybody will know me, so i think it’s just uh being patient and and um not letting you know you know.

No one really, like you know, take advantage or or leave me the wrong way.

Um quick question um watching this, this little video here of um of your.

If you’re sparring wars and see you in the ringer at mayweather’s gym and like someone, they have to like pull you off of this guy beating the crap out of this guy, oh yeah yeah.

What was the story behind that? Like mayweather’s in there and kurt he’s? Trying to break you guys up and let you take off this guy’s head and the coast looks like he had to like jump in like superman to save the game.

What was the story behind that um? Pretty much like.

I was working defense with this guy and that was him the day before and uh mayweather had came in and uh.

I don’t know he felt good, so he kind of like in a way called me out.

Well, he did call me out like he said.

I want to spare him.

I want you to watch this that and i had like.

I don’t think i think he thought he’d seen all of me and i was it was really just the day before and um and uh yeah, so that happened and the guy was a lot bigger.

He thought he was going to take advantage of you and you just squished it and he was big he’s actually a big dude and um yeah.

I mean you know nothing serious, but i mean you know it.

That kind of stuff happens all the time in that gym.

You know if you’re in that the dogs see that, like you see literally that pie, maybe every day or if not every other day beyond that, uh what um what’s uh? What’S at the end of the career, what do you want to be remembered for when you hang up your gloves? You know i want to.

I want to go down as one of the greats um.

You know that’s at the end of the day.

I just want to, you know, leave a mark in the sport and that’s all i care about it’s not even about the money.

It’S not it’s not about.

You know, jewelry, none of that.

I just wan na you know.

Um leave a mark in in the game and and and that’s really it um.

I truly have like a passion for this sport and i truly love it.

So you know yup so go down as a legend.

That’S a great answer! That’S awesome! Um! When uh like, do you have any words for like any any young kids that are coming out, man like, like any words of wisdom, words of advice, um, you know this is it’s it’s it’s a hard sport um, but you know ever anything is possible.

So if, if this is what you you know, truly decide to do, give it your all – and you know you know you will get the results you you you want this sport is just it’s just a lot of hard work.

You know a lot of discipline, so you got to be disciplined, but that’s just like.

I think that’s just life, though in anything you do right right.

Exactly this discipline makes champions yep, that’s true, um, any any any plans on going overseas to look for fights in 2022.

Honestly, it’s not really.

I wan na i wan na fight in vegas um.

That’S why i been probably like i think, out of my 16 fights.

I think, like i don’t know, maybe like 40, if i say like 13 of them have been in vegas, so i definitely want to want to just keep fighting here um.

I i sell a lot of tickets and and um yeah.

I was born and raised here.

So i don’t think i should be fighting nowhere else, but if the opportunity presented itself i’d i’d willingly view i’d go to dubai, you know you know wherever, but you know i would.

I would love to just stay in vegas we’re um as far as weight classes.

Do you plan on on staying there or moving up like how old are you now and and just wondering where your, where your plans are in uh as far away? Obviously i know you’re trying to clear out the division before you do anything, but do you feel eventually you’re going to be moving up um if the right fights are presented at 135? Like i want we’re chat at 135 um i want i want.

I i’m willing to take right now fights at 135.

It’S not it’s, not an issue.

Um.

I walk around like 160.

So it’s really not an issue um, but you know i do.

I do make weight comfortably at 1.

30.

So you know i don’t.

I don’t have an issue struggling, i’m not weak, i’m not dehydrated.

So i mean that’s.

Why i’m about 130? What was that roughly roughly? How long does it take you to drop the weight, get ready, uh, i’m gon na say like a month of just like solid uh nutrition plan.

It’S not nothing crazy! I just right now i try to um, keep my weight up to to gain more power and then um.

You know i’ll start trimming i’ll start trimming slowly.

You know it’s just like.

I said it’s a lot of discipline but um you know i never.

I never feel dehydrated.

I’Ve never felt like.

I haven’t been able to perform due to my due to my nutrition.

I’Ve been really big on that so yeah.

The nutrition is just as important as that as a as the workout and the miles itself.

Managing those things, especially as you get older, it’s a little bit harder.

It’S hard, it’s easier to gain weight and harder to lose it as you get older, yep.

Definitely so yeah even right now, like i don’t have a fight date, but i’m definitely like making sure i’m eating clean and um.

I usually just the the week after my fight.

That’S when i eat whatever i want, but after that it’s back onto the diet and just you know trying to get stronger trying to trying to improve on what i need for my next fight.

We have.

We have um a question from uh one of our one of our viewers.

He says as as being vegas born.

You must have seen some stuff.

The old fights had stories too.

What’S the craziest story, you can tell us from growing up in vegas and being part of the boxing team um i mean craziest uh um.

I’D probably say, like i don’t know when uh as far as boxing um, maybe when uh kayla plant punched uh david benavida’s brother in the gym.

I think that was probably right.

You were there, you were there for that.

No, but i was like literally came in like a little bit late, so i would say that that was pretty crazy.

I mean i’ve seen a lot of stuff in the mayweather gym, like i’ve.

Seen um like i’ve seen lee dudes getting beat up in the ring.

Like the three on three in the ring, just after a sparring just start, you know literally fighting so i’ve seen everything i mean i can just i.

If you want to say, like name wise, you know i’d say that was a crazy one, because it you wouldn’t have thought that they were gon na fight.

You know, but like literally fight in a gym, but i mean yeah, i mean amazing, there’s, like guns, getting pulled out, knives all kinds of stuff.

It looks like, oh, my god yeah.

So it’s not like yeah.

It’S really not like what you see on on tv.

There, that’s it that’s what really happens every day, so yeah you get these guys that you know think that they can just go in there and um.

You know, call these shots and stuff and people back.

When i was there.

I know it’s changed a little bit because there’s less people, but back when i was there like um people, would really take that personal like when you, when you would say.

Oh i’m the best or something in that gym like people, would really really take that personal.

So you know just causes for trouble.

Yeah, that’s crazy! Uh! I’M gon na ask you probably just one last question.

Maybe two um, i know you’re very, very busy, tired man and uh.

You know, honestly.

I want to say you know.

I appreciate you taking the time to come and join us today.

Man, definitely i’m a big fan of you and your fighting style and honestly man.

I hope big things for you in the future are coming.

I think 2022 is gon na, definitely be a good year for you and um yo.

Do you want to be loved, or do you want to be feared by everybody honestly? Whatever, whatever gets me, these big fights, i feel like honestly, i feel like i’m the bad guy as far as like boxing, because i’m avoided no one wants to fight me.

Um i’ve been offered, you know a lot of good names and a lot of you guys haven’t wanted to fight me.

So that makes me feel like the bad i’m i’m kind of like i’m kind of like the boogeyman.

In a way you know, i don’t think, he’s the good guy, so that’s awesome, andreas, the boogeyman cortez yeah on sundays me and mike also have a show called knockout of the week.

So we hope to get you.

We hope that your uh, your next fight or one of your next fights, will that highlight of your next knockout.

Get you back on the show, definitely definitely and uh.

Yeah, we’re gon na definitely want to get you in before your next fight or even after your next fight man uh, help promote you and your career man push you through.

You know we’re we’re totally behind you here at talk and fight and uh.

You know we want nothing but the best for you in your career, and we think that 2022 is definitely your breakout year and uh.

I’M thinking big things for you, man yeah seriously.

We want to help.

We want to help uh well, obviously, obviously you’re going to get to a point where you’re you’re up there with you know with the best of them, but we want to help you get up there.

So you know coming up to your next fight.

Come on the show will help promote it after your next knockout, where you know we’ll uh we’ll push it too.

So we got your back.

We got your back, we got you back for sure.

Thank you guys.

I appreciate.

I appreciate that video.

I i got it sent um from my brother and i thought it was pretty cool, so yeah.

I was excited to do this um podcast yo man.

We were excited to have you.

Thank you again for joining us uh to all the talk and fight fans knuckle up thanks for tuning into this special episode with our man, mr savage, the boogeyman andreas carter, 16-0, nine kos uh.

Thank you for joining us again.

Man we’ll see you next time.

Let people know where they can find you what’s your social media.

Thank you again.

Stick around we’ll talk to you in a few minutes.

It’S all the fans watching we’ll see you next time.

I’Ll knuckle up.

You know what it’s about better guys.

Thank you.