AIR DATE:
EPISODE: Episode 65
Joined by Mike and Cedric in the studio is Spencer Wilcox, a Fighter out of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. He is a four-time national amateur champion, Wilcox made a perfect start to life as a prizefighter when he stopped his opponent in the second round of his debut in March 2022. He adds another win to his record from his September match against Maximino Toala – bringing him to 4-0-0 with 3 KOs.
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 #SpencerWilcox
#Probellum
Transcribed:
[, Music ] thanks for tuning in to today’s episode of knuckle up featuring mike orr, and we have a special guest for you today, spencer wilcox from canada, man.
We got a canadian on here.
You know what it is guys.
I got ta wreck my hometown man big time here, and we have mrs spencer wilcox coming to join us today.
For this wonderful interview, you guys might remember him from that video that we posted from wednesday from rebel entertainment, complex.
Yes, this is him guys.
You know what it is man we’re here for this wonderful interview, spencer, thanks for coming and joining us today, man thanks for taking time on your busy schedule.
Oh thank you guys for having me love to be on the podcast.
Definitely man, um spencer.
Let’S get right into it, brother um, i know you have you have siblings that uh all do what you do.
Man uh, you know the wilcox clan.
You guys are, you guys are ripping it up, big man in the canadian boxing scene uh.
What did you tell us about like your journey, how it all started what age you were when you first got into it? Oh, i uh i’m, the youngest of the boys.
We only got one other little sister below me, but uh.
I was in it basically right from the back once i was out of the womb yeah.
I gave the doctor a sucker punch but uh, okay, no uh yeah, so my dad owns steeltown boxing club robert wilcox he’s also my head coach and uh.
He uh, he never forced us, my brothers, never forced me.
It was either if you’re in it you’re in it.
You know what i mean you’re taking 100, because it’s a very serious sport people get killed and uh.
If you don’t want to do it, you don’t want to do it, there’s never a forced second in my household when it came to boxing but uh.
No, probably, i started actually training, though probably around four or five four fives and i started doing three three days.
A week then, once i hit about six or seven i started doing about four days a week, then once it hit eight it’s about five six days a week, wow since then yeah well yeah.
You grew up in the gym.
Pretty much.
Do you remember it’s! It’S crazy now seeing uh like other kids, that i’ve been coaching remembering them being so little and now they’re coming up, and it’s just.
It must feel how everybody that taught me felt right.
It’S it’s a really weird feeling! You know i mean, like.
I see old photos of me on the wall now from literally a baby in my mom’s arms, and it’s like what the heck man like makes.
You feel old right.
It’S like wow, you realize how long you’ve been in it right and i love it though.
Never never hated a second of it until you actually, when you’re cutting weight, you hate it, but other than that.
I was just about to say that i just wasn’t saying that’s the worst part about a day cutting weight.
That’S the only time! I second guess the sport cause when you’re cutting, no matter who you are.
I hate it i’ll always be why why couldn’t i be play football where they want you to eat a burger before the games? Right? That’S awesome.
Man um do what uh.
So what age did you actually start competing in the amateurs? So we weren’t allowed to compete until the rules change now, but in canada you weren’t allowed to compete until you were 10 going on your 11th year, that’s right and uh.
So it was a long time before i even got to compete, but you know what i was.
I was in every training camp with my brothers, even when they’re in the higher surface of the amateurs i was like, i would always be eight in at like the senior training camps right.
So i was always sparring like i was sparring.
I was having harder sparring sessions than i would have had fights at that age right so yeah i didn’t get to compete until i was 11, but it’s nice though the rules change now at from.
I think it’s eight to nine they’re called fun box.
So there’s no markers and uh, so it’s really good because everywhere else in the world, it’s eight and we’re the only place that was like 10 going on 11.
So it’s two three years right where kids are behind now right.
So it’s that’s a lot in boxing.
I i know i know the ontario boxing team has really it’s.
It’S been a little lackluster over the last couple of years.
I know that it’s it’s it’s now on its uprise promoters, like lee baxter, they’re, doing big things for canadian boxing scene.
You know rebel entertainment, complex, i’m telling you what a great venue, oh yeah, i love that venue love it definitely definitely probably one of the best venues i think in ontario.
At the moment, sharp compact can’t really can’t get much better than that.
How what? What do you feel when you get in the ring at rebel like? What’S what’s? What’S the feeling you get, because i know it’s a lot of hype, there’s a lot of lights.
A lot of people don’t understand the kind of the kind of atmosphere it is.
How does it feel i’m lucky to to to the point where i had a lot of amateur experience that a lot of people around here? Don’T get? You know what i mean i found on the biggest stages i fought at the youth olympics.
I fought at the world championships so ever since the age of 16, i was really fighting the best the world had to offer and you get used to not used to it.
Don’T get me wrong, but i mean when i fight i’ve learned.
I do better when i don’t necessarily i care so much that i don’t care.
You know what i mean if that makes sense.
Like i psyched myself out where it’s like, i don’t really care who i’m fighting.
I don’t care who’s watching.
You know what i mean at the end of the day, i got an amazing support system win or lose.
I go home, my mom’s shoulders there for me to cry on right it.
Doesn’T it doesn’t matter so? For me, it was a little mental trick that i taught myself in boxing.
It just helped me mentally.
Just so yeah don’t get me wrong, you you get excited, but i don’t really care about the crowd and i don’t really care who’s watching.
You know what i mean i think like, like i only found out it was going under the zone card like that section of the card right, i think the day before i didn’t get nervous, you don’t mind, you know what i mean.
If anything, it made me say: yeah, i’m smashing this guy even better, and you did and you did inside inside the round man, what a great wow like what a great shot man honestly, one of the big knockouts of that night, um.
Honestly right, can you run us through that, actually like how like yeah so uh? It was a funny story, man, the boxing world’s so small.
I remember watching that.
I can’t even pronounce his name too good, maximo toala.
I can’t pronounce it too good.
The guy who was fighting so we weren’t supposed to fight him.
I had another fight lined up and then two days before our guy.
For some reason the fight didn’t fall through so then max maximo’s uh name came up.
Personally, i don’t even take the fights.
I let my team pick, i don’t even really know i don’t i let them choose before i get to say i’m a fighter right, i’ll fight, anybody that they want me to so it’s up to them to make the smart decisions.
Take the right fight at the right time and i trust them right right and uh.
So when i found out it was his name, i was like i kind of laughed a bit because my teammate who’s, like an older brother to me growing up uh joshua riley.
He fought him.
I remember years ago now, when maximo beat mohammed abedin six seven years ago now, and i remember watching that scene like damn who the hell is this kid, like i remember sitting, i actually remember sitting in the crowd saying like this kid’s dangerous and then my brother Bradley was actually supposed to fight him and then their fight got canceled, so uh.
So we we uh, we’ve we’ve had a lot of knowledge on them.
You know people knew a lot about them, and so it was actually it was pretty uh.
It sounds weird, but it felt cool beating him, because i remember watching him when i was a little bit younger.
No i’m not talking about crazy, younger brothers, probably like 13, i think moe and i was like i was like wow.
This guy’s not bad.
You know what i mean, and so it’s nice to make a statement like that, like he went five rounds with devin haney, so yeah it’s nice to make a statement like that and uh uh.
I don’t know it’s just cool small world of boxing.
You know i mean who would have thought like five six years ago, when i’m watching this guy fight i’d be fighting him live on the zone.
Right it is, it was, it was brilliant and what a display man now now a bit of the world knows who you are, they can see that you mean business man, um, you’re you’re from you’re from like we’ll say the the canadian royal family of boxing here.
Man, what was it like growing up with that many siblings, that uh are ready to throw down at the at the drop of a hat? Oh man, it was uh, it was fun.
It was really fun like really entertaining like.
You could even ask her cousins and stuff like whenever there was a like a family party yeah it was.
It was always our house.
Everyone wanted to do that right because damn well, there was going to be something funny going on like we grew up playing sports and stuff.
We were always kind of the scrappier kids.
You know i mean in the sports.
Like i played ice hockey, i played everything growing up.
Every sport you can think of.
I was skillfully.
I was a good athlete, but the fight fighting, don’t leave you man.
I always i always ended up somehow some way getting into a scrap, even if it was basketball soccer whatever it was found a way right and most of my brothers are like that and uh.
So you can imagine the stories we have right.
It’S uh.
I got ta, give him that dude.
You know what i mean yeah like i can imagine.
I could just imagine because, honestly, like i’ve, i remember the fights that i’ve had with my sister, like yeah, maybe they’ve been some big ones right, like i’ve been clocked up with my sister, so it’s like yeah man when i guess with both you know the whole Family fights, i guess it’s a real throwdown right, oh for sure, man like like street hockey was the most serious thing i got into more street hockey fights with my brothers than i probably had boxing matches like we’re.
The only really only dummies that would play contact basketball like who does that you know i mean like on the concrete.
We play contact, basketball, guys jumping in the air, and then you get pulled down and you’re smashed, but that was fun for us right.
You know what i mean: we weren’t uh.
We definitely weren’t the average household, no, definitely not um.
So you got a fight lined up uh.
Do you know who the uh your opponent is at the moment so uh? Actually i i don’t yeah.
I do have a fight lined up, but i don’t uh know my opponent yet uh yeah, i’m fighting november 4th in the brantford civic center with me and all my brothers and a lot of uh other local talent, uh we’ll be on the card.
I think there’s eight fights, total every fight will be uh, be a good match.
We uh, i wasn’t allowed to, because my last fight, i wasn’t allowed to know.
Basically any information on the november show because they didn’t want my my mind to be distracted right right.
So, just today i like actually this morning was the first time i heard anything about opponents, but they’ve been talking about opponents for like two three weeks: it’s just.
They kept me out of the loop right and uh, so i could focus on my fights on uh.
My last fight right at rebel but yeah, so we’re thinking about having a good little step up.
You know me and all my brothers were you know we don’t i don’t want to fight no tomato.
Can you know i mean i like i don’t like it? You don’t want you, don’t want that powder, you don’t want that.
You know puffed up or powdered record.
Oh exactly, you know what i mean.
I i want to be world champion or i don’t want to box.
You know what i mean like and you don’t become rotated by beating tomato cans and uh.
So yeah opponents not picked but expect expect a little step up.
Nothing crazy, but you know what i want some competition and don’t get me wrong.
I want to blow everybody out of the water, but hey man.
I wanted to be someone better right, like i want to blow someone out of the water.
That’S got a little bit more talent, no disrespect to anybody.
I fought but uh i mean it just looks better right and improves my skill level.
You want to challenge yourself too yeah exactly i love challenging myself.
Man, like that was my first six round fight yeah.
I like knocking people out, but i would have really liked to see around five and six just for that.
Just but you know what hey man nothing’s better than seeing a grown man drop to his knees and quit [ Laughter, ], honestly, what a highlight too man yeah vicious vicious shot.
The i was ringside for it.
I was right on those.
I was right on those.
Oh, that was me man.
I was wrong honestly one of my favorite videos of the night man.
I love that video.
That’S a good angle.
Oh it’s great angle.
We uh we pride ourselves on taking those angles, we’re definitely going to try and make it out to brantford for uh.
You know your family, you guys are more than welcome.
You don’t even have to uh.
You don’t even have to ask just keep in contact either me or the uh some one of the other guys who are running the show we’ll hook you guys up for sure with some media passes, definitely excellent.
We’Re trying we’re trying to really we’re trying to really help the ontario boxing team and the ontario boxing scene will not get better.
Unless we have people like yourself right in the company, you represent yeah, definitely um we’ve.
You know we talked to.
We talked really closely with lee baxter um, you know he’s, he wants to help us do what he wants to do and that’s really put ontario back on the map.
You know we we should be.
We should be the mecca of canadian boxing, not much.
I agree.
I agree completely.
There’S there’s there’s no real reason.
We shouldn’t be.
You know what i mean it don’t make sense.
We’Ve got everything it just.
You know what it’s just it’s a slow process.
It’S a hill! That’S going to be climbed right in right and honestly yeah.
We want to be the mecca of canada, but let’s make it international.
You know what i means i want to make this stuff known.
You know what i mean like uh.
I know uh uh, like i really like.
I want to bring attention to hamilton ontario for boxing, you know ontario and canada.
You know what i mean i wan na yeah.
I want to bring the whole world to see what we got.
You know we do, we do have.
We do have a rich history of boxing here in ontario uh.
We just had a little bit of a hiccup there with uh.
You know ken mayashi um every time.
Every time i say that name, i get the same reaction.
Well, i never had to deal with it, but i heard like my brothers right, so i never dealt with it by hand, but uh yeah, no, no disrespect.
Nowhere, not burning no bridges but uh yeah yeah.
Exactly exactly.
I don’t believe it um.
What? What do you think ontario needs to really make the next step? Honestly, i’m not saying because i’m on the podcast, we need a lot of fellows like yourself and like when i said the company you represented media is everything right now.
I think media is the key to whatever you’re doing in the world.
Maybe man you got guys reviewing water bottles right now, making millions of dollars a year right like media, is everything right now and uh like it or not.
I’M not even a social media guy, but you know what it’s it’s it’s it’s a big part of your product now, no matter what business you’re in so i i think the biggest thing is getting a good, solid media in uh uh, like media and social media.
Following in general, you know what i mean for for boxing, not just a specific person or a specific company.
It’S we need more media coverage in general.
I think that’s the biggest thing and then i think uh.
I think the biggest thing is ontario working together.
You know i mean i find a lot of the local promoters, won’t work together and uh.
It’S like you know what it’s tuck, your pride to the side, and let’s do this.
You know what i mean.
That’S why i really like.
I have a lot of respect.
Even though i’m not signed with lee baxter yeah, i got a lot of respect for lee.
Baxter he’s a promoter that will put his pride to the side and he will work with other promoters and that’s what we need.
That’S the type of people we need in ontario for sure, and people like like, for instance, i’m managed by uh.
Oh, i have a not on paper, but mark irwin is like an uncle to me, a classic boxing company and uh.
He signed my brothers and uh.
We need people like them, they’re willing to work with all companies for the better of the fighters right right and not burning any bridges.
That’S the biggest thing i find a lot of these promoters will do they’ll burn bridges for unnecessary reasons, yeah, which doesn’t which doesn’t help man, because you know it makes it makes the entire industry suffer, and you know like we have such a thick deep talent pool Of boxers here in canada and in ontario – and you know it’s about time – that we get onto that big stage and i think people like you and lee baxter and you know your brothers and everything and the way that you guys are performing and really showing you Know what we have to offer – and you know lee giving us opportunities and new opportunities to be on a you know on a card like the zone to get you out there worldwide is really really detrimental to the success of for sure man.
That’S and it’s in it’s even like the company i’m signed with pro bella, like phenomenal people.
You know i mean phenomenal people they’ve.
Let me they they.
I’Ve got not a single thing, not a single thing to complain about.
I am very happy with what i’ve been dealt with.
You know what i mean and it’s the way i’ve been dealt with the way i’ve been treated like when we were going in with the bigger like the bigger fish.
You know i mean we’re signing with one of the bigger companies in the world, we’re a little bit hesitant right.
You know what i mean: where are we going to get fed to the walls where we can be issued right now? I’Ve got nothing to complain about because you know what they they put their pride to their side to the side too, and they help local promoters like local people like mark, you know what i mean they’re, they uh they’re.
They got a really good connection with gym promotions and even montreal you know what i mean like they.
They they are willing to work with anybody to help the fighters right right, and then we need more more promoters like that.
More promoters, like carmelo, more promoters like lee baxter, to come together.
You know i mean the big fish, helping the little guys out right right, definitely um and we we are trying to help as well.
You know we’ve talked to these promoters, we want.
We want to hit all these shows man and we want to put everybody up and like what i said just just just just ring my line, we’ll be there we’ll be there we’ll be there we’ll get you guys immediate pass.
No questions asked excellent, excellent um.
What is the what’s the biggest challenge that you think you faced in boxing today, not just in ontario, but just in boxing in general, you like do you think? Are you saying, as fighters in general or you’re, just saying me personally, you personally, what’s the biggest challenge that you face biggest obstacle, i think the biggest obstacle is is honestly on topic is, is getting i think for somebody who’s, not from america or a country.
That’S very supportive of boxing, because canada isn’t, you know, i mean we’re very hockey based even basketball is taking over soccer’s taking over stuff like that.
I think the biggest obstacle right now is getting the coverage and the support from the country.
Do you know what i mean not even boxing fans, just the regular citizens of our country? You know what i mean if, if that makes sense like getting that backing, that following is, i feel like in other countries.
It’S a lot easier.
You know what i mean like it’s uh, because because there are certain countries that uh, that that respect boxing a lot more and and actually acknowledge what it does to to the youth’s lives.
You know what i mean.
You know how much drug dealers have been taken off the street because of boxing you know which lives have been saved, but i i really feel like canada in general has a negative look on boxing personally, like i do i i really feel like, like schools.
Don’T support boxing anymore, you know what i mean and that’s a big thing right like we tried to bring a poster to for the show to the school and they said they don’t support violence.
Oh wow! That’S how you know.
You’Ve never been in a boxing gym right.
You know what i mean if you think it’s a yeah, don’t get me wrong on a high level.
It is a violent sport, but i guarantee you you won’t meet.
You won’t meet more sportsman-like people than boxers.
You won’t meet more athletes that have more respect than boxers and that’s with respect to other sports, but i’ve been in almost every sport.
My whole life and i found box was the best people to get along with you know what i mean it’s definitely it’s definitely one of the most humbling it’s one of the most humbling of sports.
Oh, how? How can you be? How can you really really really really be arrogant and mean it when you’ve been floored in the face? You know what i mean like.
I got a funny saying man like well, not it’s not my saying, but it’s a normal saying, because you can tell who’s been punched in the face and who hasn’t you know.
I mean exactly exactly watch the face, even if it’s on the street at school and boxing being punched in the face is a humbling experience and i think everybody should go through it.
Definitely definitely, i think it builds character, it builds real character.
Um, and you know boxing boxing is one of these things that just it sets up kids for success because it teaches them, it teaches them how to set goals.
It teaches them how to work hard towards that goal and it teaches them.
You know the rewards of reaching those goals like i.
I actually help run my gym now, stilltown boxing club, i i i help, run it and the the amount of kids that we come in here that can’t even look at themselves in the mirror and then next you know you see him walking by a mirror and Flexing yeah come on.
That’S a great feeling.
That’S a goddamn good feeling to see you know what i mean.
You know you don’t get that much from from much things in life.
You know i mean like, like we had a kid once who couldn’t run across the ring.
I’M not over exaggerating could not run across the ring.
That’S how overweight he was.
He ended up losing almost 200 pounds.
He could do 15.
Push-Ups we’d run five laps around the building.
Like that’s, that is that’s life-changing.
You know what i mean for that kid.
That is, that is that’s something that there’s very few things in life that could have done that for him, not even physically mentally.
You know yeah yeah.
Definitely a lot of people don’t understand that boxing is a very mental game.
You know 100 man, they they go watch mike tyson.
They watch mike tyson tape and they hear him talking about oh kill this kill that kill that.
But then they don’t go watch what mike tyson’s like as a person right he’s one of the most kind-hearted people you’ll ever meet.
You know what i mean like everyone that meets mike tyson says the same thing right in the ring he’s a killer, but what about outside right and yeah yeah so like? I understand why parents would be hesitant getting their kid in the sport if they know nothing about it, but i really think i really think it’s one of the sports that a kid should go into.
I think a kid should go into it, but that’s like what i said right.
We don’t have the support from our country.
Here we don’t, we don’t have the not even the political support this that i’m talking about just the basic common common household doesn’t support your nate, your neighborhood, your local, that kind of support your city, supportive.
You know all that yeah like if you go outside and you start hitting the pads out front on your driveway people are probably gon na call the cops or something.
Where do you see yourself next year year from now next year? Hopefully i got my first uh.
Let’S say let’s say: hopefully, so my contract technically started it march 25th, the day of my pro debut yep.
So let’s hope i get one two more fights by then possibly three.
I would love three, but you don’t know right.
That would put me at a lot of fights so but uh.
I hope to have my first title: i’m not i’m not gon na, say anything crazy, like world title.
This is a sport where you got ta earn your keep right so by next year.
Hopefully i have my first ranking title: that’s that’s my goal for the year be undefeated and have my first ranking title.
If you know what i mean like one, that gets you top 20 top 10 top 15 in a certain organization, yep, that’s what i would like to.
I would like to see that by next year and uh you got to learn the sport right like yeah, i’m not going to get a world title the first year.
You know what i mean exactly.
No you can you.
Can you got to shoot for the stars to land on the moon? Exactly you know, you think big it’ll come i’m gon na be world champion one day, but will it be next year? I wouldn’t even get that opportunity.
I wouldn’t have earned it yet.
You know.
I mean right um, so i got we got a question here from one of our viewers.
Do you have any good sparring stories? I know you have to man, you got brothers, let’s, let’s you.
I know you got some good ones like between me and my brothers.
Yeah yeah, oh god, yeah uh, honestly, not even me, but just entertaining sparring, wise jesse and steven’s howls to watch because uh just first two rounds, you’ll you’ll see them go light and then it can get real uh.
It can get real real, real, real, intense and split up and pretty often happens quite often, but actually i’ve got a funny one with jesse uh.
I don’t know why man, it was one of the dumbest things.
I don’t know why my brain just didn’t process it.
Jesse faked the jab to the body, and i bit on it as he threw the right hand.
I said a bad word, so i saw the punch coming, but my i don’t know why.
I just didn’t slip and i just ate it and i was like and then we just stopped and laughed.
But so, like my body knew to react and then when i fell for the trap, i said something inappropriate and then i smiled and i got cracked and then we just looked at each other.
I was like what the hell man like [ Laughter ], oh man, some crazy sparring stories, man, that’s that’s great honestly.
What was what was it like at home? You know not at the gym arguments did they did they turn in fights.
My dad didn’t allow that.
Obviously, there’s been a few, but my dad didn’t really allow that you know what i mean that your dad would jump in and be like.
No, no boys save it when we get to that there was uh not much of that excellent um.
So long-term goal five years ten years from now world championship, is that what you’re looking at? That’S where you want to be yeah yeah, i uh yeah, especially especially five years from now.
I would uh.
I would love to be world champion because that would put me at 27 yeah.
I would love to be world champion because if you want to make a living out of the sport, you kind of got to be a little bit earlier right right like if that makes sense.
You know i mean i i’d like to hit that goal early.
So i can make the bigger fights for longer right um when you’re ready to hang it up.
You just you’re going to continue to, like you know, train kids and yeah yeah i’ll.
Never leave boxing i’ll always be involved in boxing excellent um.
Honestly, i don’t want to keep you too much longer.
I know you’re a busy man um batteries.
I don’t know what else yeah no problem.
First time you laid the guy out in the pro ranks getting paid.
What did it feel like to to win? It took me like a week to realize i get paid.
I know dumb that yeah i didn’t even because uh so the way it works is i get my minimum from the local promoter and then phil beldon transfers me the rest right and uh, but anything i didn’t realize until i looked at my bank account.
That’S how weird my mind worked.
I was just like.
I was living in the moment this that and then, when i hit my bank account, i was like damn yo.
I said i’m getting paid for this now.
This is dope like yeah.
No, no, it’s like! No! It’S like, i don’t work overtime.
I got to get in there and yeah yeah.
I want to crush people, quick, hey and you did and you did wednesday at rebel wow, guys, you’ve seen this clip out there.
I know the fans seen it man, we got lots of.
We got a lot lots of likes on this.
One.
Definitely vicious shot, can’t wait to see it.
I can’t wait to come out and see you again.
Oh, my gosh man hit my mind you’ll, be there branford? Definitely, definitely we will be there ringside with with our camera crew, and you know what it is um.
Thank you, spencer, i’ll just stick around after i sign off here, um to all the talking fight fans.
Man, thanks for tuning in to today’s episode of knuckle up with yours, truly michael and our special guest today, spencer, wilcox of the wilcox plan out of steel city boxing, you know what it is man we will see you tomorrow on this channel same time, new interview, You know what it is.
It’S your man mike sin knuckle up.
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