"That's the only fight I want to see. Why? Because I want to see Floyd get his butt kicked. No disrespect, but that's why Floyd sells pay-per-views and that's why Floyd talks shit all of the time. Because whether you love Floyd for his boxing and want to see him fight or you want to see him get his ass kicked, people are going to pay. Tito [Ortiz] knows that and that's why Tito opens his mouth before and after every fight. Love him or hate him, people are going to pay to see Tito fight," stated ultra-talented artist Evan Shoman as he talked about his latest drawing for one dream match and compared Floyd Mayweather to former UFC light heavyweight champion Tito Ortiz. Check it out!
PC: Outside of the sport of MMA, you also got to present Lebron James with his drawing. What was his reaction and how was that experience for you?
ES: That was lucky. That really was lucky, but it was sick. He was here in San Diego having this huge basketball camp and after the youth camp, he came and played pickup with some local college guys and a couple of NBA guys. I brought my drawings just in case. I started off in the rafters and made my way down to 2nd row. This is how I do it all the time. That's how I got to Wanderlei the first time. And then his attorney walked me up to him, which was a lot more fun than trying to dodge security.
PC: Don't give away too many of your tactics. Security will be waiting for you.
ES: I got turned away from every kid that was at that school. They were like, "Thanks for coming. Good night." I'm like, "I am a grown man with a kid at my side and I got some little pre-teen like, 'Sorry buddy, you gotta go.'" So finally, after about 45 minutes of trying people I know that are friends with NBA people, who are contacting other rich people who are making calls and all of this stuff, I finally get 15 feet away from him. And I'm talking to the guy that organized the whole thing and everyone is giving me the finger. I'm being cool about it though. I'm not being a jerk. I was saying, "I understand and if you do it for me, you gotta do it for everyone." But then I was like, "Fuck this!" I pulled the drawing out of the bag and I hold it up and say, "Yo Lebron!" His bodyguard sees it and comes over and goes, "Alright man, what's the deal?" I tell him I didn't want anything, no autograph or anything, I just want to give this to him; it's my original drawing of him. He was like, "Really?" I go, "Yeah." I asked can I show it to him and he said yes. I walk over and Lebron looks up and then looks down and then looked at me and was like, "Come over here." So we walk over and Lebron was like, "Dude, this is a drawing?" I'm like, "Yeah, this is what I do. I draw fighters." I kind of lied a little bit and said I draw for the UFC, which, you knowÂ….I didn't want to say I was independent. Lebron was so amped and for him to be so stoked and saying he couldn't believe it was a drawing and all of that was the moment, because every famous artist in the world has drawn a Lebron painting. For him to see mine and it stands out, I was like, "I must be on to something with this art thing."
PC: Was he a cool guy?
ES: From what I had heard before from other people was it was a nightmare. Like I heard some war veteran gave him like his Navy Seal Lifetime award and Lebron didn't even look up or say thank you or anything. But with me, it was cool. He was sending people like, "Go get my shoes and get a pen." He comes back and signs 2 pairs of brand new Lebron James shoes that he hadn't worn and on one, it said, "To Evan the Great" and on the other, it said, "Lebron James #23." Dude, that's gangsta right there; you can not beat that. About that other stuff, I understand with these celebrities because if you make eye contact with one person, they're like, "Dude, I'm putting Lebron James in my cell phone before I leave." Everyone feels like out of the 100,000 people that are out here mobbing him, he is going to cling to them and want to be friends with them. You gotta take that into consideration. A lot of these guys kind of have to keep their heads down. If you have Randy Couture walking out of an event and he's trying to get home, or a beer or a water or anything, he's just trying to get out of the arena and he's got 45 dudes going, "You're the reason I wake up in the morning." He's just in autograph mode or picture mode to where he just wants to hold his fist up and smile. Then they're ready to get the fuck outta there. Sometimes you gotta keep your head down. These guys want their privacy too. It doesn't mean they are a dick. They are human and they want to get from point A to point B. Some guys are like that. Some guys are just awesome with the fans no matter what. No matter how bad of a day they're having, like Dan Hardy. No matter what is going on in his life, he never ever walks by and not care. That guy is unbelievable. I have been around him with fans and it is silly. He loves the fans. Dana is the same way. Even if he can't stop, he will turn around and say, "Thank you." MMA is great in a sense that these guys are really accessible.
PC: You made a drawing of the dream fight between Fedor-Lesnar. Can we expect a Pacquiao-Mayweather drawing since, at this stage, it's merely a dream fight?
ES: Oh yeah! I have been collecting pictures of them and trying to get them all together. That fight should happen. The UFC is a commodity and Dana runs it as such. Dana runs the UFC like boxing is to boxing. He's a promoter of just his company. Okay, that's all well and good that there is this Zuffa umbrella that people have to come under for these fights to happen. These fights won't happen because of that reason. With that being said, in boxing, any fight should be able to happen if you don't require Olympic-style steroid tests, then any fight could happen. That fight should happen; I just don't know if it's gonna.
PC: You're not a huge boxing follower, but you would pay to see that fight?
ES: Yeah, or I would at least go somewhere where they were playing it. Someone would get my money for a Sprite at least at a bar. I want to seeÂ…that's the only fight I want to see. Why? Because I want to see Floyd get his ass kicked. No disrespect, but that's why Floyd sells pay-per-views and that's why Floyd talks shit all of the time. Because whether you love Floyd for his boxing and want to see him fight or you want to see him get his ass kicked, people are going to pay. Tito [Ortiz] knows that and that's why Tito opens his mouth before and after every fight. Love him or hate him, people are going to pay to see Tito fight.
PC: Keep up the good work my man. It was good talking to you as always. Is there anything you want to say in closing?
ES: Percy is the man. I mean shit, if I could die and come back maybe as a bird, that would be one thing, but I would want to come back as Percy.
PC: I want to come back as Evan Shoman's pen.
ES: That's okay to come back as the pen, but you wouldn't want to be the finger. That thing has been everywhere.
[ Follow Percy Crawford on Twitter @MrLouis1ana ]