"There is no other sport tougher than boxing...I think it's really the #1 sport in the world. It's hand-to-hand [combat] and it's an art. I have MMA guys that come to me to learn how to strike because they are the worst strikers in the world. It's two different sports. I always say MMA and boxing is like basketball to baseball. They are two completely different sports and there is not one better than the other, but I do believe that boxing is more exciting than MMA, but they are different sports and I like watching both," stated former world champion Jesse James Leija as he gave us an update on what his life has been like since his boxing career ended. Check out what he had to say about training the San Antonio Spurs and his thoughts on Shane Mosley, Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao and much more.
PC: How has everything been going?
JJL: Ah man, everything has been going good. I'm just staying busy with my boxing gym, which is a boxing gym for the average person. They come in and learn the skills of boxing and get in great shape.
PC: What is that like for you to teach the Sweet Science to people that may have zero experience in the sport?
JJL: Well, you know what? 95% of my clients come in with zero experience, but it's about teaching and having them learn how to throw a proper punch; right hand or a left hook. And it's a plus for them to learn self-defense and, on top of that, get into incredible shape. It's worth while because each one that comes in wants to learn and they thank you for teaching them. I have had people lose 10, 20 and even 70 pounds and the feeling that you get from that is incredible. You cannot buy that; it is incredible. And plus I train the San Antonio Spurs. They hire me every summer. I train all of those guys: Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili. I get to work with all of these guys and teach them how to fight and they love it man. They are perfectionists. They never fought, but they want to get it right in case they do fight.
PC: How do you hold pads for a 7-footer?
JJL: That is funny. I think I have some pictures on my Facebook with me and Tim and I'm all the way stretched out and that's painful, but he loves it. As a matter of fact, Tim Duncan had bad knees at the beginning of the year; well, he's always had bad knees, but very bad at the beginning of the year. At one point, they wouldn't let him do anything but box with me. He came in 15 pounds lighter this year. He weighed the same weight that he weighed in college. He hasn't been that light in 12 years and he owed it all to the boxing that we were doing because he couldn't do anything else at the time. He's a fanatic of it.
PC: I always have the argument that boxing training is not only the toughest training out there, but the best cardiovascular training that you can get. Would you agree with that?
JJL: Oh yeah! I had people come to my gym so that I can show people. ESPN did a piece on the toughest sport in the world to train in and they had about 10 different categories that they were going to rate everybody on; hand and eye coordination and foot movement. It was all kinds of stuff that they had that they were going to rate the sports on and boxing was #1, the toughest sport in the world to train for, because you have to have good hand and eye coordination, good movement, a good core and strong base. You have to have everything to be a good fighter. I showed it to my class just to let them see it's that tough. Once they get into it, it helps them. The NBA guys get into it because it's going to help them with their footwork, better hand to eye coordination, better defense and they will be able to turn their core. There is nothing like it. There is no other sport tougher than boxing.
PC: Manny Pacquiao is the hot fighter right now. Everyone loves watching him fight and his mentality inside of that ring. What do you think of him as a fighter?
JJL: Manny trained at my gym for about 2 weeks when he fought here in San Antonio and that guy does not stop. He is an incredible machine. He is abnormal because not everyone can do what he does. For a guy to be that small, I think he is smaller than I am. I am 5'5" and he may be 5'6", but he is small body-wise. Just what he does is incredible. He is the type of guy that every time he goes into the gym, he wants to be better than the day before. And he works that hard.
PC: You fought Shane Mosley before and he is preparing for the biggest fight of his career. Do you like his chances against Mayweather?
JJL: We talk about that pretty much on a daily basis at the gym. Everyone always come in and gives a different opinion. I think my opinion is you almost always have to go with Mayweather because he has proven to everyone how good he is. You can't hit the guy. But as you said, I fought with Mosley and he is just as fast as Mayweather. He's taller and is stronger than Mayweather, but can he hit Mayweather is going to be the biggest question. Mayweather is so good at defense, but Mayweather is going to finally fight somebody that is as quick as he is and as smart as he is. I think it is going to be an incredible fight. Now, Mosley hasn't fought in quite some time and that's going to be a difference in the fight too. How much of a difference? I'm not sure, but it may play a part. 17 months is a long layoff to not be in the ring and fighting. That's almost like a guy retiring for 2 years and coming back and it's almost impossible to do at that age, but Mosley is a different character too. He's a different guy; he's not normal. I'm just looking for a great fight. I think it will be better than the Pacquiao-Clottey fight, definitely. Now, who do we want to see after that fight? Do we want to see Pacquiao and Mayweather or Pacquiao and Mosley? I would rather see Pacquiao and Mosley. I think that's the more entertaining fight. And that's just because Mayweather is not the type of guy that is going to take risks. He will fight defense first and offense second. I think that's what he does. But his offense and his defense is even better. The name of the game is to hit and not be hit and he does it very well.
PC: What are your thoughts on Mayweather's stance on more stringent drug testing in boxing?
JJL: You know what? What they do now with the urine is sufficient. Pacquiao has never backed away from it. I think Pacquiao called Mayweather's bluff and Mayweather balked at it. Pacquiao said, "I will take the blood test a month before, 2 weeks before and after the fight. Other than that, I'm not doing it." And then Mayweather came back and said, "Well if he would have known it was that, he would have said okay." I think Pacquiao called his bluff and he didn't accept it. Pacquiao is an incredible fighter and I'm amazed at the way he's been doing it as well, but I don't think the guy is taking any type of drugs or anything like that. If he was on growth hormone, he would be a lot bigger than what he is now. When I was next to him, I was larger than him and I'm 5'5". I fought at 140 and I'm thicker than he is. He is just an incredible guy.
PC: The last guy you fought in your professional career was Arturo Gatti. He passed under some unique circumstances. How do you remember Gatti?
JJL: I remember Arturo as a guy that would take 5 punches to give 1 because he was so strong. He was a modern day fighter of the guys that fought in the 50's. He had incredible strength and heart, moreso than his talent, but towards the end, he was boxing great. He boxed me great. If he would have continued to do what he did the way he fought me, he wouldn't have been as exciting as he was because people remember him as a blood and guts fighter and that's how he is always going to be remembered and he wore his heart on his sleeve and he fought that way as well. He was an incredible guy and an incredible fighter and it's sad that his life was taken away so shortly or that he took his life too short. No one really knows. He is going to be missed, but always remembered though.
PC: It was an honor and pleasure speaking to you. I hope everything continues to go well. Is there anything you want to say in closing?
JJL: I just want to thank you guys for having me on and I want to thank the fans for being boxing fans. I think it's really the #1 sport in the world. It's hand-to-hand [combat] and it's an art. I have MMA guys that come to me to learn how to strike because they are the worst strikers in the world. It's two different sports. I always say MMA and boxing is like basketball to baseball. They are two completely different sports and there is not one better than the other, but I do believe that boxing is more exciting than MMA, but they are different sports and I like watching both.
[ Follow Percy Crawford on Twitter @MrLouis1ana ]