MOST Magazine Fitness JUN'15 ISSUE NO.2 | Page 110

FMM: At what age did you start boxing and at
what age did you embark on your professional
career?
DNR: I began learning the craft of boxing through
my Uncle Tom McKay who taught the Fort Bliss
Army team. I was 5 years old. I started taking
boxing more seriously as a teenager and used
it as an outlet to help me “keep my nose clean,”
since I was constantly getting into trouble as an
adolescent. Boxing got me through my toughest
years. I decided to turn pro at age 21. Looking
back, it’s the only thing that saved me from a life of
difficulty and conflict. It was my saving grace.
FMM: Where do you see the state of boxing
heading in the future?
DNR: I see it being very promising but completely
monopolized in the same way Dana White took
over the UFC. I believe Al Haymon and Floyd
Mayweather are teaming up to do the same.
They are already bringing back boxing to the
mainstream and on cable TV. I believe they are the
future of boxing and will own the majority of it as
the sport evolves.
FMM: How would you want the boxing world to
remember you as a fighter?
DNR: Well, I do want to preface my answer with
this, that although I am taking a hiatus right now,
if the itch were to ever come back, I might just
give it another run. That said, I would want to be
remembered as being one of the best that never
got a rightful title shot at the world heavyweight
championship. I believe I was dodged and
overlooked because I wouldn’t play the game the
promoters and managers played. I was at one time
the most talented heavyweight around. 36-0 was
no joke.

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FITNESS

M A G A Z I N E || JUNE 2015 || EDITION 1

FMM: How did it feel to be on a winning streak
of 36-0, with 34 knockouts, prior to the knife
attack that almost took your life?
DNR: The beginning of my career was just about
my manager lining them up and me knocking
them down. In the beginning, it was fun and purely
raw. As my career progressed, I started to feel
the pressure of being undefeated. The stress of
maintaining an unbeaten record was intense –
an unimaginable amount of stress for just one
man. At least for me it was. I was a HispanicAmerican carrying the hopes of a country and
my hometown. The ride was insane and I knew
someday it would end, but I never would have
dreamt it would end with me almost losing my
life, especially to a knife. That event completely
changed my priorities and values.
FMM: How did the knife incident cause you to
reassess your priorities? Do you feel the result
was for the better or worse?
DNR: During the months following, it was a living
nightmare. I almost lost my life and I definitely
affected my boxing career. I was at a crossroads. I
could either sit in the corner hiding from life, or take
a new direction and reinvent myself. There was
no way giving up was an option. If I wasn’t going
to fight in the ring, then I was going to fight for the
unheard. I wanted to be a voice and continue the
fight in another arena. That’s why I decided to pick
up the fight for the bullied and weak. I want them to
know that I’ve been there and that I’ve been through
hell and back. The glory shifted from myself to
helping others find their way. Hopefully my story and
the experiences I share will do just that.