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Have
you ever fought in Mexico?
No,
my promoter can only promote in the United States.
What's
the dumbest thing you've ever done to make yourself better looking?
The
dumbest thing? |
Yeah.
Hmmmm.
. .
I'm
sitting here looking at your "Playboy." The only
issue of "Playboy" I own is the one with you on the cover.
Really?!
It's
because I'm a big Jesse Ventura fan and he's got an interview in there.
Oh
yeah! That's so funny because that interview generated so much
controversy with all of the statements he made.
Right!
And back then, it was the only reason I bought it.
That's
so funny!
So,
in looking through your pictorial here, I'm wondering what's the
dumbest thing you've ever done to make yourself look better?
I
would say dieting when I didn't have to. Because now that I
have to make weight for each fight I realize how ridiculous it was in
the past that I dieted just for looks. Now I think, how
ridiculous, I would give anything if I didn't have to diet today.
(Laughing)
Have you had to gain weight for any of your fights?
When
I fight Christy Martin I will have to gain weight.
So
you are going to fight Christy Martin?
Yes,
in September.
You've
always said you wanted to fight her.
Yes,
and that will be on Pay-Per-View.
What's
the wildest thing you've ever done in public?
Hmmmmm.
. . The wildest thing I've ever done in public. . .
Any
wild and crazy things in college?
No,
I'm not a wild person. I'm very conservative.
Are
you?
Yeah,
I'm very conservative.
What
do you think of Jesse Ventura?
I
like him! I don't know much about him but I like him. I
even like the comments he made in the Playboy interview. They
were pretty right on.
Including
that religion is a crutch for people.
Yes,
exactly. I totally believe that.
Do
you affiliate yourself with any religion?
Absolutely
not. I was raised in every different religion you can think of.
I was Mormon, Jehova's Witness, Catholic, Christian. . . I don't
believe in any of them today because I went to college.
Oh.
I
mean, you can't possibly be an educated person and still believe in religion.
What
college did you end up at?
(giggles)
My sister's cringing right now. I went to California State
University of Northridge and I graduated with a psychology degree.
(lets out another laugh) My sister's dying.
How
many siblings do you have?
I
have one sister and one brother.
Are
you the oldest?
I'm
in the middle. (pauses with indistinct talking in background)
Oh, she wants me to tell you that I'm very spiritual, which I am.
I believe in a higher power, I just don't believe in God per se.
I have my own God.
Is
there any Aztec blood running through your veins?
Oh
definitely! My mother's family is almost untouched by the Spaniards.
They're still very much Aztec and you can see that when you look at
them physically. And Zacatecas was a state that was basically
untouched by the Spaniards and so you'll see a lot of Indians in that area.
Do
you mostly appeal to the Hispanic community? Do you see a lot
of them in the audience during your fights?
Absolutely!
Probably 95 percent of my fan base are the Latinos. Everywhere
I go the Latinos know my name. They know the history about me.
They know everything there is to know about me. They're the
largest fan base in the crowd when I fight. That's everything
to me. Those are. . .
Mia's
Sister: (to Mia) Your people.
Those
are my people. Those are the most important fans in my life.
What's
the most satisfying thing you do each day or week?
Train.
You
enjoy it that much?
I
live, eat and breathe training.
I
ran a half marathon yesterday. . .
You
did?! 13.1 miles?
Actually
13.8. It was a marathon relay race here in Cleveland and my
partner ran the remaining 12.4 miles. You run marathons also!
That's something I'm hoping to accomplish some day.
I
did the L.A. marathon, all 26.2 miles and it was the funnest thing
I've ever done in my whole life.
How
do you get past fourteen miles? I cannot get past fourteen miles.
No,
you can! It's a mental thing. After the fourteenth mile
it's all mental. It's just believing that your body can do that.
So
it's not my legs that are begging me to stop, but it's my mind.
Your
body won't break down unless you honestly believe it's going to
break down. But it won't! (laughing) Trust me! I did it
and people said, "Just because you're an athlete doesn't mean
you can run a marathon." Well, yes it does. It's all mental.
I ran it and I didn't stop once.
What
would you be doing if you were to change careers?
I
would definitely be using my degree and working with kids. I
was working with kids throughout college and I would go back to doing that.
You
have two children. One is named Paris and I can't recall the name of
the other one.
He's
named Julian. (in Spanish) Julian y Paris.
You've
said that you've had problems with alcohol in the past.
I
was drinking at the age of ten and I got sober at the age of 20. . . 21.
And I'm 13 years sober now.
If
you saw your children walking down that path what would you tell them?
Oh
my God. . . I would. . . I would absolutely die because my son is 11
years old and to think that I was an alcoholic already by the time I
was his age. . . (pauses) I would be devastated. I would
do everything I could to let them know. . . They know my past. . .
|
They
do?!
Yes,
they do but that's not going to stop them. But I think I
raised them well enough and in a good environment. They're born
and raised in Calabasas, CA, which is basically the Beverly Hills of
California on my side of town, so I can't imagine that they'd ever
get into that, but you never know! There's no guarantees.
They
may not know it until they try it.
Right. |
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Is
it true you're singing?
Yes,
I should have my CD out by the new year.
What's
the name of it?
Well.
. . we changed the title of it a couple of times. I
don't want to say yet.
This
weekend was the Billboard Latin Music Awards Show. Did you
watch it or were you there?
I
didn't watch them.
Have
you heard of the Puerto Rican group named "Son by Four?"
Oh
yeah! They did a magazine I just did, "Ritmo Beat."
They
have a pretty good song out and won some awards for it. Are
you hoping to win some awards with this CD?
Definitely!
Is
it all in Spanish?
No,
it's half Spanish and half English. My best language:
Spanglish (laughing). That's the language I speak.
(both
laughing) What's the worst punishment you've ever encountered
in the ring?
I
would have to say it's when girls get in the ring and run from me.
Really?!
When
girls don't put up a fight, I hate that worse than anything. I
hate it when girls come to survive and not to fight. I come to
win, I come to kick your ass and I hope you do the same. But a
lot of them just come to hang on for dear life. I feel like if you're
going to do that then don't get in the ring.
Do
you think they just want a paycheck?
They
want a paycheck and they want to be able to say they fought me and
survived or even possibly won. But I come for a totally
different reason. I come to kill you. And that's what I'm
going to do. I'm going to win at all costs. I don't care
what it takes, I'm going to beat you. Especially if you're a
'gringa' you have no chance, no chance whatsoever.
Early
on in your career you were criticized because it was said you were
learning on the job. You were basically thrust into the
national spotlight without being ready. Do you still hear this?
Yes
well, I said that. My first promoter was Don King. I was
pushed into the spotlight from day one. I came out of Tae Kwon
Do after 23 years and became a professional boxer by signing with Don
King and fighting on national television. That's where I
learned to box. Until they change the laws for professionals
that's what you're going to see. You're going to see women that
don't know what they're doing getting into the ring. At least I
was a fighter my entire life where a lot of these women don't know
the first thing about fighting or what it is to compete.
You
almost entered the Olympics for Tae Kwon Do.
That
was my goal, but by the time they officially allowed it into the
Olympics I was too old. I was 29. I had to either turn
pro or continue to fight for free the rest of my life. The only
reason to turn pro is to make money. That's the only reason for
going from amateur to professional, to eventually make money.
According
to the Chinese calendar you were born in the year of the goat.
Goats are said to spend their time primping and posing. They're
not very well organized. They're not materialistic. Does
that describe you in any way?
That's
not me.
Is
that your complete opposite? Do you primp and pose in front of
the mirror?
No!
God, no. When I have to do an interview for a TV show then I
have to, but no, I don't stand in the mirror and look at myself.
And I don't want to say I'm materialistic, but I know the importance
of money because I grew up without it.
How
do you relieve tension?
Training.
(both
laughing) Do prefer to train alone so you can think?
Always!
But I love having my trainers around because they keep me on my toes
and keep me doing what I'm supposed to be doing.
I
checked on Ebay and saw that copy of the November 1999 Playboy in
which you appeared, autographed by you is going for $20. At the
same time a jacket with the words Tom Green on it is going for $20.50.
Isn't there some kind of disparity going on there?
That's
why I don't sign "Playboys" anymore. People are
taking them and selling them. And if I do sign them it has to
be with their name on them. But that's what people do.
They have you sign stuff and they go sell it.
There's
even a boxing glove with your autograph on there going for $15.
Do you still sign boxing gloves or have you stopped that also?
No,
I will still sign boxing gloves because I think those are a little
bit harder to sell than the "Playboys."
All
right, let me ask you one last question then. . . Oh, wait!
Were you in a film called "Skeeter?"
Ummmm.
. . (slightly embarrassed laughter) A long time ago. (still laughing)
What'd
you do in that movie? How'd you get that?
It
was years ago. I just did a dumb little part. You know,
I was putting myself through school. . .
I've
never heard of that film, what was it about?
Giant
killer mosquitos.
(both
laughing) Do you think it's at the local Blockbuster?
It's
an old movie but probably.
What
do you know for sure?
Is
that the question?
That's
my last question.
I
know for sure that I was destined to be something great in my life.
That's why I had to go through all of the obstacles I went through in
life because I knew that my higher power was going to make me
something great in life. . . to help inspire other kids. To let
them know to be proud of their race, to be proud of who you are and
never let anyone tear you down. I think that's important for
Latina women to know, that we're beautiful. We're brown and
beautiful and should be proud of where we come from. I grew up
in midwestern states where I was criticized because of the color of
my skin. It made me hate what I was for so long. Now I'm
the total opposite. Now I love who I am and wouldn't change it
for anything in the world.
Don't
you think those people were just jealous? I know one of the
states you grew up in was Idaho.
I
went to school in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Iowa, Texas, Arizona,
you name it, all over the U.S. I just think people are scared
of what they don't know. I was the only minority in my school
so they just didn't know any better. They didn't know what I
was or why I was dark and they were white. (pauses) I used to
think that I would be perfect if I was blonde and blue-eyed.
Now I know that I'm perfect just the way I am.
Do
you instill that in your children?
Definitely!
My kids. . . they also go to an all-white school. I teach them
that they're brown and that's beautiful. Be brown and proud!
Interview
by Sandro
Galindo
For
more information on Mia,
visit:
www.MiaStJohn.com
