Nate Campbell
 Nate CampbellBoxingInsider.com Exclusive Biofile Published by Scoop Malinowski Last Updated on April 11th, 2008 | Options:  Print This Article  Email This Article  RSS |
By Scoop Malinowski
Status: WBA/IBF/WBO Lightweight champion.
Ht: 5-8 Wt: 135
DOB: March 7, 1972 In: Jacksonville, FL
Childhood Hero: “My father (Nathaniel). He always looked out for me. He takes good care of me.”
Boxing Inspiration: “My wife and kids. I have six kids and a grand-daughter. I just want to fight the best.”
Nicknames: “Red, Boobie, Galaxxy Warrior – Boxing at the Galaxxy was the first gym I was a member of. When the gym closed down, to commemorate it, I put it on my arm. And it stuck.”
Hobbies/Leisure Activities: “I love to play basketball. I like to work on old cars. Volkswagen Bugs are the easiest to work on and they’re fun to drive. I like to watch boxing. I’m a fan of boxing. I like to learn something new from other fighters. That’s a hobby of mine. I love poetry. Also, I love music. I’m a music buff.”
Last Book Read: “Ooooh, what was the last book I read…I been reading Losing Yourself. (By who?) By Coco Campbell, my wife.”
Favorite Movies: “Lord of the Rings – I watch those movies over and over. I love the fantasy behind it. I’m a Star Wars fan, too. I also like stuff like Independence Day, King of New York, True Romance. Tuskegee Airmen. Men Of Honor. I love movies that depict people being told ‘no’ all the time, doors being shut in their faces…but the people fight and make it in the end. Those movies really touch me.”
Musical Tastes: “I like everything. All old-school R&B and rap. I love all music but new rap really bothers me – it’s so monotonous and denigrating. I have all of Aerosmith, Eminem, DMX, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Matchbox Twenty, Vivian Green. I like Indie.arie. Musiq Soulchild – he’s great.”
Favorite TV Show: “Now I love the TV show House.”
Favorite Meal: “I love a hamburger patty with mashed potatoes and gravy. I grew up poor. Having ground beef was like having steak.”
Favorite Breakfast Cereal: “Oatmeal. Or plain old Rice Crispies.”
Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: “Butter pecan.”
Favorite Web Site: “Ebay is my favorite thing in the world. I buy all kinds of stuff, I even bought a car once.”
Childhood Dream: “I just wanted to be alive. And I didn’t want to end up like my family, like they ended up. A lot of them were bad guys. I was from the worst family in the neighborhood, they were always getting into trouble. I wanted to change my family’s name. But I wanted to be alive to do it.”
Early Boxing Memory: “I remember my uncle Frankie telling me I was special (age 5). That was the first time in my life I was good at something even though I didn’t set out to be. I had such great instinct about boxing, about what to do, how to stay out of the way of punches. He said I had long arms and taught me how to throw a one-two.”
First Job: “Was stocking shelves at People’s Pharmacy in Jacksonville.”
First Car: “1983 Subaru.”
Current Car: “I have a 1971 Chevy Chevelle, a ’72 El Camino and a ’95 Camaro.”
Pre-Fight Feeling: “Relaxed. Very cool. Calm, collected. Fighting is something I’ve had to do all my life in some fashion or another. It’s very simple for me to get in fight mode. I’m more relaxed at fight time than the whole training camp. (Upon entering ring do you look at opponent?) Yeah, look him right in the eye. There’s something in a man’s eye that says about his soul.”
Pre-Fight Meal: “Soul food, collard greens, rice, macaroni and cheese, chicken – something greasy and Southern. A lot of trainers don’t like that, but I’m from the South, that’s what my body’s used to.”
Greatest Sports Moment: “Winning the world title.”
Most Painful Moment: “Oh, a lot of people will think it’s the Robbie Peden fight. It’s not. The most painful moment was having to fight Ricky Quiles. Because we’re such good friends. Our families are close. That was really tough.”
Worst Injury: “Hurt my hands. Bruised my knuckle one time. I’ve had cuts but cuts heal a lot quicker than a hand injury. It’s almost impossible to get the knuckle to heal up.”
Favorite Boxers To Watch: “Sugar Ray Robinson – 110 career knockouts. Need I say more? Ah man, Ricardo Lopez. Finito. Love him. I think he’s the greatest thing. Great technician. I love to watch Roy Jones fight. Love to watch Bernard Hopkins fight. Big fan of Arturo Gatti. Loved to watch him fight. Winky Wright. He’s fought a lot of great fighters.”
Favorite Fights: “Anything with Sugar Ray Robinson. That’s my favorite fight of all-time. But probably Marvin Hagler-Hearns would be number one. Also Gatti-Ward I, II and III.”
Toughest Opponent: “Probably Angel Rios who I fought in my tenth pro fight. He gave me all I could handle. That cat was durable. He took it. And was dishing it right back.”
Last Vacation: “Bahamas.”
Funny Boxing Memory: “Aw man, you gotta come to my training camp. There’s funny memories every week. I guess because I say and do funny stuff. One time, I don’t know how you can clean this up, I was shadowboxing butt naked with vaseline on my balls [laughter].”
Embarrassing Boxing Memory: “That was probably the Peden fight, man.”
People Qualities Most Admired: “Honesty. Being honest. If you can’t do something and you tell me you can’t, it’s okay, I don’t expect it. I’m cool with it. Honesty. Ethics.”
Scoop’s first book “Heavyweight Armageddon: The Tyson-Lewis Championship Battle” is available at www.amazon.com
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