OUTSIDE THE RING WITH KELVIN WATTS
INTERVIEWER:
I appreciate you taking some time out of your day to have this call with us.
KELVIN:
Yes, sir. Thank you for having me. (It's) Kelvin Watts, boxer for Team USA, Super Heavy Weight.
INTERVIEWER:
You've had an awesome journey so far. You started off playing football at Glenville State as an Offensive lineman, and you transitioned from football to boxing, which is quite a change. What made you decide to step into boxing, after your football career? How did that start to begin with?
KELVIN:
I still had a lot of athletic years left, and I wanted to keep it going and keep working and keep being SOMEBODY. 'Cause I always wanted to be big in the world. I wanted to be like THE biggest in the world, so I always wanted to push myself to be that.. and I found a home in boxing. I found a love in boxing.
INTERVIEWER:
What position did you play, as an offensive lineman?
KELVIN:
I played all five, really. But my main position was left guard and left tackle.
INTERVIEWER:
It's cool how different sports can teach you so many different skills. Do you think that you learned anything that you took from football into boxing?
KELVIN:
Oh, definitely. Just how to work. Working and learning how to understand patience and timing. I learned how to use my timing and be patient, to wait, wait for things to come to me.
INTERVIEWER:
How do you think boxing has impacted your life the most so far? What has it taught you personally?
KELVIN:
Just patience. In the ring, you can't just get crazy and throw your hands any time you want to. You gotta set up punches and work on certain stuff. So, just teaching me patience and teaching me how to trust the grind.
INTERVIEWER:
What were your thoughts when you first found out that you made Team USA for 2025?
KELVIN:
Gratefulness... really my heart dropped to my stomach. It just made me smile, 'cause all the work being put in.. and it makes me want to work harder, go harder every time I go out. Because, you know, you gotta win. I wanna win every time.
INTERVIEWER:
You've obviously got some big goals ahead. How important do you think it is for you and your teammates to gain international experience, especially as you look ahead to being the best in the world by 2028?
KELVIN:
Well, I think it's great. I can't wait to see these guys. I can't wait to go against these guys. I feel like I'm number one in the world, so I gotta go show that and prove it. I'm pretty sure some of my teammates feel the same way, so I'd like to put it on.
INTERVIEWER:
With the 2028 Olympics in sight, what would it mean for you to be able to compete in those games?
KELVIN:
That would mean everything. Talking to guys like Keyshawn Davis and Richard Torrez, those guys did it, so it'd mean everything, just to come up from behind them and be able to do big things. So, I would love it, to be honest.
INTERVIEWER:
That's a great shift. I was going to bring up the Davis brothers. They're obviously former Team USA. Keyshawn in particular, won a silver in Tokyo. You guys are from the same area in Virginia. How has your relationship with them influenced your journey in boxing? Have they shared any advice with you?
KELVIN:
Oh, yeah. They shared a lot of advice. I've been in the ring with Keyshawn, Kelvin and Keon. They mean a lot to me. They give me a lot of insight, a lot of what I'm going to go through, and a lot of things that I'm going to do. They took me in as a brother.. and we just hit it off, as soon as we met each other, really. I talk to them at any time I really want to.. and other than that, my coaches are their coaches, it's just like a family already.
INTERVIEWER:
I understand that one of the first people you called after making the team was Keyshawn. Can you tell us anything about that conversation you had when you reached out to him?
KELVIN:
Yeah. He was just proud of me. He really was, we were talking the whole time, through everything, through all of nationals and all that. He was just telling me stuff.. stuff to do, stuff to work on, telling me how I gotta get my jab better, telling me about - make sure my defense is tight, stuff like that. He was just proud of me and told me, "Soon it's coming, soon." That, "Everything is coming that you want." Because we talk about things that we want in life, he said, "Everything is coming," "Stay down and keep working."
INTERVIEWER:
What do you think is the biggest lesson you've learned since stepping into the boxing ring, both as an athlete and as a person?
KELVIN:
You only got yourself. I learned that in life, but you (also) learn that in boxing. In my first fight I really couldn't look to the left or right. There wasn't anybody there. In football, I got another gang of brothers. It's not saying you don't have brothers in boxing, but you're just fighting on your own. That really was the thing I learned. You got yourself and you gotta work for yourself. You gotta be ready for yourself and be mentally prepared for yourself every time you go out. Because you wanna win. (laughs) Every time you wanna win. I don't want to harp too much on winning, because it's the preparation that goes into it, but you wanna win every time. So you are all that you got. Be a true leader in the gym, be a true leader working, you just want to be that guy. So, that's really what I learned.
INTERVIEWER:
What's your schedule looking like these next couple months of training?
KELVIN:
We are just training every day. We have been lifting. We're going to Brazil, I think March 25th, 26th. So, yeah, we're going to do that, and just go compete. I can't wait.
INTERVIEWER:
Excited to see you out there in the ring.
KELVIN:
Same. Thank you.