Before sharing my background and motivation for joining Haymakers for Hope, let me first express my gratitude for your kindness and support. I am incredibly thrilled and humbled to take part in this amazing initiative to fight cancer.

                I was heavily involved in sports beginning at the age of six, including baseball, football, and wrestling, and I was fortunate enough to play football at the college level. Sports instilled in me a work ethic that I now apply in all aspects of my life. However, there are certain values that sports cannot teach you, qualities that can only be instilled in you by family or those you are closest to. Everyone has that one person in their family or life who holds a special place in their heart and for whom you would move mountains because they have done the same for you.

                Arthur Ford, my grandfather, was that person for me. He is my “why” and my inspiration to get in the ring, and he was instrumental in shaping me into the man I am today. He passed away on October 3, 2012, after a hard-fought battle with stomach cancer. He served in the United States Navy during the Vietnam War and was an incredible role model to our family and all his grandchildren. He was a father figure to me; he went to every sporting event, no matter how far away, tutored me in middle school, taught me how to use every power tool I could think of, and most importantly, he was someone I could confide in. He always gave me the best advice, whether I wanted it or not. There was one piece of advice that I carry with me to this day. "There will be times in your life when things get hard, it doesn't make you a less of a man to accept a helping hand from someone, but the first place you should always look is the end of your arm," he would always say.

                I hold that saying dear to my heart, but I chose to take it literally by looking to the end of my arm and stepping into the ring. I'm honored and excited to honor my grandfather while raising funds to find a cure so that no one else has to go through the heartbreak of losing a loved one to this terrible disease.

                Thank you again and look forward to seeing you May 11th at the MGM Music Hall!