NAME: Ryan Martin
AGE: 24
HOMETOWN: Chattanooga
Chattanooga native and lightweight professional boxer Ryan "Blue Chip" Martin is preparing for the most important fight of his life, set for this September in Las Vegas. Recently, we caught up with the one-time Olympic hopeful and former National Amateur Champion about his on-the-rise boxing career and growing up in the Scenic City.
I first got involved [in boxing] by my brother Courtney; he was a former amateur fighter, and he took me to the gym when I was around 7 or 8 years old. I enjoyed the one-on-one combat and all the challenges that came with the preparations.
I didn't watch boxing much as an amateur. Obviously, I would watch the mega fights: the likes of Roy Jones Jr., Floyd Mayweather, Miguel Cotto and Manny Pacquiao.
I was a normal kid, but I grew up in the inner city and was faced with difficulties like most around me. I never really thought much about those times, just how I was going to be successful. I got involved in the [YMCA Community Action Project Boxing Club, or Y-CAP ] program when I was about 10 years old through Andy Smith. He spent a lot of time with me and eventually became a big brother to me.
Y-CAP taught me the valuable lessons you need in life; it helped mold me into the man that I am today. I was given a chance to learn my sport and travel the world. I was fortunate because a lot of the kids I grew up with weren't provided those same opportunities.
For the last year, I've been spending some time training in Big Bear, California. It's about 10,000 feet above sea level. A lot of young contenders and champions come up here. While I'm here in Big Bear, [trainer] Abel Sanchez works with me on old school techniques and lots of conditioning. I never got to hold a full training camp up here yet, being my head coach (Joe Delguyd) hasn't found the time to come. I train with him in Cleveland for half of my camps. He's like a boxing wizard and is very technical. He helps me break down all of my opponents and makes sure we have a good game plan.
I don't worry much about the crowd; I hear only a few voices when I'm in [the ring].
I've had some injuries; I injured my hand when I was about 6-0. I hated it, and didn't understand how important injury prevention was at that time. I wanted to keep using it, but my team stayed on my butt about it. I got dropped for the first time in my tenth fight. It was a flash knock down. I knocked him down right before that and I dropped him three more times before stopping him in the next round. It was eye opening for me. I had nightmares about it for about a month. I learned a lot in the fight: Never let it happen again [laughs]. This is boxing; it's a part of the sport. Things go wrong sometimes, but this is the life I chose to live, the career I want to be successful in.
[I've met] lots of noteworthy people. But Mike Tyson by far was the most memorable. He was considered the most feared man in the world at one time. I got to spend a few times with him. Once in New York after one of my fights, we ate some gelato about 3 a.m. and he shared a story about how life was so glamorous when the promoters would have him on their shows - fancy hotels, limousines and accommodations -but right after he'd get out of the ring all he could think about was how messed up it was to go back to the ghetto. It was like an on and off switch for him. He said it'd have to take a special person to leave that troubled life behind and stay focused on boxing and winning.
I come back home and visit in between fights; I try to stay in contact with old friends, past teachers and stuff. I don't consider myself a role model. I just always try to do the right thing and make the best decisions.
Boxing is very demanding. It takes up a lot of my time. It requires a certain lifestyle. I have to pay close attention to my surroundings, the company I keep and the choices I make.
I'm outgoing, friendly and calm. We all have our days, but mostly I'm pretty laid-back and just want to have some fun.
I want to be in the Hall of Fame, a multi-divisional World Champion and be able to provide a good living for myself.
After I win [a fight scheduled for June 30 on ESPN], my team has plans for me to fight on HBO pay-per-view on September 16, in Las Vegas. That will be the biggest fight of the year as Gennady Glovokin is fighting Canelo Alvarez for the No. 1 "Pound for Pound" spot in boxing. It will be the most significant fight of my career.
Now thanks to my manager (Tim VanNewhouse) we are working with Tom Loeffler.* They have a good working relationship and they both are working very hard to get me the right opportunities I need to become a World Champion.
*Note from Martin's manager: Tom Loeffler is the promoter of Gennady Golovkin [Kazakhstani professional boxer who holds the unified World Boxing Association, World Boxing Council, International Boxing Federation and International Boxing Organization middleweight titles] and works with very few fighters in the sport, mainly World Champions, and Ryan is among them.