AWESOME is a six-time US Amateur Boxing Champion and a four-time Golden Gloves Champion.
Talking to Cam F. Awesome on my program “Sports For All” last Saturday gave me an impression that he’s the kind of guy that just keeps going. That he never looks back.
In 2013, Cam legally changed his name from Lenroy Thompson to Cam F. Awesome after he was suspended because he didn’t send an email to the US Anti-Doping Agency, letting them know of his whereabouts to make himself available for drug testing.
You can say that Cam F Awesome was a fresh start, an awesome start if you will. Cam said Lenroy Thompson was depressed, overweight and bullied. Cam F. Awesome was a new lease on life. Cam F. Awesome was another chance, a chance at redemption to redeem himself.
Cam has been vegan since 2008. He lost a bet on Manny Pacquiao when he fought Timothy Bradley with Bradley winning a controversial decision so Awesome went vegan and lost 86 lbs from 277 to 191. He feels healthy and he feels stronger now.
In a November 2019 article on Yahoo Sports, Awesome’s view on motivational speakers, “My message felt not as authentic,” Awesome said. “I don’t like the term ‘motivational speaker,’ because it’s watered down. But too many people who are doing it haven’t really done anything. What have they accomplished? I looked at it like I had done something in my life, and I walked away. So I felt like I needed to set a goal and try to do something again.”
From the same article, his thoughts on mental toughness and resiliency, “You think you have fast hands and you think you’re quick and you’re strong, but you sign up for a fight and all of a sudden, you have someone in front of you who matches what you have,” Awesome said. “He’s just as fast and just as quick and just as strong. That’s where mental toughness and resiliency comes in. You find out who crumbles under that pressure and who finds a way, and that applies to so many things in life.
“[Floyd] Mayweather, say what you want about him, he finds a way. If we learned anything from his fight with Zab Judah, it’s that one way or another, he’ll find a way to get the job done. Andre Ward is the same way. On paper, maybe he’s not so super impressive, but the greatest trait he has is his ability to find a way to win.”
Speaking of fast hands, Errol Spence, the man Pacquiao will be facing on August 21 was a former roommate of his and he picks Spence because of his high boxing IQ, knockout power in both hands, and his strength.
Awesome’s boxing style different and unique. He will make you miss and hit you to score points since it’s amateur boxing. Opponents will tire running after him for three 3 minute rounds.
The objective of boxing, in my opinion is not to knockout your opponent, it is making him miss and making him pay dearly for the miss.
On the world governing body for boxing removing headgear in amateur boxing fights, Awesome doesn’t seem to care, and I think it’s because his style doesn’t change whether with or without headgear.
After last night’s conversation with Cam, my learning and takeaways was not to hold back, Awesome obviously doesn’t. He’s got his own ways of working, his own ways and methods of how he does things but he’s willing to listen.
“I’m willing to do anything that I don’t want to do, to get things I don’t have,” he said.