By Amy Green
Photo © Mike Greenhill/FightWireImages.com
"Faith is confirmed by the heart, confessed by the tongue, and acted upon by the body"
From the age of 9 years old, junior middleweight Anthony Thompson has been a student of the game of boxing. His first forays into boxing gym were following his older brother Tyonn, to Fred Jenkins ABC Gym in Philadelphia. Sixteen years later, "The Messenger" is still watching, learning and winning.
Thompson reflects on his career, which now stands at 23-1.
"I would have to say my career has been a roller coaster. Not that I had any setbacks because to me the greatest dilemma wasn’t actually a set back. It was a learning experience. But when I first started off in boxing I was nine years old. I went into the gym with my brother, for like a whole year, I just watched. Every day I just went to the gym with him and just watched. I used to actually buy junk food and just sit in the gym. And just one day I decided to train and I never looked back since. In the amateurs, I didn’t take things serious that much, until the Olympic time came.
"As the Olympic time came I began to take things serious. I had a little taste of success and realized I had been blessed with this. So in the amateurs, I wished I’d been at the level where I knew and felt in my heart that can’t nobody beat me- that’s the level I’m starting to reach, that I’m at right now. I’m starting to realize that it’s not that I’m gonna say nobody can’t nobody beat me, but it’s gonna be real, real hard to beat me.
"I don’t care what fighter it is- whether it’s Shane, Oscar, anybody out there, I know for a fact talent wise, I have enough talent to give anybody problems. And now that I’m starting to get the mental capacity to go with my talent, that’s a dangerous combination. That’s where I’m at right now, and up to my fight with Robert Frazier. I’m starting to reach the pinnacle of me feeling I’m invincible in a humble way, but not being arrogant and taking anything for granted."
Thompson’s one loss to Grady Brewer, would be his "setback". He is patient in his reply on the subject of Brewer. "Yes," he admits, avenging that loss is an issue he wishes people would let rest. "Grady Brewer, I don’t feel like is something I need at this time. Grady Brewer beat me- he received a blessing. God used that to humble me. To make me learn. Grady Brewer is Grady Brewer. He’s doing this thing. But right now- he does not fall into the puzzle of my economics. People are not demanding me to fight Grady. If there was demand, and the economics, I would supply that fight. But there’s no reason to fight him."
Career demands on a boxer include fighting when and where the fights are, and Thompson’s Hebrew faith conflicted with fight schedules. Thompson’s support during this struggle came from his family rather than promoters anxious to put their prospect in major arenas.
"I was supported by my family, actually," he said. "I don’t know too many managers and promoters that’s gonna tell you not to fight on the Shabbat, which is my holy day, Friday night and up until Saturday night. What promoter’s gonna tell you not to fight, because those are the big times? I have lost a lot of money not fighting, but I have realized I am at a point in my career where I can not be turning down fights. If so I might as well just retire, and I don’t think that God gave me this talent to get this far and then don’t exercise it."
Thompson has exercised his God given talents, and has been victorious in each of his holy day fights since deciding to labor on the holy days. What he carries with him as he continues his winning ways is the seed planted in his mind by his brother Tyonn, when he first began to train. "Tyonn calls it the" ART of boxing, Thompson said, and explained the ART of boxing. "My brother told me that- and I haven’t found a better definition of boxing than that. It’s actually an art. Anybody just can throw a punch. But there’s an art to actually throwing your punches correct, with precision. With Accuracy, Rhythm and Timing. Those three words are exactly what boxing is about." And what makes boxing like an art, once you combine those three elements? Thompson defined it further.
"Because your life is on the line. So any way you can master a form of protection and defend yourself is an art. This is something that has to be mastered. You got to master how to throw a jab. I’ll put the average guy in there from off the street and he’s gonna do the total opposite of things I’m gonna do. Because he has not mastered the accuracy of throwing punches, the rhythm and moving his feet and his body in correlation to one another; and the timing. The timing, and countering and counter, knowing when to move, when not to move too much and put yourself out of position, you have to master it."
Listening to Thompson speak about his trade his demeanor is at odds with his persona in the ring. He is thoughtful, quiet and well spoken. A far cry from the Anthony Thompson who battered and stopped veteran Robert Frazier. Where does he go within himself to bring out the fierce competitor?
"I don’t know- I haven’t the slightest idea, because it’s a totally, totally"….he paused, then continued. "When I’m outside the ring, I’m such a sweetheart- I really, really am. I don’t want no trouble, I don’t want no problems, I don’t want no attention. I don’t always like the attention I may receive at some times. I just want to fight, take care of my family. Make money. I don’t want the unnecessary things that come with fighting." Thompson reflects, considering his faith and the alignment of the stars as forces that combine to bring him his competitive edge. "I think it’s just part of my character, I think I have a mentality for just fighting. Stars aren’t made, they’re born. I think that I was born into my character. I’m a Leo. A lot of my character is explained because of me being a Leo: I could be sometimes the world’s most narcissistic person, I could be arrogant but not in a nasty way, but with a lot of confidence. I could be aggressive. By my being a Leo, being a Hebrew Israelite and from the Tribe of Judah, when you begin to bring those things together, I guess that’s where it comes from."
Add humble to the list. Thompson is reluctant to embellish on his achievements in boxing, and quiet about them outside the ring. Away from fighting, he is an avid chess player, committing hours to the game if possible, and is an accomplished musician, who says he "sings a little and plays the drums." Thompson attended college on an academic scholarship, the college hours completed are in the field of Accounting, and his musical talents lead him to form his own label, Nafesh Records. He admits giving his college scholarship up to pursue his boxing career, but always has an eye on completing his schooling and firmly believes education is a key to success and that advantage will help him to go a long way in the business end of his boxing career.
Thompson said, "Me being a spiritual person, I know a little bit more than the average person. The more knowledge you’ve got is always better for you. I would never limit myself to not be willing to learn, to go to school to find a career to make money. I’ll always be a professional boxer, God willing. He blessed me to make the finances I can make, so that my kid’s kids will never have to work again. "
The blessings God has bestowed upon on Thompson are many. He is blessed to have 5 children, but also suffered the pain of losing two young daughters to the rare Zellweger’s disease, an experience that his faith made possible to bear and understand. "When you deal with God," he explained patiently, " you have an optimistic mind set. It allows you to deal with a lot of things the average mind or person can’t deal with. I look at the situation that happened with my daughters and I realized- we are all born to die. It’s God’s will and I can’t argue with that."
Family is vital to Thompson’s career in the ring and is an integral part of his team. Besides manager Cameron Dunkin and his promotional company Top Rank, Thompson is surrounded by family, who advise him and help him keep his focus and faith intact.
He proudly talks about the family part of his team. "We have my brother Tyonn, who’s like my advisor, he’s always in my ear and he is my eyes and ears in the boxing world; Nasi Yabok, my cousin and Spiritual advisor who is like a pastor or mentor; and my two trainers are like uncles to me- they basically raised me in the boxing game, David Dennis and Derek Ennis."
With so much focus on boxing for the Thompson family, how would Anthony feel if any of his children were to consider the sweet science as a career? His reply was honest. "Always try to make it fun. Keep boxing fun. Because at some point in time it becomes where it is no longer fun. Our lives are on the line. So all the fun goes out and we begin to get life for what it is. We have so much of our lives in boxing that sometimes the reward is not always that great, because of so much energy we put into it. I would have to tell my children, always keep it fun. Always be happy and enjoy what you’re doing. The minute that you stop enjoying boxing, you gotta get out. Because you will get hurt."
Coming up in Fred Jenkins gym, watching the fighters that trained there, seeing how their lives evolved, Thompson realized that besides learning a skill, he also learned the value of being true to the sport and the craft that is his livelihood. "I realized that if you are blessed with talent- and that I was blessed with the talent to fight, I knew that if I would be good to boxing, boxing would be good to me. I dedicated myself to her, and married boxing. ‘Cause I look at boxing as my wife. I’ll be good to boxing, pay my dues, take care of all my training, my roadwork, and things like that, and she’ll take care of me."
Anthony Thompson’s faith has taken him a long way and helped him overcome odds in his career that would halt a lesser person in their tracks. He has challenged his faith and his faith has challenged him, resulting in a man that emerged stronger and wiser from those trials. Now into his second week of training camp to prepare Floyd Mayweather for his May fifth date with Oscar de la Hoya, Anthony is still learning. Learning as he did when he was part of Oscar’s camp to train for Bernard Hopkins. Gone may be the little boy following his brother Tyonn to the gym, only to be replaced today by the man who is now a skilled, devoted athlete who has reached the point in his career where it has all come together. The skill, the mental acuity and the confidence to stand with the best.
Floyd Mayweather recognizes Anthony Thompson’s attributes and has called upon him to help bring out his best against de la Hoya. No matter the winner after the epic battle with Floyd and Oscar is waged, Anthony Thompson will be poised to excel.
