Former Olympian Montell Griffin: 5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Became A Professional Athlete
I’m creating youth programs for kids living on the south side of Chicago through my gym, Windy City Boxing Club. I partner with After School Matters and Windy City Youth Foundation support youth in the surrounding communities, teaching them the difference between boxing and fighting with lessons intended to help them develop skills while learning to overcome adversity and become more self-confident.
I’m also dabbling in standup comedy and performing around Chicago.
As a part of our series called “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Became A Professional Athlete” I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Montell Griffin.
Montell Griffin is a former Olympian and world champion who competed professionally in the sport of boxing from 1993–2011 and had a record summary of 51–8, which included 30 defeats by knockout. In his new self-published book, The Ice Life (www.theicelifebook.com), Griffin recount the adventure boxing took him on from chasing dreams to wrong turns and everything in between.
Can you share an interesting story about how you ended up where you are in your career?
From the time I was 3 years old, my father owned a boxing gym on the south side of Chicago. I was there every day and loved learning how to train, box and meet other athletes who were training there with my dad. I considered myself a “gym rat” until 1983 when my dad passed away. My mom preferred I not continue boxing due to the risk of getting hurt, so I stopped and decided to get back to the sport in 1991. After approximately 30 amateur fights I qualified and made the 92’ Olympic team. After that, I turned pro and my adventure in boxing continued until my last fight in August 2011. I bought my father’s boxing gym back, moved it to another area of Chicago and currently train fighters, everyday people and set up programs for youth living in the south side.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you first started? What lesson did you take out of that?
While I can’t really call it a “mistake”, I knew I was overweight when I made my return back to boxing in 1991. So, I decided to fight heavyweight and in my first two fights, I broke my thumb and my nose. That was enough to make me lose some weight so I could get down to a lower weight class because the guys I was fighting were too big and strong for a 5’7 kid!
What are some of the most interesting or exciting new projects you are working on now?
I’m creating youth programs for kids living on the south side of Chicago through my gym, Windy City Boxing Club. I partner with After School Matters and Windy City Youth Foundation support youth in the surrounding communities, teaching them the difference between boxing and fighting with lessons intended to help them develop skills while learning to overcome adversity and become more self-confident.
I’m also dabbling in standup comedy and performing around Chicago.
Who are some of the most interesting people you have interacted with? What was that like? Do you have any stories?
I spent a good amount of time in my childhood with Muhammad Ali. After training at my dad’s gym, he would invite us back to his house in Hyde Park always invite me to ride in his car with him. I would ask my father why I should ride with Ali all the time and not with him, and all he would say is that I would never understand it until I was older. By age 20, I understood and felt extremely blessed to have had Ali in my life.
What would you advise a young person who aspires to follow your footsteps and emulate your career? What advice would you give?
I would be honest and advise a young person that the sport of boxing is a tough one…..it requires hard work, dedication and knowing you are going to get hurt. If they are hesitant on giving 110% to it, I’d suggest they not waste their time.
How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?
I try to serve as an example to kids and other fighters that anybody can make it to the top if you put the work in.
The truth is that none of us can achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person that made a profound difference in your life to whom you are grateful? Can you share a story?
My father is the biggest reason for my success. He introduced me to the sport of boxing and by going to the gym with him every day, I got to be “in it” and absorb it all from training to the people I was meeting. I began to understand the meaning of ‘hard work’ and going after what you want in life. My father provided me with patience, knowledge, understanding and motivation for not just the sport of boxing, but in going through life. He knew that in time, I would look back and it would all make sense, no matter where I ended up in my life.
Can you share your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Why does that resonate with you so much?
“If you don’t put the work in, you won’t’ get results.” I’ve witnessed this first hand….I’ve seen guys blessed with a lot more talent than me but they didn’t put in the work and had a hard time succeeded. For me, working hard is the best part…it’s what separates you from the rest.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why. (Please share a story or example for each)
1. Be Smart with Your Money -There’s no manual that teaches someone who grew up poor then one day has millions, how to be smart with money.
2. Make Sure You Have A Great Team Around -if you have people you trust in your corner, you don’t have to worry about getting taken advantage of
3. Be in the best shape possible -this shows you are always ready for competition and that you take your job seriously.
4. Always be a part of the business decisions — while you have a team to handle many things, you should always be aware of the business decisions happening around you
5. Never take it personal -in boxing, you end up fighting friends and sometimes that can create a lot of pressure.
We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US whome you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them. ☺
Eddie Murphy -he’s a huge inspiration to me with his comedic performances. Boxing and comedy are 2 of my most favorite things to do in life and now that I’ve been dabbling in stand up, it makes me admire him even more. I once met his brother Charlie who told me Eddie was a fan of mine. I would be so honored to meet him.
How can our readers follow you online?
IG -@montellicegriffin
FB -@montell.griffin
This was so informative, thank you so much! We wish you continued success!
About The Interviewer: Growing up in Canada, Edward Sylvan was an unlikely candidate to make a mark on the high-powered film industry based in Hollywood. But as CEO of Sycamore Entertainment Group Inc, (SEGI) Sylvan is among a select group of less than ten Black executives who have founded, own and control a publicly traded company. Now, deeply involved in the movie business, he is providing opportunities for people of color.
In 2020, he was appointed president of the Monaco International Film Festival, and was encouraged to take the festival in a new digital direction.
Raised in Toronto, he attended York University where he studied Economics and Political Science, then went to work in finance on Bay Street, (the city’s equivalent of Wall Street). After years of handling equities trading, film tax credits, options trading and mergers and acquisitions for the film, mining and technology industries, in 2008 he decided to reorient his career fully towards the entertainment business.
With the aim of helping Los Angeles filmmakers of color who were struggling to understand how to raise capital, Sylvan wanted to provide them with ways to finance their creative endeavors.
At Sycamore Entertainment he specializes in print and advertising financing, marketing, acquisition and worldwide distribution of quality feature-length motion pictures, and is concerned with acquiring, producing and promoting films about equality, diversity and other thought provoking subject matter which will also include nonviolent storytelling.
Also in 2020, Sylvan launched SEGI TV, a free OTT streaming network built on the pillars of equality, sustainability and community which is scheduled to reach 100 million U.S household televisions and 200 million mobile devices across Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Samsung Smart TV and others.
As Executive Producer he currently has several projects in production including The Trials of Eroy Brown, a story about the prison system and how it operated in Texas, based on the best-selling book, as well as a documentary called The Making of Roll Bounce, about the 2005 coming of age film which starred rapper Bow Wow and portrays roller skating culture in 1970’s Chicago.
He sits on the Board of Directors of Uplay Canada, (United Public Leadership Academy for Youth), which prepares youth to be citizen leaders and provides opportunities for Canadian high school basketball players to advance to Division 1 schools as well as the NBA.
A former competitive go kart racer with Checkered Flag Racing Ltd, he also enjoys traveling to exotic locales. Sylvan resides in Vancouver and has two adult daughters.
Sylvan has been featured in Forbes, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times and has been seen on Fox Business News, CBS and NBC. Sycamore Entertainment Group Inc is headquartered in Seattle, with offices in Los Angeles and Vancouver.
