José Torres: Light Heavyweight Champ - The Moth

Summary

The Moth Podcast: José Torres – "Light Heavyweight Champ"

Released on November 18, 2014

Introduction

In this poignant episode of The Moth, host Dan Kennedy delves into the inspiring life story of José Torres, a celebrated light heavyweight boxing champion and esteemed author. Recorded live at the Bam Cafe in Brooklyn in 1999, Torres shares his journey from a young boy in Puerto Rico to becoming a world champion, highlighting the profound role fear played in his athletic and personal development.

Early Life and Motivation

José Torres begins by reflecting on his childhood in Puerto Rico during World War II. He recounts his admiration for American soldiers stationed near his home, who he viewed as protectors and heroes:

“When I was growing up in Puerto Rico...my heroes were the American soldiers that were stationed near my house. They always had the best-looking girls...protecting us. We always spoke of them as the greatest people in the world.”
—José Torres [02:40]

Driven by this admiration, Torres aspired to emulate the soldiers' bravery and sought to join the army from a young age.

Joining the Army and Initial Struggles

At 17, Torres forged his mother's signature to volunteer for the Army, despite being underage. Shortly after enlisting, he encountered severe depression, describing his initial military experience as the "worst decision of my life":

“Two weeks after I was in the Army, I realized that had been the worst decision of my life. I disliked the army passionately...I was getting sick. It was depression.”
—José Torres [03:30]

Torres's mental health deteriorated, leading him to seek a remedy to his pervasive unhappiness.

Discovery of Boxing as a Remedy

Encouraged to engage in sports to alleviate his depression, Torres explored various athletic avenues with no success until he turned to boxing:

“...I went to Special Services and I said, I want to become a baseball player...basketball player...track and field...they said boxing. And I was so unhappy by being a soldier that I said, okay, I want to be a boxer.”
—José Torres [04:25]

With minimal formal training, relying instead on his street-fighting experience, Torres quickly found success in the boxing ring, securing multiple knockout victories in his initial fights.

Early Success in Boxing

Torres's natural prowess in boxing led him to win the Antilles Championship for the Armed Forces and subsequently the Caribbean Armed Forces Championship in Panama. His undefeated streak boosted his confidence and status within the military boxing circuit.

The Panama Fight and Confrontation with Fear

Despite his early successes, Torres faced his greatest challenge in Panama. Confronted with an opponent he deeply feared, Torres's anxiety manifested physically:

“When I got to Panama...I saw my opponent and I began to shake. I was shaking and shaking. Eventually, I learned that there was fear out of control. I was shaking and I said, I cannot beat this guy.”
—José Torres [07:15]

His trainer, Cus D'Amato, initially reacted with anger to Torres's admissions but ultimately supported him in overcoming his paralyzing fear.

Overcoming Fear and Winning the Fight

On fight night, Torres's fear was palpable. Despite this, he chose to proceed, telling his trainer:

“Listen, don't be concerned. I'm going to do my best and I'm going to lose doing my best.”
—José Torres [09:00]

During the match, Torres experienced intense physical sensations but managed to harness his fear, enabling him to anticipate his opponent's moves. His performance led to a triumphant victory, defying his initial doubts:

“In the end of the third round, I had won the fight. Pure skills, none. It was all physical.”
—José Torres [10:30]

Mentorship with Cus D'Amato

Post-fight, Torres deepened his understanding of fear under the mentorship of Cus D'Amato. He uncovered personal biases that contributed to his fear, particularly towards a former hero, Billy Priest. This revelation was pivotal in reshaping his perception of equality and fear:

“Cus told me that fear was something you must have if you wanted to be a champion...use fear to help you.”
—José Torres [11:45]

Despite discovering D'Amato's own fear of flying, Torres appreciated the wisdom imparted on managing fear as a strategic advantage in boxing.

Legacy and Reflections on Fear

Torres encapsulates the essence of fear's role in his championship journey:

“You must have fear in order for you to understand when the guy is going to throw a punch...that is triggered by fear.”
—José Torres [12:30]

This perspective underscores fear not as a hindrance but as a crucial component in anticipating and reacting effectively in high-stakes situations.

Conclusion

José Torres's narrative is a testament to resilience, self-discovery, and the transformative power of confronting one's fears. From a troubled army recruit to a revered world champion, Torres's story serves as an inspiring lesson on harnessing fear to achieve greatness. His reflections offer valuable insights into the psychological aspects of competition and personal growth, making this episode a compelling listen for anyone seeking motivation and understanding of overcoming inner demons.

Legacy

José Torres remained a significant figure in boxing and literature, authoring acclaimed biographies of legends like Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson. His legacy continues to inspire, illustrating the profound impact of mental fortitude and emotional intelligence in achieving success.

“You must have fear in order for you to understand when the guy is going to throw a punch...that would be one of the best qualities of a champion.”
—José Torres [12:30]

Note: José Torres passed away in 2009, leaving behind a rich legacy both inside and outside the ring.

Transcript

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Dan Kennedy (2:02)

Welcome to the Moth Podcast. I'm Dan Kennedy. This week on the podcast we're going deep into the Moth archives, all the way back to 1999. The audio from back then is a little rough because of course Paul Ruest from Argo Studios here hadn't come on board yet and now things sound amazing, but back then, just starting out, it was a little different. I think it gives you a good idea though, of what it was like to be at a Moth show in the early days. And this story is from boxer and author Jose Torres. Here's Jose live from the Bam Cafe in Brooklyn in 1999.

Jose Torres (2:40)

When he called this thing a tie, reminded me of Holyfield and Lewis. I was looking for Don Keenan on here, looking for the fix. I Want to talk to you about something very serious in boxing, and that is that when I was growing up in Puerto Rico was during the World War II. And my heroes were the American soldiers that were stationed near my house. They had the best looking girls, they were always in the street, they were protecting us. And we always spoke of them as the greatest people in the world. The American soldier. Thank you. Is that a Puerto Rican there? So I remember that all I wanted to do when I was growing up was to become a soldier. And at 17, I forged some signature and said that my mother was sick and that she signed, but that I was 18. But I was only 17 and I was. I went as a volunteer into the Army. Two weeks after I was in the Army, I realized that had been the worst decision of my life. I disliked the army passionately. And I began to shake. And I was getting sick. It was depression. And then someone told me that if I joined sports, I would feel fine and very happy. And I went to Special Services and I said, I want to become a baseball player. Because I played baseball in high school. And they said, the season is over. I said, well, then I want to become a basketball player. And they said, the season is over. I said, okay, track and field, 400 meters. The season is over. I said, which season is on? They said, boxing. And I was so unhappy by being a soldier that I said, okay, I want to be a boxer. And a few weeks later I started to learn how to box. And the only thing I had done while I was in Ponce, my hometown, was to street fight. So I applied the same kind of method in which I just was a natural good puncher. So in my first fight, I knocked the guy out. Second fight, I knocked the guy out. Third fight, I knocked the guy out. And I became very happy in the Army. So now we're going to fight for the Antilles Championship, the Armed Forces. And I had two fights and I knocked both guys out. Then we flew to Panama to fight for the Caribbean Armed Forces Championship. I was a worthy weight, 147 pounds. And I went there and I won. When I got to Panama, for the first time in my life, I saw my opponent and I began to shake. I was shaking and shaking. And eventually I learned that there was fear out of control. I was shaking and I went to my trainer and I said, I cannot beat this guy. I'm sorry, I don't know why, but I cannot beat this guy. My trainer got very angry and he began to use curses. And he cursed me. And he thought that I was the best fighter pound for pound in the world, that I should not be talking that way. And I said, I'm sorry, this guy, I can't beat him. Look at my hands. And I was shaking all over the place. The fight night came very soon, sooner than I expected. I was supposed to be there for three days. And I thought that the fight came the following day. I was so scared. And then I was walking into the ring and I turned to my trainer and I said to him, listen, don't be concerned. I'm going to do my best and I'm going to lose doing my best. He says, you know something? That's what I want to hear. Just do your best. I went in there and I was still shaking. And the first punch the other guy threw was a right hand that hit me right on the bottom. And I felt like 10 million ants enter my whole body. I was like in the air. It was very peculiar kind of feeling because it was like a nice feeling, but it was also semi unconscious or semi conscious, one or the other. And I got very scared, even though it was like a complacent kind of thing, but I was very scared. And then I hit the guy with a shot. And then he refused to take advantage of my condition. And the bird ran. And when I came to the corner, my trainer says, you know, you lost this round, but you won the last 10 seconds of the round so you have the momentum, so you have to continue that in the second round. Second round, I continued to fight and I began to lose the fear. And at the end of the third round, I had won the fight. Pure skills, none. I mean, it was nothing mental, it was all physical. And I came out of that fight thinking, and this guy was in awe of me, my trainer thinking that even though my mind was telling me that I was going to lose the fight, I still won the fight. And he, you know, he was talking about mind over matter. It was the opposite. It was matter over mind. In other words, I was so good physically that I did not have to use my mind to win this fight. And of course, eventually I came to New York. There's this man that Mr. Plimpton knew very well. His name was Cos d'amaro. And I explained to KOS what had happened to me. He put me back in the amateurs. I won the New York Golden Gloves, by the way, in the army. After that fight, I went into the army and I won the second army championship, the all army championship, the all Service championship. Then I went to the Olympic games and I won the silver medal in the Olympics, losing by one point the gold medal to a Hungarian by the name of Laszlo Pap, who had won the 48 Olympic gold medal, the 52 Olympic gold medal, and then 56. He beat him at one point. It was very controversial, but I thought I lost, even though I lost by one point. In any event, after all that, I came to New York and I met Costa Amado. Amaro began to explain to me all those experiences that I had in the army. And he discovered, I mean, the reason why I was so scared in Panama. He asked me, whom did I fight on my first fight. And I said to him, oh, it was a guy from Puerto Rico. And who did you beat in the second fight? And I said, oh, there was a guy from St. Thomas. And who did I beat in the third fight? I said, another guy from St. Thomas. And then my first four fights, I beat Puerto Ricans or blacks from St. Thomas. And when I went to Panama, I faced the first hero of my youth, the white American soldier. And the reason why I was so scared was because I thought that they were superior to me and Coste Amaro. And I began to understand about fear much better than I ever did. And then in that fight, his name was Billy Priest. In that fight with Billy Priest, we became friends. Later in that fight with Billy Priest from Boston, a blond guy, very good looking guy, strong. I discovered the equality of their colors and race and ethnicity. And it was a great thing, except that when Cus began to teach me about fear, I discovered once that Cus D'Amato was afraid of flying. And I began to question him. I said, wait a minute. How can you teach me about fear if you are so afraid to fly? You never flew in your entire life? And I said, you know, when your number comes up, your number comes up. And he says, you know, you have to be smarter than that, Jose. I don't mind when my number comes up, but I would mind when the pilot number comes up and I am in the plane. So he really, he persuaded me that he was right. It was okay for him to have fear and to have understanding about fear. Then I learned, of course, as a professional fighter, that fear was something that you must have if you wanted to be a champion. Because fighting and having that fear, but not allowing the fear to get the best of you, but to use fear to help you, that would be. That is one of the best quality qualities of champion. You must have fear in order for you to understand when the guy is going to throw a punch. Before he throws a punch, when you are able to anticipate what the other guy is going to do before he does it. That is all triggered by fear. So I established myself through experience taught by Costa Amaro, who was afraid to fly. I learned with him that one of the best friends that a champion had was fear. Thank you.