I'm in a bad place I just hit for $19
million but I'm going down fast and hard
Tyson Fury went through something
similar right I had everything I had
money Fame he wanted to talk about some
of these some of the greatest challenges
outside of the Ring showed me all the
drugs all the cocaine it was like
Scarface like a movie I was like champ
you bugging what are you doing you don't
ever put no hands on the Brownsville yet
I don't care where you from Yeti get him
y a lot of Muslims in the world all over
the world there Muslims it didn't work
for me alcohol didn't work for me 10
years clean this
[Music]
month that's right praise be Allah
that's
[Music]
right for
the
people are you ready for
[Music]
the alhamdulillah Alum greetings of
peace now my next guest is a former
heavyweight champion world champion and
has fought some of the best in the world
like George Foreman Klitschko the heavy
championship of the world
Lennox Lewis you name it he's probably
fought him but what we really want to
talk to him about are some of the
biggest and greatest battles outside of
the ring that he has gone up against and
how he overcame them like going into a
deep depression becoming obese even at
one point trying to kill himself with
food and money growing up an orphan and
much much more so we can go ahead and
get to know our next guest champ Shannon
bricks what's up brother let's go champ
how are you doing how are you doing I'm
good champ how about yourself good good
good it's nice to have you here on the
dean show with us thank you for having
me champ I really appreciate that so did
we hit that right for uh world champion
you've fought some of the greatest out
there huh well you got that wrong it's
two time heavyweight champion of the
world yeah okay so M multi heavyweight
champ of the world huh brother yes champ
yeah so tell us some of the some of the
greats that you fought I mentioned lenux
Lewis you got George Foreman uh
Klitschko yes yes I fought those those
those are some of the Champions I fought
as well as uh Fran Botha Sergey
lovic uh just to name a few suan brag
off is one of my t title challenges uh
vital yeah I had a couple fights here
and
there and you and you're still ticking
strong huh yeah I'm still feeling good
you know I'm in great shape I just
turned 50 December 4th uh I have
upcoming match uh with uh Rampage
Jackson look at him y'all he pretty big
too don't get we wait a minute wait a
minute look at his
arms let's go champ former MMA champion
and uh I'm looking forward to that we're
gonna fight three fights possibly uh one
in the Triad ring which is a which is a
new combat um former combat that was
created through triller and uh then
we're going to fight in in the boxing
ring and I'm going knock him out again
and then we gonna fight MMA MMA match in
which um he thinks he's going to choke
me but that's not going to happen Okay
for for the MMA uh and hopefully God
willing in like we say inshah maybe we
could be of benefit that's that's my
specialty that's what I teach uh uh
Gracie bzun Jitsu so maybe we can get
you over at our Academy and we can uh
give you some good techniques to help
defend the choke and maybe apply some
good submission on him turn the tables
yeah I'm I'mma definitely need your help
because uh that's that's the area that
I'm not too good at but I'm sure with
your help you help me get them get get
get them up off me we say inshallah God
willing beautiful yes so tell me now
what we wanted to talk about some of
these some of the greatest challenges
outside of the Ring I mean you've gone
through a lot you know in your struggles
you went through one time a really deep
depression you know obesity that's
something that's an epidemic today in in
in not just America all over the world
but especially here 70 people 70% of
Americans either o overweight or obese
you know uh depression is at all-time
high skyrocketing people just you know
throwing down the uh prescription drugs
and you know thinking that's going to
help but you kind of overcame these
things even at one point really trying
to kill you and your life uh can you
talk to us uh a little bit how you went
down that road and how you got out well
it was you know it was a like I always
say it's not just one thing it was a
multitude of things you know growing up
uh you
know tough childhood like most kids and
then uh you know coming into success
of somewhat and always really struggling
to to get ahead and led to a lot of
different things bad decision making at
some point and then uh unfortunately I
had my BS with food and uh you know
prescription drugs and it led to more
depression unfortunately for me my
daughter was born and she'll be 10
January 15th and congratulations yeah
thank you when she was born I I took a
huge step towards uh recovery which was
uh actually this this this next week I
believe it is or this week will be 10
years clean no alcohol I haven't had a
that be 10 years my da it was a week or
two before my daughter was born um I
told myself that I was done drinking
alcohol and that's when I gave of
alcohol and I I I went on a journey
which was to to health and health and
and wealth to be honest with you because
I've always been on my own since I was
eight years old I've been doing some
form of employment working trying to
survive um take me and my mom single
parent in Brownsville Brooklyn New York
so for me um I've always been working
and struggling to to earn so uh I took a
spiritual journey to wealth and health
which is training hard eating right and
which is my is my health and then also
using that same um drive that I've
always had to build some wealth and I I
created and I trademark the uh the say
Westco champ and that was to to was my
my my um my self motivation my trigger
word for when I was feeling depressed
and you know I wanted to quit or I
wanted to give up I tell myself let's go
champ let's go champ and it became my
Mantra um and I went around the world
and and you know I think so in some ways
it's synonymous when you hear let's go
champ some people think it's sheding
breaks you know so then Tyson Fury went
do something similar right I had
everything I had money Fame Glory good
lucks I had it all everything that a man
would ever want you can have everything
in the world and and feel like uh he
also hit a deep depression and I'm
thinking like how is that when people
you know the whole world opens up to you
you got all this money Fame how do you
end up going down that route well that's
what you know like contribut to it as
well because already got a hole in you
and then you know you get it just be a
hole with money coming through or you
know you kind of pick up things sometime
to to distract you to coach you to make
you feel like okay to numb you in some
ways you're doing things to chase uh a
feeling you know all goes down to
chemicals in your brain dopamine
serotonin and different things and
sometimes you know we start chasing this
dopamine high or serotonin high and it's
hard to B whether it's alcohol drugs
gambling sex whatever it is these things
are kibu in the brain you know that that
that these reactions so I I
myself even food like I was saying uh I
myself had to to fulfill it with
exercise now you think that I mean as a
professional boxer that I've been doing
this all my life basically since I was
16 years old that uh I would have known
that but I did know how important
exercise was to me in my life until I
sto exercising I ballooned up and weight
to you know 400 lbs and I realized that
uh exercise is a crucial part of my life
not just from a physical standpoint but
from a mental standpoint that even now
when I don't exercise I don't feel great
we all know uh exercises releases uh
different chemicals they sell it the uh
the run is high these these things are
um these things are real and these
things are like any addict or anyone
chasing anything a high or feel good um
you know I I it took me to to hit you
know a real low place in my life to
realize that um I needed to fulfill
my so-called like desires whether it was
to go out and spend money you know go
buy a new car buy this buy buy buy buy
buy material stuff all these things were
clouding me and then I started realize
you got to replace that replace that
with something positive you know what I
start I dove head first into eating
right to health like okay what what's
the best food I I dove into anti-aging
because I wanted to know how I could
lose the weight feel good you know look
good feel good that was that's a key
part of it you know look good feel good
so I was I was looking messy I started
changing myself how I love my parents
and I started feeling good and I
realized that that in itself kept me
occupied whether than going out drinking
SP spending money anything sex anything
just it became more fulfilling and it
cost less and it yeah people can't you
have you have uh at one point you said
using you were using money to kill
yourself like yeah yeah that's everybody
but you know you buying money for heroin
or for crack anything you're using the
same money using it but I was just using
it in ways like to so to numb myself
like to feel good so let me go do this
let me buy this let me go this let me go
get a girl let me do and all those
things just have you chasing the tail
listen it didn't work for me alcohol
didn't work for me 10 years clean this
month can you believe it you know what
I'm saying I see 10 years Al Al free I
had started drinking alcohol as a
homeless teenager at the age of 13 14
years old um on and off you know
drinking with the boys drink a beer head
and this and that but um after you know
10 years clean on alcohol I lost the
taste I lost the desire and I didn't
like what it did to me and I look back
and say a lot of my decision making was
based off alcohol especially when it
came to spending money because you know
it was part of that life being being out
spending money drinking and then I go
shopping it's just routine that was it
was a brutal routine but I'm happy I
overcame it I'm I'm happy that I'm able
to tell people that Hey listen you know
um I'm actually helping a friend right
now I'm not gonna say his name but I got
a call from a friend of mine who said
who said ch um I'm in a bad place I just
hit for $19
million and I um but I'm going down fast
and hard because I'm doing drugs and I'm
partying every day for the last three
months is to deal here cuz he
disappeared and I had heard from I was
like what happened you know I mean what
happened to my boy not even thinking
nothing happened just kind curious
because I kept calling I didn't get him
on the phone when I finally got him on
the phone he said champ yesterday he
said champ you haven't heard from me
because the deal went through now I
wasn't part of the deal I'm just you
know I'm just he got n 19 million $19
million 19 million and then now he's
calling you saying I'm going down fast I
called him y you called him and I just
had to ask him a question a business
question and I was lucky to get him on
the phone because I called him quite a
few times over the last three months and
he never answered so I was like man
what's up you know did I do something to
him he answered yesterday he was like CH
you haven't heard for me because I hate
for 19 million and look he showed me his
house he showed me I was like wow
congratulations he was like yeah but
look he showed me all the drugs all the
cocaine it was like scarf face like a
movie I was like champ you bugging what
are you doing he said I know I never had
money I never lived life and now I've
been doing it for two months and I got
the money but I see I'm gonna kill
myself the way I'm at it I said I said
listen to me you need a champ C you need
a champ Camp you know saying yeah you
need a champ cam you need a awaken if
somebody tell you your champ you bugging
out chill out chill CH chill he was like
you're right he was like CH can you come
can you come Mal and and and hang out
with me and get me clean I was like I
don't know CH but I say that to say
this his endorphins is high right now
he's grunting crazy right and the money
it's making him it's making him go crazy
you know I mean he can crash he's 30
years old he could crash and do a lot of
damage
so I say that to say I'm happy
that I was able to talk to him and
through my experiences people can learn
and say yo Champ was right A lot of
people don't have a lot of people don't
have a big brother a father a uncle they
don't have anybody in their life to say
hey man you're doing
wrong and um I I'm lucky to say that I
survive my my my hicup hiccups and I can
tell people hey man you know don't do it
Chad yeah that's why we're trying to get
some gems trying to see from your
experiences so God one people can
benefit uh from some of the things that
you've gotten over uh did you actually
get a chance did you know you do you
know personally Tyson Fury did you guys
ever uh meet in the ring before no we
never
fought after I had came out of my
depression and I was I had lost weight
yeah he he I had seen him ran into him
and I was telling him hey man you could
he was at a bad place at the time yeah I
was like hey man you can do it man if I
did it you can do it he was like no no I
said no man I'm telling you you can do
it and he did it I was in a dark room on
my
own and I was praying to God to help me
and not only did he do he was a big as a
house he did it he did it big he won the
title he put on some of the best fights
in history now you know with wilder and
um you know I'm happy I'm happy that he
was able to he told me he looked at me
he was like like yo you inspired me so
I'm happy for him man I'm happy I was
able to inspire him and I'm still hoping
to inspire as many people as I can how
much uh did uh Muhammad Ali did he play
any role in um in your life or every
role he's Michael Jordan you know he
know Michael
Jordan you never did you ever get a
chance to meet did you ever get a chance
to meet uh Muhammad Ali yeah I met I met
Muhammad Ali when I was um 23 years old
I believe for the first time maybe I was
younger than that no I'm sorry I was 20
when I met Ali for the first time and um
yeah it was in it was in yeah 1992 I
believe and uh yeah he was amazing you
know Beacon of light for all all of us
you know I mean tell me uh at one point
you also met Mike Tyson tell us about
that experience the first time you met
him in a park no I didn't meet him then
but I seen him you saw him yeah when you
saw him yes yeah he was a you know
specimen of a man then as as a young man
my Tyson was a special specimen of a man
and he still is he's one of the greatest
anyway fighters in the history of the
planet of this world of this world and
uh that we know in boxing and you know
it's a pleasure to be you know it's
honor to be from the same neighborhood
that he's from you know I mean yeah I
want to go ahead and uh get your
reaction to uh this video here I want to
I want to see if you if you know know
some of these individuals in the video
that I'm going to play with for you are
you
ready can you recognize anybody in these
videos yeah I don't see too good but I
see I think that's bad
Jack that's a good friend he's a good
friend of yours right yes is that bad
that's Badu yes Badu Jack was my brother
yeah yeah how about who's next to him is
that Mike That's Mike Wow Let's Go Mike
Tyson and then you know uh who's leading
leading them have you ever seen anything
like
this am I seeing like what like like
like yeah men praying yeah I mean this
type of this type of praying have you
ever seen you know what they're doing
Brooklyn New York man I'm born I'm 50
years old I'm Y I'm to you
man okay so that's familiar to you yeah
man of course so oh okay so you you met
some Muslims
before come on man I'm from Brooklyn New
York I was born in Brooklyn New York
Brown yeah yeah I was little I was a
little nervous you'd be nervous on
coming on a Islamic TV show I scar
all what why should I be scared yeah
with all the with all the negative
propaganda that's out there A lot of
times people you know they get a little
bit nervous but uh that's why we do the
program to try to break some of the ice
and educate uh Humanity on the most
misunderstood way of life out there that
actually Muhammad Ali lived uh Malcolm X
and then we got uh Mike Tyson here
praying with Badu Jack so you know Badu
Jack huh and uh you got you got Amir
Abdullah you know him also his
manager so when you mentioned Brooklyn
why there's a lot lot of Muslims there
in uh Brooklyn New York period there's a
lot of Muslims in New York there's a lot
of Muslims in the world all over the
world there's Muslims CH yeah so the
next thing before we conclude I wanted
that's what my next thing I wanted to
see get you have you ever heard this I'm
going to I'm going to let you hear it
and just get your reaction to it and uh
your feedback here what does that sound
like to you have you ever heard that
being in in New York has that ever have
you ever heard never never if you had to
guess I mean you you've listened to a
lot of music probably hip hop who 5050
cents 55 cents all this stuff out what
is that what did that sound like to
you what do you mean like you know you
know you can classify if it's Jazz you
classify Jazz if it's rock you'll
classify Rock hip-hop you know the Beast
of hip-hop what what category does this
fit into when you listening to
it definitely not rock it's not rap it's
a foreign language to me and it's a
foreign music it's it doesn't sound it
sounds like you know someone singing I
don't understand the language but yeah
you know sounds beautiful for what it's
worth I me the voice I'm sure I don't
know what they're singing about sounds
beautiful mashah yeah this yeah this is
uh this is the Quran this was the Quran
yeah okay that's cool beautiful
beautiful so uh so what message can you
give before we conclude um tell us um
for the people out there who are
suffering you know this is a beautiful
thing when you put in your mind when
you're at the depths you know of the
lowest places in your life and I like
this Mantra that you you know you're
putting in your head you know uh let's
go champ you know you can do it just
like when this your friend called you
he's got the money and now he's going
down that's that's crazy he's like hey I
haven't reached you because you know I
hit it he pretty much hit it big but now
you would think he's got all the money
it's GNA bring happiness but it's not
feeling that void you know what I mean
not at all and that's why he asked me to
come help with he said yo Champ I need
your help I need a champ Camp so I'm
that I would say that to say I'm lucky
to be that type of person that someone
will look at me and say yo I just got $9
million and I would love for you to come
help me and get my life together that's
amazing that means that they respect or
see something and like he
said I see what you overcame with a lot
more
money so he was like you know I can use
your help but
um you know I think you know life's a
journey champ we all we all on the
journey we all trying to make it we all
trying to do the right thing hopefully
and uh you know I appreciate you for
having me on your show thank thank you
very much God willing we can uh so
you're in Miami huh yes brother yes CH
all right so hopefully if we ever visit
down there we can we can uh you know and
if you're ever in Chicago oh you're in
Chicago oh man they got got some
delicious food in Chicago that's my
place man yeah we can have you come by
our our our gym our Academy here I would
love to I come train I'm G have to come
train with Y so y' can show me how to
beat Rampage so wait tell me so that's
you said it's a it's a a three part
you're doing one thing with Rampage for
boxing and then the other one is uh what
were the other two Triad Triad is a new
form of combat it's like you fight with
UFC gloves like I mean well MMA gloves
uh but you kind of it's like dirty
boxing you know what I'm saying it's
like fight a triangle ring a triangle
you know the mat is a triangle so wait
you're so but the boxing you're going to
do that's how many how many ounce glove
that's the uh eight 8 ounce right boxing
is gonna be I think 10 oz or something
like that but these are gonna be I think
no these are 8 O
gloves yeah so you're going to do one
with the regular boxing then the other
one with these uh with these other type
of MMA gloves the MMA gloves first Trad
event which would be uh probably in May
and then uh wow so that's is that
anything on the ground or is that just
strictly you know uh strictly stand up
stand wor he gonna be on the ground when
I hit
him
oh and then two of those and then the
third one is is uh on everything MMA is
that is that in the
UFC well it's in the cage not inag I
know yeah okay yeah all right that's
when I'm G choke him that's when I'mma
put that's when I'm gonna get him on the
ground and I'm G choke him so he can't
breathe until he beg me to quit God
bless you let's go champ God bless you
champ all right thank you very much it
was nice it was nice having you on the
program you see that fist you see that
fist look at that champ oh all it take
is one hit one champ one are you still
doing the
Molasses oh how you know about the
Molasses let's go I know let's go you're
still doing the
Molasses what what do you do real quick
uh just I forgot to ask you like in the
morning like what do you like to eat
what what's your new regimen for CU I'm
Li and onions onions Li liver and
onions oh you're doing the liver that's
the most that liver is the most Nutri
nutritiously dense food out there that
many people don't know about that that's
right I'm over there EA I'm eating like
an animal I'm eating beef chicken fish
I'm getting this tip top shape I'm an
animal you gonna see me soon champ when
Rampage see me he G gonna defecate on
himself and no alcohol alhamdulillah no
alcohol 10 years that's right alcohol
alhamdulillah that's right praise be to
Allah that's right
alhamdulillah
this is beautiful alhamdulillah all
right beautiful all very nice man may
God bless you and and um we hope to uh
maybe meet you in person sometime soon
that's right that's right praise the go
praise God let's go to see you let's go
all right brother byee peace all right
peace and that was the uh former World
Heavyweight Champion Shannon Riggs here
on the dean show uh there a couple
lessons that we got to learn you know we
wanted to talk
about what helped him get out you know
of this depression he was into a lot of
the things like you know that people get
into once you got all that money so one
lesson is you can have all the money you
know the story he uh shared with us his
friend got the 19 million and he's
heading downhill and you would think
okay because many people chase money so
now you got money what are you gonna do
with that money so like Shannon was
sharing with us he was just eating
himself to death he was going ahead and
doing the drugs and alcohol and all the
different things that person would think
that would bring them some sort of
happiness but it's just short term it's
short live it's just fulfilling your
desires but the void is still there so
inshallah we can go ahead and um benefit
from that for people who are trying to
you know Chase all the material things
and finding and Ding and you know just
running through life heedless on the
purpose of life to think you know yes
money can be a means for you to go ahead
and do some good in the world but it can
also lead to your destruction and we
need to really think what's the purpose
of life why am I here everything around
us has a purpose the keys in my PO
pocket have a purpose you know this uh
the camera that's filming this has a
purpose you know everything that we can
see in front of us but what about the
human being what's our purpose and
what's the purpose of life you know
pretty soon he'll be in the ring and he
will be facing in Rampage Jackson now
imagine that these two get into this
octagon Trigon whatever this thing is
that they're going to be doing and there
was no ultimate goal at the end there
was
no objective that wouldn't make no sense
now go ahead and equate that to life
what is the purpose of our lives and
many of us are heading towards our
departure date many of already departed
from this life you know where do we go
when we leave so those are the kind of
crucial questions that we should be
asking what's the purpose of life why
are we here and who best to ask than the
one who created us the creator of the
heavens and earth so we leave you with
that and if you like a free copy of what
you heard Shannon listening to which is
the vibr word of God Almighty Allah the
Quran go ahead and visit the Deen
show.com you can get your free copy of
the Quran and if you have any questions
call us 1800 662
4752 And subscribe if you haven't
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support us on our patreon page and we'll
see you next time here every week on The
Dean show thank you to our special guest
former heavyweight champ let's go champ
Shannon for being with us and we'll see
you next time peace be with you assalam
alaykum