Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Welcome to Underdog to unstoppable. I'm Nicole Anderson and today we're proving that no matter the odds, resilience rewrites the story. You're watching now media television.
[00:00:11] Speaker B: Today we're joined by Franchon Cruz Dejern, a world champion professional boxer, entrepreneur and trailblazer who broke barriers in sports and business. Franche's journey is one of discipline, reinvention and fearless self promotion belief. From overcoming early obstacles to becoming a champion inside and outside the ring. Her story embodies what is truly means to go from underdog to unstoppable.
Francheon, I am so excited for you to be here.
Tell us a little bit about what your titles are.
[00:00:44] Speaker C: Well, I am the heavy hitting diva. Hotter than the fever turned them all into believers.
I'm the first undisputed super middleweight champion, history team two time unified champion, 12 year team USA alumni, first US woman to qualify and represent the United States in the Pan American games.
And that's just my boxing accolades. I have a lot going on, but yeah, that's just boxing.
[00:01:09] Speaker B: So you're an amazing human. That's what we got here pretty much. Okay, so fully an underdog story and I'm really excited for you to be here so that we can teach people and let them know like you don't have to stay in that underdog, like you can truly be unstoppable. So tell us, take us back to the beginning of your story and where you started.
[00:01:33] Speaker C: Well, you know, for me I've always been different, like flamboyant, just a person that danced to the beat of my own drum. And I'm originally from Virginia Beach, Norfolk area and I transplanted to Baltimore, Maryland and that's where like I found who I was. You know, moving to a different city, especially Baltimore, is nothing nice.
Sometimes you have a, you can have problems adapting and being different. People tried to bully me, they tried. And so we clear tried and it's just, it just, you know, sometimes it became a little difficult. But I found myself through music. That was one of my outlets, of course, sports. So I played softball, I've done a little volleyball, a little basketball. I was too physical for basketball, but no doubt. Yeah, yeah, I was too. I should have played football, but yeah, when I moved to Baltimore, I was pursuing my singing career. That's something I always wanted to do. Write songs, sing music. And my mentor at the time told me that I could lose £5 in one day. No, actually he told me I needed to lose weight to fit into the standard because back then it was Britney Spears and Destiny Shout and all that good stuff. And. And I was in a studio, and I had two guys who told me, you could lose five pounds in one day with boxing. And I'm like, what you talking about, Willis?
And, you know, I could fight. Like, fighting is natural to me. I have all brothers. I used to fight and get kicked out of school. And so I was like, okay, take me to the gym. And this is the inner city of Baltimore. And they took me to the gym, and I'll never forget the smell, the sound of the bell, people hitting the bags and walking up to the coach, and he's like, oh, you can box. Let me see what you got. So the first day I went, they threw me in a ring, and I sparred this guy named James Barry, and he's, like, huge at the time, and they nicknamed us Ike and Tina Turner. By the end, like, he got with me, I had a busted lip, but I was fighting back. And from that point on, like, boxing chose me. I know a lot of people say, you know, you choose boxing, but I truly believe boxing chose me because I never had any inclination to box. Fighting, yes, but boxing, no. And at that time, it wasn't really any role models for me as I learned more about the sport. Now I realized, like, you had your Chrissy Martins, your Laylas, your Angel Lucias doing their thing in the pros, but for me, in the amateur system through USA Boxing, it really wasn't anybody to look up to or know about because women's boxing hadn't, like, grown that much.
So just divine order. Me picking up a glove, me stepping into the ring just took me on this wild journey to where I am now.
[00:04:18] Speaker B: And so when you first went into the ring, did you have any doubts? Did you have any, like, okay, yeah, I'm good at this. And I don't know if this is something I'm going to pursue.
[00:04:26] Speaker C: The first time I knew that, the same as Hallie I have now. Somebody hits me, I'm hitting them back. So that's. I'm a fighter. I'm a fighter. So I didn't know. I knew that anything I choose to do, I would be good at because I'm gifted academically and just my, you know, the creature I am. So I don't like to give up.
[00:04:49] Speaker B: So what happened after that day in the ring?
[00:04:52] Speaker C: I never left. I came back and kept going and kept going, and by my fourth fight, I was fighting in the US Opens and won my first national title.
[00:05:01] Speaker B: That's incredible.
[00:05:02] Speaker C: Random side mission so.
[00:05:07] Speaker B: Did you have naysayers in the beginning? People that were trying to tell you like, nah, don't do this. This isn't something you should be doing. You should be doing this.
[00:05:16] Speaker C: Well, because I am multifaceted, I was doing a whole lot. I had a record day of 14, so I was still in the studio making music. But I think my mom was one of the most. Cause it was just her and I that moved to Baltimore. The rest of my family was still in Virginia, but she was more. So how are you going to fight? Don't mess your face up. And I was like, ma, I'm going to beat them up more than they beat me up. And you know, when you just have those moments in time, it's just right. And I think the guys in the gym, because they had like, I had the coach's daughter, Leah Butler, shout out to her. She was like one of the first women I seen boxed.
So I had kind of had that. But when they saw how strong I was. Cause I'm unbelievably strong. I guess that's what I've been told.
[00:06:01] Speaker B: I've heard you slam a ball, so I heard.
[00:06:05] Speaker C: But, you know, I was strong for a girl. I was tough. So I think I gained the respect from the guys, even though, like, it had to change their mind. This is a male dominating sport. And you're a girl. You're supposed to be cooking cookies and.
And I can do that too. But you shouldn't be in a gym fighting. So it was just a turn and, you know, just the start of a moment, I believe.
[00:06:28] Speaker B: And so during that. That portion of your journey, what decision did you make to say, you know what, I'm going to take this all the way. I'm going to go as far as I can with this for however long.
[00:06:40] Speaker C: I didn't have a choice.
Moving to Baltimore especially, you know, with just your mom and my mom is.
That's my inspiration for everything. Sarah Cruz. And she.
The way my fierceness in the ring is how she was in life. She worked three jobs at one point to take care of me, but she was so graceful. You would never, like. She never looked like what she'd been through. And at one point, we lived in an attic, but it felt like a mansion to me because of her love and just how she created structure around me. So, you know, when I do what I do, that's what people see. Some people don't. They may think because I'm not out here huffing and puffing, cussing, doing all these things, That I don't work hard or I don't take my sports serious. But boxing became life for me.
And my mother transitioned in 2016, and all I had was boxing. Boxing gave me my husband. Boxing took me around the world. So the first time I won my national title, it was in Colorado Springs. I've never been to Colorado. Then once you win, you get to travel and represent the United States around the world. I went to Russia, and I'm like, oh, I like this. Like, what? And me, different world. Yeah. I'm like, I'm gonna go for. I teach my. Any country I would visit, I would teach myself some of their language. So I have friends around the world. So you take a girl that transplanted from one state to another, kind of isolated, very different, and you communicated through boxing. And now I have friends around the world, and I still have friends to this day.
[00:08:12] Speaker B: That's pretty amazing.
[00:08:13] Speaker C: Yeah. Yeah.
[00:08:14] Speaker B: And I bet your mom, like, she was so proud, like, especially when you won your first. But I'm sure she was scared right at the first. She was like, what are you doing?
[00:08:23] Speaker C: So I really believe in divine order. And I trained and trained, and my mother, she used to catch the light, roll home after work at night. And one time she came home and someone robbed her in front of our house. They pulled her down. She experienced internal bleeding. She was in the hospital for three months. So basically, like, the day she went home, two weeks later, I went to my first nationals, and I won. So from that moment, she fought to live, I fought to win. She fought chronic kidney disease. I fought to just continue being great. And. And that's just, like, the motivation behind everything I do. And to this day, it pushes me.
[00:09:06] Speaker B: It's great. I lost my mom in 2019.
[00:09:11] Speaker C: Okay.
[00:09:11] Speaker B: Now. Yeah. So. And she was. Same way. Like, whatever she fought, I fought. I fought this way. Like, I'm gonna. I'm gonna do this. I'm gonna do this better. I'm gonna do this because of her. Because of her, you know? And I think I read something the other day that was like, it's sad that the person who you want to share this stuff with the most isn't here, but at least you get to live in their legacy.
[00:09:34] Speaker C: Yeah, she. She only seen me fight three times because she abhorred violence. She did. Like, I don't like fighting and stuff.
But when I embarked on my professional career, November 19th, I think, 2016, I did go home and I showed her. Cause she had. She had debilitating chronic kidney disease. It just progressed. It digressed it did all of that, but I went pro. She got to see me fight in Las Vegas, the big leagues. And then two weeks later, she transitioned. But her seeing that and just seeing how happy boxing made me, how much I would travel around the world. And honestly, she was more famous than me because she fought to live, I fought to win, and everybody knew who my mom was.
That's awesome. Yeah.
[00:10:19] Speaker B: I'm happy that she got to share some of that with you. Right.
[00:10:23] Speaker C: She got more. It's coming. She ain't here physically, but she here spiritually.
[00:10:27] Speaker B: We'll talk about the more a little bit later.
[00:10:29] Speaker C: Okay.
[00:10:30] Speaker B: So when we come back, we'll talk about the mindset it takes to keep going and to be a champion.
[00:10:36] Speaker A: Stay tuned. We'll be right back with more Unstoppable stories and strategies for turning obstacles into opportunities.
And we're back. I'm Nicole Anderson, and you're watching Underdog to Unstoppable on NOW Media television. Let's keep pushing past limits together.
[00:10:54] Speaker B: I'm Nicole Anderson. Welcome back to Underdog to Unstoppable. I'm here with world champion boxer Franchon Cruz Dejerne. Thanks for joining us today.
So, in our first segment, we talked a little bit about your backstory and how you got into boxing.
So let's talk now about the middle part of from now until what's in the future.
What was your mindset and where did you go in, like, in your career there in that time frame?
[00:11:24] Speaker C: So, you know, once I embarked on boxing and got a taste of this new world of traveling internationally and seeing these other people that box and even though they don't speak English, we spoke the same language for fighting.
It just kept me motivated because, you know, I love Baltimore. It really bought the grit out of me, but it wasn't somewhere I wanted to stay because you see a lot of things, and people say, oh, I can be a product. Like, I'm a product of my environment.
And I think that is so true for me and other people's examples.
It can be negative. You know what I mean? Like, say it's a lot of drug use, this, that, and the third, violence.
Some people say I became that because of what I was around. But in my life, I saw that and I said, that's not what I wanted to be. And through boxing, it took me out of town and just gave me a different community.
Boxing is a world of its own. I would say it's like a fraternity because. Because even, like, when people die, stay overseas and die in a ring, we all Feel it, you know? So I like how I felt with boxing, but as I grew in the sport, I started making history. I start, you know, feeling myself, finding myself. And I actually found my passion for making clothing. And clothing. I realize now I've always had that passion. Cause I used to cut up socks for my Barbie dolls. Or every time I get a piece of clothing, I would, like, try to customize it, but I didn't know what I was doing. But in boxing, I'm like, man, I know I want to be a singer, but now I got to punch people.
But I'm still a diva. And so how do you mix those words? Yeah, yeah. I'm just like, I'm broke with expensive taste, so.
And I always stand out. You see Fresh Prince of Bel Air, you know, how will always turn his jacket on the inside, inside out so you can see the pattern. And so being on Team usa, we all wore the same. But I say, I'm not like you guys. So I would cut up my uniforms, and then people like, oh, that looks nice. So that's how I found my. My lane for my clothing brand, Frondes.
But, you know, it's been some hard times on this journey from then to now. And it was times where I was like, I don't even know if I want to continue doing this. Because it wasn't a lot of support for women in boxing. It wasn't money for us.
So I had the opportunity to fight for women, to get paid in the amateur ranks and Team USA to start getting payment, just like the guys were getting.
We had. When I fought into my world, my first, well, my second world World tournament, and I had some of the other big names in boxing, like Michaela Mayer, we had Clarissa Shields, Marlen Esparz, Tierra Brown. Like, the team was lit. And I think to this day, it was one of the most.
Most medals we've ever gotten from a women's team. USA boxing team.
[00:14:32] Speaker B: That's incredible.
[00:14:33] Speaker C: Yeah, but it's not incredible when you go home and your pockets are empty, right? That is true. You feel what I'm saying? So that was me just being a fighter outside the ring. And I went head to head with USA Boxing, and I'm like, look, we bringing medals home to you guys. We making you look good. But we don't have food, we don't have money. We can't pay our bills. So, you know, I felt good. Like, hey, I'm getting into the sport. I really didn't have a plan, but I'm making a difference.
So that also became a passion for me as well.
[00:15:01] Speaker B: So making a difference. So we're going to talk. We're going to talk a lot about that because I know personally some of the things that you've done to make a difference, and I definitely want to share that with other individuals. But let's talk about how the sport of boxing has helped you become an entrepreneur.
I think that that's a. That's a big transition because there are people who are. Who are athletes who don't make that transition very well, and they make so much money during their careers, and then you hear about them years later where they don't have any money because they didn't know.
So talk to me a little bit about that transition and how boxing actually helped in the transition.
[00:15:48] Speaker C: So at first, my. My clothing brand was called the HH that's Earned, which is a play on my married name. Shout out to my husband, Glenn Desert junior. He was also my first guinea pig.
[00:16:00] Speaker B: Wearing all your clothes.
[00:16:01] Speaker C: Yeah, yeah, yeah. So he's. He's also an amazing pro boxer as well.
And, you know, hustle, hustle. You gotta hustle in this game. And I didn't get a lot of support, so when I had to go to these tournaments, I would have to raise money on my own.
I would be at the Inner harbor shadowboxing with a bucket, just like, hey, I'm trying to go to win national titles. And at this time, I already won national titles. So it made me hustle harder.
I hate saying, as we move forward in boxing, my husband actually went pro before me, and I took the same mindset, hey, I'm broke with expensive taste. And I made his uniform from a T shirt and some old trunks he had. And when he went, his performance made the shorts even better. People like, who. Who did that for you? Who did that? And he'd be like, you know, fresh on at the time, but I'm big mama now.
So that was just.
That was the start of that. I've had the opportunity to dress Raquel Miller, so she's another boxer.
And when my mom transitioned, she sent flowers, and I'm like, oh, that was so nice of you to do. So. So let me pay you back. So she was going pro, and I made her boxing uniform, and she's all the way on the West Coast. People love that.
So she came back to work with me, and then I started working with Tiara Brown. She's a police officer, so I made her police theme boxing uniform. People loved that she came back. So it just grew from there. And mind you, I'm self taught. I only learned to sew from buying a $25 sewing machine from Craigslist. And a lot of imagination, a lot of mess ups. So.
And then it grew, grew, grew. And as I started coming out, people knew like, hey, she's going to dress up. What is she going to have when people start looking? And you know, my business actually grew from word of mouth and that supplemented me through some hard times because it was a time where I lost my boxing contract, I lost my job.
All I had was hustle and fondness and I was able to make it happen. But that's why I believe my life is divinely ordered. Because faith without works is going to be dead. And I work super hard.
[00:18:15] Speaker B: Right. And I think that there's a level of discipline that people, that some people just don't have. And I think that, you know, discipline, especially as an athlete is, is probably the one of the single most important things. Because I mean, I've watched it. I've watched and seen Firsthan, if you do not get up every day and do something towards your craft, it doesn't stay like you're losing it. And then as an entrepreneur myself, knowing that every day that I don't have discipline, I'm losing money, I'm losing the potential for clients, I'm losing the potential to do something great or to make a difference. So I think just watching and listening to your story and understanding that it wasn't something that was gifted.
[00:19:05] Speaker C: Not at all.
[00:19:06] Speaker B: It was solely grit, discipline.
[00:19:10] Speaker C: Cultivated.
[00:19:10] Speaker B: Cultivated and hard work.
[00:19:12] Speaker C: Yes.
[00:19:13] Speaker B: I have to make a funny story about sewing machine.
[00:19:17] Speaker C: Oh, Lord.
[00:19:19] Speaker B: So my mom tried her best to teach me how to sew with a sewing machine and I broke her bobbin.
[00:19:27] Speaker C: Oh, wow.
[00:19:27] Speaker B: She was like, I've never heard of that before. Like, how do you break a bobbin on a sewing machine? I did that.
[00:19:35] Speaker C: So like, oh, I'm good for it too.
[00:19:37] Speaker B: I was like, I'm done. I was like, not my job, not doing it anymore.
[00:19:41] Speaker C: Yeah, but you know what, you live and you learn. And it's so much like everything I do from boxing, sewing, I make music. Everything is life for me. And I feel like because my first goal was to be a world renowned singer, the world is my stage. Any arena, anything I step out to do, I'm going to perform.
I took my love for boxing, started making boxing uniforms. Then I took my love for making clothing to New York Fashion Week.
So I've had the opportunity to showcase three times in New York Fashion Week.
I did my first big show was a Secret Place fashion experience.
I have a top 10 dance song in the UK so it's called Secret Place. You guys go stream and check that out.
[00:20:31] Speaker B: We're going to check that out.
[00:20:33] Speaker C: And I took that and I made a boxing collection. Well, I made a fashion collection and took it to New York. The models walked to my song. I had a few boxing inspired pieces and I'm like, hey, this is my lane. Like, who does it like this? Who can mix boxing, music, fashion and just make it so cohesive? So I'm still discovering myself. But the foundation, like you said, is consistency, hard work, discipline, creativity, and having thick skin because I felt so. I've heard so many nos, but all those no's are helping to create my yes.
[00:21:14] Speaker B: And I'm sure being so strong, such a strong woman in a male dominated sport, you've heard a lot of negativity in itself just from that and you've had to grow from that as well and not react. I think that's.
[00:21:32] Speaker C: Well, you know, it's, I feel like, I feel like I fought more for other girls cause I have all brothers so I'm used to it. But I love to empower women to fight for what you believe in and stand on business every time, every time. Cause a guy can talk crap about me. Step in the ring, you gonna respect me. You might hit me back, but you're going to respect me so.
[00:21:54] Speaker B: Well, we have so much more to come from Franchean and so stay with us. This is Nicole Anderson with Underdog to Unstoppable.
[00:22:03] Speaker A: Stay tuned. We'll be right back with more unstoppable stories and strategies for turning obstacles into opportunities.
[00:22:12] Speaker B: And we're back.
[00:22:13] Speaker A: I'm Nicole Anderson and you're watching Underdog to Unstoppable on NOW Media Television. Let's keep pushing past limits together.
[00:22:21] Speaker B: Welcome back to Underdog to Unstoppable. I'm Nicole Anderson, your host and we are so happy to be here with Frenchon Cruz Dejern. And we're going to continue our conversation on success and reinvention and being the underdog and becoming unstoppable.
Franchon.
So we've been talking a lot about your journey and your history.
Talk about setbacks.
[00:22:48] Speaker C: Do we have enough time? Like what?
[00:22:51] Speaker B: Let's, let's talk about that. Let's talk about, and especially to our audience, being an entrepreneur, in your case, being an athlete as well, the setbacks are inevitable. Right? Like they're going to happen. And so let's talk about some of the things that Set you back and how you recovered from them.
[00:23:10] Speaker C: Well, I feel like one of the most. The first major setback that I've experienced is my pursuit for Olympics.
When I started boxing, there was no female boxing in the Olympics.
But due to performances like dominant performances like myself and you had the Katie Taylors, you had the Mary Spencers, all these phenomenal women from around the world. We. And then you had the. Not only the fighters, you had the advocates outside, like the Christy Halberts and. And just great people fighting for us to have opportunity.
It finally got accepted. So I'm like, okay, yeah, I'm going to the Olympics.
But it was only three weight classes, right?
So they had one of my weight class, 165. I'm like, yeah, I'm going to the Olympics.
And then here came Clarissa Shields and I didn't get to go to the Olympics, right? So that was what. That was 2012. And that was so heartbreaking because it, you know, very talented fighter, but you got to see a lot of the ugliness in people and you'll see people who you thought had your back and that really believed in you and wanted to win turn on you. Like, that was one of the most. The. My first Olympic trials was one of the most horrible experiences I've ever had. And I would. You would think it would be positive. Win, lose a draw. Like, I just fought to compete. It was horrible, traumatic.
So I had to basically go back to the drawing board.
And at the time, one of my closest training partners and friends who supported me when I went overseas to compete and he, he helped me with my mom house, sat fed my cat and just was a good person and pushed me in the gym was this guy named Glenn Dzern Jr.
And at the time, like, this is just my friend and you know, I had a boyfriend at the time, but this man changed my life.
And as I was able to pick myself up and reinvent myself, he already, he always said, be who you are. You want to get it, but you're going to get it through the back door. And I'll never forget him saying that to me at that first Olympic trials. So going through that, you go from being on the top of the world and boxing is so unforgiving because you can be dominated for years and have one bad night and you're trash.
So after that, people basically threw me away, but I said, okay. I went and moved up away class and still dominated. Basically the juices there, the gifts are there. I can fight. I could fight skinny. I could fight big. I can fight. But you have to. When you focus in on a goal, you have to keep finding the best version of yourself to get that mission accomplished.
So 2014 came around.
I got to fight Harissa again. This time, arguably I won. But you could do what you can do. I'm not on the outside of the ring. I'm not the judge. I'm just doing what I do. But in my mind and my heart said, I'm still a winner. So 2016 Olympic trials came around. I came back. I bought USA Boxing. To Baltimore, Maryland, which has never been done.
One boxer of the tournament went back out to Tennessee to fight in the Olympic trials. Fought my heart out so hard that the coach that was working with me, he was like, why is she fighting so hard? Because I have a dream.
Martin Luther King, shout out, I have a vision. And when you have a vision, when, if you ever heard someone say, it's a vision in your heart, nobody else can see it, but that was in my heart.
I went out there and gave it my all. And it makes me want to cry because that was taken from me. It was taken from me so bad that even my biggest rival at the time, Clarissa Shields, said, they robbed you. I'm going to win it for you. So that's why I always had respect for her. But it's like, okay, that happened. That's 2016.
Sitting at home, like, all right, went to the world championships, won another world medal. I'm a two time world medalist at light heavyweight, which is considered heavyweight in the pros.
So after I did that, I'm like, what am I gonna do? And I get a phone call and September, end of September, like, hey, Clarissa's going pro. She needs an opponent. Thirteen girls have turned her down. Would you be interested? Las Vegas undercard of Andre Ward Kovalev. And at this time, I still believe in myself. I still have a vision, but I'm broken down. Like, I'm like 190 on the couch and the fight's two and a half weeks later. So I'm like, I looked at my husband and now he's my husband. Glenn's my husband now. And I'm like, babe, you think we can do this? He's like, if you want to, sure. I believe in you. The coach at the time, he's like, I don't want you to do it. I was like, do you think I can win? He was like, you got to work hard. So, two and a half week, smash weight, Las Vegas. I went out there and did what I can do. And I already knew if I didn't knock that person out that I was not going to get the win. Cool. But I felt good because I'm like, you know what the world got to see. I was cool too.
It wasn't a full arena, but I walked out to my own original song. I wore an original outfit I created and I just prepped myself like this is it, this is my Olympics. I'm going to be here, you're going to see all my talent.
And took my first L and A pro how you start the professionals losing. So I'm like, man, what am I going to do? And that's where that hustle entrepreneurship. Because I had negotiated a side deal basically. I know I'm not an opponent, but if I do this for you, you guys got to help me start my career. So I had start self managing. So my second fight I found opponent got the money I needed. Boom.
From then on I self managed all the way to my first world title which was 2018 WBC world title. I became a champion. Then I self managed to another title. Now I'm a unified champion and I'm pushing, negotiating deals, managing my husband's career. And this is like stuff I never did before. But when you push into those spaces and you get those lemons, you learn how to make lemonade, lemon drops, lemon juice, whatever you need to make so you can eat. Big mama gonna eat. And you know, I just real that's where I started getting the notion like the no's.
No is not no, it's not right now this is true. And if you get to it, you can get through it. I just, I don't know, it's just something in me. Like if I.
[00:29:50] Speaker B: You're gonna figure it out. Figure it out. Like there are people who have that and people who don't. I'm telling you, like I've seen it forever and I talk about it to people because you know, part of my journey has been recruiting and hiring for companies and part of it is watching those individuals that don't have that figure out ability. But the ones that have that figure out ability, I'm like, dude, why aren't you running companies? Like why aren't you doing these things?
And I think you inherently either have it or, or you don't and you.
[00:30:27] Speaker C: Have it shout out to mom and dad, they both were leaders. But I'm just like, man, I can't go back. I don't, I don't want to go to a place where I don't live and have Fun. The feeling that I get traveling and just meeting people. I wanted that. And those setbacks.
You think getting punched in the face is hard? The setbacks and reinventing yourself. Because I'm not a spring chicken, but I ain't no old hag, okay? But it's like things change.
Dynamics of the sport I love have changed tremendously. And for me to still be able to be on top and elite, even at this point in my career is like. I look back, I'm like, okay, good job, definitely.
[00:31:12] Speaker B: Good job, definitely.
[00:31:15] Speaker C: So I'm just still pushing, and it goes back to my music. Some of our most iconic musical artists. Take a Michael Jackson, how many times he reinvented himself. Take Madonna, how many times she reinvented herself. Beyonce, Brandy, and Monica just had an amazing tour. Saw it twice. I love you guys.
But, Maya, just to be able to sustain and change with the times but still be authentic to yourself is something that I take pride in and I genuinely try to hold on to. Because the industry can change you. Money can change you. People around you can change you. But having a consistent force in my life, like my husband and a few people in my tribe just keeps me.
[00:31:57] Speaker B: Grounded and uplifted, and I think that that's powerful, right? Having a group of people or one or two people that are. That can support you. And I know it's hard to be down at the bottom, right? Like, it's hard to be down. It's hard to lose.
I usually tell this. I tell people the story of.
I wanted to always tell my story, and there was somebody that they always picked over me to tell their story, and I was always like, but I can do this. I can do this. I can do this, right? Like, I am really good at it. And God was like, not yet. Like, it's not your time. Like, I need you to sit down.
I need you to build your. To build yourself. I need you to learn to not compare yourself to other people. I need you to be you.
And now I get to sit on a platform and tell people all kinds of stories and tell other people's stories about, you know, where they're at. And I think the patience that you've had to be able to endure all of that is something that is truly remarkable.
[00:33:04] Speaker C: Thank you.
[00:33:05] Speaker B: Because that patience is just.
I mean, it's hard. It's hard to sit and wait and watch other people get what you want.
[00:33:12] Speaker C: But I worked through the beautiful thing. I worked through those things. And I walk into any situation with my heart clear, my mind clear, my soul clear, because at the end of the day, did you die?
No, I'm still here.
[00:33:25] Speaker B: I have a coach that tells me that during training.
[00:33:28] Speaker C: Did you die?
[00:33:29] Speaker B: You're not going to die today.
Well, we have more to come from French Jean, so stay with us. This is Underdog to Unstoppable.
[00:33:37] Speaker A: Stay tuned. We'll be right back with more Unstoppable stories and strategies for turning obstacles into opportunities.
[00:33:46] Speaker B: And we're back.
[00:33:48] Speaker A: I'm Nicole Anderson, and you're watching Underdog to Unstoppable on NOW Media Television. Let's keep pushing past limits together.
[00:33:55] Speaker B: Welcome back to Underdog to Unstoppable. We're here with Frenchon Cruz Dejern and. And we're going to talk about.
We're going to talk about the legacy, purpose and impact.
So, friends, Shawn, we've had fantastic conversation, and now we want to know what's next.
So. But first, define unstoppable to you.
[00:34:18] Speaker C: Me, I'm a definition of unstoppable.
They said, like, the juggernaut, because I like cartoons, the X Men, but it's like something, an object that's in one motion is just going to keep going till something strong enough to stop it. And I haven't met or encountered anything that's strong enough to stop me. So it's just that, that undying urge to keep going, keep going, even when people like, I've been to my lowest. What can you do? I didn't die. I'm here.
So it's nowhere to go up. When you've been to the bottom, it's really nowhere to go but up. And my husband, he took this saying that I take with me all the time, especially moving forward, because I have, like, a huge opportunity in front of me.
When you're able to go in hell and make heaven, that's unstoppable to me. I can walk in hell. Everything against me, doubt, circumstances, anything, and I'll make heaven. I'm going to win. And that's just something I take in life.
[00:35:26] Speaker B: And so what's the legacy that you want to leave?
[00:35:30] Speaker C: You know what I think about it? I'm asked that question about what I want my legacy to be on paper. I'm already a first ballot hall of Famer, right?
[00:35:41] Speaker B: No doubt.
[00:35:42] Speaker C: Yeah. But legacy, for me now, it's just seeing, like, when people say my name or speak of me, I want people to be like, you know, she was so cool, or she did all these amazing things, or I told her I wanted to be a gardener and she just, like, gave me all these tips on Gardening and stuff. Like, I want people to smile and just know me for my work, know that I was an example of overcoming the odds with grace.
Because I've never found myself hating on the next person, never found myself trying to tear them down. Like, even people that have gotten into positions that I aspired for, but they weren't meant for me. I've encouraged them and pushed them. I've never been like, well, that should have been me.
We're all human. You have those emotions, but it's your responsibility to work through them. And because facts are facts, if you believe in yourself, you believe in your ability. If you know who you are, you won't have those anymore. And I think through all the hardships, all the good times, the bad times, I finally got to see who I am.
I saw my mom transition.
She was proud of me.
I'm still here. After all these things I've been through, and I'm. And I have the opportunity to change my life and seal my legacy with just I told you so. That's all I want to do. That's all I want to do. And I want to. When I tell everybody I told you so, I want everybody to say, damn, I can do it, too. That's it.
[00:37:19] Speaker B: And what message would you have for little girls that are, you know, they're. They're in bad spots right now, and they're. They're teenagers or younger, A little bit younger, and life just doesn't look good for them.
And you know what it's like to be where, hey, I'm fighting every day.
What can I do? How can I?
[00:37:41] Speaker C: Yeah. And I want to extend that to guys, too, because, you know, I've been able to be a mentor to guys my age, younger, even older than me, and just thug it out, thug it out and ask for help.
You know, use your power of discernment. Educate yourself, but dig, like, within yourself, because people who need certain validation, people who become so codependent on others, they set themselves up for letdowns, Right?
My husband stands beside me so strong because he's like, girl, you were good without me for real. I just want to help you. Like, calm down. I want to help you. So once you put that work in with that faith, that's what I would say. Don't lose your faith. If you believe something in your heart and you already been to the bottom, it's nowhere to go but up. So keep your faith.
Keep working hard.
It's more in you, and that will attract the things, the people, the opportunities you just got to be awake and you got to pay attention and you got to prepare yourself for those times. Because I've been through dark times.
And for me, I hate people to speak at me, talk to me. So I would never speak at somebody and say, oh, you can do this. No, you think you can do it, but you don't know what that person's going through. So I would just give my best assessment, I would give my best advice and I would support them. That's all. Because a lot of people just need you to listen to them.
[00:39:11] Speaker B: Right. It's that whole, do you want me to listen or fix it?
[00:39:14] Speaker C: Yeah, yeah.
[00:39:15] Speaker B: And it's a listen. And I. I think one of the questions that I've always, or that I've always been honest with people about is they will ask, you know, what do I got to do? How is this going to be? I'm like, listen, it's going to suck for sure. It's going to probably be the hardest thing you ever do in your life. Every minute of it is going to suck. Every minute of waking up at 3am, every minute of. Yeah, every minute of. Every minute of staying up until midnight, getting back up and doing the same thing over and over and over again. It's going to suck.
[00:39:48] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:39:48] Speaker B: But then when you get three years in, four years in, and you look back and you'll be like, what did I. That wasn't nothing. Now you're pushing yourself harder and going even, even further.
[00:39:58] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:39:58] Speaker B: And I think you have like a phenomenal story to be able to inspire the next, next generation of boxing entrepreneurs.
What's next for you?
[00:40:12] Speaker C: Well, so grateful and honored that I'm the current unified WBA WBC world champion at super middleweight.
Now I'm going to keep my foot on they necks and I'm moving up to heavyweight to challenge my longtime rival Clarissa Shields for her titles in February and make history and become not only the undisputed heavyweight champion, but become the first person to, well, the second person to beat Clarissa Shields and the first person to beat her professionally. And I'll always say I have respect because she's one of the little girls that looked up to me. So that's how I know my impact is crazy, my influence is crazy. But when people see two titans go at it and they see me and they know my stuff story and how long I've been at it, they gonna see, oh, this overnight success took a whole lot of more nights than I thought it was. So, yeah. So I'm just looking forward to that and just the Process the journey. I'm not even tied to the outcome because I know what the outcome is in my heart. And I tell my husband, like, I really, I'm like thugging it for real because I see the outcome. But the journey is. Is foggy.
Even into my training camp. I came down here for one thing and that just flipped into something else. But when I thought it was falling apart, it really was like falling into place. So I'm really fighting by faith right now. That's just my fighting by faith.
[00:41:49] Speaker B: You got a new shirt.
[00:41:50] Speaker C: Yeah, Fighting by faith. Found it at Nemus Market.
No, I know the real story, but we know the real story inside. Inside, inside.
[00:41:59] Speaker B: It's an inside joke.
[00:42:01] Speaker C: But this is, you know, fighting by faith and this is just for me because I'm a very loving person. I give, I give and I put it to so many people. But this one right here is for me putting myself first, pushing myself. I have amazing mentors like Bernard Hopkins who overcame the odds. And our story is so similar, it's crazy. He lost his first pro fight, right?
He fought royal J.R. jones Jr early in his career.
Roy Jones is amazing athlete, Olympian, this, that, and the third he lost.
He fought him 10 years later and beat him. When I fight Clarissa Shields, it'll be 10 years since we fought.
So I'm just like, man, okay. And, you know, he was 49 when he won his last world title, so crazy. Age doesn't matter. You just get better. You don't get bitter, you don't get old, you get better. And I'm just looking forward to, you know, embarking on my prom and just really living out the vision that I've had. And winning is different for everyone. People could say, oh, you could win on the paper, then beat her. Winning for me is sticking to something I said I was going to do. My first proclamation to the world was when I was on American Idol. See, look, y' all weren't ready for that one.
But I was on American Idol, young, bright eyed, enthusiastic. And they said, you know, three of them said, two of them said, yeah. The other one said, nah, just come back.
[00:43:30] Speaker B: Who is that?
[00:43:31] Speaker C: Simon.
Okay.
[00:43:33] Speaker B: There's a reason. He thought, oh, I cleared him too.
[00:43:36] Speaker C: I cleared him. But on that world stage, I hadn't even won a national title yet. I hadn't even fought, like, I was still under five fights. I told the world, if I'm not the American Idol, I was going to be the super middleweight champion of the world.
Fast forward to now. I've done that.
No, the middleweight champ. I haven't done that one, but I've become the super middleweight champ, undisputed super middleweight champ, soon to be heavyweight champ of the world. And who knows, maybe I'll cut some carbs and go to middleweight before it's all said and done.
But my winning is just standing on business, standing on my word and living a life that I saw and just having fun. I'm in a having fun era.
[00:44:21] Speaker B: I'm with you. I'm with you on the having fun. I truly appreciate you being here on underdog to unstoppable. And will you tell our viewers where they can follow you? Tell us where they can see your fight and what date it is?
[00:44:35] Speaker C: Yeah. So you guys follow me on social media platforms.
H E H H D I V A My fight is February 22nd in Detroit, Michigan at Little Caesars Arena. If you can't beat me there, you can see me on dazn as a downloadable app. If you go to my social media pages, the links there and yeah, I'll see you. And the new and we can't wait.
[00:45:01] Speaker B: To be able to announce that she's the new.
Thank you again for being with us.
[00:45:06] Speaker C: Thank you.
