Every person has their own story that relates to an experience in their lives. The truth is, every
story teaches us lessons we can share to help other people in our lives. Though no one can tell
you how to live your life, you can pick what worked for others and apply it to yours. With that
being said, some people believe only those with experience can teach them anything. In that
case, there is no one better than undefeated boxing prospect Eric Priest.
Priest is a Korean American professional middleweight boxer from Kansas with a track record of
ambition and excellence. He currently holds a record of 6-0 wins, with 4 of them coming from
knockouts. Priest’s success in boxing began when he was still an amateur boxer. At 18, he was
the winner of the coveted Kansas Golden Glove Championship title.
After that win in 2017, he competed in multiple USA Qualifiers and other events, such as the
Ringside World Championships. Less than 2 years later, he moved to LA to pursue his
childhood dream of becoming a professional boxer. Priest’s determination and excellence were
so evident that after meeting him, world-famous champion trainer Justin Fortune signed on as
his head coach. This marked the beginning of Priest’s stellar professional boxing career.
Boxing is a physically and emotionally brutal sport, but Priest has continued to shine. He credits
this to several things that are universally applicable. First, he is passionate about his career.
When other kids were fantasizing of grand dreams of becoming the next president or going into
space, Priest was training for combat sports with his dad. At 9 years old, he already knew he
wanted to become a boxer. He has never stopped loving the sport or believing in it.
Priest embraces the challenges he encounters, and that’s his second weapon. As a Korean
American, he has experienced a fair share of discrimination and racism since a young age.
However, instead of letting it get to him, he used the rage the ugly remarks evoked as fuel. It
pushed him harder in the gym and prepared him for his future career. As he now observes,
boxing is 90% mental and 10% physical.
A change of perspective is another lesson we can pick from Priest’s career. For him, the key is
not taking anything personally. Instead of worrying about what people may think about you, he
recommends spending that time on improving your life. Spend more time alone to get to know
yourself and work on your weaknesses. When the time comes, make sure you outwork
everyone.
The last thing is keeping your eyes on the goal. Priest has kept his eyes on his goals since he
was 10 years old, and he has not stopped planning and training for them. It’s what wakes him
up in the morning and keeps him motivated throughout the day. He firmly believes that anything he sets his mind to can be accomplished.
