I had to join gangs in Texas to keep me safe but now I am fighting Jake Paul and I want to finish him
RELATIVE UNKNOWN Andre August is set for the fight of his life tonight against YouTuber turned boxer, Jake Paul.
August, 35, is just the second professional boxer that Paul has faced - but he's more journeyman than a glamour tie for Paul to square up against.
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August has a 10-1 professional record and has won five of those by knockouts which makes him the most experienced fighter Paul has faced.
There is a mystique surrounding August, given most of his fights have been small-scale affairs so there is not actually much footage of him in action.
Despite the absence of that, his story to becoming a boxer is illuminating and he told all about it.
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In the interview, he accredits boxing with saving his life from a world of gangs and violence.
Talking about his experiences growing up to The Daily Star, he said: "Just extremely in the hood man, it was in the hood. It was either beat down or get laid down. You got to join us or get rolled over.
"So I had to join the gangs, you know what I'm saying? And be down with whatever area outside of town I was in and I did that. It was just for me to stay safe as well.
“Because at first I was trying to go against the grain. But yeah, that's how it happened. [If you didn’t] You was jumped. You couldn’t trust nobody on the other side of town. So, I had to join.”
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August's home of Beaumont is one of the most dangerous areas in America and according to , the city ranks in the lowest percentile in terms of safety.
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That means it is more dangerous than 99% of cities in America.
But, August says that boxing showed him a path to drag himself of bad situations.
He said: "It played a major role in my life. Even just keeping me away from the streets. It also brought me away from my hometown.
"It's kind of bittersweet, but I'm away from my hometown. So I'm out here living a good life, living an ok life with the boxing world.
"I still have my other things I do besides boxing. I still work and things like that. So, I’m just a man is trying to live his dream, man. I got my kids. Just being a dad, man.”
There is a huge gap on his boxing CV between 2019 and 2023 where August did not fight sue to the pandemic and he said those days were rough: "The number one thing is the pandemic.
"The pandemic was the one that started everything. Ever since the first year and the second year the funds were getting low.
"I had to take care of my family and be a man of the house so I had to work.”
To make ends mate he worked for American insurance company State Farm, before returning to achieve victory over Brandon Martin in August.
August's background couldn't really be any more different from the privileged start to life for the Paul brothers - who have only been making more money since going into boxing.
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But August knows the opportunity he has if he is to beat Paul, and said: "As far as me, it's been a long time coming. So I'm here you know. I did what I did in the past as far as my amateur career.
I did have a deep career as well in my pro career. I did it with a lot of self discipline, that’s just me being out here doing what I need to do, just like right now."