Andrew Young Talks on Bounce TV's "Premiere Boxing Champions - The Next Round"

Bounce TV brings Bantamweight boxing to its network. Bounce is the fastest growing African American network on television. The two year old broadcast program has grown to be available in more than 85 million homes across 90 markets, 90% of African American television homes, including all of the top African American television markets. In my recent interview with the former Mayor of Atlanta, Andrew Young, he discussed Premiere Boxing Champions – The Next Round, a series which debuted on Bounce TV on August 2, 2015 and will air once a month and stream live on BounceTV.com. The series will showcase the sport's future stars and potential champions. Young, along with Martin Luther King III, is one of the founders of Bounce TV. He says the goal is to bring good old-fashion fights back and to bring young talent to the boxing ring.

Young’s boxing roots goes back to his childhood. The iconic figure grew up in New Orleans, Louisiana and didn’t live far from the boxing arena. His dad made sure that he and his brother went to the gym. He says that his father believed if you know how to fight, you don’t have to fight. “He wanted to make sure we knew how to defend ourselves,” said Young. After becoming a congressman in Atlanta, Georgia, Young was a part of creating a boxing commission, which brought Muhammad Ali back to the boxing arena, when nobody else would let him fight.

“Boxing has been one of the main economic units in the black community, forever, all the way back to Jack Johnson. When we didn’t have any black millionaires, we had folk who could fight and make a million dollars. We’re slipping away from that. The gymnasiums and boxing rings of Philadelphia and Detroit raised so many fighters. I’d like to see boxing get going again; getting kids off the streets to get training, jumping rope, punching a punching bag and developing some discipline. It’s a major economic force,” explained Young.

Ludacris will be one of the promoters and commentators in the whole series of Premiere Boxing Champions – The Next Round. He is part of Atlanta and he’s been involved with Bounce TV. “We have a lot of talent around here and I wouldn’t be surprised if before long we have Evander Holyfield working with us. We see this as a nationwide effort to bring boxing back to its glory. When Joe Louis use to fight, everybody stopped doing everything and listened to the radio. The whole world stopped and that’s the way it was with major fights. Muhammad Ali was the first boxer to have foreign politics. He had the “rumble in the jungle” and the “thriller in manila,” but he has done what he could for the sport and it’s time for us to raise a new generation of young boxers that can keep the sport alive. This is Bantamweight, so they can really fight; they can hit each other without killing each other,” said Young. (Photo Credit: Courtesy of Bounce TV/Front Page Firm)