THE STORY OF “CANNON”
THE BEGINNING
Raised by a single mother, Brandon Adams grew up the seventh of nine children in Watts, California, a complicated, municipal notoriously, stricken with poverty, gangs, and violent crimes.
Every summer parents in the neighborhood would buy boxing gloves for the kids. They figured if they couldn’t stop the fighting, they’d try to minimize the damage. While times were certainly tough for Brandon and his family, they saw each other through the hardships with faith, and a courageous sense of humor.
Brandon was a scrappy kid, not because he liked to fight, but because he had to defend himself from being bullied. Fighting was a reality of the streets, and being very small for his age, certainly the smallest of all his friends, Brandon, naturally had more to prove.
“ I saw my older brothers get shot, lost best friends within 100 feet from where I live my head.”
Brandon’s love for boxing was born. No longer about pain, it was about proving yourself with skill and precision. With the gloves wrapped tight around his wrists, Brandon felt like a superhero. He earned a formidable reputation as a ”backyard boxer” and the dream of one day turning pro, kept Brandon focused and out of trouble.
“My neighbor, Big Al, saw my enthusiasm. He said, “So young chappie, let’s see those fists.” He tried to peel some skin off my knuckle, but he couldn’t. They were already hard.”
Every day, big Al. Would take Brandon to Los Angeles’s “Last Ol’ School, Boxing Gym”. Brandon committed himself wholeheartedly, even lending a helping hand around the gym, his work ethic, caught the eye of the gym manager, who in turn introduced him to boxing Hall of Fame and trainer, Bub Huntley.
“I knew he only worked with pros so I never imagined he’d work with me. But, he told me he’d train me if I came every day and proved my dedication. He kept his word and I kept mine.”
With Dub in his corner, Brandon’s career took shape. He was dominant in local showcases and racked up an impressive, undefeated record in fights across the US, and in Mexico. The boxing community took notice and he was requested for training camps by some of the best boxers in the world: Shawn “Showtime” Porter, Gennady “GGG” Golovkin “GGG”, and Antonio “The Tijuana Tornado” Margarito.
By 2015, Brandon was a rising star and he was invited to participate in ESPN’s natinally televised annual Boxcino Tournament. The prestigious opportunity pitted Brandon against 7 other Super Welterweights in a winner-takes-all format. The reward: A Top-10 World Ranking.
Over the course of the four month tournament, Brandon defeated all his opponents and earned his way into the finals before disaster struck. One of the undefeated fighters falsely accused Brandon of taking performance enhancers. Even though Brandon’s promotion told him he would be disqualified, Brandon put his training aside and appealed to the boxing commission. Independent blood tests were taken and proved his innocence, but by the time he was cleared to fight, he had only two days to lose 12-pounds to qualify for the finals.
“Sweat creams, sauna suit, mitt work, more sauna, running. I stopped eating and drinking anything to shed the weight, I wanted my shot badly. I worked my whole life for this moment.”
A Rising and Falling Star
Brandon miraculously made weight, but by the time he stepped into the ring, he was a mess, visibly disoriented and dehydrated too a deadly degree. Although adrenaline allowed him to win the first round, Brandon lost in the second, stumbling and unable to properly defend himself against even the most average of punches.
After the defeat, Brandon’s career and life took a turn for the worse. His promotion and management gave up on him, he was unable to book another fight, and all his savings dried up in the support of his wife and two kids.
“To lose like that is the worst feeling. I was a shell of me. My wife, Erica, was the one who really picked me up. She had me look at our kids. She told me, “Win or lose, we’re all in this together. One door closes so other can open. We just needed to keep fighting.”
Brandon took his wife’s confidence to heart. He confronted his disappointment, swallowed his pride and took action, finding a job to make ends meet whilst training with any free time he could find. He refused to give up on his dream.
“Nothing is going to hold me back. All I can do is push forward and show everybody there’s nothing that’s going to hold me back. There’s a new hunger now because I no longer take anything for granted.”
Despite the sheer adversity he’s had to face in life, Brandon went on to become the finals winner in Season 5 of “The Contender” boxing television series . This boosted his fighting profile and Brandon now enjoys a current professional record of 23 Wins, 3 Losses, with 15 KO’s. While he still trains to be a fighter, he is also part-owner of Cannonnation Boxing Gym at Santa Fe Springs, California in Los Angeles County.