Where are you from? I was born in Pittsburgh, moved to Philly and ended up in Lawnside, New Jersey. I always lived in a normal neighborhood. I went to Westinghouse High School, which was a big football powerhouse. I wanted to play basketball – but then I started getting into boxing, so that idea was put aside. I decided to focus directly on the boxing. How did you first get into boxing? How old were you? I was about nine years old when I started – my dad wanted to show me how to defend myself (he had been a boxer in the seventies.) I didn’t get into competitions until I was about fourteen. That’s when I started sparring and fighting.

How long have you been training to be a heavyweight boxer? Was it tough to juggle boxing with high school?
I have been training for eleven years, but it hasn’t been easy. I went to school, would box after school and then at night, catch a few hours of sleep before I would deliver newspapers from three to six in the morning. The next day -- get up and do it all over again. My family was really struggling at one point, and we all brought in some money so that we could survive. Boxing was important to me though, so I didn’t quit.

What’s a normal training session like for you?
I live with my father and he helps me train. It’s like a twenty-four-seven camp for me and my brothers, Chris and Steve.

I start in the morning around eight and run for forty-five minutes to an hour. Afterwards, I go directly to lifting – for a least one-and-a-half to two hours. I’ll rest for a bit and then around three we box for another two-and-a-half hours. So, all together about six hours of training. When it’s game time, that’s all you focus on. You dedicate your life to it.

Which fight (and against which fighter) did you consider your most challenging?
The last fight I had against Dominick Guinn was my toughest. [Eddie won in a unanimous 10-round decision]. He was one of the top guys and he was trying to get back to number one spot, so he fought hard.

Since you spent a lot of your time training to be a boxer, did you feel like you missed out on normal teen stuff? Were you ok with this?
I had a goal in mind and I wanted to achieve something. I wanted to box and become successful and be able to support a family in the future, rather than go out and party and maybe not do what I could’ve done. I’d rather focus and stay strong. I don’t want to mess that up.

Were you ever tempted to use drugs or alcohol growing up? Why don’t you use them now?
I was a normal kid – I was tempted by other kids – but I just never wanted to do that stuff. The friends I had when I was younger who were into that kind of thing were long gone when I got to high school because I had to get serious about what I was doing. I had a grown man’s life.