The Rise And Fall Of Michael Reeves | My Response

So this is going to be a serious video for two reasons. Number one, it's my birthday today! I'm 32 years old, and my only birthday wish is that you just hit the like button for the YouTube algorithm.

And second, I want to address something that I have avoided talking about to clear up some drama that quite a few people have reached out to me with, and that would be about my upcoming boxing match where I have agreed to fight Michael Reeves. I promise you, this is not clickbait; it's not a joke. I am literally on the roster for this boxing match on May 14th in Tampa, Florida, and this is something I never thought I would do.

I mean, let's be real, this is probably the most financially irresponsible thing I could have ever done when you consider how much time I've spent learning everything I could about the sport of boxing, which by the way, is completely unlike anything that I had ever experienced throughout my whole life. In fact, I just recently invited Michael Reeves over to the house so that we could share our thoughts about what's about to happen. And well, let's just say it went something like this: "Why did you agree to that? So did you agree? Okay, but for real."

In terms of how this came to be, in September of 2020, I filmed a video with Michael Reeves to showcase how he was able to turn a passion for Robotics and tasers into a full-time career on YouTube. Ever since, we somewhat kept in touch. Honestly, I never really thought much of it.

But later that year, when Logan Paul was scheduled to fight with Floyd Mayweather, somebody asked me if I would ever do a YouTuber boxing match. My immediate answer was absolutely not. What's the point, unless I'm fighting Michael Reeves? At the time, I had absolutely no intention of ever doing a YouTuber boxing match, but I kind of threw his name out there because we're about the same size, the same weight, and neither one of us has any experience doing anything outside of what's available at a 24-hour fitness.

I guess little did I know I would be putting that out into the universe because one year later, iDubbbz reached out to me and asked if I would like to participate in this charity boxing match against none other than, you guessed it, Michael Reeves.

Now, I'll be honest; my immediate instinct was no. I have zero interest in boxing. There's no financial upside for me. I have zero free time to dedicate to a sport that I'm not at all familiar with, and what if I get punched in the face?

However, not only was I a huge fan of iDubbbz back in the days where I would just binge-watch YouTube videos, but also, I couldn't help but remember my earlier answer when I jokingly said that if I were to fight anybody, I would fight Michael Reeves. So in a way, I felt like this would be my opportunity to follow through.

Without exaggeration, even though I felt like I had secretly just wheeled this into existence, I literally made a pros and cons chart to decide if I was actually going to do it.

Cons: a large time commitment, I have no interest in boxing, it's a huge opportunity cost, it'll take time away from my core business, I could get hurt, there could be permanent damage, even a one percent chance that something happens to my brain isn't worth it.

Pros: it's for charity, I could push myself outside of my comfort zone, I could do something that I would never ordinarily do, I could prove to myself that I could learn a new skill, I could get back in shape, and the most important is that I could look back at this and not regret passing up the opportunity.

The thing is, over time, I've adopted the lifestyle approach of minimizing regret. This just means that I don't look at the present moment and what's comfortable now, but instead, I think to myself: would I look back at myself at this very moment as an old man on his deathbed and wonder what my life would have been like had I done it? If the answer is yes, then without question, I do it.

I've begun to apply this thinking towards anything that I'm hesitant about in the moment, either because of the cost or the time or the energy. And in the last few years that I've done this, it has changed my life. There are some experiences that I recognize you can't put a price tag on, and as a finance guy who's always preaching to save money at all costs, it's not easy for me to do; it doesn't come naturally.

I know I'm getting a little personal here, but it's even gotten to the point where sometimes I'll add up the total cost of a weekend trip, calculate how much each hour of my time is worth, and then extrapolate the net cost to me so that I could decide whether or not that cost is worth the experience. I know it's unhealthy, but throughout my entire life, that's how I've operated, and it's really helped get me to where I am today.

I wouldn't be here without it, but as I'm getting older, I've realized that not going for those experiences is holding me back in ways I haven't yet discovered. So it made it a point to face it head-on, put the cost aside, and just go for it.

In doing so, I finally got the reef aquarium I've always wanted. I'll sometimes play the piano in the middle of a workday. I'll take the occasional weekend trip, even though I have the nagging sensation to be more productive. And long-term, I could confidently say that even though I absolutely enjoy working, I could look back at those experiences and say it was worth it.

That's why I said yes to the boxing match: to prove to myself that I could do it. I could make the time. This experience is going to stay with me for the rest of my life. It's not driven by any financial gain whatsoever, and you can't put a price tag on what I initially thought would be impossible.

Now for Michael, on the other hand, his story was a little different. I did it in my initial reaction; I was at like a shoot thing with William Osmond and item sister, and he was like, "I didn't want to do this boxing match," and my initial thing was like, "No, no, I don't want to do a box; it's too much. I don't get hit!"

And then I was like, I shot back to like me in middle school watching iDubbbz on YouTube. I was like, "What the would he think?" And then immediately, I just blurted out, "Yes, of course!" And that was it; that was the seal, the deal.

So with that, in January of this year, I started training every single Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. I will never forget my first training session, which of course I have on camera. I turned it all the way over pretty much.

I went into this thinking this is going to be easy. I'm already in shape; I go to the gym, I lift weights. This is going to be simple. But after the first hour, I almost decided to quit. My hands were completely numb, my knuckles were red, I was totally sore and exhausted, and I realized, not only is this sport entirely technique, but I have a new level of respect for every single boxer out there because it's not easy at all.

But I didn't quit; I pushed through it. I exerted myself in ways that I had never done before, and slowly over time, I felt like I was getting better. One day, it just clicked: my hands aren't hurting anymore, my knuckles aren't red, I'm not getting so completely tired. I could see the progress every single week, and that gave me the confidence to keep going and going and going.

I was really surprised to learn that boxing is very much a mental sport, and that was something I was not prepared for going into this. I was absolutely terrified of getting hit. I would just freeze, I would stumble, and I couldn't punch back because it came so unnaturally to anything I've ever done before.

But week by week, I started building up some confidence. In terms of the time commitment, it's strange, but I've just gotten used to it. It's provided not only such a good workout but I feel mentally stronger, physically more energetic, and more confident in myself, knowing that if I put my mind to something, I could do it.

Whether I win or lose, I've accomplished the goal of saying yes and doing something that is completely outside of my comfort zone. Now, of course, I'm nervous; I'm scared, and I have these running thoughts going through my mind at all times: thinking, "What if I'm not good enough? What if he's better than me? Did I train enough? What if I embarrass myself in front of millions of people? What if I hurt him or what if he hurts me? And maybe I'm just making a huge mistake."

But through all of that, I've been able to push through, focus on the process, and just keep going. The mental strength that boxing has given me is unparalleled to anything else that I have ever done. And since all of this is for charity, I at least hope that my pain and anguish could give you the confidence that, hey, if I could do it, you can too.

So that is my message, and I understand this is not personal finance related at all, but I wanted to speak candidly about the situation because it's a big deal for me. And no matter what happens, we can all do our part to smash the like button and subscribe if you want to keep posted on the progress and what happens along the way.

Seriously, just hit the subscribe button; that would mean the world to me. Hit the like button, comment down below, let me know your thoughts, and, uh, yeah guys, it's uh, I'll link to all the details down below in the description.