Podbit · On Purpose with Jay Shetty
Miles's debut World Fencing League event in LA sold out, broke records, and drew over a million live viewers — more than the Olympics. Watching kids who'd never seen fencing on television light up on the red carpet was, he says, the greatest day of his life. Not because of medals, but because a whole generation finally saw themselves in the sport.
Where this was said
At 19:40 · chapter starts 18:22
Jay acknowledges that being the first Black American world champion in a notoriously white sport is a historic achievement and asks Miles to walk through the lived experience of breaking into that world. Miles is unflinching. He describes being picked last in group selections despite clearly being one of the best in the room; receiving five unexplained red cards at his first Junior Olympics — knowing it was racial because the next day, under different officiating, he won the under-17 event; and enduring countless racial gestures from referees and coaches between ages 14 and 18. He never spoke publicly about much of it. His mother's consistent advice was pragmatic and powerful: just win, and then what can they say? Once he realised why it was happening, Miles made it fuel. He describes still reaching out to younger fencers experiencing the same thing — most recently a Black kid in Amsterdam — because he knows the loneliness of being the only one who has felt it. [1] — Miles Chamley-Watson "Miles was picked last for team events despite being one of the best fencers in the room, received five unjustified red cards at his first J…" 17:04
Countless incidents of referees and coaches showing racial bias — from unexplained red cards to being picked last despite being the best — could have broken a young Miles. Instead, following his mother's advice to just win, he transformed discrimination into a chip on his shoulder and became the trailblazer a generation of Black fencers never had.
The inaugural World Fencing League event in LA sold out and drew over a million live viewers, surpassing the Olympics' fencing audience.
Thomas's wife deferred her CrossFit career — she's in the global top 1% of athletes — to put him through law school debt-free. He wants her to chase the dream now; she wants the emergency fund and house down payment first. On a $200K lawyer income with no debt, the opportunity cost is just a few months of slower saving.
Underground calisthenics battles are exactly like UFC meets a rap battle — 150 people crowded around a circle, fighters walking out with masks and chains, nicknames like 'Extra Money' vs 'Calisthenics the Prince,' and people throwing money and betting. The battle set: 100 burpees, 50 muscle-ups, 75 dips, 75 squats with a 65-pound dumbbell. This is the next big spectator sport.
Rico Verhoeven controlled the undisputed heavyweight boxing champion for approximately 10 rounds — and had his appeal upheld when officials admitted the fight was stopped after the bell. The result was never overturned. Rogan calls it either incompetence or corruption, and argues the money behind Usyk made an upset politically inconvenient.
Rogan lays out a blunt case: boxing's 3-judge system is structurally broken, and the judges know who the promoter wants to win. Glory's 5-judge format is the right model. Corruption doesn't have to be conscious — just knowing Usyk is the cash cow is enough to tilt the scales.
With the Usyk-Wilder fight stalling and Fury-Joshua coming too late, the real fight the world wants is the rematch. Rico is a free agent. Usyk vacated his belts. The story is unfinished and both Rogan and Rico know it. His Excellency Turki Alasheikh already called for it ringside — the question is money.
Rico texted Jason Statham during the Canelo-Crawford fight. Statham showed Rico's highlight videos to promoters. Two days later, Rico was on a call about fighting Anthony Joshua. When Joshua pulled out, Rico pitched Usyk himself — Undisputed vs. Undisputed. Usyk said yes in two weeks. The whole thing started with one text.
Every heavyweight who faced Usyk tried to move to the right — straight into his power hand. Rico and Peter Fury identified the obvious solution: move left, away from the left hand, and smother him with size. It sounds simple. Nobody had done it. That one adjustment was the foundation of 10 dominant rounds.
MMA fans boo when fights go to the ground. They love stand-up. Kickboxing is pure stand-up. Yet it barely exists in America while boxing and MMA are enormous. Rogan's diagnosis: no promotion machine. If the UFC got behind kickboxing the way they've built MMA, it would explode. The talent is there — the storytelling machine is not.
A nation of 17 million people gave the world Ramon Deckers, Peter Aerts, Badr Hari, Melvin Manhoef, Rob Kamen, Ernesto Hoost, and Rico Verhoeven. Rico's theory: the country is so small that every gym shares knowledge freely. In the US, you need a flight. In Holland, you drive 40 minutes and spar the national champion.
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