LOS ANGELES, CA (July 20, 2020) – In an exclusive interview, Victor Conte sat down for a no-holds-barred discussion on “The Real Fight with Cynthia Conte.” The series of nine interview episodes is scheduled to premiere on Cynthia Conte’s YouTube channel NOW through Friday, July 24th.

The spirited interview covers Conte’s rise as a nutrition consultant to Barry Bonds, Marion Jones, and other world-class athletes before it all came crashing down in the infamous BALCO raid in 2003. After serving time in prison, Conte found redemption, as he resumed his work in nutrition science and became a highly respected advisor to some of boxing’s brightest young stars. He’s also become an outspoken critic of the culture of PEDs in combat sports, completing a180-degree turn from his notorious BALCO years.

But Conte’s story is much more than BALCO and boxing. A scrappy athletic kid from the streets of Fresno, he was a standout on his high school track team before discovering a passion for music. Learning under the legendary jazz bassist Ray Brown, Conte began doing session work before he was recruited to be the bass player for the seminal funk band Tower of Power. Thereafter, he toured with the legendary jazz pianist Herbie Hancock. Nicknamed the "Walkin' Fish” for his distinctive head-swaying, roving style of performing onstage, Conte went on to record seventeen albums.

After years of nonstop touring, Conte left music to spend time helping to raise his three daughters, then decided to pursue his longtime interest in the biosciences. He founded BALCO Laboratories in 1984 and began studying micronutrients, particularly minerals, and started working with competitive athletes.

But sports had changed since Conte’s high school track days. Performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) had taken hold in the highest levels of professional competition. While Conte continued his legitimate—and effective—nutritional testing and counseling for his athletes, he learned that they would not be able to compete against the elite in their sport unless they took the leap into PEDs.

Thus began the odyssey that led to the infamous BALCO scandal. Conte helped to develop a designer steroid that was undetectable by standard drug tests. This allowed his athletes to gain the advantages of doping—putting them on a level playing field with their enhanced peers—while protecting them from detection. Conte also took great pains to maintain constant vigilance of the health of his athletes to protect them as much as possible against side effects from PEDs.

Throughout the entire rise and fall of BALCO, Conte zealously guarded his athletes—not only their health but their reputation and legal exposure. He strongly believed his athletes deserved to be able to compete on a level playing field. That commitment has not changed. Conte has used his extensive knowledge of PEDs to call out those in boxing who may be cheating against his current stable of world class fighters.

Self-taught and self-made, Conte is a successful entrepreneur who created an innovative nighttime recovery product called ZMA, a zinc-based dietary supplement that has sold multi-millions all over the world for nearly two decades.

In this special interview, Cynthia Conte is able to get at the heart of the issues that drove Conte’s remarkable life journey and still motivate him today.

VICTOR CONTE EPISODE 1

Bryan Chevalier Scores Impressive Third-Round Knockout in Co-Main Event

Danielito Zorrilla Earns Technical Decision in Telecast Opener

San Juan, PUERTO RICO – March 4, 2021 – Former world title challenger Brandon Adams scored the biggest win of his career with a stunning eighth-round technical knockout to upset blue-chip rising star Serhii Bohachuk in the main event of Ring City USA’s inaugural 2021 event from Felix Pagan Pintor Gym in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico, and live on NBC Sports Network.

Despite flashing athleticism and quick hands throughout the fight, Adams (23-3, 15 KOs) was down on all three scorecards (68-64 x2, 69-63) at the time of the stoppage. The 31-year-old lost all three rounds heading into the eighth frame when he unleashed a perfectly placed counterpunch that hurt Bohachuk which set up the opportunity to land a sensational left hook that sent Bohachuk to the canvas for the first time in his professional career.

“He was a tough guy,” said Adams. “He brought another side out of me that I knew was inside. I had to dig in deep tonight and use all the strength that I had to connect with one of those punches from the cannon.”

Adams, who hails from Watts, California, is the first fighter to return to the Ring City USA series on NBC Sports Network since its inception in November 2020. In two outings on the Thursday night boxing series, he has scored two emphatic knockouts in main event performances. Adams’ matchup with Bohachuck was originally scheduled for December but his opponent was forced to withdraw after testing positive for COVID-19. Adams went on to stop Sonny Duversonne in the second round of that event at Wild Card Boxing Club in Los Angeles.

“It was real tough fighting in there tonight,” continued Adams. “The ring was wet; the ref was against me tonight. It was an uphill battle. I am an explosive fighter and I couldn’t take advantage of that because I didn’t have my legs under me because the ring was wet. But even though I was irritated, the show must go on. I am a pro. I have to figure out how to get the W and that’s what I had to do. I am grateful for the win. I loved Puerto Rico, everyone out here embraced me with love.”

LAS VEGAS, NV. – March 5, 2021 – Highly decorated amateur Jalil Hackett out of Washington D.C. takes his talents to Mayweather Promotions and looks to make his professional debut at Welterweight under the famed Mayweather banner in 2021.  

With an impressive amateur record of 140-19 and a 3.7 GPA to finish high school a year early, Jalil “Major” Hackett is ready to make his debut in the Welterweight division. Trained by his father Bernard, Hackett put himself on Mayweather Promotions' radar in 2019 after being discovered at Upton Gym while helping 4x World Champion Gervonta Davis prepare for his homecoming fight against Ricardo Nunez in 2019. After both a co-sign from a childhood friend to Mayweather Promotions CEO, Leonard Ellerbe, and a stamp of approval from Coach Calvin and Gervonta Davis, the DC native spent 2019 and 2020 to prepare for his transition to the pros and made it official on March 4, 2021

“It means a lot to be signed with Mayweather Promotions,” said Hackett. “When you think Floyd Mayweather you think, “The Goat”. “To be signed to him, and be one of the youngest at that is a dream come true. Most fighters dream of this, and this is now my reality. “It was important to me that I signed with a black-owned company, and I’m with the best one, which is Mayweather Promotions.”

“This signing is a culmination of the hard work we’ve put in since he was 5 years old,” said Bernard Hackett. “We dreamed bigger than the Olympics, it was always to turn professional. “I am happy he’s with a black-owned company who understands what he will encounter as a black athlete both in and out the ring.”.

Hackett was first introduced to the sport of boxing at 5-years-old by his father, an avid boxing fan. Hackett specifically recalls watching legends like Roy Jones Jr., Julio Caesar Chavez, and Marvin Hagler on the screen. There was a reason for that. Bernard hand-picked fighters known for their intense conditioning in the ring and high output, which Jalil is now known for due to his football and track & field conditioning. Hackett recalls sparring 13 rounds with a kid before the opposition jumped out of the ring. During football offseason Hackett would go to the local gym to train, but it wasn’t until he was 8 years old that he fell in love with the sport and began competing seriously. His driving force to compete came after seeing the countless trophies strung at the home of an accomplished world champion. The motivation alone drove Hackett to achieve many titles at the amateur level including becoming a 5x Title tournament champion, Silver Gloves champion, 2x Jr. Olympics champion, to name a few.

 Photo Courtesy of On the Ropes Boxing

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – March 17, 2021 – Former world champion Alberto Machado (22-2, 18 KOs) of Puerto Rico and rising prospect Angel Fierro (17-1-1, 13 KOs) of Mexico both made weight successfully ahead of their 10-round lightweight fight, the main event of a three-fight card tomorrow, Thursday, March 18 on NBC Sports Network (9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT), live from Albergue Olimpico (Olympic Center) in Salinas, P.R.,

In tomorrow’s co-main event, Jose ‘Chiquro’ Martinez, (21-1-2, 14 KOs), of Las Marias, Puerto Rico, clashes with three-time world title challenger Israel ‘Jiga’ Gonzalez (26-4, 11 KOs) of Los Cabos, Mexico, in a ten-round bantamweight bout. A six-round light heavyweight fight will round out the main card on NBC Sports Network featuring Irish’ Joe Ward, (2-1, 2 KOs), of Moate, Ireland, who will look to avenge his pro debut setback against Marco ‘El Muneco’ Delgado, (7-1, 5 KOs), of Turlock, Calif.

Headlining the Twitch undercard broadcast, which begins at 6:30 p.m. ET/3:30 p.m. PT, three-time world title challenger Maricela ‘La Diva’ Cornejo, (13-4, 5 KOs), of Los Angeles, Calif. faces off against Alma Ibarra (7-1, 4 KOs) of Monterrey, Mexico. In an eight-round super flyweight battle, former world champion and knockout artist Angel ‘Tito’ Acosta, (21-2, 21 KOs), of San Juan, Puerto Rico, battles Gilberto Mendoza (17-9-3, 8 KOs) of Modesto, Calif. Also on the Twitch undercard is an eight-round welterweight fight between Jose “Cheito” Roman (10-0, 5 KOs) and Roque Junco (10-7-1, 6 KOs) and a six-round lightweight battle featuring top undefeated prospect Edwin ‘The Chin’ Valentin (9-0, 8 KOs) fighting in his hometown of Salinas when he faces veteran Hector Marengo (7-14-4, 4 KOs) of Arecibo, Puerto Rico.

Lightweight Fight –

10 Rounds

Alberto Machado

135.0 lbs.

Angel Fierro

134.8 lbs.

Referee:

Jose Hiram Rivera

Judges: Robin Taylor, Donald Trella, Hernando Steidel

Bantamweight Fight – 10 Rounds

Jose Martinez

117.8 lbs.

Israel Gonzalez

117.0 lbs.

Referee:

Melba Santos

Judges: Charlie Ruiz, Gerardo Martinez, Hernando Steidel

Light Heavyweight Fight – 6 Rounds

Joe Ward

173.8 lbs.

Marcos Delgado

173.6 lbs.

Referee:

Jose Hiram Rivera

Judges: Jose Roberto Torres, Charlie Ruiz, Gerardo Martinez

Middlweight Fight –

8 Rounds

Maricela Cornejo

158.2 lbs.

Alma Ibarra  

156 lbs.

Referee:

 Melba Santos

Judges: Charlie Ruiz, Gerardo Martinez, Hernando Steidel

Welterweight Fight – 8 Rounds

Jose Roman  

146.6 lbs.

Roque Junco  

146.0 lbs.

Referee:

Melba Santos

Judges: Hernando Steidel, Gerardo Martinez, Charlie Ruiz

San Juan, PUERTO RICO – March 18, 2021 – Angel Fierro rose from the canvas twice en route to a stunning comeback knockout win in the sixth round against former world champion Alberto Machado as the latest chapter of the iconic Puerto Rico vs. Mexico ring rivalry was written in the Ring City USA main event, live on NBC Sports Network from Albergue Olimpico (Olympic Center) in Salinas, Puerto Rico.

Jose Martinez and Israel Gonzalez Battle to Majority Draw in Co-Main Event, Alma Ibarra Earns Unanimous Decision Over Maricela Cornejo, and Joe Ward Avenges Lone Professional Loss Against Marco Delgado

Tijuana’s Fierro (18-1-1, 14 KOs) handed Machado (22-3, 18 KOs) of Rio Piedras his first professional loss in Puerto Rico, following a hot start from the former junior lightweight world champion. Machado, 30, scored a knockdown in each of the first two rounds with well-placed right-hand counter punches. Fierro displayed a durable chin and beat the count easily both times, signaling that he was not hurt by the crunching power punches. Fierro was down 48-45 on all three judges’ scorecards at the time of the stoppage.

 “I’m happy, I faced a top-notch fighter tonight in Alberto Machado,” said Fierro, who was a three-to-one underdog. “He is world class and dropped me twice. But I am ecstatic that I was able to come back and beat a fighter of his caliber.”

The 22-year-old lightweight turned the fight around in the fourth round as he dedicated himself to a vicious body attack against Machado. The body work paid dividends as he found openings throughout the fifth and sixth round, ultimately leading to a vicious left hand that sent the former titlist to the canvas for the first and only time in the fight. Fierro credited finding his second wind to his two-year-old daughter back in Mexico.

“He dropped me twice in the beginning of the fight,” added Fierro. “When I got back to my corner, I told them, ‘remind me of my daughter.’ Because with this fight I can change her life and that’s exactly what they did after the third round. They motivated me and that’s exactly what I did.”

Prior to the fight, Fierro told the Ring City USA broadcast team, “the best judge is a knockout when you’re fighting in someone else’s hometown.” The Mexican warrior, who replaced undefeated prospect Hector Tanajara on one week’s notice, delivered on his promise to take matters into his own hands.

 “We found a lot of gaps in Machado’s game in the sixth round,” stated Fierro. “I took advantage of them and I turned it around. I told you in the interview (before the fight), I didn’t come here to be a tourist in Puerto Rico. I came here to win.”