YOU MAY HAVE HEARD OF THE TV SHOW "ARE YOU SMARTER THAN A 5TH GRADER". WELL, I'VE GOT A NEW ONE FOR YOU–AARE YOU–ARE YOU "TOUGHER" THAN A FIFTH GRADER? PROBABLY NOT IF YOU BRING QUINN AS-AH- BEE-DO INTO THE CONVERSATION NATHAN EPSTIEN JOINS US FROM VIRGINIA BEACH WITH HIS REMARKABLE STORY. WITH ALL THE FURY OF A SEASONED FIGHTER, QUINN ASEBEDO FIRST ON A PAIR OF GLOVES WHEN HE WAS ONLY 7 YEARS OLD.
FIRST TIME HE PUT SOME GLOVES ON , IT'S LIKE, ALRIGHT GO IN THE RING, LET'S SPAR, HE WAS RUTHLESS. FOUR YEARS LATER, HE'S NOW 11, AND A MUI THAI WORLD CHAMPION SUPER PROUD. I NEVER EXPECTED TO BE DOING ANY OF THIS. WHEN WE FIRST STARTED DOING ANYTHING REMOTELY CLOSE TO MARTIAL ARTS, IT WAS ALL ABOUT SELF DEFENSE. THE TOP RANKED FIGHTER FOR HIS AGE GROUP IN THE NATION, QUINN IS RANKED THIRD IN THE WORLD BY THE INTERNATIONAL OLYMPICS COMMITTEE. IT MAKES ME FEEL GOOD, BUT I DON'T WANT TO TAKE IT IN TOO MUCH. I DON'T TO BE LIKE, OH I'M NUMBER 3 IN THE WORLD, YOU CAN'T BEAT ME.
NO ONE'S EVER THE BEST. ALSO A SKILLED BOXER, GYMNAST AND WRESTLER, QUINN HAS COMPETED AND BEEN NOTICE ALL OVER THE WORLD. 6 TIMES LAST YEAR, HE FOUGHT INTERNATIONALLY, MOST RECETLY IN UKRAINE. FIVE OF THOSE BOUTS, HE TOOK FIRST, INCLUDING AT THE WORLD TITLE IN THAILAND— IT WAS CRAZY, SEEING PEOPLE FROM OTHER COUNTRIES RECOGNIZING HIM, AND RECOGNIZING MY DAUGHTER TOO… BACK HOM, YOU'LL FIND QUINN'S YOUNGER SISTER EDEN, ONLY 9 YEARS OLD, PRACTICING RIGHT ALONG WITH HIM. SHE'S ON THE SAME PATH. SHE LIKES ALL THE SAME STUFF TO.
FOR QUINN, EVERY PUNCH HE'S THROWN, THERE'S BEEN A PRIZE, AND A PRICE. HE'S IN THE GYM IN THE MORNING, IN THE GYM AT NIGHT, HE PUTS IN THE HOURS…6 DAYS A WEEK. HE EARNS IT. IT'S BEEN PRETTY TOUGH, BUT FUN AT THE SAME TIME. I LIKE A CHALLENGE. THIS IS WHERE YOU'LL FIND QUINN MOST OF THE TIME, TRAINING AT EAST SIDE MUI THAI IN VIRGINIA BEACH. NO, MUI THAIS IS NOT AN OLYMPIC SPORT YET, BUT IT HAS BEEN APPROVED BY THE INTERNATIONAL OLYMPICS COMMITTEE WITH THE GOAL OF MAKING A PART OF THE 2028 GAMES. HE'LL BE 19 BY THEN. HOPEFULLY HE STILL LIKES IT, AND HOPEFULLY HE'LL STILL BE TRYING TO DO IT. FIRST, HE'LL TRY AND DEFEND HIS WORLD TITLE BACK IN THAILAND THIS JULY.
IN VIRGINIA BEACH, NATHAN EPSTEIN FOR THE SPORTSWRAP..
