Being a Chicago native myself, it was a no-brainer and an outright honor to pop in for an evening of intense Muay Thai training at Maximus Muay Thai just outside the city limits in Itasca, Illinois; to share an intimate conversation with one of the hardest working soldiers in this here fight game Richard “Maximus” Abraham.
Duration 36:55
“I think my day job has a lot to do with my mentality,” he says. “That, and some of the things I have experienced in life. I have been through some tough times. I lost my son, my first son, he was five years old, and I lost my mom at an early age. Then grandparents, aunts and uncles…
Abraham is a tombstone engraver by trade and spends his working days in cemeteries around Chicago. It is a family business, dating back to his grandparents and their involvement in the crafting of gravestones and monuments. “This life is short, it really is. I truly believe life is a blessing and we need to get as far as we can get and enjoy it as much as we can. When our time is up it’s up and there’s nothing we can do. There’s a saying I like, ‘We only get one life – but if you live it right, once is enough’. Becoming welterweight champion is Abraham’s goal in the sport, as he freely admits. But he wants to do it for himself, rather than any fame or recognition. He is a humble man – as evidenced by the words he wants on his own tombstone. “I want just a big lion, sculpted, and I want it to say nothing more than “Here lies an unknown soldier,” he smiles. “Why? Because I believe I am a soldier of god. I don’t need recognition and stuff like that. I just go about being me and taking care of the people I love, that’s all I need.” Abraham has six children with his wife. Early in 2016 she was pregnant with twin girls. They became due earlier than expected, causing Abraham to cancel a fight booked in Thailand. His girls were born healthy and a few days later he got a call-up for GLORY 27 CHICAGO. “Everything happens for a reason!” he beams.
Richard “Maximus” Abraham rocking that TEEP THIS “Black-On-Black” Fighter Crewneck when it was newly released at the 2018 TBA Classic Muay Thai World Expo in Des Moines, IA.
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