“It’s just something I enjoy doing with my brother,” said the Brooklyn native. “Growing up in New York City in the conditions that we grew up, we never imagined being able to go to Madison Square Garden and viewing the fights from the front row. So every time I have the opportunity to go to New York and watch the fights with my brother, I always take advantage of it.”
Some might call it a cardinal sin to break camp before a big fight to take a trip across the country, but at this point in his eight-year pro career, Magny knows just how to get ready for battle, and a one-day jaunt to spend time with his brother wasn’t going to affect his preparation in the slightest.
It’s part of a new attitude the 31-year-old has that has him making sure to not just enjoy the end result of his hard work, but the journey to get there as well. So while some of his peers have an all-fighting all the time tunnel vision, Magny has learned to let life in.
“The biggest thing that’s been able to help me over this last year is being able to enjoy life outside of the Octagon as much as I’m enjoying being in the gym and working towards those goals,” he said. “This past summer I got married, and it allowed me to appreciate other aspects of life and I realized that fighting is still something I love and that title shot is gonna come. It also added more motivation. Now that I have a wife and some kids in the future, that’s motivating me more than anything now. It’s cool having a partner in life.”
