By Dennis Taylor

Brandon "The Cannon" Adams grew up on the drug- and gun-infested streets in the Watts district of L.A., where he saw his brother get shot and several friends get murdered.

An early love affair with boxing helped him navigate that precarious path, but he was 19 when he began seriously training, 20 when he had his first amateur fight, and 21 when he turned pro.

In 2018, Adams won Season 5 of "The Contender," which earned him an opportunity to fight Jermall Charlo (28-0) for the WBC's interim middleweight crown on June 29 in Houston.

Adams shows a big personality and a lively ability for storytelling in this outstanding interview.

We also get insight from British correspondent Paul McLaughlin about Joshua-Ruiz II and the possibility that Callum Smith could fight Canelo Alvarez.

And we begin with expert analysts Travis Hartman, Rizwaan Zahid, and John J. Raspanti, who evaluate Golovkin's thundering knockout victory over Steve Rolls, games being played by De La Hoya with Canelo-GGG III, the Andy Ruiz phenomenon, and more.

Dennis Taylor is host of The Ringside Boxing Show, editor-publisher of www.ringsideboxingshow.com, and co-author (with John J. Raspanti) of "Intimate Warfare: The True Story of the Arturo Gatti and Micky Ward Boxing Trilogy," an Amazon bestseller.