William Dana Felix Joyner interview on family and boxing at 40

In the William Dana Felix Joyner interview, Dana said he has taken a position with the World Boxing Foundation to help make new champions. He also told Joyner that his wife helps coach and support him, their family motivates him to keep boxing at 40, and volunteering with young fighters remains an important part of his work.

How did William Dana start boxing and involve his kids?

William Dana's route to boxing began with childhood training at Johnny Kimpo karate school, where he found that his hands won him more tournaments than his kicks. He returned to fighting at about 19, later studying boxing as both a fighter and a coach while his sons developed an interest in the sport.

Johnny Green and the move from karate to boxing

Dana credited his sensei, Johnny Green, with first developing his punching. Although he described himself as a late starter in boxing, his introduction to combat sports came much earlier. As his sons watched fights with him, their growing interest gave him another reason to study the sport and stay involved.

He now wants the fighters around him to see more than gym work. Dana said one son accompanied him to a fight in Fresno, giving him a view of the preparation and business decisions that go into competing. He also spoke about a fight in Tampa and his wife's place in his corner.

Jayden and Ryan Samurai Dana

Dana said Jayden has put down the gloves for now. His other son, Ryan Samurai Dana, is pursuing boxing. Dana sees his own career as a way to show the boys how to prepare for a fight, handle its business side and make themselves visible beyond the gym.

Why does William Dana coach young boxers?

William Dana volunteers with young boxers because he wants to make the sport accessible to families who may find training more expensive than expected. He also sees boxing as an alternative for young people who are already fighting outside a gym, though he knows an introduction to the sport will not reach everyone.

Making room for young fighters

Parents, Dana said, can struggle to find a way into boxing for their children and then discover costs they did not anticipate. He gives his time to introduce young people to structured training. Some, he noted, are fighting in backyards for free; he hopes the sport can offer them a different direction.

Keeping a young person involved takes support beyond a coach. Dana has seen youths come to training and then leave it, an experience that informs how he thinks about the families and support systems around the fighters he works with.

A loss that strengthened his commitment

Dana became emotional describing the death by suicide of a young person he had worked with. He recalled their last meeting at a 7-Eleven, where the young man gave him a hug. Dana spoke about feeling that he had let that connection slip and said the loss made him more determined to remain involved with other youths.

How does William Dana's wife support his boxing career?

William Dana said his wife helps him stay organized, supports his boxing and has worked in his corner. He and his wife have ten children between them, and he described their day-to-day teamwork as essential to keeping his career and family moving together. For Dana, his family is the reason he continues to fight.

Her help reaches into practical details, he said, including the organization needed before he leaves for the gym. Dana described how easily something as basic as boxing shoes can be forgotten. He called his wife his coach and supporter, while also crediting her with keeping the family's momentum going.

Fighting in Tampa without his family felt harder, Dana said. He recalled his wife reminding him that his boxing was for the family, not just for himself. That message sharpened his focus on creating opportunities for his boys through the sport he knows.

Dana also made clear that support outside the ring matters to his sense of stability. He wants his wife and children involved in the journey, rather than treating family life as something separate from training and competing.

What is William Dana planning for Raising Champions?

William Dana said his family is developing a channel called Raising Champions to show the work behind their boxing lives. It is not fully assembled yet: he still wants to speak with his coach and organize the content. His priority is reaching people the family's experiences could help, rather than simply collecting views.

Training days at Mount Charleston

Dana wants the channel to go beyond the highlights his family already posts. He pointed to runs through Mount Charleston and mornings when getting out of bed to train feels difficult as the moments viewers rarely see. Showing those days would give a fuller account of what the work demands.

He is not rushing to turn the idea into a show. Dana said many people are trying to make reality-style content, and he wants Raising Champions to arrive when his family can present it to the people who would benefit from seeing it. The intended audience matters more to him than a view count.

What did William Dana say about Volley Sports gear?

William Dana said he is building a relationship with Volley Sports and praised its boxing equipment, particularly its headgear. He described the brand's leather, hand protection and feel favorably, while saying its price and availability stood out to him when considering other equipment. Those were Dana's impressions of the gear.

Head protection was the detail he emphasized most. Dana said he was impressed by the headgear and willing to vouch for the brand based on what he had used. He did not identify a specific competing product or give a price comparison.

He also acknowledged supporters across California, naming Los Angeles, San Diego and Bakersfield among the places connected to his family and support network.

What did William Dana say about boxing at 40 and the World Boxing Foundation?

William Dana said he is still boxing at 40 despite people who doubted he would continue. He urged others to hold on to their mental strength and find a source of focus that helps them through difficult periods. Dana also said he has taken a position with the World Boxing Foundation to help make new champions.

Discussing what keeps him going, Dana said faith or another personal source of focus can help someone maintain their mental strength. His point came from his own experience of continuing to box at an age when others had told him he would not.

Dana put his response to those doubts plainly:

I'm not letting nobody tell me nothing

He later turned to the World Boxing Foundation, saying he had officially stepped into a position with the organization. Dana said Roy Jones had fought for and held its belt, and he encouraged fighters interested in that path to connect with him. He did not specify the title of his new position.

Who is William Dana?

William Dana is a boxer whose stated aim is to build a name for his family in the sport. He wants to introduce his sons to the public and hopes they will become future boxing stars.