The Ways
Warriors Boxing
Special | 4m 32sVideo has Closed Captions
Mark Antonio Daniels Jr. of the Forest County Potawatomi continues a boxing tradition.
Mark Antonio Daniels Jr. is an enrolled member of the Forest County Potawatomi and is also of Menominee descent. Learn how he is part of a long history of American Indian participation in boxing, viewed as a test of skill, courage, bravery, physical endurance and respect.
The Ways
Warriors Boxing
Special | 4m 32sVideo has Closed Captions
Mark Antonio Daniels Jr. is an enrolled member of the Forest County Potawatomi and is also of Menominee descent. Learn how he is part of a long history of American Indian participation in boxing, viewed as a test of skill, courage, bravery, physical endurance and respect.
How to Watch The Ways
The Ways is available to stream on pbs.org and the free PBS App, available on iPhone, Apple TV, Android TV, Android smartphones, Amazon Fire TV, Amazon Fire Tablet, Roku, Samsung Smart TV, and Vizio.
[gentle guitar music] - Mark Antonio Daniels Jr.: Boxing.
It's been a tradition.
It's been around for a really long time and a lot of Natives, we've always been in it.
It's just what we're known for.
We're fighters, we're warriors.
We're not quitters.
[Mark hitting punching bag] We've been in this since we were kids, so we are family here.
[gentle string music] The one thing that my dad tries to establish is that when you come here, you don't have to be scared, you don't have to be nervous.
He wants everybody to see their potential and to be well-minded and good-spirited.
We don't take anything away from anybody.
Everybody has their own style, we're all made differently.
I like to be quick, nimble, and elusive.
Whereas our heavyweight, William Alloway, he has a lot of speed for a big dude, and he's very good at blocking.
My brother, Marcus, he's come a very long way.
He stayed in it.
He's had every opportunity to take a break or go do what he wants to do, but he wants to come back here.
I think he's got something to prove.
That's Richard.
He comes from Flambeau.
He has the same potential as me.
It's just, he's around different people than I am.
He doesn't have that constant support to keep telling him to keep going, to keep doing what's right.
- Mark Sr.: Go!
- But we try to be there to help each other, push each other.
You know, if somebody's struggling, we'll come back and help them.
[hip-hop music] When it starts, it's like, "Okay, here we go.
"This is what I've been training for."
It's time to put everything into use.
Go in there, feel him out, see what he's gonna do.
[crowd cheering] - Stand your guard, boom, boom, boom.
Stay in the pocket.
There you go, there you go!
[crowd cheering] - It's always about survival, it's about being disciplined, and you have to take those ways and bring them into your lifestyle too.
So, when you become a smarter fighter, you start thinking about life, and it makes you more disciplined, more relaxed.
I can usually just brush things off.
Where if a guy, he gets in my face or something it's easy for me to just walk away and say, "Hey, it's not worth it."
You know, you lose your temper, you lose.
My goal is to show all of my people what we're capable of.
We may not be the warriors that were back then, but we're still warriors in our own way.
We're still fighters.
I box for my people.
Not only Potawatomis, all Natives, I fight for them.
I fight for my kids.
I fight for my dream.
I fight for a reason to get up every day.