Freeway Rick Ross has made plenty of pivots in his life, but now he’s setting his sights on the fight game.
“Absolutely! Well, I’m already in it, you know? I’m knee deep in entertainment,” Ross said to sports journalist Brandon 'Scoop B' Robinson when asked about his latest moves. “I’ve been doing music since I’ve been home… boxing now… I have eight guys right now under contract for boxing.”
That roster includes names like Raleek Vaughn from Queens, Shy Money from North Carolina, Jason Moreno from New Jersey, Xavier Washington from Dallas, Malachi Jones from Philly, Anthony Peterson, and Kid Austin, also known as Floyd Schofield. Ross is also helping Troy Nash, a Denver prospect, who he’ll be traveling with to Saudi Arabia.
On the business side, Ross is splitting his ventures clean: “The boxing is under Team Freeway Boxing and the music business is Freeway Music Group.”
Music is still part of his grind. “I’m working on an album right now — we’re working with new artists,” he said. “I’m going after artists that’s hot in their city…we’re gonna put an album together.”
But boxing is where Ross sees the biggest opening. “It’s the only sport where you can get a franchise with no money,” he explained. When asked about Floyd Mayweather’s legacy as a promoter, Ross didn’t hold back: “Not really. I don’t think he did enough. He could’ve done a lot more and I tried to tell him, but he didn’t listen.”
Ross is already expanding his reach online, launching a YouTube series called Rick Picks to spotlight independent artists.
Still, it’s his vision for boxing that feels most ambitious. “I stole the dope game. It wasn’t given to me, I stole it!” Ross said. “I’ma steal boxing too! Boxing is done. It’s mine already; they don’t know it yet!”
For Freeway Rick Ross, it’s clear the next fight isn’t in the ring—it’s in the boardroom, where he plans to build his empire one fighter at a time.