COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KMTV) — It's Day Three of fight week here at KMTV. We're raising money for Terence "Bud" Crawford's B&B Sports Academy before his big fight in Las Vegas.
Terence won't be the only Omaha fighter in the ring July 29. Before the main event, you can cheer on Omaha native Steven "So Cold" Nelson. He's the under card to the Crawford - Spence fight.
Nelson has held the WBO-NABO Super Middleweight title since January of 2020, but he's equally proud of the work he's doing at B&B Sports Academy. 3 News Now Morning Anchor Serese Cole talked to him about his leadership at B&B - and his upcoming fight.
"I am the executive director of B&B Sports Academy," Steven "So Cold" Nelson said with a smile.
After months of searching for a Director of Operations...
"They kept coming to me like 'Man you fit the description, you do everything, you're smart, you're good with kids'," he recalled.
B&B found one in Steven Nelson.
Serese: Were they right? Were you a good fit?
Steven: Yeah, I love it.
"It was a natural thing for me to gravitate toward the kids. It's easy to work with them - even the kids everybody says are bad or hard to work with. I know how to communicate with them from my experience - one working with those types and being one of those kids," he explained.
Steve knows what it's like to have a rough start in life.
"I lived in seven different households growing up. So, I never played any organized sports. They did enough to make sure I had a roof over my head, clothes on my back, go to school and I would get in trouble and stuff and never be able to be a part of stuff," he recalled.
"Military was my first, organized-like lifestyle," he added. "When I joined the military, I was like - I want to do something besides this army push-ups, sit-ups, and running every day - and I went to a local gym."
That's where Steve discovered his passion for boxing.
He got so good - he made the Army boxing team.
"And the first person I connected with was "Bud" because I grew up with him," he said.
He later became Bud's sparring partner and convinced him to train where he was stationed in Colorado Springs.
Now he's with Team Crawford's B&B Sports Academy.
He knows there, it's about more than hits and punches - there are life lessons.
"I've learned so much as a man, as a person, from boxing. It teaches me how to push through adversity, showing up on time, knowing even if nobody is watching - you have to be accountable, you have to do the right thing to get the right results, that life, in general, you can't go through life doing whatever - you have to stay disciplined and focus on something - no matter what it is," he said passionately.
Serese: Not every kid is going to leave a great boxer, not every kid is going to leave a great wrestler - what do you want every child to walk away with when they leave B&B?
Steven: Discipline, Accountability.
So, it's his goal to teach B&B kids skills they can all use.
"I did this thing called 'So Cold' day - where I teach the kids cooking skills - like we had a chef come in and teach them how to make meals from simple things in your house," he explained.
He's also exposed them to art.
"Last time we painted portraits. I brought (supplies for) the portrait and they're like I'm not a painter - yes you are...you are. Just watch. And when I walked them through it - step by step they're like 'Oh, I created my own portrait' - and they were happy," he grinned. "Now kids are like you got any more painting supplies. You got any extra canvasses? Never painted, but now I just opened up a doorway to become an artist."
He says B&B's greatest challenge is space.
"A lot of kids want to do it because they look at Terence and me. They're like these guys are really big - I want to be like that ... I try to squeeze them in. If a family comes, I'm like we're booked and they're like my kid really needs help. I'm like I can squeeze one more in," he shared.
Your donations can help.
"A lot of people think oh B&B is already opened. The doors are open, the champ is behind it - but it's so much more than that. We need to do so many more programs I have planned," he said enthusiastically. "We have the potential of doing a lot of great things in the community - we just need the people behind us."
As for his other passion...
"I'm fighting the under card of the Terence Crawford and Spence fight July 29th. We always say, 'anytime me and Bud are on the same card- I start the show, he finishes it, he swings - I swing," he chuckled. "That's the plan. I go out victorious - "Bud" comes right after me - same for him. We go home and we get to celebrate with the city," he smiled.
Steven "So Cold" Nelson is a man of many talents. In addition to being a boxing champion, he is an artist, stand-up comedian and a pilot. He also designs and sews the boxing trunks he wears on fight night.
To help "Give Kids a Fighting Chance" at B&B Sports Academy, go to our website, 3newsnow.com.
If you can't give financially, consider your time. B&B needs volunteers and people who specialize in different skills like -auto mechanics or carpenters who are willing to share their time and talents with the youth.
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