🤣 #70 - From Contending With Ali –– To Cocaine Cowboy: Lou Esa

Lou Esa is a former contending Heavyweight Boxer and original Cocaine Cowboy. In a life story Hollywood Studios would never believe, Lou went from training under his good friend Muhammad Ali’s team at 5th Street Gym in Miami, to earning his spot as one of the best Heavyweight Boxers in the world––to becoming one of Miami’s infamous Cocaine Cowboys.

...All in the span of about 2-3 years.

This podcast is the behind-the-scenes story of what happened––as told by the man who lived it.

***Note: “Cocaine Cowboys” is a term made famous by Billy Corben’s Eponymous 2006 Documentary and its subsequent sequels (including the 2021 Netflix Miniseries, “Cocaine Cowboys: The Kings of Miami”). Lou Esa was a player in the middle of many of the conspiracies recounted in Corben’s various films on the subject.

***TIMESTAMPS***

0:00 - Lou’s early career in boxing; a funny highway story; How Lou got signed by Don Shula to the Miami Dolphins; Meeting Muhammad Ali & Getting signed by his trainer Angelo Dundee at 5th Street Gym in Miami; Lou’s friend Chuck Wepner, who “Rocky” was based off of

24:57 - Lou trained by swimming with the alligators; Then Lou trained by swimming with sharks; Lou’s 5 marriages around the world; An insane growth spurt story; the nightclub Lou opened up in Greece

45:49 - How Lou’s career went; Being a star in Miami in the 1970s; The crazy story behind Lou’s first loss

1:03:03 - Dana White and the UFC don’t pay their fighters enough; The overlaps within MMA and boxing

1:13:28 - The True Crime Story of how Lou became a Cocaine Cowboy in Miami WHILE he was a Heavyweight contender; Wild stories from the Miami drug trade at night; planes, boats, and blow; How they wrapped cocaine in the drug smuggling trade; Lou talks about the Colombians and the Cubans and who he worked with

1:29:24 - When Lou knew he was done fighting; Fighting in Madison Square Garden; Funny stories about Lou’s friend and training partner, Muhammad Ali; That time Ali beat Lou up out of nowhere in a sparring session; What Muhammad Ali’s legacy means; Ali, McGregor, Mayweather and fight promotion; Lou breaks down Floyd Mayweather and Mike Tyson

1:55:12 - How Lou’s trainers would psyche him up for a fight; Funny stories about various fights Lou had; Lou lists off all the greats he sparred with including Ali, Frazier, and Foreman

2:10:19 - Lou talks about the National Geographic documentary he starred in regarding illegal bookmaking; How Lou ended up becoming a major cocaine distributor; How Lou would smuggle cocaine from Miami to New York City; The cocaine abuse comeback and drugs across pop culture; Lou talks about a DEA Agent he paid off; Why Lou thinks many cops can be bought