Pastor Mando Vera was once known as “Monster”, a gang member caught in violence, addiction, and incarceration. Today, he returns to the same streets with a message of faith, forgiveness, and hope.

In this episode of Third Man in the Ring, Popeye Ray sits down with someone he personally knew from the neighborhood. Mando opens up about growing up in an abusive home in Bassett, California, entering gang life at a young age, being shot and stabbed, battling drugs and alcohol, and reaching a point where he nearly lost his family and his life.

Mondo also shares something many testimonies leave out: after first accepting Christ, he fell back into addiction. That relapse cost him his job, car, home, and almost everything that mattered to him. What he expected to be a few months in a Christian recovery home became two years of restoration, leadership, and preparation for ministry.

Now an ordained minister, evangelist, and chaplain, Pastor Mando serves people in hospitals, jails, recovery homes, and neighborhoods that once considered him an enemy.

#GangMemberToPastor #christiantestimony #testimony

Three-time heavyweight title challenger Chris Arreola joins Ref Popeye Ray on Third Man in the Ring for a candid, funny and unfiltered look back at his life inside and outside the boxing ring.

Chris takes us from beginning boxing at seven years old and competing in more than 150 amateur fights to facing some of the biggest names in the heavyweight division, including Vitali Klitschko, Bermane Stiverne, Tomasz Adamek, Adam Kownacki and Andy Ruiz Jr.

Chris speaks honestly about the fights he wishes he had trained harder for, the distractions that came with success, his struggles with weight and why he refuses to blame anyone else for the choices that affected his career. He also explains the mentality that kept him fighting through injuries and punishing rounds because the fans deserved their money’s worth.

Chris and Popeye also discuss controversial judging, the influence of the crowd, today’s heavyweight division, Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk, the bare-knuckle offers Chris has received and whether he still has the desire to fight again.

Away from boxing, Chris reflects on his father’s influence, raising his own children, possibly opening a boxing gym and why simply being present is one of the most important things a father can do.

Subscribe to Third Man in the Ring for more candid conversations from inside the world of boxing.

From prison, violent crime, and meth addiction to a life fully surrendered to Jesus Christ—Mark Gonzalez’s testimony is proof that no one is beyond redemption.

In this episode of Third Man in the Ring, Popeye Ray sits down with Mark Gonzalez, also known as Barber Mark, to hear the powerful story behind His Barbershop.

Mark opens up about the childhood abuse and anger that shaped him, being arrested for assault and attempted murder at 16, spending years in and out of prison, and eventually becoming deeply addicted to meth. He knew Scripture, earned a degree in biblical studies, and even served as an usher at church—but behind the appearance, he was still getting high and committing crimes.

Everything changed after the people he trusted arranged a brutal home invasion that nearly took his life. While recovering in the hospital, Mark says God called him to repent. That was the moment he stopped merely playing the part of a Christian and became truly born again.

Today, Mark is approaching five years sober, owns His Barbershop in Redlands, and serves his church and community through prayer, Bible study, fellowship, and outreach. In his own words, he once deserved to be in prison because of the monster he had become—but Jesus changed his life.

If Mark’s testimony encourages you, share this episode with someone who needs hope and subscribe to Third Man in the Ring for more powerful stories of faith, redemption, and transformation.

This episode includes candid discussion of childhood sexual abuse, drug addiction, violence, and incarceration.

#ChristianTestimony #JesusChangesLives #ThirdManInTheRing