Inside a Lacey gym, Bouy Cooper, the former prisoner, sat next to Brian Johnson, the former cop, laughing and talking about the sport thatÂ’s united them.
This odd friendship was formed because of mixed martial arts. Cooper is convinced the rigors and discipline of the sport is his way of staying out of trouble.
“In this sport, you can’t afford to abuse your body,” Cooper said. “You can’t be going to the bars every night. You’re not going to make it in the cage if you do.”
Since he began fighting a year ago, Cooper, with Johnson as his coach, has won his first two amateur fights, stopping his first opponent in one minute and 48 seconds. HeÂ’ll fight today in a three-card bout that begins at 7 p.m. at the South Puget Sound Community College.
At age 16, Cooper was sentenced to prison for 13 years for armed robbery. On April 16, 2007, Cooper walked out of prison a free man. The 31-year-old Cooper isnÂ’t proud of his past, but heÂ’s not ashamed of it either.
“I would be ashamed of it, but it made me who I am,” Cooper said. “And I’m not ashamed of that.”
