A British boxer who shot to international fame after being selected as a judge for US reality show America’s Next Top Model has recalled how one moment saw his world fell apart.
Speaking on Daily Express’ brand new On The Edge podcast, Rob told how he had been put up in a flat by his agency. He recalled: “Each agency has a model apartment… just a base where you can stay. You never know who you’ll be staying with, and I was staying with this young kid for about three weeks.”
Rob got on with the other man, Landry Macedo, in the main – but there was a little bit of friction. He continued: “One thing I would say about Americans, they don’t understand banter. You can have a joke with someone , and they’ll take it seriously and be offended – that’s basically how the whole thing started.”
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(Image: Getty Images)
Rob said he made a casual comment that Macedo didn’t care for, things escalated quickly and before he knew what was happening, they had come to blows. He recalled: “He hit me, so I hit him back. I had to leave the agency apartment but then I just went on about my business and he did the same.”
As far as Rob was concerned it was just a dust-up between “boys,” and he forgot about it. It wasn’t until two years later – when Rob was making headlines as the new judge on America’s Next Top Model – that the problem resurfaced.
He had been hired for the show as a “heart-throb” judge, and had even been romantically linked with supermodel Tyra Banks in press reports. In fact, she was more of a “mentor” to him, but his new status meant rubbing shoulders with A-listers such as Kanye West, Jay Z and Beyonce, and for a brief moment it seemed as if Rob might be on his way to the top.
(Image: X)
But then the scrap with Macedo came back to haunt him. He continued: “I got on the TV show and five days after it aired. He pressed charges against me because I used to box.
“They charged me for a assault with a deadly weapon…he deadly weapon was my fist because I had boxed in the past.” Rob complained that Macedo had also claimed he was “hospitalised,” but had in fact just gone to A&E. “Hospitalised means you stay in hospital,” he added.
The damage was done. As a result of the scandal he lost valuable sponsorships, such as his deal with Nike, as well as a potential role in one of the Fast & Furious films. He explained: “It all just disappeared, because they can’t have someone who’s a felon basically going around beating people with deadly weapons. But it was nothing like that.”
Rob returned to modelling and also worked as a personal trainer, but claims boxing was always his first love. He’s now called out Misfits heavyweight champion TempoArts as well as ex-American footballer Chase DeMoor.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
