“They said I’d end up in a crime fiction. Today I’m a multi-millionaire”

Krzysztof Smajek: Who are you exactly: an athlete, a celebrity or a businessman?

Cassius Życiński: I’m a businessman, but I’m king in freak fight and everyone knows it. When I entered show business, I immediately assumed that half the people would love me and half hate me. I give people emotions and that’s what it’s all about.

Cassius is arrogant, angry, defiant and arrogant. These are the opinions I heard about you.

Most of the time I hear that I am arrogant. I’m used to it and I don’t even want to explain to me that I am not like that. This is because people mistake my confidence for arrogance. But that’s their problem, not mine. I don’t care about their opinion. My relatives and friends know what I am. I have such a rule that I will not be blown away. If someone accosts me, I’m already flying thick and then it turns out that I’m offensive. In show business, I was natural from the beginning and didn’t do anything for the public. I guess people needed a man like that. Authentic in every situation and they love me for it.

How often do you put on your masks because it feels like you’re doing it?

I have 101 faces so I don’t need to wear masks. I always change my face to suit the situation. When the situation calls for seriousness, I’m serious, but people may not notice it because it’s not for them. I can separate show business from private life. When I meet my relatives, I am not the Don Cassia to whom everyone is supposed to kneel. Before this interview, I also changed my face.

On which?

You will find out during the conversation.

How did the former amateur boxer get into show business?

By chance, my colleagues persuaded me to take part in the “Ex na Beach” program. I wasn’t boxing anymore then. I ran a company in the financial industry, I wore a suit every day, and I was not going to go into this pathology. “You can’t do it” – my friends prompted me. These words had an effect on me like a blanket for a bull. I applied for the casting, but I made a condition that I should be in the top eight, because I was not interested in the role of the interrogator. The producers were surprised that I was imposing conditions, but they accepted me. Later, they invited me to the next program because they knew I had charisma and I attracted the audience.

Did you get into showbusiness a lot?

I think so. I didn’t go into show business to pick up girls and take pics with fans just to make it as cash as possible. I even quit my business. In finance, even though I didn’t finish my studies, I was doing very well. I found myself in this industry when I quit amateur boxing. My friend knew I was outspoken and offered me a job as a financial advisor in a bank. I dealt with loans and walked by storm, no one had the same results as me. But my employers interfered too much with my private life. I did not have a large reach on Instagram yet, but I posted reports from events there. My supervisor did not like it. “Cassius, that’s wrong, you’re a financial advisor. Don’t post it on the internet.” I was sick of his fucking him, I quit and started my business. I was still helping people get loans, but I was already doing it on my account. And I made even more money from it.

How do you deal with popularity?

I don’t have a problem with it yet, but my girlfriend is slowly getting tired of it. When we go somewhere, every now and then someone accosts us and wants to take a picture with me. It is tiring for her because she has to wait for me. There are also downsides to popularity. Two years ago I had fun in Ilawa with one of my fans. We were partying all night, it was nice, but suddenly this guy jumped on me with his paws. I treated him similarly and as a punishment I got a Rolex from Iława, i.e. a bracelet for my leg, and I have limited freedom. I can leave the house at certain times. I also paid a hefty fine.

You’ve been training amateur boxing for five years. You won the bronze medal in the Polish championship, but later gave up training. Why?

I didn’t earn any money in amateur boxing. I combined training with work and lived from one to the first. It didn’t make sense in the long run. I started training boxing late, at the age of 19. I immediately told the coaches that if I did not reach the European level in five years, I would quit boxing. And so I did. I was also discouraged by the fact that in amateur boxing a lot of fights were arranged. I was deceived many times by the judges. I don’t regret quitting. I chose the right path, because now in freak fight I win with “cucumbers” and earn much more than professional boxers in Poland. When I was not in show business, I wrote down my goals and resolutions on a piece of paper. Recently, while moving, I found one of these cards.

What was written on it?

That I want to be a millionaire by 2022. I wrote down this goal on January 10, 2019. I managed to achieve it much earlier, I even became a multi-millionaire. I believe in the subconscious, it showed me the way to my goal. Though sometimes I thought I couldn’t do it because I had gambling problems. Once I lost PLN 127,000 within 24 hours. I couldn’t stop, I used to go to an ATM and cash out 10,000 and throw it on the table right away. I lost everything.

Can you lose 127,000 and get over it?

No, I’ve had three hard days. I couldn’t sleep, I was sitting in front of my friend’s room with whom I was living at the time and waiting for him to wake up. I was afraid to be alone. But after three days, I pulled myself together and went to work. I knew I could earn money.

Now you have no problem gambling?

Hope that is behind me. When I’m sober, I realize that gambling is wrong. In casinos I lost to half a million zlotys.

When was the last time you went to the casino?

Half a year ago. I only went to the casino when I was drunk. When I lost 30,000 zlotys, the next morning I made bans in all casinos in the Tri-City. Fortunately, these bans work, it is worse in Warsaw, where you can enter the casino, say that you are lifting the ban and they are taking it off your hand. Such prohibitions make no sense. There is no chance of that in the Tri-City. I could only enter the casino 24 hours after the decision to lift the ban.

Money changed you?

Sometimes I ask my relatives about it. They say no, and if so, it’s only for the better. Once upon a time I was a terrible rogue, a black sheep in the family. People said I’d end up in a crime fiction. I’ve always had bad behavior, they kicked me out of school for fights. But I missed a crime fiction, although it was close. When I was 15, I left Iława and that saved me. If I had stayed in my hometown, it might have ended badly. The only entertainment there on weekends were fights in the park. I left home and had to do my own thing. I have no grudge against my parents. If they had money, they would have given me, but they had my siblings to support. I have six brothers and two sisters. It was not easy, I had to earn for myself, but it shaped my character. Nothing came easy for me, so I appreciate what I have.

Did you earn big money right away in Fame MMA?

Not. I got several thousand for the first fight, but I was still satisfied. In professional boxing, this is how much I would get after ten wins.

Why did you quit Fame MMA?

It came out naturally, but I thought about it for a long time. I had the most reflection after losing the fight with Norman Park, I turned a blind eye to many things that I didn’t like. Everyone saw that I won the fight, but no one from the federation stood up for me. They behaved badly then. I didn’t like their behavior and decided that I had to go my own way. It seemed to me that we broke up in a normal atmosphere. Michał “Boxdel” Baron called me before the first Prime Show MMA conference and congratulated me, saying that I made the right decision, because Fame is ending. He wished me good luck. Later, however, he changed the narrative, because someone probably told him so.

You parted in an unpleasant atmosphere. Fame MMA owners are suing you for a million zlotys.

In total, it came out about two million, because I got two lawsuits. But because I was always told that in chess you have to be five moves ahead, I also apply this principle in my life and I was prepared for their lawsuits, they did not surprise me. I just laughed that they only appeared when the Prime Show MMA gala turned out to be a great success. When I read what stupid things they want to charge me for, I just smiled. They shoot each other in the knee, which is sad because I made a lot of millions for them. We could have parted ways in neutral terms. Did the amount surprise me? They could write up to ten bubbles, it doesn’t bother me. I am an amicable man and I think we could get along. I am surprised that they decided to take such a step.

What is your role in the new Prime Show MMA federation on the market?

This is my business, I am the head of the federation, but I also have partners. I have a lot on my mind. Before the first Prime gala, I was under a lot of pressure, one of the biggest in my life. I did not think about the fight with Mateusz Murański at all, because I was more busy organizing the gala than fighting. I left unprepared and did what I wanted with him. He was not helped by smaller gloves, which are not allowed in our weight, and various measures, after which he had more strength. I’m not really preparing for freak fights. Now I play sports and only occasionally appear in the training room. Only for duels with Marcin Wrzosek and Norman Park I trained quite seriously. I went through the prep cycle, though I did indulge in some fun on the weekends. Boxing is no longer my passion, but I still love it.

How long will you fight?

I don’t have to do this anymore. I guess I’d rather focus on developing the Prime MMA Show. We aim high, I hope we will be number one in Poland. But when I feel hungry to fight, I do not exclude that I will come back. I can’t fight the “cucumbers” anymore. The next rivals have to be of the highest class, which means that I would have to train before the fights. I need to talk to myself if I feel like it. There are many people willing to fight me. I’m not just talking about celebrities, professionals strive for it too. Even those who said before that freak fights are pathology. And now they are asking for a fight with me because they know that they can make money on it. I will not give their names because I do not want to promote them.

There is a lot of talk about your fight with Artur Szpilka, who probably has enough of boxing and wants to try his hand at MMA. How do you rate the chances of such a duel?

Our fight was almost settled, there was a lot of money at stake, but I had other plans and it was not possible to do so. We will probably come back to this topic someday. I do not rule out that Szpilka will get an offer from the Prime Show MMA. However, first I have to take care of my health and do an operation on my right arm, maybe my left arm as well. Before fighting Artur, I would have to spend three months in a training room. After all, he is a flesh and blood athlete. He fought for the world boxing championship, and I was just playing amateur boxing. This is a big difference, but I think after a solid preparation, I would be able to beat Arthur. It seems to me that this fight would break the bank, because all of Poland is waiting for it.

How long will the freak fighty fashion last in Poland?

I hope as long as possible, but it will probably end. Whenever I talked to someone about it, I said that I am happy with the fashion for freaki, because thanks to this I earn a lot of money. In the box, I could only dream about such gags. But before that, I thought it would be sad if 500,000 Instagram followers were worth more than the Olympic gold medal. Unfortunately, this is where it is going. But I hope freaks will never dominate professional sports.

Why do people want to watch freak fights?

Because they want emotions and the freaks give them to them. I have always liked how athletes in America gave people emotions. Let’s look at Floyd Mayweather, he was great in the ring but also polarized the audience. Thanks to this, he was selling fights. Before the fights you hear boring talk about respect for the rival, the players have no charisma and are colorless. And then they complain that the freaks earn more than them. Fans are not interested in boredom. Okay, you can respect your rival, but also stick a pin and build up the tension before the fight. Fans do not like colorless and modest characters. Fortunately, I have never been modest.