Deion Sanders is regarded as the greatest cornerback in the history of the NFL and one of the best athletes in the history of sports. The NFL Hall of Famer hung up his cleats in 2006 to become an analyst. Currently, Sanders is the head coach at Jackson St.
During his peak NFL years, Sanders' nickname was "Prime Time," for his electrifying plays on the field. Now, Sanders has passed the nickname baton to junior lightweight rising star Chris Colbert, who returns to action for the first time in 2022 on Saturday against late replacement Hector Luis Garcia. If you think Colbert blatantly stole the nickname because of his exciting style in the ring and the different color hair each time he steps through the ropes, think again.
"I didn’t steal s—," Colbert proudly told DAZN News. "I got verified by this nickname. This nickname is verified. Stealing it is taking it without verification. I'm verified. You call Deion Sanders himself. He’ll tell you, I'm verified."
The blessing from Sanders came before Colbert fought Miguel Beltrán Jr. in September 2019. He was in his locker room getting ready when he received an unexpected phone call.
"Before I even stepped foot in the ring when I first changed my name," Colbert said. "He verified me. I was getting my nails done right before my fight, (getting) my toenails done. He called my phone. He said, ‘This is Deion. It’s your daddy.’ I'm like, ‘Stop playing on my phone.’ He’s like, ‘This is Deion Sanders, “Prime Time.”' That’s my favorite athlete. Not my favorite football player. My favorite athlete.
"Everything he does inside and outside the field to give it back and help people. That's all me. Everything he does, I see it in myself. I always liked his style. I used to play football. He talked the talk, and he walked the walk. When I walk in, I light up the room. You can see when we make money. You see it on us. You smell it on us. You might taste it in the air when we walk past. We’re them guys. There could be two fighters in the room. You could put me and Gary Russell in a room. Who do you think is really making the money? Let’s be honest. If you see us walking in the room right now, he's that guy you don't see it in him."
Garcia replaces WBA junior lightweight Roger Gutierrez, who contracted COVID-19. If Colbert (16-0, 6 KOs) gets past Garcia, he wants big fights, starting with Gutierrez.
"I'm going to beat this guy up on the 26th and then move on," Colbert said. "I definitely want the Roger Gutierrez fight. I want that belt. And then after that, I want to fight Gary Russell or somebody (else). It doesn't even matter what happened after that. I'm just focusing on this fight, and we go from there."