CEDAR HILL, Texas — As the sun beams down on a Tuesday afternoon, Samuel Arnold III walks out to the family garage for his second workout of the day.
Stepping out of the shoes of an 18-year-old working on an associate's degree and into the world of "S3" – professional and undefeated boxer. "S3" is the stage name for Arnold III, who goes by a different name to those closest to him.
"Everybody calls me 'Squirm,'" smiled Arnold III, who is nicknamed 'Squirm' because he would around a lot as a kid. "You can call me 'Squirm' if you want to."
You can also call him "Champ."
Arnold III is a seven-time amateur champion boxer, who turned pro in 2021.
The middleweight now boasts a record of 4-0-0 and won his last fight in front of Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson.
"Man, it was cool," Arnold III admitted. "I never met the mayor before."
Arnold III's trainer and coach is his father, Samuel Arnold II. Their training facility is their garage.
"When we step in here, it's time to work," Arnold II explained. "This kind of isolates us, so we can work on the things we need to work on."
Arnold II, who owns a barbershop in Duncanville, used to wake up early as a kid to do push-ups and sit-ups with his father. Boxing has run in the Arnold family.
The Arnold's are originally from St. Louis, MO. Despite not having family nearby, they moved to North Texas in hopes of a better life.
"I just did it for [my kids] to have a better chance at life," Arnold II said. "And to not have to worry about anything outside the house."
Specifically, gang violence, which the claimed the life of Arnold III's cousin, Khallid Chapman.
"Rest in peace, my cousin 'K Boogie', man," Arnold II said, with a 'K-Boogie' tattoo inked across his right tricep. "He passed away when I was 14 years old. Senseless gun violence. He wasn't in a gang or anything."
Arnold III finds motivation in the ring from multiple sources, including his late cousin.
"[Chapman] used to want to box when he was young, so I do this for him really."
Arnold III spent the first two years of high school at DeSoto but got his diploma from Advanced Preparatory International in Oak Cliff. API offered him a less-structured schedule, so he could train (or fight) when he needed to but also complete his academics.
Now, Arnold III is two sleeps from the biggest fight of his life.
"S3" will fight 32-year-old Darryl Jones (4-3-1) on the Errol Spence Jr.-Yordenis Ugas undercard at AT&T Stadium on Saturday, April 16 in Arlington, Texas.
"I was 15 going to Errol Spence Jr.-Mikey Garcia," Arnold II recalled. "Now it's my turn. Now I got a fight there. It's a dream come true, really."
Perhaps, one day, Arnold III will be the main event.