[music] Jesus: For Tatanka, I'm curious how he carries this multigenerational fight with him while also being so funny onstage.

Tatanka: Yeah, man.

This is my boxing gym.

This is where I grew up.

Many nights spent here, the Damon-Bahe Boxing Gym in Chinle.

This is Johnny Bahe right here.

Johnny, they were talking about coming to Chinle, and I said, "We got to go to the boxing gym."

We haven't even gone to my house yet.

We came here first.

Ha ha!

That's awesome.

This was, like, a safe haven for a lot of youth and still is.

Johnny--he doesn't charge a membership fee to come here.

Jesus: Wow.

You just got to dedicate yourself and put in the work.

It's difficult living here on the reservation.

You don't have the funds you have in the city, but you come here, I'm gonna give you a place to be.

You know, a lot of what I learned here I still use to this day-- the repetition of things, to work up to something.

You can't come in here and just be great.

You got to train for it.

It's just like in comedy or acting.

You know, you can't walk into a place and just go kill it onstage.

You got to work for that.

Woman: Welcome to the stage the one and only Tatanka Means!

[Cheering and applause] Who parked valet here?

See, you guys better be tipping.

I used to work valet, guys.

It sucked, man, every time I'd get a Native car, man.

Get down there, see that war pony, man.

Not even no keys.

A screwdriver to get in there, man.

Tatanka, voice-over: Mental strength is a big part of my life, and that's what I learned through boxing.

Tatanka: Has all the usual stuff-- Pendleton seat covers, McDonald's trash, dirty diapers, two kids asleep in the back.

Tatanka, voice-over: Having those tough shows and those real hard days, you just got to get through it and put in that work, and it's gonna pay off.

So many feathers hanging in the rearview, huh?

It's like a dead bird.

[Laughter] Jesus: Yeah.

You can't cut corners for standup comedy.

When it's time to go, you're gonna really see it, and this is where you come not to cut corners.

This is where that true grit is kind of developed.

Tatanka: Mm-hmm.

That's what it is.

True grit, man.

Not beating yourself up after bombing out, you know.

Jesus: Right.

Tatanka: Everybody's a champion that answers that bell, you know, that can get in that ring, and everybody's a warrior, and that's who we come from is warriors.

You know, we come from warriors here... -Yeah.

-and we're just trying to keep that tradition going.

You can feel it when you walk in.

You can tell there's been a lot of battles won, you know, through the knowledge that people have really found here, so this place has a very special energy, but I will say that I'm gonna be your first student to walk in with a smile and leave crying, so, uh, we're gonna do things a little backwards.

[Laughter] Johnny: Hey.

He want to spar with you.

Glove up for sparring.

Jesus: Oh, my gosh.

Johnny: Does he need to sign any papers, last will and testament, uh...

If something happens to me, I leave all my Pokémon cards to my dog.

[Laughter] Tatanka, voice-over: Native people, we love to laugh.

All right.

Tatanka, voice-over: You know, the comedy also comes from here because you got to be able to laugh at yourself.

You didn't have to do it that hard, bro.

This is PBS, bro.

This isn't Fight Night right here.

Oh, my God.

Oh, my God.

Tatanka: There we go.

Tatanka, voice-over: We tease each other, hard, make fun of each other hard.

You just got to be able to take it and brush it off and keep going because it's love, you know?

Jesus: You've never seen this one, coach, right, -the double hand?

-Ha ha ha!

Jesus: Oh, yeah.

Just don't hit me in the mouth or anywhere.

Tatanka: Jesus, get in there, bro.

Jesus: Look at that.

You won.

[Timer beeps] Johnny: That's a two-minute rest.

Jesus: Hoo!

That felt like 8 minutes, coach.