Maurice “Termite” Watkins has progressed from a professional pest exterminator to a professional boxer and eventually to the trainer of the Iraqi Olympic boxing team; The next chapter in his incredible life journey will be the subject of an upcoming major motion picture.
In a recent podcast with PCT, Watkins provided an update on the film, which is being produced by Sylvester Stallone’s production company, Balboa Productions. Watkins said the project was supposed to start in 2020 but it was delayed because he had a very severe case of COVID-19. “I was on a ventilator for 18 days and in the hospital for 30 days,” said Watkins, who added that he had to learn to walk again as part of his recovery.
Now that he has fully recovered, he is back focused on the upcoming biopic, including helping cast the actor who will play him and providing feedback on the script. “A few months ago they gave me a list of actors to choose from and then the script came back. [The script] had a lot of swearing and was just plain dirty. So my wife [Cindy] and I took a position and we said, ‘No, that’s not going to happen,'” he said. Balboa Productions agreed to remove 90 percent of the profanity and the script will be revised, Watkins said.
Maurice “Termite” Watkins today (left) and during his boxing days.
Producers, Watkins said, are hoping to have Sian Heder on board to direct. Heder directed the 2021 award-winning film Coda. Among the 20 actors interested in the role are Hollywood stars Brad Pitt, Matthew McConaughey, Bradley Cooper, Mark Wahlberg and Josh Brolin, Watkins said.
While the film is still in its infancy (and untitled) and Watkins has learned how commonplace Hollywood is with change, he said the project is generating a lot of buzz. And there’s certainly no shortage of material from Watkins’ remarkable life. Watkins was born into pest control (his family owns Champions Exterminating Co., Houston) and said his memories of working in pest control date back to when he was 5 or 6 years old. “I would actually crawl under the houses with my dad and grandpa,” he recalled.
Watkins was also a mischievous youth who got into big trouble. A family friend recommended that his father enlist Watkins as a source of energy for boxing. Watkins excelled in the ring and became the nation’s first 16-year-old Golden Gloves champion (with an amateur record of 128 wins and 10 losses). He then became a professional boxer with 58 wins, five losses, two draws and 48 knockouts. His most memorable pro fight was the fight on the undercard of the 1980 Muhammad Ali-Larry Holmes fight, dubbed Ali’s “Last Hooray.”
After retiring from boxing, Watkins took a wrong turn, lived in despair and became addicted to drugs. He was able to clean himself up and returned to his roots – pest control. Watkins was one of the first pest control companies hired by the US government to work in Iraq during the Iraq War. His duties included ridding military camps of snakes, scorpions, and other vermin. Through a series of events, he was soon asked to coach the Iraqi boxing team and qualify for the 2004 Olympics.
After the Olympics, Watkins returned to Houston, working a day job and continuing to train local boxers at his personal gym. In addition to mentoring children today, he continues to inspire and motivate through speaking engagements across the country.
Podcast with Termite Watkins
Learn more about Maurice “Termite” Watkins in a podcast recorded with PCT’s Brad Harbison. In the podcast, Watkins provides more of his and his family’s pest control history; how he overcame his addiction; and why he’s excited for the upcoming biopic. Download the podcast at bit.ly/3bTMVqA.
