The first question had to be, man, where you been?

You are a good fighter, damned good at times, so why?

Why don’t we see you more often in that squared circle?

Peter Quillin, talk to us, where you been?

The 35-year-old Michigan boxer, now an NYC resident, threw it back to me. How long you been married, Woods? And have you had ups and downs in that sphere?

Since 2005, and yes, indeed.

I had to deal with some of that stuff, Quillin told me, and I had to get right mentally, family-wise, and now that is set, I’m ready to rumble.

He had no fights in 2015, one in 2017, and hasn’t yet gloved up in 2018. But, moving forward, if it’s in God’s plan, he will be front and center more.

We chatted for the “Talkbox” podcast, and the boxer got deep. Philosophically deep. He told us he needed to solidify his training situation and after training with Virgil Hunter for two years, and having one fight in that time frame, he’s decided to come back home, and work out in the New York area. So, he can be close to the home base, and the two kids and the missus, so he can be a fighting father. Not a guy who fights and is a Facetime daddy, he related to me.

Quillin put his heart out there, had me and you listeners examine his soul, and I appreciate him for that.

He admitted he put his wife through some hell, but says his relationship with a higher power, his God, is better than ever, and he’s working hard to be a good man.

Quillin is proud to have two kids with the same lady, and he’s been with the lady for nine years.

“I have to make sure every decision is going to help my whole family first,” he stated.

We both marveled, the “Kid” is 35. No more 33, now 35 and he knows he’s got to be better, do better. He doesn’t feel old, and hasn’t over-partied, so he feels pretty fresh. We shall see how the body and mind come together August 4, on Long Island, when Quillin fights another vet in J’Leon Love.

We put it to him — does he like boxing? Love boxing? Or just does it to make money? He again put me on the spot, asking me if he’s talking to the media guy, or a family guy first? Both, I said, it’s a constant juggling act. I admitted that I choose to have more freedom of when I work so I can see my 11 and 7 year old more often.

“Boxing is my life, but it’s not my whole life,” Quillin told me.

We talked about temptation, about junk food being tempting, about flesh calling out to wander and indulge.

“Even as a married man, a woman can still be tempting, right? That’s why I had to go through all my social media, had to unfollow girls that was eye-pleasing, because we do it to ourselves, we make this temptation created in our mind. It’s a lustful thing.”

Quillin is telling us he knows the error of his ways, and yeah, I give him props for showing that vulnerability.

The fighter turns 36 in June, holds a 33-1-1 mark. Love also knows that the opportunity windows won’t be open forever. This is a bit of a crossroads scrap, stakes are high. These are two vets and there are more yesterdays behind them than tomorrows in front of them, vocationally. Stakes are high.

Check out more of this chat with Quillin. He got deep. He talked about decisions he makes as a parent that weren’t made the same way when he was the child. He talked about knowing he needs to be on the straight and narrow and not let lusting get him off path. He proclaims he is a new man, and he thinks he will be fighting more often, and “make this last little run and then run off into the sunset.”

I do believe you will feel as I do when you listen, that you are that much more curious as to how Quillin performs. He showed us inside his mind’s eye, and allowed himself to be vulnerable, and yes, made us care about him that much more.