Leo Adam Biga's My Inside Stories

From couch potato to champion pugilist

©by Leo Adam Biga

Appeared in December 2017 issue of El Perico (el-perico.com)

No one expected nationally ranked amateur fighter Juan Vazquez, 17, to be the poster boy for how boxing can transform your life. Four years ago, the now Ralston High senior was an obese couch potato who preferred video games over physical activity.

Even after his mother practically dragged him to Jackson’s Boxing Club in south downtown, where his older brother trained, he cut up rather than worked out. Head coach Jose Campos expected Vazquez to quit when he pushed him hard in training. But Vazquez took everything Campos and assistant coach Christian Trinidad dished out and came back for more. He rapidly shed pounds and learned ring skills. Mere months after getting serious, he fought bouts – and won.

“I tend to pick things up quickly,” Vazquez said.

Campos knew he had someone special when Vazquez kept beating or nearly beating more experienced foes.

“It inspired him to get better because he knew that if he could compete with these high level kids with his little experience then he was going to be something, and he did. He started to work really hard.”

Vazquez won Silver Gloves regionals and twice won Ringside youth world championships. Then he became a national Junior Olympic champion at 152 pounds in West Virginia. He’s now a USA team hopeful eyeing the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.

No one’s more surprised than Vazquez himself.

“I never thought I would compete like this nationally, but as the years went by I’ve shown I’m really good at it. What I love most about the sport is that it keeps me in shape and it makes me a better person. Every day I try my hardest in everything I do. It just gets me through my days when I’m stressed.

“It’s always there for me. It’s made me into the person I am today. I’m doing good at school. I’m healthy, I’m eating right. It teaches you things you can use in real life. It’s taught me a lot about discipline  When I train, I don’t cheat myself. If I don’t train hard, that’s going to end up turning into failure.”

Campos confirmed Vazquez is a quick study.

“He picks things up more and faster than other kids. When Juan goes into a fight, it takes him a round or half a round to feel out the other kid. He’s looking for mistakes they’re making, for flaws in their game, and once he sees it, he works off that.”

Reading opponent tendencies shows a cerebral side.

“I see everything,” Vazquez said. “I’m jabbing, feeling how hard they hit, what their favorite punch is, what are they throwing often, and how can I counter all that.”

Campos said Vazquez can adapt thanks to unusual versatility.

“If Juan notices he needs to go forward, he’s really good at going forward. If he notices he needs to box and move around, he’s really good with his footwork. If he needs to switch from right-handed to left-handed, he will do that, and be just as good, which is pretty impressive. You only see that from high level professional fighters.”

This complete package compels Campos to sing his prodigy’s praises.

“He’s smart, he’s calm and he’s super tough – physically and mentally. There is no quit in him. It’s rare. He’s one of those kids where if he sticks with it, he’s going to be a world champion for sure.”

Vazquez, who’s trained with world champion Terrence Crawford of Omaha, said, “I want to make this my career. I honestly want to pursue it for the rest of my life, I’m willing to take it all the way – as far as I can.”

His family supports him right down the line.

“They tell me to pursue it. When they see me fighting, they see I have the potential to be one of the greatest in the sport. I see it, too. They see that boxing has really helped me with my life – with just everything.”

Even though he has his mom to thank for introducing him to the gym, he’s taken it far beyond her imagination.

“She never thought it’d be like this.”

She’s happy for his success but can’t bring herself to watch him fight,

“She’s scared to see me getting hit. She never wants me getting hurt. She’s really protective over me.”

Only his pride was hurt when he lost in the semi-finals ofa national tournament in Tennessee.

“I thought it was a really close fight, but you can’t really be mad at anybody but yourself. You just have to go back to the gym and start training again.”

Campos feels too much time off hurt his boxer.

“He didn’t get to fight in between the Junior Olympics (in July) and this tournament (in October) because we couldn’t find him any opponents, so he got rusty.

“This kid needs to be active.”

Vazquez is in training now for a December tournament in Salt Lake City, Utah that will decide the USA boxing team for upcoming international competitions.

“That’s where I really need to bring it because that’s the one that’s going to determine who’s going to take that spot,” Vazquez said.

With a fighter who’s come so far, so fast, it’s no wonder Campos uses Vazquez as an example to others.

“I love that he does it,” Vazquez said. “It shows kids there is a chance for you to be slimmer and to up your lifestyle. It’s not all about eating junk food and playing games. You have to work out to keep your body in shape to live a healthier and better life.”

The nonprofit Jackson’s Boxing Club, 2562 Leavenworth St., holds fundraisers and accepts donations to send kids like Juan to competitions.

For details, visit jacksonsboxingclub.com.

Read more of Leo Adam Biga’s work at leoadambiga.com.