David Estrada: The Road Ahead
Chicago welterweight contender David Estrada is coming off an impressive victory over Orlando Lora of Mexico. In an exclusive interview with Saddoboxing, Estrada talked about how he won, and his stablemate Angel Hernandez’ plans for the future, with manager Wasfi Tolaymat, trainer ‘Fearless’ Fernando Fernandez, and Boxing 360 Promoter Dr. Mario Yacobi.
Saddoboxing: “How long did you prepare for the fight?”
David Estrada: “It took me five weeks to get ready for him. We just trained like we always do. ‘Fearless’ Fernando Hernandez, my trainer, has been concentrating on conditioning Angel Hernandez and myself. Every camp is the hardest fight I give 500% for every fight getting ready. It’s about how much weight I lose between fights. I’m in the gym six days a week and I do my roadwork four days a week. Everyone has their own way of training, that’s what works for me, that’s what I do.”
Wasfi Tolaymat: “David is a tough kid that comes to fight. He won the WBC Latino Welterweight Title. They did not give us the (actual) belt, so I will buy the belt.”
DE: “I will fight for any belt, as long as they’re paying AND moving me closer to the world title belt. I just care about getting to the top and making money.”
SB: “David, do you want a title rematch with Andre Berto?”
DE: “I want a rematch with Berto, who stopped me by TKO in 11 on my feet. In my present condition, I can beat Berto now.”
WT: If he wants to fight Berto in a rematch, and Berto agrees, we will win! David is ready to fight anyone!”
SB: “Do you have any upcoming bouts with David on ESPN or Showtime?”
WT: “We could do it in Chicago . We like it here. We have another Mexican opponent lined up. The Mexican camp wants the bout in Texas or California , or in their backyard. Anywhere they want the fight, we fight, no problem.”
DE: “I want to become the world champion, defend my title, make a lot of money, then become a trainer with a couple of young kids (prospects), and have my own boxing gym in the future. This (my future plans) would be a team effort with my manager Wasfi. In the immediate future, I want to fight for the best money, and I want a rematch with Berto or Abregu.”
SB: “David, do you have confidence in your trainer, Fernando Fernandez?”
DE: “Fernando knows a lot about the sport of boxing. He’s a great trainer all around, very well-rounded in all aspects of the sport, everything a fighter has to know.” He knows what to say to a fighter during the fight (which is critically important).
SB: “Wasfi, what are your plans with your other fighter, Angel Hernandez?”
WT: “Angel is in good shape. He’ll be fighting Peter Manfredo Jr. at Mohegan Sun on May 22. He’s very great. His diet is spinach and raw meat. Angel is a good fighter and I know he will get the championship, the gold ticket, and afterwards I hope for David. I think Manfredo will run, but Angel will get him. I think Angel will knock Manfredo out in six rounds.”
Fernando Fernandez: “As David’s trainer, we’ve been getting offers, but so far it’s just talk, names, offers, but the offers haven’t been right. We’re here for David to become a world champion. David holds the WBC Latino title. We’re looking for big paydays for David. David’s already fought the who’s who of boxing. As the trainer of Angel Hernandez, I can tell you in the best shape he’s ever been in. He’s now at middleweight, 160 pounds, and he’s ready.”
SB: “Can you tell us about the Peter Manfredo Jr. bout with Angel?”
FF: “No disrespect to Manfredo, but Angel has been in with bigger and better. Angel’s too hungry now, and he’s got a winning team, Wasfi Tolaymat as manager, me as his coach, and Boxing 360 as promoter. Teamwork is very important. There is an ‘I’ in boxing. At the end of the day, you are just a fighter. I’m an active fighter and trainer, so you get two views from me. Everyone is significant: the promoter, the manager, the trainer, the boxer.”
SB: “Fearless Fernando, any thoughts of a comeback? You beat Frankie Randall.”
FF: “This has always crossed my mind and heart. Maybe with the help of Boxing 360, I could get licensed again, and get a fight in Las Vegas . Right now my primary focus is training three fighters: David Estrada, Angel Hernandez, and Antonio Canas.”
SB: “Who is Antonio Canas? Bring us up to date.”
FF: “Antonio Canas, nicknamed ‘the god of war’, is a 29 year old mixed martial arts fighter with an MMA record of 10-2. He will soon make his pro boxing debut. Here’s the interesting thing. Canas is the principal sparring partner for Angel and David. Canas holds his own with them at 146 pounds! Also, I’m probably the only trainer who spars with his fighters as well.”
SB: “Bring us inside the mind of your fighters.”
FF: “A fighter is only a fighter. Sometimes the relationship between a fighter and a trainer is not just physical, it’s emotional and psychological. There’s a bond, a trust, you’re putting your life in someone else’s hands. The trainer is telling you what to believe in, and also what not to do. If the information coming in from the trainer to the fighter is good, he’s going to stick to it.”
SB: “What if something goes wrong?”
FF: “If something goes wrong, that’s when the Mosleys and the Cottos leave their trainers. They blame their trainers. If a fighter is going nowhere fast, a trainer has to tell the fighter ‘we need to bring someone else in’. This could happen if the trainer is not seeing the techniques desired better and faster, or if someone else can do better for the fighter based on the circumstances.”
“I haven’t experienced this. I’m super happy; I give 150% as a trainer. I’m just super happy to keep in shape, and go through what they (my fighters) are going through. But I understand this game as well as anybody, I’ve lived it.”
SB: “What are the most important things for a trainer to understand?”
FF: “Something must be understood at the highest levels of boxing and professionalism. In cases of real severe loyalty, if a trainer really has the best interests of a fighters at heart, and it means the trainer has to step back in order to let the fighter get where he has to get, you let go and tell the fighter to move on and do it if it means getting fights or seeing the end of your career.”
“Sometimes the fighter may have done something wrong, sometimes the trainer may have done something wrong, and/or it may simply be a case of better people coming in who can move the fighter and get him where he needs to be. In boxing there are certain realities required to get fights and achieve success and be a world champion. Fighters are rugged. You MUST have a team: a promoter, a manager, a trainer, and good advisement. A fighter cannot do any of this by himself. You do it this way, or not at all.”
Dr. Mario Yacobi is CEO and promoter of Boxing 360
Dr. Mario Yacobi: “We had David Estrada scheduled to fight on July 2nd versus Freddie Fernandez of Mexico , who pulled out, claiming he pulled a muscle. We want to fight David during the summer on ESPN, ShoBox, Showtime, whoever, sometime in August.”
“Angel Hernandez is ready, he feels great. We’re fighting him versus Peter Manfredo Jr. at Mohegan Sun coming up. Also on that card, unbeaten Super Middleweight Lennox Allen, another of my fighters, will appear. Lennox is in incredible shape; his bout is going to be a war!”
SB: “Thank you, and good luck to all of you with your upcoming bouts and plans for the road ahead. In boxing, as in all professional sports, it’s good to know where you are headed.”