Billy's Boxing Blog

By William Trillo

His ledger speaks for itself. Martin Castillo, Enrique Sanchez, Daniel Ponce De Leon, Israel Vasquez, Abner Mares and now Oscar Valdez. The chances are whenever you see the next up and coming lighter weight Mexican hitting the spotlight there is a good chance you are going to see Espinoza in their corner.

I was fortunate enough to speak to Espinoza a few days after his latest protégé Oscar Valdez shocked the boxing world with the devastating defeat of the now dethroned Champion Miguel Berchelt. After congratulating the manager for having another World Title holder under his wing I had a few questions I hoped he would answer.

The first question was if was if he didn’t mind revealing his secret? How is it that it’s not uncommon to see him in the corner of the next Mexican breakout champion? What does he know that helps him find the fighters that will rise to the top?

Espinoza chuckled and said, “Thanks for the compliment Will. You know the main thing is the fact that I like to do my own scouting in the amateur ranks. I like to see them for myself. Of course, I love my Mexican fighters. When I am watching I look for fighters who already have that pro style. I like the amateurs that will fight and have that certain toughness about them. Those are the young men I target.”

Fancy that! Espinoza’s secret is simply good old-fashioned nose to the grindstone hard work. In a world full of boxing managers who are busy cutting records or worrying about their Social Media presence it is refreshing to see a guy who does his work the old-fashioned way. (Insert Smith/Barney commercial here).

Of course, I had to inquire about the Valdez/Berchelt fight. I noted that it’s doubtful anyone is going to worry about Oscar the next time he gets into the ring against a perceived bigger and stronger fighter.

“I am glad you mentioned that,” shared Espinoza. “You know, after the Quigg fight I knew it was time for a change. Oscar was just getting hit too much that night and as far as I was concerned. We had to go a different direction. A lot of people were extremely critical of me when we left Manny Robles, but it had to be done. You saw the difference Eddie Reynoso has made. Oscar did not get hit flush very much on Saturday night. Bringing in Reynoso made all the difference in the world.”

In other words, Critics be damned.

From being second guessed for replacing trainers to having his fighter being given no chance to defeat Berchelt, Espinoza has shown once again that it’s best not to second guess him or his hard work.

Check out www.Pound4Pound.com for all the latest boxing news.

By William Trillo

It was exactly one year ago today that Tyson Fury rid the boxing world of Deontay Wilder and became the Heavyweight Champ of the World. Little did most of the boxing media in attendance know that this would be the last live event we would cover until further notice. At the present time we are 365 days, and counting, into the longest draught of our respective journalistic careers.

For most of us lucky enough to get a credential, covering boxing is our dream job. A good portion of us do not make any money at it but rather do it for the love of the sport. Having the canvas unexpectedly pulled out from under our feet is akin to a hook to the liver. I know I speak for my peers and myself when I say, we all deeply miss being a part of these great events and will hope and pray this situation is over sooner rather than later.

The Next Oscar “The Boxer” Is Here

First it was the Los Angeles fighter Oscar “The Boxer” Muniz who grabbed the nickname. If there was a more exciting fighter getting into the ring at The Olympic Auditorium in the late 1970’s you are going to have to point him out to me.

Next of course there is Mr. De La Hoya. Early on in his career a few called him Oscar “The Boxer”. But that “Golden Boy” moniker was…well…Golden. Need I say more.

And now we have Oscar Valdez. After his spectacular performance against Miguel Berchelt on Saturday night it is only fitting to call him the new millennium Oscar “The Boxer”. No matter what was said of him before the fight Oscar proved he is worthy to carry the torch. Long live Oscar “The Boxer” Valdez.

In Regard To HBO’s Fake Famous

One of my Southern California peers recently mentioned that “Fake Famous” on HBO, the documentary about these so-called influencers was, “interesting”. Reading between the lines I had a feeling I knew why the heads up was given. Back in the day the same journalist referred to a new breed of arrogant if not useless journalists as “The Blogger Brigade”. How these guys found their way into getting credentials to local boxing shows was anyone’s guess. Outside of them standing around trying to one up each other with how great of an internet following they have, their contributions to the sport were negligible at best.

Somewhere along the way this brigade morphed themselves into this group of “Influencers” we see all over Social Media. Amongst most of the hardcore everyday boxing media who are in attendance to cover the shows, these “Influencers” are seen as little more than Bottom Feeders.

Sorry, someone had to say it.

With documentaries like “Fake Famous” getting airtime one can only hope that like that once popular webpage Myspace, these charlatan’s will get exposed, dry up, blow away and become extinct.

You know who you are.

What?

Did you think I was going to lose my edge?

Not bloody likely!

Check out www.Pound4Pound.com for all the latest boxing truth.