HOST INTRO: I arrived at the Fight Factory, A multipurpose gym that recently reopened in June of this year after being shut down and relocated after covid. I talked to Jesus Rodriguez, a former amateur boxer about his experience getting in the ring and why he has transitioned to coaching. I also spoke to Cristian Lopez who has recently taken up boxing.
AMBI: Bell ring
TRACK: Jesus explains how he got into boxing.
ACT: JESUS: Fui a encontrar a un gimnasio y mi mando a este gimnasio. Me empezo a entrenar un Panamenio. Pense que sabia boxear y no, no sabia nada. Todo el mundo mi madreva y ya despues cuando el me encenio pelear mas, me dijo si queria Pelear, y le dije que si.
TRANSLATION: I went to look for a gym and found this one. A Panamanian guy started to coach me. I thought I knew how to box but no, I didn’t know anything. Everybody at the gym would beat the shit out of me and later on after my coach taught me more, he asked if I wanted to have an actual boxing match and I said yes.
TRACK: Jesus goes through the feeling he had during his first amateur bout and how it felt winning it.
ACT: JESUS: Empeza llegar la hora del la peleas y iba ser mi primera pelea af rente te un publico, que estaba esperando que me noquean o que los nosquearon yo ves. Estaban esperando a un spectaculo. Y ya despues que vie que llego mi familia, y estaba bien nervioso, bien nervioso. Fui al bano como treinta veses en una hora. Y yo cada rato al bano, al bano, al bano. Te tantos nervioso que tenia yo. Fue algo chido por que gane por knockout, por que detuvieron la pelea. El otro compa ya no podia pelear, fue algo emoocionante.
TRANSLATION: The beginning of my very first fight in front of other people was getting near. They were waiting for me to either get knocked out or for me to knockout the other guy. They were waiting for a spectacle After I saw my family arrive, I got nervous. I want to the bathroom like thirty times in an hour. Every other moment was just me going into the bathroom, again and again and again. It was because of all the nerves I had. It was something cool especially because I won by knockout. They stopped the fight cause the other guy just couldn’t fight anymore, it was very emotional.
TRACK: Jesus discussed why he started and enjoys coaching.
ACT: JESUS: El que me entrenaba estaba un poco mal del ojo. los entrenaba bien pero algunas veces como se iban sus cabras. Y luego mi decia “Ayuda me a entenar a esta perona.” Me veo, como yo mi gusta el boxeo, yo mi gustar ver, tanto como peleadar, como entrenador. Entrenar gente te das cuenta de sus errores mismos, por que tu los entrenas como tu sabes pelear. Los encinas y vas corrigiendonte a ti mismo.
TRANSLATION: The guy who trained me before his eyes were a little off. He trained people well but sometimes his eyes wouldn’t work so he would tell me “Help me train this guy.” liked boxing, I liked to see not just as a boxer but as a coach, when you train someone, you can see your own errors. Because you’ll teach them how you fight and while doing so you correct them, and you correct yourself
TRACK: We then talked to Cristian, who gave us his reasonings for taking up boxing.
ACT: CRISTIAN: First I wanted to lose weight, but it got fun. It’s a cool sport, watching people fight. I was like I want to try it too; I would be killing two birds with one stone.
TRACK: Cristian talked about the most difficult aspects of boxing that he’s had to learn in his first few weeks of training.
TRACK: Cristian: Learning how to keep my hands up and then pivoting, I always forget to pivot sometimes, so my punches come out weaker than they should.
HOST OUTRO: Jesus will continue to train his fighters and hopes to one day open his own gym. So that he can coach full time and work on making fighters like Cristian into solid amateur boxers and potentially world champions on the professional stage. For Baruch College, I’m Francisco Zenteno.
AMBI: Bell ring