Student athlete training to maintain undefeated status<\/p>\n
Standing just above 5 feet 8\u201d tall, undefeated boxing champion Andy Vences, 22, is a dedicated athlete working toward his goal of becoming a professional boxer.<\/p>\n
Looking to put San Jose on the map, Vences was happy to take a break from his hectic training schedule to talk a little about himself over a cup of coffee.<\/p>\n
Q: How did you get started in boxing?<\/strong><\/p>\n A: My dad put me in gymnastics when I was a kid and then he put me in soccer. I never scored a goal so he put me in martial arts where I practiced for three years. I really liked it, but I wasn\u2019t flexible enough and you have to be really flexible in order to succeed. I don\u2019t like stretching, but I liked the fighting. My first fight was actually in fifth grade at school and I started getting into trouble. My dad told me if he didn\u2019t see improvement in two months then he would take me out. Ever since I had my first amateur fight he\u2019s let me do it.<\/p>\n Q: What motivates you?<\/strong><\/p>\n A: I wouldn\u2019t say something motivates me; I just have really good work ethic. Fighting is something I really enjoy doing and it\u2019s my passion. When I wake up in the morning and I\u2019m really sore, I ask myself if I want to get better or if I want to stay the same. There are some days when my body doesn\u2019t respond, but I still end up going to the gym later. I don\u2019t want to spend the rest of the day mad at myself because I didn\u2019t go. I\u2019m just mad that I didn\u2019t go in the morning.<\/p>\n Q: Who do you look up to?<\/strong><\/p>\n A: I look up to a lot of people. I look up to my dad because he taught himself how to do martial arts in Mexico and ended up competing in a huge tournament when he came to the United States. He got second place. I look up to my coaches too and their accomplishments. I think my coach was a five-time kickboxing champion. When I was little, I looked up to Oscar De La Hoya. He went to the Olympics then he went pro, and his overall character inspired me.<\/p>\n Q: Why didn\u2019t you attend school last semester?<\/strong><\/p>\n A: I was going for English 1B, but I had to pull out because I had so many fights coming up and I was busy. I\u2019m going back spring semester for electrician school. I\u2019m planning to take one class a semester until I complete the electrician course so then I have something just in case boxing doesn\u2019t work out.<\/p>\n Q: What are your goals with boxing?<\/strong><\/p>\n A: I want to eventually get a championship in 130 pounds, 135 pounds and 140 pounds. If I were to get a World Boxing Council belt in those weight classes that would pretty much complete my goals in boxing. The WBC is the world championship belt, and it\u2019s worth the most so not just anybody gets that belt; you actually have to fight someone really good.<\/p>\n Q: What drives you, and what keeps you going?<\/strong><\/p>\n A: I love fighting. And I like the adrenaline. You kind of get hooked on that rush and that\u2019s what keeps me going.<\/p>\n Q: Are you still undefeated?<\/strong><\/p>\n A: I\u2019m still undefeated. I have six fights under my belt and two of those were by knockout. My next fight is Monday, Feb. 17 in Salinas, and it might be televised on Fox Sports Network 1. I\u2019m kind of like a swing bout, which means if the main event and the co-main event end by a knockout there will be a gap of time that needs to be filled. If they put me in then I\u2019ll be in that gap.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Student athlete training to maintain undefeated status Standing just above 5 feet 8\u201d tall, undefeated boxing champion Andy Vences, 22, is a dedicated athlete working toward his goal of becoming a professional boxer. Looking to put San Jose on the map, Vences was happy to take a break from his hectic training schedule to talk…<\/p>","protected":false},"author":88909,"featured_media":9101,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"staff_name":[631],"class_list":["post-9100","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports","staff_name-taylor-atkinson"],"yoast_head":"\n