It’s A Boxing Weekend!

It’s been a while Belize hasn’t announced an official boxing match. Boxing enthusiasts will take great pleasure to learn that on Saturday night, the Belize Boxing Development Council is bringing a title fight to the Jewel, the first in the last forty-five years! And for good measure, they’ve managed to throw in two more fights on the card – one of which is a women’s fight. News Five’s Marion Ali has the story.

Marion Ali, Reporting
On Saturday evening, the Belize Civic Centre will come alive with three boxing matches that promise to keep boxing fans entertained. There will be a women’s match, followed by a match featuring Amir Rudon and the main match, which is a title fight. Javier Romero, the Commissioner of the Belize Boxing Development Council, explains what the event will be about.

Javier Romero

Javier Romero, Commissioner of the Belize Boxing Development Council

“This has been years in the making. This is a seminal moment for Belize, which we have had several boxing events throughout the years, but this is the culmination of all of that work. What we’re now presenting to Belize is a championship bout It is the first championship bout in Belize in the last forty-five years. It is the first championship bout that is being sanctioned by a world governing body.”

Eduardo Esquivel is a thirty-two-year-old professional boxer from Cayo who is fighting at a weight of one hundred and twenty-six pounds. Esquivel didn’t make the weight on his first weigh-in this afternoon. He was given an hour to lose point six of a pound. He did it in half hour and told us all about it afterwards.

Marion Ali
“You didn’t make it the first time on the weigh-in. What happened there?”

Eduardo Esquivel

Eduardo Esquivel, Professional Boxer

“Oh, maybe because I make it yesterday but when you relax and be in the air-condition, the body cools down and gets a little weight again. This is why I have to sweat a little bit because the air-condition makes me a little bit more heavy.”

At thirty-two, most professional boxers are planning their retirement, but Esquivel entered the sport only eight years ago. Remarkably, he has a professional record of twenty-one wins and two losses. And even at this senior age for the sport of boxing, he qualified to compete for a regional title in the featherweight division. He explained that the chance didn’t come before.

Eduardo Esquivel

“I start a little old because the opportunities never come. Some boxers retire like in their thirty-five because they start really young like seven, eight, start to get punches.”

Amir Rudon, who will fight in the lightweight division, is using boxing as an analogy for cancer victims. He says two of his loved ones are cancer survivors.

Amir Rudon

Amir Rudon, Professional Boxer

“I’m dedicating this fight to all those who’ve battled with cancer and who are currently battling cancer. Personally, my mom battled cancer and my girlfriend as well, both survivors, so praise God for that.” 

Marion Ali

“How hard did you train for this fight?”

Amir Rudon

“Very Very hard because I keep that in the back of my mind – the fight they had is a fight that they didn’t have a choice. It’s a situation with life or death so it definitely pushed me to go hard in this training camp.”

The three Belizean boxers will match up against all Mexican rivals in their respective weight classes. Eduardo Esquivel says It’s a must-see event.

Eduardo Esquivel

“We see something good tomorrow.”

Marion Ali for News Five.