By Darren Velasco
FightDomain.Net
Perhaps modesty and quiet ambition fail to paint the picture of a fighter capable of devastating, cringe-inducing knockouts, but boxing fans need not look further than prospect Gabino Saenz to observe this curious combination. In a landscape of brash, mouthy personalities, the hardworking Indio, Calif. native instead chooses to let his hands do the talking-- seemingly, a lost art. The super bantamweight stays focused on his next task, a bout against Cesar Valenzuela(3-1-1), as well as the bright future ahead.
Perhaps modesty and quiet ambition fail to paint the picture of a fighter capable of devastating, cringe-inducing knockouts, but boxing fans need not look further than prospect Gabino Saenz to observe this curious combination. In a landscape of brash, mouthy personalities, the hardworking Indio, Calif. native instead chooses to let his hands do the talking-- seemingly, a lost art. The super bantamweight stays focused on his next task, a bout against Cesar Valenzuela(3-1-1), as well as the bright future ahead.
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| Credit: BStunt |
His upcoming bout on the Timothy Bradley-Ruslan Provodnikov
undercard marks a bit of a milestone for the budding Saenz. The prodigious
prospect enters his tenth bout and his senior season, or fourth year, in the
pro ranks.
At only 23 years old, the power punching Saenz boasts an
undefeated record of 8-0-1 with 6 knockouts. Each of the stoppages has come
within four rounds, so it speaks volumes about his highly regarded left hook
and aggressive style.
“I feel like I can knock someone out with one punch from
either hand,” said the former amateur standout. “I like to pressure box. I go
forward, but not recklessly, and I have the power, which I think keeps the
fights entertaining.”
Much of his style and training can be attributed to not only
his father Gabino Saenz Sr., but also Ray Bradley, the father of this weekend’s
main event titleholder. Saenz out of Indio, California, is more than familiar
with the current WBO welterweight champion.
“Pretty much everything Tim
knows, I know as well,” Saenz highlighted. “Since the amateurs he used to work
with me and help me get ready for nationals and he used to go in there and spar
with me. He taught me a lot of things, on defense and offense as his dad’s
always worked on me.”
In the Indio camp, there is a clear tone of family
environment among trainers and it is certainly no different with the charitable
prospect. Saenz, while balancing a work, school, and training schedule, still
gives back to the community as a youth trainer.
“It’s something I do daily. I just try to give back to them
everything I know. I help kids out, eighth grade to seniors, in boxing. They
just do it for recreation and to stay out of trouble,” said the generous Saenz.
Saenz is gaining momentum as a fighter, but also as a
captivating figure for his community. It is common for prospects to model their
careers after other fighters merely on their skill sets in the ring, but the
affable prospect pursues an alternate type of boxing idol with a much wider
array of artillery.
“Andre Ward is a really good individual in and out of the
ring,” Saenz praises. “I really like his style and how he can adapt to any of
his opponents’ styles whether they’re aggressive or just boxing. I really
respect Andre Ward for being on top of the boxing game while still being humble
and not boastful. I admire his work ethic and the person he is.”
Though he has a while before reaching the star-studded level
of Ward, the rising prospect understands that the combination of good nature
and tough fights will accomplish this desired result.
“It’s my career now. I can’t look bad, and I can’t have a
loss on my record,” Saenz simply puts. “My goals are just to stay undefeated
and keep my ranking up and to keep moving forward while being impressive.
Hopefully I can get on some television fights by the end of the year. I want to
make a name for myself and let the boxing world know who Gabino Saenz is.”
The genial Gabino Saenz continues to grow in boxing years, but regardless of the success and fame to come, the hard-hitting prospect will let only his fists do the convincing.
The genial Gabino Saenz continues to grow in boxing years, but regardless of the success and fame to come, the hard-hitting prospect will let only his fists do the convincing.
Darren Velasco is a writer/correspondent based out of the Bay Area, California. Former writer with 8 Count News and F4 Studios, archives can be found here. Currently a panel member of the Northern California Pound For Pound Voting Panel. Darren can be emailed at (darrenvelasco@yahoo.com) and can be found on Twitter at @Darren_Velasco.
