Orozco returns April 21

By Ricardo Conde
Photo: Espinoza Boxing Club

Hard hitting junior welterweight Antonio Orozco (9-0, 6 KOs) of San Diego, California by way of Mexico will step back into the ring on Thursday, April 21st against Hensley ‘The Bruiser’ Strachan (5-8-1, 1 KO) of the Bahamas at the Hangar at the Orange County Fair and Event Center in Costa Mesa, California, in the next edition of ‘Fight Club OC’ which is being presented by Roy Englebrecht Promotions. Also, in action that night will be welterweight Hugo ‘The Boss’ Centeno (6-0, 6 KOs) of Oxnard, CA taking on Jiovanni Rubio (7-14, 4 KOs) of Santa Rosa, California and welterweight Holly ‘Lil Bear’ Lawson (0-1) of Los Angeles, California against Adriana Leal (0-0) of Coachella, California, as Leal makes her professional debut, as well as many others.

In his last outing, the undefeated 23-year old Antonio Orozco, defeated Manuel Aguilar (6-2, 4 KOs) of Mexico last month in the first installment of ‘Fight Club OC’ via knockout with a vicious left hook to the body at 1:42 of the first round which took place at the Hangar at the Orange County Fair and Event Center in Costa Mesa, California.

Fightnews caught up with Antonio Orozco to talk to him about his upcoming fight, his last fight and a lot more, here’s what he had to say:

Talk to us a little bit about your last fight, did you think the fight was going to be a lot tougher than it actually was or you made it seem, having been out of the ring for some time?

Every time we’re getting ready for a fight, we prepare for a long fight. At first we were worried how much it was going to affect me having been out of the ring but we didn’t let it get to us, it was a factor but it was just something we knew we had to overcome. I think I’ve been more nervous for this fight than any other fight because I hadn’t fought in over five months but the preparation was there, the work was done in the gym so I knew we were going to have a great night but I was looking forward to getting some more rounds in there but being nervous actually helped me and I was able to get him out of there right away.

You’re scheduled to return in a couple weeks, tell us how is training camp going for your fight against Strachan?

Well, I had gotten word about this fight a few days after my last fight and I was very excited, we’re definitely going to be making up for some time that I wasn’t fighting. Training camp is going really good right now, the conditioning is good and we’ll be picking things up soon. My trainer Carlos Barragan Jr. and his dad Carlos Barragan Sr. are doing a great job and they’re teaching me a lot of new things and building on to what I already know, making some adjustments and it’s been a great time being here with them. We’re training really hard and I know we’ll be ready for April 21st.

Give us a little background about your amateur career and how did you get involved in boxing?

Well, when I was about 10 years old we moved from Tecate, Mexico to Garden City, Kansas and my dad wanted me to get involved in sports, so I tried out soccer and some other sports but when I found boxing I knew it was what I wanted to do and I’ve been doing it ever since. I fought in the Jr. Olympics, Silver Gloves; I had a very good amateur career. I’ve fought and beaten fighters like Jessie Vargas and Oscar Molina in the amateurs, who are very good fighters.

You’re managed by Frank Espinoza of Espinoza Boxing Club; tell us how that came about and what it’s like being a part of their team?

Well, when Frank approached us it wasn’t something we had to think twice about, it was the opportunity we were looking for and I just thank God we’re a part of their team. Frank has a lot of credibility with other fighters and just so many people had nothing but good things to say about him and we knew it was the right move. Now we’re getting a lot of fights, getting the help that I needed to move my career along and Frank Sr. and his son do a great job of making sure I have everything I need to move forward in this sport, I couldn’t ask for anything better.

What are some of your goals for 2011?

We’re just taking things a fight at a time and so far we’re off to a good start. We’re going to work on making a bigger name for ourselves and I just want everyone know that I’m an up and coming prospect. We’re going to continue to put the work in the gym and let the results of our hard work show in each and every fight and let everyone know who I am and what I’m capable of doing.

You’ve been in Southern California for quite some time now, what’s it like having such a big following at such an earlier stage of your career?

I’m so thankful that we’re able to get a lot of support from friends and family, being here in Southern California is a great thing. The response we’ve received is great and I’m going to always give it everything I have to perform to the best of my abilities. Boxing is a lot bigger here, on the West Coast and especially in Southern California and there’s no shortage of fighters here but being under those bright lights is something new to me but definitely something I can get used to.

In closing, is there anything you would like to tell the boxing fans out there?

I want thank everyone for their support and let everyone know that it’s greatly appreciated. I’m always going to give it 100% each time you see me in that ring and they’ll never see anything less than that from me and come on out April 21st to the Hangar at the Orange County Fairgrounds for a great night of boxing, I hope to see everyone there.

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April 5th, 2011

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