Topic To Topic with David Estrada : "I Wouldn't Change a Thing"
Interview by Chris Robinson (March 7, 2005) 
Photo © HoganPhotos.com
The way people deal with threatening and adverse situations will help define them and give them part of their true identity. Everyone has a different story to tell, and in talking to Welterweight contender David Estrada I sensed a man full of great heart, pride, and resiliency from all of the things he has experienced in his life. It was a talk I enjoyed thoroughly as Estrada had no time for trash talk and instead opted to take a look at the past, present, and future of his life.
Estrada and I talked about a little bit of everything, from his upcoming fight with ‘Sugar’ Shane Mosley, to Chicago pizza vs. New York pizza, while also taking the time to look back at the long road he has taken to get where he is at as well as the situations that have helped make him the man he is today. Estrada, born in Chicago and now living in Miami, was honest with his answers and kept things interesting.

Here’s what we discussed, topic to topic…
His recent win over Chris Smith on Showtime…
'I was just training hard and went in and fought like I always fight. I put the pressure on him. What it was, they gave me notice two months ahead of time. I’ve never had that much time to prepare for a fight. I was always just killing myself to make weight in like a month and that was the first time I had two full months to get ready.’

Working with the legendary Angelo Dundee…
'Sometimes it seems like a dream. He’s good to have around. He knows a lot. Anything that comes out of his mouth is good to hear. We have conversations outside of the ring a lot.’

Sizing up his April 23rd meeting with ‘Sugar’ Shane Mosley…
‘I’m just going to train hard, go in there, and fight like I always fight and that’s it. I won’t do anything different or anything special. He’s a great fighter but I’m coming up. I don’t really see any weaknesses in Shane but I didn’t see any weaknesses in [Chris] Smith either. I’m just going to go in there and put pressure on him. A lot of guys can’t handle it when I put the pressure on them. They don’t know what to do and they panic. That’s when I start picking them apart.’

Getting into Boxing…
‘I started boxing in Chicago at the age of 14. I used to get into a lot of fights in school in both Chicago and Miami. I would get into fights just playing around outside. I just told my dad one day to take me to the gym. My grandfather and two of my uncles boxed so I wanted to be like them. He took me to the gym with my brother and that was it for me, I just kept up with it. It took up a lot of my time and if it wasn’t for boxing I probably would have been in a lot more trouble than I ever got into.

Street fights…
‘I think most of any young kids in any city environment will have their share of street fights. I know I had my share. Sometimes I’d get in a fight at a Club, sometimes it would be when leaving the Club, and sometimes it would happen when I was just walking down the street. It definitely helped me as far as boxing went, because sometimes in the street you’re not just fighting one person. You build your confidence level when you’ve had to fight more than one person.

Climate control…
‘The best thing I like about Miami is the weather. It's great to train all year round without worrying about it being cold outside. I also like the beach. I like jumping in the water. In Chicago, there’s no beach; it’s just a lake. So it’s not exactly the same.

The best food in the world…
One thing I love about Chicago is the food. They have the best food in the world in Chicago. In Miami everything is from the islands because you have all the Puerto Ricans, Dominicans, Cubans, and Jamaicans. That stuff is good too, but I just miss the food in Chicago. My favorite food is Mexican. Chicago probably has the best Mexican food in the world. I’ve been to L.A., Texas and other places, but Chicago stood out as the best. Every time I go back I enjoy my Mexican food and of course the pizza... I think Chicago pizza is better than New York pizza. I’ve ate New York pizza all over. I’ve ate in Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, and to me the pizza is better in Chicago. I guess anybody who’s from New York and has ate Chicago pizza might disagree.

Fighting the temptations of Miami's South Beach…
‘It’s not really hard for me to keep focused. I do know a lot of people here in Miami and I know where the good clubs and women are at, but when it's time to train, it's time to train. I’m a very strong minded person when it comes to that. As far as going out, some people would say that one or two drinks won’t do much but I don’t even do that. I draw myself a line and when that line comes up I see it and I don’t cross it. After that there is no going out and enjoying myself until after that fight. ‘

Soaking up the sun…
‘When I go on long runs I like to think and just let my mind go. I love running under the Miami heat, especially in the summertime when it’s real hot. You have to put yourself to the test when it's 90 degrees out and the sun is beating on you. It’s definitely a test and it’s a good run. Occasionally I will run along the beach but usually I just run in the park.’

Zab Judah knocking out Cory Spinks…
'I thought Spinks was going to be able to win another split decision like the first fight. Spinks is one of the best boxers out there skill wise. He showed that when he fought Mayorga. If Mayorga would have caught him he would have knocked him out. Mayorga couldn’t catch him so I didn’t think Zab would catch him either, but I knew if Zab caught him he was going to knock him out.'

Training with The Executioner…
‘I’ve been to camp with Bernard Hopkins three or four times. It’s a learning experience, everything about it. Just being around him, sparring with him, and watching him. I watch his every move and everything he does.’

2004 Fighter of the Year Glen Johnson…
‘I used to spar with Glen when he was a Middleweight. I hadn’t even turned pro yet and we used to spar. I saw him fighting at Light-Heavy and I couldn’t believe it was him. Glen did his thing in 2004. Knocking out Roy and beating Tarver, I mean what else could you want? Nothing better could have happened to him last year.’

Winky Wright vs. Felix Trinidad…
‘That’s going to be a real good fight. I don’t know if Winky Wright can take Trinidad’s punches. Trinidad is a different level of a power puncher compared to everybody else. I think Wright is going to try to box Trinidad but at times he’s going to have to stand and trade because he can’t look like he’s running from Tito the whole time. He’s going to have to exchange at some points but for the most part I think he’s going to box him. I’m leaning towards Trinidad but I’m not sure. Winky Wright is tough and he has skills. He’s crafty. That one could go either way. That’s a real good fight, a good match.’

Doing it the hard way…
‘Some guys get everything handed to them. They get a manager to handpick all their opponents until they turn 18-0 and then the next thing you know they get lined up with a title fight. I didn’t have it like that. I’ve been fighting fights that I was supposed to lose since my second fight. In my second pro fight I fought a guy with thirty professional fights and he weighed about 16 pounds heavier than me. I had the hard way to go but I’m thankful for that. A lot of fighters get their whole career handpicked and when they have to fight, they really don’t know how because they haven’t fought any real fighters.’

Hanging with Angel…
‘I was tight with Angel Manfredy. He was my boy. We used to train at the Windy City Gym everyday. We used to see each other in the gym all the time and occasionally say ‘What’s up’ to one another but not really talk. He had seen me sparring with a couple other guys so he knew I could fight. One day he picked me for one of his sparring partners and we just became tight from there on. After sparring we started getting to know each other, then we started hanging out a little bit outside of the gym and just became good friends. Nowadays I think he’s just spending time with his family. I don’t know if he’s training or not. I’ve lost touch with him in the last year.’

Fighting…
‘I love to fight. It’s a high for me. I love it when I spar, I like it when I fight in the ring, I just love everything about fighting.’

Life lessons…
‘The biggest thing that keeps me going is my faith in God. Besides that, my heart and my pride. I think everything I’ve been through in my life has helped me become the fighter that I am. I wouldn’t change a thing that’s happened to me. Getting through difficult situations will make you stronger not only physically but mentally.'

BraggingRightsCorner extends its sincere thanks to David Estrada for his time and honest feedback. We wish the champ the best of luck on April 23 and in the future…
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