We were lucky to catch up with Antony Cardenas recently and have shared our conversation below.
Antony, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you share a customer success story with us?
I have many talented boxers, but one of them is particularly meaningful to me, and that’s my first amateur boxer, whom I turned into a professional boxer last year. He transformed my career. He inspired me to start my amateur boxing team and become a professional boxer.
His name is Alfredo, aka “Durfo,” which moves smoother than agua de coco but tougher than cuero de chancho (man with smoother moves than coconut water but tougher than pigskin). He walked into my boxing class in Vista six years ago, looking lost and eager to try something new. He said he wanted to beat Devin Haney someday.
I almost choked on my water. But something in his eyes, ese fuego (fire), caught my attention.
He didn’t have some key people he loved in his corner; they didn’t really support his dream, and he wanted to prove something to them. So I took him under my wing, from skater boy, and molded him into “Durfo,” the boxer!
It was challenging.
I was new to coaching then.
I wasn’t a USA Boxing coach yet.
But I had a lot of boxing experience. (11 years worth!)
I taught classes and private lessons, but I still needed to get a boxing team.
But we had the desire, and we trained like possessed men!
He ran until he couldn’t, drilled footwork until his shadow danced like a capoeirista, and threw punches until his knuckles built tough skin on them!
Six years, six years of sweat, blood, and ¡uf! I built him from the ground up. We had about a 15-month break during the pandemic. So it was a little less than 6 years. But we focused on his desire to overcome challenges and prove to those key people what he was made of.
He learned to slip punches like water off a leaf, counter with the sting of a desert scorpion. Knocking people out in under a minute!
Each win, bruise, and sacrifice forged him faster and wiser.
He was known to knock your lights out.
Someone described his punches as “a car accident,” and it’s true.
I felt his punches on my punch shield! It was to the point that people in the industry learned who he was, and no one wanted to fight him at the amateur level anymore. So, it was time to level up!
And then, the moment we both dreamt of: our professional debut.
Alfredo “Durfo” stepped into the ring last year, a warrior sculpted from years of dedication. The crowd roared, the lights blinded us, but he stood tall, calm as a condor soaring through the Andes. And fight?
He fought like a man possessed by the spirit of all Mexican boxing legends combined!
He danced, he stung, he dominated! ¡Lo logramos!
He knocked his opponent out in the first round and the same with his second opponent. The victory was ours, a testament to his heart, his grit, and the crazy dream we shared.
So, can I turn a skater boy into a pro boxer? ¡Claro que sí!
With the right drive, a coachable attitude, and enough guts!
Anything is possible.
Just remember, it ain’t about fancy footwork or lookin’ cute.
It’s about the fire in your gut, the will to push beyond your limits.
That’s what makes a champion.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I started in Spain as an amateur boxer when I was 14. My parents didn’t let me box. So, my brother and I sneaked to the boxing gym after school. They called me Antony, “Latigo” Cardenas; in 2016, I immigrated here because I met my soul mate in Spain, and she wanted to move here, so I followed. I started cleaning for a local cleaning company first, and in the evening, I was taking classes at a local boxing gym until I was asked to fill in for a week for a coach who went on vacation and never returned.
Fast forward to 2018, I started my boxing team, and then in 2020, my wife and I opened our own boxing gym right here in Vista, CA.
Boxing chose me. The opportunity fell into my lap.
Grew up scrappy and learned to fight for respect and what’s right. Fought a couple of amateur fights in Spain, and I tasted glory.
The fire never died.
Now, I ignite that fire in others.
We’re not your fancy gym, all chrome and mirrors.
Our gym’s sweat, grit, and ¡corazón! I train fighters, yes, but more than that, I build Savages. We don’t just throw punches; we forge discipline, focus, and the guts to conquer any challenge.
Seen skaters blossom into champions, and scared newbies stand tall in the ring. That’s my reward, my victory.
I’m not the flashiest coach, but my fighters speak volumes.
Durfo, remember him?
My protégé is undefeated now.
That’s the magic I create.
So, you wanna find your inner fighter? Then, step into my ring.
I’ll whip you into shape, body, and soul. Cause here, we don’t just fight; I forge Savages.
How’d you meet your business partner?
Fate intervened at a bustling Mexican Restaurant in Madrid. There, across a plate of chips and guacamole and a Mezcal chupito, I met Yali Cristina, a Texan, my now wife and business partner. We spent hours talking, discovering a shared passion for adventure and a deep love for my childhood dream of coaching boxing. When her internship ended, she moved across the world to California, and soon after, we tied the knot! Blessed with the business acumen of a family of entrepreneurs, Yali Cristina saw the fire in my belly for coaching. She gently pushed me to ‘exploit my gift,’ as she fondly calls it. Together, we poured our hearts and souls into creating Savage Boxing Gym in Vista, California. While she thrives on strategic planning and management, I live my passion daily, witnessing transformations in the ring. It’s more than just a gym; it’s a testament to the power of a shared dream fueled by love, passion, and Yali Cristina’s unwavering belief in me.
Have you ever had to pivot?
Back in Spain, boxing was my everything, but it barely paid the bills. I dreamt of coaching, of igniting the fire in others, but reality was a relentless opponent.
Then, fate stepped into the ring, disguised as a fiery Latina named Yali Cristina. Her passion for life mirrored mine, our connection was electric. But Yali, with her sparkling eyes and dreams of living in California, presented a new challenge for me. I didn’t think twice, and four months later, I followed her across the ocean to a land where I couldn’t understand a word!
Fear clung to me like a damp towel, but the love for Yali and the embers of my coaching dream burned brighter.
With a heavy heart, I said goodbye to my family, their worried faces tattooed in my memory.
Landing in the US, the language barrier slammed me like a right hook. Everything was confusing and frustrating. I felt lost; my past achievements were mere whispers in a foreign tongue.
But I had grit woven into my being. I enrolled in English classes, the struggle fueling my determination. I took odd jobs, but the exhaustion never dimmed my dream. Yali, my rock, cheered me on, our shared dream a beacon in the darkness.
Slowly, I began speaking English. I became a member of the local boxing gym. I was offered to fill in for the coach, who never returned, so I became a part-time coach. My passion, broken English, and my fierce dedication – they resonated. I started coaching a few kids, their bright eyes mirroring my own from years ago.
Word spread.
My unorthodox methods and my unwavering belief in my students – drew more and more fighters. Soon, I began to teach classes on my off time from my home gym, and then we hunted for what is now “Savage Boxing Gym,” at 1589 E Vista Way Suite A in Vista, a testament to my resilience. I wasn’t just coaching fighters but shaping lives, teaching them the same grit and determination that had carried me across the ocean.
Today, I am the immigrant coach who didn’t speak English; I co-own a gym surrounded by champions I’ve molded.
Each victory is a testament to its own, a reminder that sometimes, the most significant pivots lead to the sweetest knockouts. I may have left my family behind, but I built a new one, brick by brick, punch by punch, proving that resilience and a burning dream can overcome any obstacle in any language. ¡Dale!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.savageboxinggym.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/savageboxinggym/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/savageboxinggym/
- Other: Google Page: https://www.google.com/search?q=savage+boxing+gym&oq=savage+boxing+gym&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUqDAgAECMYJxiABBiKBTIMCAAQIxgnGIAEGIoFMhYIARAuGK8BGMcBGJIDGMkDGIAEGI4FMg0IAhAuGK8BGMcBGIAEMggIAxAAGBYYHjIICAQQABgWGB4yDQgFEAAYhgMYgAQYigUyBggGEEUYPTIGCAcQRRg90gEJMzI3M2owajE1qAIAsAIA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8