Bruno Escalante, a former skilled boxer and the co-owner of Aloha Time Boxing, runs two gyms with coach Mike Bazzel. They’ve an authentic location in San Mateo, and a second fitness center in Nice Hill which opened this yr. The gyms have been the brainchild of Escalante’s late supervisor and pal, Herb Stone, who handed away in 2017.
Escalante’s present focus is on his younger fighters, notably welterweight Steve Canela, who’s scheduled to combat on October 12 at Stockton Enviornment in California.
“Herb at all times stated, ‘I’ll do my greatest to look out for the fighter,’ placing the fighter’s greatest pursuits first,” Escalante recalled. “Bazzel and I adopted this philosophy, making it our guideline in managing and coaching fighters.”
Bazzel, a revered cutman within the boxing world, has already made his mark on the game. “Bazzel was at all times nice to me,” Escalante stated. “After I first met him in 2009, he was very good and supportive.”
The 2 bonded whereas Bazzel was a power coach for Nonito Donaire, with Escalante a protege of the Filipino future Corridor of Famer.
“From the beginning, we clicked,” Escalante added.
Escalante’s profession noticed highs and lows. After early setbacks, he teamed up with Stone, who helped information his boxing journey. However when a battle arose involving one other fighter that Stone managed, Escalante confronted the fallout and needed to take the present on the street because it was tougher to get native fights. He suffered a controversial loss to Oscar Cantu in Texas and later endured a tricky loss in his subsequent combat towards Michael Ruiz Jr. in West Oakland. Stone handed away abruptly in 2017, leaving Escalante and Bazzel to rebuild.
After a hiatus, Escalante returned to the ring and gained key bouts, together with victories over Javier Gallo and Diuhl Olguin in 2018. He then confronted Alexandru Marin on the “Superfly III” card, dropping a cut up choice that also stings. One which many felt Escalante ought to have been credited for one or two knockdowns, however neither have been known as.
After his final profession defeat, Escalante centered on the fitness center and the younger fighters developing – Canela was considered one of them.
Canela started boxing at age 22, which Escalante notes is “comparatively late for a boxer.” Regardless of this, Canela has proven exceptional progress.
“After I first met Steve, he was much less skilled in comparison with different fighters. However his dedication and fervour for the game have been spectacular,” Escalante stated.
Canela, a former wrestler who transitioned to boxing after dabbling in MMA, described his shift to the game stating: “I began with MMA, specializing in wrestling and jiu-jitsu, however after realizing my arms weren’t sturdy sufficient for MMA, I shifted my focus to boxing.”
Initially, Canela thought he’d ultimately return to MMA, however boxing captivated him.
“I discovered myself sticking with it as a result of nice folks I met,” he added.
Canela commutes from San Jose to coach in each San Mateo and Nice Hill, making a roundtrip drive of greater than two hours 4 to 5 occasions per week. His dedication to boxing is clear, as is his respect for the robust sparring periods early in his profession.
“Early on, I sparred with robust folks like Kristin Vazquez, Charlie Sheehy, and Arnold Dinong,” Canela recalled. “That made me understand that if I might take the punishment, I might give it again someday.”
Regardless of being comparatively new to the game, Steve Canela has already confronted high competitors in nationwide tournaments below USA Boxing. Reflecting on the expertise, Canela stated, “The nerves have been there, however my principal concern was not letting anybody down.”
Now, he’s set to make his skilled debut on October 12, a second he has lengthy anticipated. Coaching below Escalante and Bazzel, Canela feels related to a wealthy boxing custom.
“I’m blessed to be a part of this technique. Bazzel skilled Bruno, and now Bruno trains me, together with Arnold, who got here up by the identical system,” Canela stated. “It seems like a household custom, and I’m grateful for the steerage.”
