Interview with Eddie Sanchez, Former Boxer Turned Trainer

I spoke with former boxer and current trainer Eddie Sanchez about his career, his current work with Team Impact Boxing and the astonishing obstacles he has overcome in his life.

It's been a year since your last fight and obviously you're busy with training and managing - but are you officially done fighting?

ES: You know it's actually official now that I'm out of the fight game, with my previous injuries which I'm sure you know about. I was just hospitalized almost a month ago and the doctor said this injury is always going to be coming back and you never know, it could be any time, I could be watching TV and all of the sudden...

For anybody who doesn't know your story, do you want to briefly describe the injuries you're dealing with?

ES: What happened after my stabbing, it was so severe that one of my lungs collapsed and basically shattered on the inside, like a grenade... everything on the inside exploded. Nobody, even the doctors, thought I was going to make it to the next day. They definitely never thought I would compete in boxing after that. But someway, somehow, just thank God that I've managed to still have been fighting all these years, until last year.

Well you have an amazing story and it's incredible that you were able to fight again after that and when all is said and done, even with the injuries, it's good to see that you're alive and well.

ES: Yea well on the outside I'm doing great and on the inside is basically where there's problems. So what I do is stay in shape, and work with the guys I have now and once in a while get in the ring and spar with 'em and hopefully thank God that I'm doing well. And that's fine, I'm ok with that. I'm fortunate... I mean I can't do what I was looking forward to doing but I'm still blessed enough to be around what I love and be doing what I love.

Obviously as you said you feel blessed today, did that incident give you a new lease on life?

ES: It did, it definitely did, it was eye opening for me. It was like, what do I do now? What do I do? I've been fighting my whole life. But then I started to go to other people and other trainers I've been around with and they said Eddie you seem like a gym rat...you've been in there with world champions, you have enough knowledge, use it. I used to spar with Chicanito Hernandez... Chavez once in a while when he came into LA... and even now I've worked with Sergio Mora, Shane Mosley, Carlos Baldomir.

And even if I wasn't sparring I was there and talking to their trainers, and basically they were schooling me and preparing me to be where I ended up being now. And after that, I kind of said, wow, maybe that's my next step since I can't fight anymore.

Tell me about Hurricane Katrina... your wife and kids got stuck down there while you were training?

ES: They got stuck when I was training and I couldn't get a hold of them or find out anything the whole time. I was watching the news and it felt like I was watching a movie. So once my fight was done I was thinking now what? What do I go home to? There was nothing to go home to.

How long were you actually not in contact with your family?

ES: It was about four or five months, without knowing anything. Not knowing if they were around or where they were. And you hear this family member passed away, that family member passed away and everyone else is scattered around...

Wow, so how did you finally get back in touch with them?

ES: Her mom called me and said hey we're ok, they called me from her aunt's house. They didn't have any power or anything so they couldn't call anybody or do anything. So it took them a while. At that time I didn't have a computer to check my email, so I was just running around....

That sounds extremely intense, I'm glad that everything was able to eventually sort itself out. So tell me about Team Impact and some of the guys you're working with.

ES: Well Team Impact, my fiancé and I founded about two years ago. I have a lot of people that come out of nowhere to be in training camps here in San Diego and also in Big Bear. Luckily I have fighters calling me from Alabama, from Kansas City, from all over the place and we have a little gym here, nothing fancy but enough to get you going.

And basically we're trying to help a lot of people that most of the other gyms or trainers don't give the time of day to. They say oh, go somewhere else and get experience and then come back... it's like that for a lot of the fighters that I'm training now and it's like why would you wait to get experience with someone else and then go to a different trainer.

Why would they want to give the time of day to you now? Why couldn't they do that when you were coming up? When nobody wanted to buy you a pair of shoes you couldn't afford or lend you a pair of gloves...why do they want to give you the time of day now? And these guys they are going through the same thing I was... and for like years, six or seven years everybody was saying Eddie's done, Eddie won't fight again and then I kept surprising a lot of people every time...

That has to give you some satisfaction and you have to be taking pride that you're helping other people to do the same thing right now.

ES: Definitely, and I'll tell you, the biggest thing was I never thought I would be on ESPN Classic, getting shown twice a month or every other month...

That must be pretty sweet.

ES: (Laughs) It is man, it is. It's like a little victory....and sharing it with those people that have been with me all the way to the end.

So are there any of your guys you want to give a little shout out to, anybody we might end up seeing on television anytime in the future?

ES: You'll probably be seeing Marcus Dickerson, he's 4-0, undefeated, an up and coming prospect. He's another guy that a lot of people didn't want to give the time of day to because he's a little older. But you know, he fights like it's his last day fighting, every time he works, every time he fights. That's the attitude that makes somebody a great fighter because you don't leave anything behind. You never know when it's your last shot. He's a lot better than other people who have been doing it for years.

Well we'll definitely keep an eye on him for sure. You're still a young guy at 33, does that make it easier to reach out to some of those young fighters walking through your gym door?

ES: It does make it easier, because I get to communicate and understand what they are going through. But it's also harder because some of their parents are young, and look at me differently. But it's funny they'll talk to some of the old time trainers who tell them oh you're with Eddie, you're going to work hard. So I have the respect from the older guys who know what I'm doing.

Of course on top of that you have a ton of experience - in the ring and in the rest of your life - that must command a lot of respect from those you train.

ES: That's true, that counts a lot. People know you for how you are and not for what you've done. And if you've been an inspiration to somebody or helped them it doesn't matter if you won a title or anything else.

What would you call your career highlight, maybe the Candelo win or the Bojorquez win?

ES: I would say that everything was the highlight for me, everything for me. Whether it was good or it was bad. If it was good I must have done something right and if it was bad I must have done something wrong. But anytime I stepped in the ring that was a highlight for me. Knowing I was able to compete after my injuries, in there that was my comfort zone, I was happy.

Well it's that kind of positive outlook why so many people look up to you and turn to you today...What's the best piece of advice you have for young fighters, or for anybody else for that matter?

ES: The best thing is you know what, you're going to have trials and tribulations in life. You can always choose if you're going to take that next step to go forward or if you're going to sit back and let it hit you and not do anything with it. You always have a choice, even when you're at the bottom of the bottom, there's nothing else to do besides work to get up.

That sounds like great advice and you're a great example of living that. So onto the really pressing matters....who do you have in the upcoming super bout, Manny Pacquiao or Ricky Hatton?

ES: (Laughs) Well surprisingly I'm going with Hatton in this one.

Why's that?

ES: Right now Pacquiao's a good fighter but he has a whole lot of distractions, especially after beating Oscar. On the other hand, Hatton is hungrier right now and after he lost to Floyd he wants to prove again that he has what it takes. And some people are mad that Mayweather Sr. is helping him. But anytime you get a new trainer, or somebody that is helping you do different things, it's always in the back of the head that you're learning, that you're learning something new. Even though you're ready to go back to your old ways, that's always going to be on the back burner. So if that doesn't work, you go back to your style and have plan B. But most people don't seem to understand that. So I'm going with Hatton in this one.

Knockout or decision?

ES: Personally I say he's going to catch him jumping in... but you know what, a win is a win, by knockout, by decision, even a DQ, a win is a win.

Well thanks Eddie I appreciate the time and look forward to speaking with you again.

ES: Thank you.