Interview Dated April 2005

Juan Carlos "Blacktino" Candelo

J.C. Candelo's tale is similar to many modern American stories. Lured by the promise of the greatness he could achieve through dedication and hard work only in America, Candelo literally used his boxing skills as an avenue to sneak into the United States from his native Colombia more than ten years ago. Since then he has compiled a professional record of 27-7-3, seizing and then losing the N.A.B.F. Light Middleweight title along the way. Now living in Denver, he has recently been training in Houston for a bout on March 10th against "El Veneno", Marco Antonio Rubio (25-2-1, 25 KO's).


HBS - How did you first get started boxing?

JC - I first got started boxing back in '87 back in Colombia. I just started boxing just for fun and then I started loving it and you know here I am.

HBS - What city in Colombia?

JC - Buenaventura, on the south side of Cali.

HBS - How did you end up in the United States?

JC - I came to the Pan American Games in 1992 or '93 in Puerto Rico and I defected from my team and I never went back to Colombia with my team.

HBS - You were in Puerto Rico and you defected?

JC - I was in Puerto Rico and I defected from the team when I was in Miami when we were on our way back to Colombia.

HBS - So you're at the airport in Miami and you go to the authorities and say "I want to defect. I don't want to go back to Colombia."

JC - No I didn't go to the authorities. I just walked out from the airport and I had my passport with me and I just decided to stay here.

HBS - How did you know what to do or where to go?

JC - I was just, "Well it's going to be hard but it's not going to be harder than my country." So same stuff, just different day, different country. I just walked out and didn't know nothing in English and learned and I'm here today and I'm thankful to be here.

HBS - Did you know someone in the United States that knew you were going to do this? Where did you go to?

JC - I knew that any time I had the chance to go to the United States with the Colombian team I was going to defect my team regardless of what I was going to be doing. I had that made up in my mind. In Miami then I went to Atlanta, Georgia. Didn't know anybody here in the states. I just did like Cubans, they come in a fricking boat and a lot of my fellow from Buenaventura they come in boats too but you know lucky for me I was able to come over here with a visa and I just had to stay and you know it was hard first but I worked my way up.

HBS - How did you end up in Denver, making contact with your current manager?

JC - I lived in Atlanta for seven years and then I decided that I wanted to make a move and I moved Denver, which I've been living in Denver for four years and then one of my best friends, I met him in Atlanta and so he knows Vicente Ruiz and so I got in contact with Vicente through my friend and I started talking with him and I liked his ideas and I just decided to come over here and try it out and now I'm loving it and I'm thinking to move down here to Houston.

HBS - What is it that you enjoy so much about the sport of boxing? Obviously you're pretty good at it.

JC - The thing that I enjoy most about the sport of boxing is that it's so simple. This is the only sport that you see two guys beating the crap out of each other and then at the end of the fight you know they hug and we go to our different corners and congratulate the people who's working in the corner. I think this is one of the humblest sports. After you see two guys fighting for ten or 12 rounds just like they don't like each other and then after that bell rings all the hate and everything that you talk about that person is gone because the fight's over and you go and hug that person. I mean you don't kiss him because it's not normal, seeing two guys kissing each other but you know it's just amazing.

HBS - You have a nickname?

JC - I go by J.C. Candelo when I fight and my nickname is Blacktino. It's my given nickname by my friends in Denver because I'm black but I'm Latino.

HBS - So your record is 27-7 & three draws but you're no longer the N.A.B.F. titleholder?

JC - I lost my belt when when I fought Kassim Ouma back in January 3rd of last year and I'm just trying to work my way back into being a top 10 contender because, I hope you put this on the record, the company that I'm fighting for, and all those fighters out there, don't you ever try to sign with Banner Promotions because that company sucks big time.

HBS - You did hold the N.A.B.F. title at one point though.

JC - Yes I did hold the title and I had one successful defense against Julio Garcia "The Cuban Lover" and then I lost the belt on January 3rd of last year to Kassim Ouma.

HBS - So that must have felt pretty good, to win that title.

JC - When I won the title belt it was just a precious moment that is something that every fighter, that's what they want. I haven't reached my goal yet. My goal is to become a world champion and I know that I will either this year or next year. I doubt it's going to be this year because I'm still under contract with Banner Promotions and I just don't want to fight for the belt when I'm with Banner Promotions because I mean I just don't like that company. I've been with them for six years now and I mean they've been good to me but lately, the past three years they've been sorry-asses with me and I just don't want to be with a company like that.

HBS - You lost your last two fights. Tell me what happened with those fights.

JC - The fight with Kassim Ouma, he's a great fighter, he put his punches together, and that was the first time that I've been knocked out in my career. Well he didn't knock me out, I just took a knee because I wasn't feeling right and then when I fought with Eddie Sanchez I was going to fight with Jesse Alzin for the W.B.A. Latin Belt, then it ended up that he didn't pass the blood test and I met the guy when I was on my way out to the ring so I didn't know nothing about him. Like I did a whole different work as I was getting ready for somebody else and they told me "You're going to fight with Eddie Sanchez" and I was like "Well hey, I'm a fighter, I've been training for two months, whoever they're going to put in there I'm just going to fight with him." They didn't tell me he was 6'2". I weighed 154 pounds and he weighed like 160 but when we were fighting that dude was fighting at like the weight of a light heavyweight.

HBS - You knocked him down though once in the fight but he still won the decision.

JC - Yeah, I knocked him down once and he still came up and won the fight. Like in California, that's one of the states that sucks with the judging system because they gave every single round to that guy, even still the round that I knocked him down they gave it to him so I don't know what fight the judges were looking and I put most of the pressure in the fight. I was letting my hands go because I was confused, I didn't know what to do. I've been pro for 10, 11 years and I'm supposed to have experience but when somebody just comes to the ring out of the blue you don't know what to do.

HBS - How is it that you ended up training in Houston since you live in Denver?

JC - My connection with Houston is my manager, Vicente Ruiz, he brought me down here. He's been great to me and I started training with Juan Lopez and I'll tell you guys out there man, Juan Lopez is one of the best trainers that I've had in my whole career as a pro. He brought me back to my style which is boxing and he's got the greatest sparring. Here in Houston I've been sparring with so many good people like we have this guy, he's an amateur still but he's going to be one of the best middleweight champions. He's going to make it. His name is Joshua Garza and I've been sparring with this other guy named Miguel, "El Tapatio", that's how they know him, here in Houston, and some other guys from Main Street. It's been pretty good.

HBS - How would you describe your style?

JC - Right now I just got back to my beginning which is boxing and now I'm more like a boxer more than just go out there and trade punches, trying to prove a point. I don't have to.

HBS - What do you know about this guy you're fighting here, Marco Antonio Rubio. He's got a pretty good record. He's only lost twice. He last beat Frankie Randall. Tell me how you're going to approach that fight.

JC - Well I'm 31 years old. How old is Frankie Randall, 50? So you've just go to see who he fought. I don't say nothing about the guy. He's still dangerous. He's a guy that, he's got 25 wins by KO so one thing for sure, Houston, I'm not going to be his 26th victim. He better come out with something because I'm ready.