Interview Dated June 2006

Featherweight Miguel Albares

Miguel Albares is determined to become a world champion. After representing both the U.S. and the U.S. Army internationally during an extensive amateur career, the 26-year-old Albares has relocated to Houston. He has a record of 2-2-1 with two knockouts. His most recent bout resulted in a majority decision loss to Jamie Villa in Dallas on June 9th.. I spoke to him a few days before that fight, after a workout at the Savannah Boxing Club.


HBS - You're originally from Idaho?

MA - Originally from Caldwell, Idaho, yeah. About 30 minutes west of Boise.

HBS - How'd you get started boxing?

MA - I have six uncles that are professional boxers, the Garcia brothers out of Caldwell, Idaho, and my dad's a trainer for over 30 years. He has his own gym still, and that's what got me started.

HBS - You boxed for the Army.

MA - Yeah I was in the Army about six years. I fought four of those years in the Army. I drove tanks for two years.

HBS - Did you know when you got into the Army that you were going to be boxing?

MA - Yeah, that was the original plan. I was on Team USA since the age of 16 so coach Bashir Abdullah who was formerly Byron Moore, who was the Olympic head coach in 2004, he recruited me to join the Army to be a boxer on his team and I came in the Army thinking I was going to go straight to the Army boxing team after basic training but some paperwork got messed up and I went and drove tanks for two years before I ever boxed for the Army. At the time I was a little mad about it but it was a great experience in my life and it helped me become a man and I don't regret it at all.

HBS - Tell us a little bit about your amateur career.

MA - I had a little bit over 200 amateur fights. I had about 30 international fights. I started boxing when I was nine, when I had my first amateur fight and been all over the world, got to see the world. Went to the Olympic Trials in 2004. Won the Western Trials and then I lost to Roberto Benitez, the Olympian, at the Olympic Trials.

HBS - How'd you end up down here in Houston.?

MA - Ronnie Shields, he was down in Colorado Springs, training at the Army gym with Vernon Forrest and he took a liking to me and really thought I had potential and I've always loved his work and his fighters and my dream is to be a world champion one day. We talked and we kept in touch over the years and that was in 2002, I was ranked number one in the United States at the time and the years went by and I gave him a call right after I got out of the Army and here I am.

HBS - So it's a little different down here than it is in Idaho. Tell us a little bit about what it's been like for you living in Houston, with the cultural changes and what it's like working out here.

MA - Definitely a lot of cultural changes. The school I went to mainly had Caucasian people, and a few Mexicans. Houston's a huge change. I got to Houston Community College and I see just total cultural change. I see people from all over the world and it's something I never experienced. Even though I've been all over the world I've never had to deal with this type of cultural change on a daily basis, on a personal basis in my life and it's pretty cool. I really enjoy it. The heat is something totally different as well. I grew up in snow and stuff like that and even in Colorado and in six years in the Army I was used to the cold so I'm getting used to it though. I really love Houston and it's my new home.

HBS - What are you studying at the community college?

MA - I want to be an English teacher, so English.

HBS - What is it that you enjoy about the sport?

MA - When I get to see people that accomplish their dreams, and strive for what they've always wanted in their lives, like Evander Holyfield and Juan Diaz, and I see that on T.V., that's something that I want to do. It's always been my goal as a child is to be the best and to strive for it and work hard for it that's what I'm doing currently so that's why I do it. That's why I love it, to reach my goal, and my dream. It's pretty inspiring.

HBS - You are dedicated, working out constantly. Tell us a little bit about your workout regime.

MA - I try to run as early as I can, sometimes we go to Memorial Park at 5:00 in the morning, and then we'll do our workout usually from 9:00, sometimes I'm here until 2:00 or 3:00 in the afternoon, you know, doing a tough workout. Whatever Ronnie and the other trainers want me to do. Some days are different and we do a lot of sparring. I put my trust in them. I feel like I'm going to become world champion if I do whatever it is they ask me to do, whether it be sparring four days a week or today I just shadow boxed.

HBS - What do you think are your primary strengths as a fighter?

MA - Mainly it's been the right hand. I broke my right hand, that's really the reason for my loss and my draw, my right hand. I feel it's my solid punch. Also I've got a great left hook, especially to the body but the fact that I broke my right hand, it made me have a tough first year as a professional boxer but it's over, I'm past it. I'm healthy and I'm ready to become the best.

HBS - So your hand's completely healed and you can throw it with full force?

MA - It's completely healed, it's perfect now and I feel great.

HBS - Well tell us a little bit about how that happened. Was it in a fight?

MA - It was actually playing softball. I broke my finger and they took some bones out of my wrist to repair it and I took eight months off right after the Olympic Trials and then I came back and won a bronze medal at the World Military Games and I felt like I was back. But once I turned professional and I came down here to Houston I got introduced to a totally different style and I was punching a lot harder and a lot more solid punches, so my right hand couldn't take it at the time. It was still pretty much healing so after that first year of boxing I feel like it's completely healed.

HBS - So tell us a little bit about that change in styles from boxing world class amateurs to going into the pros.

MA - There was no need to punch with complete force as an amateur and plus we had bigger gloves. Now I'm bending my knees, I'm putting a lot more on my punches and it took a toll the first year as far as my hands. But I'm fine now. I'm used to it and my hands are coming with me.

HBS - Tell us about the difference from the amateurs to the pros not only in what you're doing, but what you're up against.

MA - Yeah, the opposition, sometimes I get in the ring with somebody that has a style I haven't seen. They might be a little bit more wild or a little bit more crazy. In the amateurs, everybody was pretty well schooled and they threw good straight shots and tried to score their points. In the pros so far I've fought some guys that are coming at me, trying to kill me with haymakers and it's real different but I'm getting the hang of it. I'm two straight knockouts and I'm not going to lose again, I promise.

HBS - Tell us about the draw and the loss, what happened in those fights?

MA - The draw was on a Vargas undercard. I came out strong, I hurt him and I felt like I won the fight but they gave me a draw, that's fine. My loss, that was down in the Valley, McAllen, Texas, I won the first round easy and then the second round he was wild. He came at me with his head and speared me with his head, knocked out one of my teeth, my left front tooth, and I fell. The referee thought it was a knockdown so I lost that round a 10-8 round so I get up and I kind of boxed him but they gave him the fight. That's just the way it goes in the pros. You've got to be tough. You've got to sit there, and you've got to fight. After I got knocked down I tried to box him and tried to just move away and stay away from his head and not get hurt like that again, because I really was hurt. But now I know it's a war, man. If that happens again I've got to sit there and fight him, not try to box him or run.

HBS - Tell us about your last fight.

MA - My last fight was also in McAllen, Texas. It was on the undercard of a Telefutura show and the guy was coming to fight. It was his pro debut but he came to knock me out. But my right hand was on point that night and I kept coming over the jab with a beautiful right hand and I dropped him three times in the fight and I stopped him in the fourth round.

HBS - So that had to be pretty satisfying.

MA - Yeah, it was pretty satisfying. I worked hard, I work hard for my fights and after my first year I contemplated actually retiring. I didn't think maybe pro was for me. Maybe my hands just weren't cut out to be a professional but after my last two fights, two devastating knockouts, I know it's in me, man. I know if I really want it, God put me here for a reason and I feel just to be in the presence of guys like Evander Holyfield and Juan Diaz and they're giving me great encouragement every day to be just like them and I feel I will be. I'm here for a reason and that's what's going to happen.

HBS - Anything in particular you're working on right now, skills or techniques?

MA - Basically just getting my shots off right now, and moving around a fighter. I've always been a great boxer, I can move around a fighter but not on the inside. I would get my shots off from the outside and then move, just move laterally but not getting my shots up. Now I'm moving but I'm still in position to throw good shots. That's the key, staying low.