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08/09/2006 Archived Entry: "David Estrada, Fighter, PT on Tony Cygan: ‘I’m more than ready for this fight!’"
David Estrada, Fighter, PT on Tony Cygan: ‘I’m more than ready for this fight!’
By Juan C. Ayllon
Photos by Tom Barnes*
David Estrada shadow boxes
CHICAGO, Ill. – David “The Weezel” Estrada is a very talkative and likable guy. He’s constantly chatting on his cell phone and if you didn’t know he was a professional fighter, you might easily imagine him in sales, so good is his gift for gab.
He’s also my personal trainer. In fact, he helped me lose over 30 lbs. since March. Due to finances, however, I’ve put training with him on hold, electing to run on my own.
He seems okay with that. He manages to stay busy, anyways, looking for new ways to make money, aspiring to join the Chicago Police Department and juggling time between college classes, personal training, his girlfriend, and his boxing career.
Self-managed, Estrada seldom takes an easy fight. Standing 6’ 1” at roughly 160 lbs., he’s amassed a record of 9-7 with 7 knockouts. He’s much better than his record suggests, and is the type of opponent that winning fighters seek when they no longer want to be coddled, and see if they actually have to what it takes to advance to the upper levels of the sport.
On Saturday, August 12, largely untested Tony “The Cyclone” Cygan, who’s 10-1 with 6 knockouts, will test his mettle against Estrada in Ocean City, Maryland.
David Estrada with Juan Ayllon in March
Taking a few moments away from the fray, David Estrada granted me an interview discussing his upcoming fight, his career and his personal life.
JUAN AYLLON: How are you doing today, David?
DAVID ESTRADA: I’m doing great, just getting ready to go to the chiropractor and get my every week adjustment. This will be my second day this week.
JA: And how’s training been going?
DE: Training’s been going good. It’s cooled off this last week. It was really hot the last couple weeks and I think that benefited me to get in more shape, as far as losing weight, as far as going four hard rounds in a hot weather day and get me in shape to fight these eight rounds. The last week, I went eight rounds with ease and I guess because [earlier in training] the heat was so hot, I got used to the weather. I’m going to be in really good shape for this fight to go eight rounds.
JA: Terrific! Who’ve you been sparring with lately?
DE: Rudy Cisneros, [and] David Diaz. David Diaz [has] been my main sparring partner. I’ve been going an average of six to eight rounds [a day]. But, when it was really hot, it was like a microwave in that gym! And Windy City’s really hot and you’ve got that skylight beaming on that ring, so we’ve been going, you know, four to five hard rounds. But when it’s 90, almost a hundred degrees in there, you can over exert yourself.
JA: What did you walk away with from your sparring sessions with David Diaz that you really noticed?
DE: What I walked away with was experience. It’s just somebody who throws a lot of punches, someone who has a winning record, someone who’s determined to win, who’s been around the game a long time and who’s a southpaw. This guy does whatever it takes to win, he’s got a nice pedigreed background, and right now at the time, he’s the only southpaw that I can work with. He’s a little bit smaller than me, but he’s still good. He’s not easy to hit. He’s David Diaz and you know who David Diaz is!
Like I said, I sparred with him, I sparred with Shonie (sp?), [and] Rudy Cisneros. I just got experience from him. And he’s a southpaw—that’s who I’m fighting—and he’s short, too, just like this guy. David Diaz is like 5’ 7”. He did everything he could to give me work and I appreciate that. He offered to me sparring, a southpaw [style] and he has a world title shot this Saturday, also. I mean, we got very good work!
JA: And are you still training with weights with Glen Peavey at “Real Exercise?”
DE: Yeah, I’m just starting cooling down a little bit off. I’ve eased away from the sparring. I’m actually not sparring [any] more; I’m just doing a lot of pad work and that’s about it. A lot of floor work—pad work, shadow boxing, and very little [hitting the] bag work, ‘cause I already did all my work last week. Right now, I’m just working on my timing and speed and accuracy.
JA: What do you know about your opponent, Tony Cygan?
DE: Well, I just know he’s a short guy, he’s kind of a brawler. He likes to go to the body. And, I’ve been sparring with some of the best people that like going to the body, like I said, David Diaz and Rudy Cisneros, who has a nice little pedigree of amateur background and not only that, but he’s also in the Contender show. And David Diaz, the 1996 Olympian, who has an awesome record, like 30-1-1. Between those two guys, I’ve been getting some very good sparring.
But, that’s all I know; he’s a short guy, he’s pretty powerful, he’s kind of the same record like people that I fought. What I’m trying to say is he has a pretty good record, but he hasn’t fought the people that I fought. So, yeah, he’s 10 and 1, but he hasn’t been really tested yet and I think I’m going to be a difficult opponent for him. And I’m tall, I’m lanky, and I’ve been using my jab, my reach lately—I’ve been using it really good. It’ll be hard for him to get in on me. It’s going to be a good fight.
I’m more than ready for this fight.
JA: Will you be fighting at middle or super middleweight?
DE: This is going to be at 160. It’ll be out in Ocean City, Maryland, by Baltimore. It’s scheduled for eight rounds August the 12th, Saturday. It’s going to be on “Ballroom Boxing.” I don’t know what channel, but it’s going to be on some ballroom boxing channel out in Baltimore. So, if you’ve got satellite [TV], maybe dish or direct TV, keep posted. It’s the main event.
And, it’s another step in moving up the ranks.
JA: Assuming all goes well, do you have a progression you want to follow, in terms of matches?
DE: Well, I know for a fact I’m going to start getting some phone calls, as always. That’s how it is when you start winning, you start getting phone calls. I don’t like to jump ahead, but if all goes well, we’ll see what happens.
I’m into this game to move onto bigger and better things and at the same time make money.
Right now, my main priority is getting past this guy and this is not going to be an easy fight. This guy has two hands, just like me. He wants to win, just like me. And, it’s going to be a good fight. It’s going to be a chess game. So, you just have to go in there and execute, and take it from there.
JA: What do you think you bring to the table from the last few rugged fights you’ve had?
DE: Well, what I bring to the table, first of all, is I’m pretty they saw videos of me when I fought Ishmail Arvin; they think I’m going to fight like that. But, I don’t know if you remember, but I took that fight with one day’s notice. So, I’m going to come in shape in this fight. I was in shape for that fight, but one day notice? I wasn’t able to be in tip-top shape. I’ll tell you what it is: They think it’s going to be an easy fight and they’re in for a surprise.
You know, they look at me as an opponent, ‘Yeah, this guy has nine wins, yeah this guy’s had several losses.’ But, look at who I’ve lost to. I lost to guys 13 and 0, 12 and 0, 9 and 1, I lost to guys that had winning records. And they think it’s going to be a walk in the park when, it’s actually the opposite. You know, he hasn’t been tested, and when he was tested against Billy Lyell (9-2, 2 KO’s at the time), of course he lost.
But, it’s going to be a good fight. It’s not going to be a walk in the park. None of my fights are walks in the park. I make them work. And if he happens to be the winner today, he’s going to have to work! But, it’s not going to happen.
I’m going to go in there with a winning mentality and, like I said, he hasn’t fought the caliber of fighters that I’ve fought. I’m a difficult person to fight. I’m tall, lanky, I’ve got power, and I’ve got speed. And I think he has problems with those. I mean, he had problems with Billy Lyell from what I’ve heard, from what I’ve seen on videos. He had difficulties trying to hit him. If he had difficulties with him, I can imagine me. I’ve got one of the best jabs in the business, I’ve got one of the best right hands, you know, I have it all. So, I just have to execute it by letting my hands go and putting it all out on the table.
That’s what I bring to the table. And, of course, they think it’s a step up for them, when in reality, they’re in for a surprise. You’ll just have to wait and see on August 12th.
JA: On another note, you’ve been taking college classes. How's that coming?
DE: Well, I’m taking my basics right now. I just got an “A” in a theatre improv[ization] class, I got a “B” in music theatre literature, and right now, I’m going to be taking three more classes this fall for 2006. I’m going to be taking basketball, swimming and dance. It’s pretty much—I’ll be honest with you—bull (bleep) classes, and the reason I’m doing this is I’m just trying to get my 60 credit hours, and I’m like right there.
So, I’m not trying to take too many hard classes right now, as you can see. I’m just trying to get my 60 credits; in order to become a Chicago Police, you need 60 credit hours or two years in college. To be honest, I’m trying to get the easy way in. And of course, since I’m still boxing, I don’t want to be too stressed with doing big, big homework. So, that’s why I’m going that route. That’s what I’m going to do. I’ve passed my Chicago Police test, but I don’t have my two years of college or 60 credits. So, I’m back in school taking a few basic classes.
JA: Tell us about your goal to become a Chicago policeman.
DE: I want to be in law enforcement. That’s what I’ve always wanted to be. I’m there and I’m almost going to be 30 years old. I need to get a good job, and something with health benefits.
And, I took the Chicago Fire Department test. I’m still waiting for my results, which I know I passed it. I had to ace it because that test was so easy!
But, if not, I’m going to try to continue to do what I’m doing now, which is personal training. You know, that’s where my feel is, personal training people and, of course, professional fighting.
I have a lot of options. Right now, my main priority is, of course, I want to make it as far as I can get in boxing. Whichever the way the Lord wants me to go, that’s where I’ll be.
And, we’ll see what happens. There’s a time that you know when you’ve had enough, and that time hasn’t came up to me yet. And I know I’m not giving it my all, to be honest with you, ‘cause I’m doing school, I’m doing a little work on the side as far as training clients, but, I’m trying my best.
I hate to lose, believe it or not. I hate to lose. I don’t like to lose and every time I’ve fought, I’ve always fought to win. You know, I never serve a fight; I always came to win. And usually, all the opponents I’ve lost to, I’ve pretty much had them hurt. I have to be on them consistently to win the fight. It just can’t be fighting in spurts.
JA: Now, on a more personal note, you’ve been dating Francie for how long?
DE: I’ve been dating her for a little over three years. Things have been going great! Hopefully get better once I get a job as far as making more money. So, usually my money goes to her, anyways. She brings a lot to the table, she does a lot and I would like to get a little burden off her shoulders with the little bit of money that I make.
We’re fixing up her house right now. We’re fixing it up, little by little. We’re rehabbing it. Taking small steps, we’re doing it. We finished up the basement. It looks very beautiful. We finished off the basement about a year and a half, two years ago. Right now, we just put new siding on the garage and we put a nice little patio in the back. You know, all this stuff costs money and definitely, I would like to help her out by making more money or by getting a better job.
But, things are going great. I’m blessed. I’ve got a very beautiful and good-hearted girlfriend and I plan on staying with her.
David Estrada with Juan Ayllon in June
JA: Any last thoughts you want to share with the readers?
DE: I want to wish David Diaz good luck on his fight on the 12th also. He’s fighting on the same date, but a different card. I just want to wish him good luck. He looked very good in sparring.
Also, I’m going to win this fight, of course, for myself, but most of all, for my coach, Jorge Hernandez, because he’s coming out with me on his birthday, instead of spending time with his family, when I fight on the 12th. I appreciate that. Happy birthday, Jorge!
I wanted to say thanks to Chicago for the support. I also wish to thank my chiropractor, “Chiro-Systems” and, of course, my personal trainer, Glen Peavey. And my girlfriend. And—of course [laughing] I want to thank you for writing this report. Thanks for the publicity and putting me out there. Thank you very much.
And, by the way, Juan, when are you going to get back in the gym? We’ve got to start getting serious. I don’t want to hear no excuses! Let’s get back to the gym. Let’s get back to work!
* * *
So much for David Estrada being okay with my missed training sessions! Which reminds me: I need to get ready for my run tonight!
I'll tell you what, David: I'll do my running and you do your fine tuning for your bout and go out and win this fight for Chicago, okay?
Godspeed, my friend and trainer.
*Before photo of Juan Ayllon & David Estrada shot by Francie!
