2023-04-18 07:46:14
BarcelonaIn Nou Barris there is an athlete who is close to achieving an unprecedented milestone for a Catalan: to be world boxing champion. In December he became the first Spaniard since 1935 to fight in the Olympus of this sport, New York’s Madison Square Garden, and has held the European super-lightweight title since 2019. His record as a professional is of 40 wins (13 by KO) and 3 losses and is currently number 1 in the World Boxing Council (WBC) super-lightweight rankings.
But Sandor Martín (Barcelona, 1993) doesn’t just fight to put titles in his showcase. From the beginning of his professional career he has set out to change the image of the world of boxing that society currently has. He believes that the very protagonists of this sport and the movies have built a murky reputation that is not what a discipline that he sees as a springboard to improve people’s lives deserves. He plans to return to boxing in the United States in July and, at the end of the year, he wants to bring a big fight to Barcelona. Before that, in May, his daughter will be born. El Sandor welcomes us to the KO Verdún Gym, where he trains and teaches.
Why has there never been a Catalan boxing world champion?
— Because the casuistry has not wanted. Josep Gironès is the one who has been closest to it. We had many of the best boxers and trainers of the moment, but it didn’t work out.
You have it between your eyebrows.
— There have been several Spanish world champions, but none has come from Catalonia. Gironès is a myth, the reference. There are many people who say that I can surpass their career and that would be possible by getting the world title. As a personal challenge, it’s really nice.
Have you set yourself a deadline to achieve it?
— If I had, I think I should have left this sport a long time ago. In boxing things come as they come and you have to accept them. It is important not to be in a hurry and not to despair. But it is true that we are in a good position and everything can be rushed before the end of the year. Now, I think the time has to be 2024.
When did you start to feel the motivation to improve the image of boxing?
— From the moment I became a professional at 18 years old. I had very deified things that I achieved very prematurely, such as being champion of Spain. The social impact of what I was doing grew and I realized that many people around me treated this sport badly. Boxing doesn’t need these kinds of attitudes and performances. I proposed to myself to be somewhat the image of the change of boxing in Spain. I want to break down social barriers for people to see that boxing is not what they think.
Is part of the blame for society’s image of boxing coming from the stereotype of the boxer that the movies have sold?
— It’s hard for me to say, but the problem with boxing is the boxing people themselves. There has been malpractice from within, we must self-criticize. There have been people who have mismanaged this sport, which is wonderful and has so much potential, but it calls for things to be done right from the ground up. We must feed on this and forget about the shady business and the image that the movies show, because it does not correspond to reality.
You will be a father in May.
— Yes, I have four weeks left to become one.
Do you think that the birth of your daughter will make you experience the competition in a different way?
— The truth is that I don’t know. The last fight I did, at Madison Square Garden, we already knew we were going to be parents and nothing changed. But when I have my daughter in my hands I imagine it will be different. Anyway, and it’s something that hurts me, I feel that I have to be selfish because my sports career has an expiration date. I can’t let a lot of things affect my athletic performance. My partner and I talked about it. The sporting life is one and you have to keep doing things right. As a high-level athlete I have to try to make the changes in my life affect my career as little as possible. From now on, whatever I do will not only be for me, but for my family’s future.
Your father didn’t want you to be a boxer. Because?
— Mainly because it is a very hard sport. Physically and mentally. He always tried to show me this reality and I took it on. I passed the tests that he put me through at the time. If we turn the tables and you ask me if I would want my children to follow in my footsteps…
I was going to ask you just that.
— Well, I would tell you that I wouldn’t want them to follow them.
Because?
— Because I want it to be a path that they earn and that they choose. I am here to help them fulfill their dreams in any way they want. And if they are into boxing, I will help them as I would anyone else: by teaching them the reality of the sport, without hiding anything. In boxing you go through hard times. The high level is physically harmful because it takes a lot of wear and tear and you suffer mentally. If you want to achieve something in this sport you have to be willing to go through these moments.
Have you ever considered quitting boxing?
— No, no, no. I have always been very clear that the goal was to be world champion and, at least until I am, I will not retire. I know I will leave boxing as a world champion. Once I have, I will have accomplished my goal. But I have never considered quitting boxing because I consider that, the day I think about it, it will be the time to do it. Having negative thoughts because things don’t go your way in the world of boxing pays dearly. It is true that I have had very bad moments in which I have mentally had to overcome situations that other people would not overcome. I consider that part of the adventure of boxing and life. And, in the same way that it is not easy to erase yourself from life, neither is it easy to erase yourself from boxing.
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