Opportunities in the sport of boxing are often few and far between and you need to be able to capitalize on something when it is right in front of you. Such is the case with New Jersey prospect Glen Tapia who is set to embark to the Philippines in just a few days to help Filipino star Manny Pacquiao prepare for his November 13th clash with Antonio Margarito at Cowboys Stadium in Dallas, Texas.
At 20 years of age and sporting a 7-0 record with 5 stoppages, Tapia has already gotten a serious buzz about him on the East Coast and Top Rank Vice President Carl Moretti felt that his youth, physical strength and aggression would be a welcome change of pace in camp. In an interesting turn of events Tapia would find himself packing his bags and getting ready for a trip of a lifetime.
“They needed a young guy, a prospect, who was just a little bit faster,” Tapia stated. “He said that the first name that came up to his mind was me. So they called me up and that was it. This is a great opportunity for me. This is a great experience for me. I’m just happy to be going to the Philippines and being Pacquiao’s main sparring partner.”
Before leaving overseas Tapia is taking in a quick stint at trainer Freddie Roach’s Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles. While the culture in L.A. is completely different than his native Jersey, you can tell in Tapia’s voice that he has little time to soak it in as he is eyeing what lies ahead.
“I hit Los Angeles on Monday,” he continued. “I’ve been training out here for a couple days. It’s a little different but I have been focusing on training really. I haven’t really been outside much. I’m just training and getting ready to go to the Philippines.”
Tapia seems to have a rugged demeanor about him and in speaking with him further you can easily sense where his motives come from. A checkered background help to keep him hungry and boxing was the perfect fit.
“I was born and raised in Passaic, New Jersey,” Tapia stated. “My childhood was kind of rough growing up in the start. We didn’t have much. My parents didn’t have much growing up and it was kind of hard but they just worked hard at it. I just came from the neighborhood always fighting. I was just grinding and I started boxing and it just changed my whole life.”
Tapia turned professional on December 13th, 2008 with a 2nd round stoppage over Edward Smith in Atlantic City. This year in particular he has fought successfully on four occasions, the most notable being a decision over 10-3 James Winchester on the Sergio Martinez-Kelly Pavlik undercard at the Boardwalk Hall. The sport of boxing has given Tapia the exact discipline he needed in his life and he can’t help but to envision how everything is going to play out.
“It’s a great experience,” Tapia boasted. “It just matured me so much and I’m learning so much from it. I’m just learning how to be a professional fighter. Learning how to be more professional in the ring and how to be more calm in there. It’s easy for me and I always had Jer professional style. I just want to take this and just run with this. It’s easy for me and I just want to enjoy this trip. I just can’t wait for this start and I feel I will be one of the world champs in the future.”
Tapia went on to state that fighting in the area has been great because of the wide array of talent between New Jersey and New York. Tapia has honed his skills against the likes of Yuri Foreman, Kendall Holt, Paulie Malignaggi and others yet it seemed to be his time with former IBF welterweight champion Joshua Clottey during his preparation for last summer’s clash with Miguel Cotto that stood out the most.
“I formed a friendship with him,” Tapia said of the Accra, Ghana pugilist. “It was good to train with him. We trained together and we were in camp together. We sparred together, we ran together and it was a great experience and I got to see how a world champion trains. And I am a cool guy. He saw that and what I was trying to do. I was a young prospect and he saw how my mindset was. I loved it and I took it in like a sponge. I just took everything that he was doing and I took it in.”
It’s obvious in hearing him speak that Tapia’s ambitions are high but it is essential in the sport of boxing to take things one day at a time. For the moment his focus must solely be on giving Pacquiao the desired work needed and in giving his thoughts on the world’s premier fighter you realize just how much respect he has for the man.
“He’s a great fighter. I always loved his intensity in the ring and his fighting style anyways. Because he always gave it all his heart in the ring. That’s the type of fighter I am and I always loved the way he fought. I always wanted him to make it to the top because I just loved the way he fought. He’s one of the best fighters to watch, he’s just interesting. That’s what people want. He has one of the best styles and he deserves to be one of the greatest and I am happy for him.”
Source: http://www.examiner.com
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