The Blue Team finally scored a victory in this third round of fights, making an anxious Pepe Correa feel a lot better. College football player turned boxer Wayne Johnson was the one chosen to toe the line by the Team Gold, and he ultimately turned it around for Correa’s team.
The decision as to who would fight for the then unbeaten Gold Team was a relatively easy one for Buddy McGirt. David Banks wanted to fight next, but McGirt wasn’t pleased with the way he sparred that day. Donny McCrary was having a problem with his weight. That left Miguel Hernandez to carry the ball, and he felt he was ready.
There were a lot of punches thrown in this fight, and even though Hernandez is often the underdog, and did come out on the losing end here, many think that the decision should have been different. But the unanimous decision went to Johnson, with scores of 48-47, 50-45, and 50-45.
“I felt in my heart I won the fight,” Miguel told me. “I put a lot of pressure on the guy. I had him hurt in the fifth round. Yes he threw more punches, but I blocked a lot of the punches. He never hurt me. I could have gone 10 rounds. But this is a sport, that’s what happens, and I’m going to work harder.”
He then explained a little bit more. “I cheated myself, to be honest with you, because when they told me I was going to The Contender I didn’t believe anybody. In the boxing business there’s a lot of empty promises. So I cheated myself. I could have been in better shape. For my next fight I’ll just be in the best condition that I can be.” That conditioning will take place at the Jabb Gym in Chicago, where his trainer is Freddie Cuevas.
Never mind that Hernandez, who just turned 33, did not start to box until he was 27 years old; he has all the confidence in the world in his abilities. Due to different hardships he had to face as a child, there was no way he could pursue his current passion. “When I was young I never had a chance to go to the boxing gym,” he explained. “I didn’t have that opportunity because I had no one to take me there.”
But better late than never, as they say. Hernandez had just nine amateur fights before turning pro. He has also won two titles in that short time, the WBC United States Middleweight Title, and the Illinois State Middleweight Title. “My goal is to win one more title, one for each of my three sons. But I have five years in the sport and I feel I have accomplished a lot in boxing. I’m grateful for everything.
“The Contender gave me the motivation to train harder,” Miguel continued. “The producers, the fighters, everyone who worked for The Contender – I had such a great experience out there. Just to be around those fighters was great. Sam Soliman, Danny Santiago, Paul Smith, David Banks, all the guys.” He also mentioned how much he enjoyed meeting and talking with season one winner Sergio Mora and Alfonso Gomez.
Boxing is not the only thing that takes up Miguel’s time, however. Besides competing and training, there are other things that eat up the hours in his day. “I have a full-time job and a part-time job. I work full time at the railroad; I’m a car inspector/mechanic – I fix the trains. On my days off from there I work for the auxiliary police.”
Oh yeah, one more thing. There are his three boys. And I think I saved the best for last here, as he could not say enough good things about them. “I’m a full-time dad too, because I’m always there for them. They motivate me.” The oldest, Joshuah, is 11 years old, a straight A student, and has already had 13 amateur fights. You read that right, and if you saw the show you got to see him at ringside. The boy is as fast as a bullet. Then there is eight-year-old Jeovani and the baby, six-year-old Justin.
I don’t think we have seen the last of Miguel Hernandez, and I look forward to watching his next fight. He repeatedly told me that he was thankful for all that he had, and quite happy with the way his life was playing out. I want to thank him for taking so much time on the phone with me.
On a different note, a sad situation occurred when the winner of the first fight, Jaidon Codrington, got a phone call telling him that his father had passed away. In as much as we heard of the phone call, it was insinuated that they were doing all right at home and that he should stay and finish the tournament. Sugar Ray Leonard tried to console him a little bit as well. He did choose to stay, saying that he wants it even more now. He does not want to stay, and then not win the whole thing. This will be for his father.
So with the new format, Codrington is still on top of the leader board and will make the semi-finals, and it appears that Soliman will have a spot in them as well, with his 12 points – the total difference in the scores between Soliman and his opponent. With his recent win, Johnson has 11 points. The Blue Team has the power of choice now, and with one place left for the semi-finals and two fights, it will be interesting to see how it plays out.
Be safe and God Bless,
Viva La Raza,
Barb.
