Andrew Cancio nonetheless juggling two worlds: World champ and full-time development technician
Andrew Cancio picked up his telephone whereas on his lunch break and dialed in for a convention name. Media from around the globe had been ready for him — a development technician for a gasoline firm in Southern California — to share his distinctive perspective. It is a new expertise for Cancio, the WBA “common” junior light-weight champion who really is juggling two worlds.
For each Canelo Alvarez, Tyson Fury or Deontay Wilder, who every make eight figures per struggle, there are boxers corresponding to Cancio who nonetheless work a 9-to-5 day job and have by no means come near seeing even two-hundred grand for a struggle.
Cancio is within the area day by day, jackhammer in hand, engaged on the gasoline strains. It is onerous, tiring work open air within the warmth that’s partly liable for maintaining Cancio in fine condition. In truth, when he spoke to reporters on one current afternoon, Cancio did so whereas at his job.
“I am truly taking my lunch whereas doing this convention name proper now in my truck,” Cancio mentioned.
Such is the lifetime of a fighter with a world title however one who has not but reached the extent the place he could make huge cash.
“After I first began doing this job, selecting the jackhammer up, truly utilizing it, was very brutal. It takes no less than two to 3 months to get used to the digging. I used to go residence and be so drained from the job that I could not do anything. Now I can use all these instruments and dig all day lengthy, then go residence and go practice. I already received my energy and conditioning exercise out of the way in which.”
Andrew Cancio
After all, if Cancio can repeat his upset of Alberto Machado of their rematch, his monetary outlook can be a lot rosier and maybe permit him to focus full time on boxing. He’s anticipated to make within the low six figures.
On Feb. 9, Machado was making the third protection of his 130-pound world title and was an enormous favourite to defeat Cancio. Cancio survived a first-round knockdown and within the fourth spherical dropped Machado 3 times, all with physique punches, to get the knockout victory and win the belt.
Cancio pulled what was the main candidate for upset of the yr earlier than Andy Ruiz Jr. dethroned unified heavyweight titlist Anthony Joshua in stunning knockout trend on June 1. Now Cancio is preparing for the rematch with Machado however remains to be working on the gasoline firm throughout his preparation … with a couple of exceptions.
1 Associated
Cancio took a trip day to seem at a current media exercise. Even in struggle week, he labored his regular hours on Monday. Solely then did he take 4 trip days, Tuesday by way of Friday.
It is a less-than-ideal state of affairs, however Cancio would not harbor any ailing will.
“Oh, yeah, it has been worthwhile. Paid off,” he mentioned.
Cancio’s coworkers had been conscious that he had the struggle developing and did what they may to assist him out throughout the work day.
“They attempt to assist me out every time it will get nearer to the struggle,” he mentioned. “They will inform me to save lots of my power, they will dig or they will choose up the jackhammer. They do attempt to look out for me that approach so I do not injure myself. I’ve that at the back of my thoughts when I’m working the pneumatic instruments to verify I am in a correct place. That approach I do not tweak my again or I am careless to injure myself earlier than the struggle.”
However that tough day work, Cancio mentioned, has primarily served as his energy and conditioning for the struggle.
“After I first began doing this job, selecting the jackhammer up, truly utilizing it, was very brutal,” he mentioned. “It takes no less than two to 3 months to get used to the digging. I used to go residence and be so drained from the job that I could not do anything. Now I can use all these instruments and dig all day lengthy, then go residence and go practice. I already received my energy and conditioning exercise out of the way in which. I might say it is positively helped me out.”
Eric Gomez, the president of Golden Boy Promotions, mentioned he admires the dedication that Cancio has displayed as he balances a day job with the pains of coaching for a prize struggle.
“It reveals his character and dedication,” Gomez mentioned. “It is onerous sufficient to field, however when you’ve gotten a 9-to-5 job, you must put meals on the desk to your youngsters, discover methods to coach early within the morning, after work. I imply, it builds character. It is a signal of a real champion, a real overachiever.
Cancio was prepared to surrender boxing
Days after profitable the world title, Andrew Cancio acquired the important thing to town of Blythe, California, from Mayor Dale Reynolds, left. Brandon Magpantay/HoganPhotos/Golden Boy
That Cancio even received the chance to struggle Machado the primary time was a shock given the place he had come from. In September 2016, Cancio suffered a ninth-round knockout loss to Joseph Diaz Jr. in a featherweight bout on the Alvarez-Liam Smith undercard at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, and retired from boxing.
He was executed with the game and resigned himself to a distinct life-style.
“Put up the Diaz struggle, I had plenty of issues occurring in my private life so far as the gymnasium life between trainers and supervisor,” Cancio mentioned. “There was only a lot occurring. I used to be simply mentally pissed off with all the pieces. Nothing was going proper. I received minimize one week earlier than a struggle on my nostril sparring. There was quite a bit occurring. I used to be simply pissed off. I felt like, right here I used to be as soon as once more getting nowhere. Like I mentioned, I used to be simply extra mentally pissed off and simply drained from all the pieces.”
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After leaving the stadium following the Diaz struggle, Cancio mentioned he did not choose up a pair of gloves for about 18 months.
“I used to be on the sofa [and] working my 9 to five,” Cancio mentioned. “I did not don’t have any enthusiasm going into the gymnasium or working, doing nothing. I did completely nothing.”
However ultimately, Cancio (20-Four-2, 15 KOs), 30, went to the gymnasium, however simply to work out to take off a couple of kilos. Then, with the purpose nonetheless to win a world title at the back of his thoughts, he made the choice to return to the game.
“What made me get again within the ring, within the gymnasium, was, I knew I [had] quite a bit to show. I knew I could possibly be a world champion, like I’m proper now,” he mentioned. “My youngsters wished to see me struggle once more, as effectively. I received the itch once more. That is what made me come again to the game that I like doing.”
Cancio to show first struggle wasn’t a fluke
Andrew Cancio, left, despatched Alberto Machado three time to the canvas in Spherical Four for a KO victory. Tom Hogan/Golden Boy/Getty Photographs
Machado (21-1, 17 KOs), a 28-year-old southpaw, exercised his contractual proper to a right away rematch, and they’re going to meet once more on Friday (DAZN, 9 p.m. ET) on the Fantasy Springs Resort On line casino in Indio, California, the identical website of their first struggle. Cancio, who’s from Blythe, California, as soon as once more would be the heavy crowd favourite.
“[Cancio] feels he has confidence, has what it takes to stay champion, however extra importantly, he desires to silence his doubters and show that his victory was no fluke,” mentioned Golden Boy Promotions CEO Oscar De La Hoya. “Clearly, [Machado] desires to redeem himself. He desires to return to the place the knockout passed off and get redemption.”
However the way in which Cancio sees it, he has labored too onerous to permit Machado to take the belt away from him and forestall him from having the ability to neglect about working a day job.
“Lots of people are saying it was a fluke or it was as a result of he was weight-drained, that that is the explanation why I received the primary time, however come the second time, he’ll win the rematch,” Cancio mentioned. “It does hassle me. But it surely’s solely pushing me to coach even tougher, to go in there and do what I did the primary time round, shut these critics up, these doubters that doubt me.
Cancio is hoping one other victory towards Machado will permit him to give attention to boxing full time as an alternative of constant to dig gasoline strains.
“What retains me motivated is I need the larger fights, the larger platforms,” Cancio mentioned. “I need to go after different champions. I really feel like there are quite a bit larger fights on the market for me. I am nonetheless on the grind. I nonetheless received quite a bit to show to the boxing world. That is what retains me motivated. I received my household that I received to struggle for.”