Adapting to change is a necessity in the sport of boxing. Moments ago I caught up with Welterweight Rashad Holloway and was informed of everything new in his career. Needless to say, things are certainly different for the Cincinnati, Ohio native these days.
Holloway had been a fixture at the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles in recent times, making headlines because of his own career and his work as a chief sparring partner to Manny Pacquiao. While Holloway insists that his time in Los Angeles will always serve for great memories he was also pointed out that it was time to make a much-needed move in his life.
?A lot of stuff has been going on and I have been putting a whole new team together,? Holloway said earlier this week at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Nevada. ?I had been at Wild Card and that is my family but I made the jump. I made the transition and I am out here in Vegas. I?m here for good.?
As is the case in boxing for many fighters, Holloway?s connections run deep and he turned to an old friend when looking for a new start with everything.
?I?m training with Eddie Mustafa Muhammad,? Holloway stated. ?We have a private gym, the International MMA. Andre Dirrell just trained there. Chad [Dawson] trains there, Ishe Smith trains there and Hasim Rahman is there with us know. It?s a gang of fighters. I?m not going to say everybody has a big name but everybody has some kind of name. There is a lot of talent in that gym and it?s wonderful.?
Holloway?s last fight was somewhat of a surprise, as he fought Francisco ?Gato? Figueroa to an uninspiring majority draw in North Carolina last November. Two fights prior Holloway again was admittedly under his standards as he was held to a draw by journeyman Harrison Cuello at the Palms Casino. Muhammad reached out to the 29-year old because he sensed he needed help and the two men soon joined forces.
?I?ve known Eddie for quite a while,? Holloway said. ?I had been coming down to Vegas a lot and he watched me when I fought at the Palms and he watched me when I last fought on ESPN. He wasn?t too happy with either result. I got a draw at the Palms with a southpaw and I got a draw against Frankie, who is a southpaw. He reached out to me because he could tell I was distraught. I told him my situation and he told me to come by the gym to train for a week. In that week it was amazing what I learned. It was just pretty much brining me back to my roots to help make boxing easier for me.?
Earlier this year there were rumors of Holloway fighting on ESPN in February alongside good friend and stable mate Shawn Porter. Then the whispers turned to Holloway possibly facing off with once-beaten Freddy Hernandez in Santa Ynez, California. Neither opportunity came to fruition and Holloway admits that playing the waiting game can be tiring as he is eyeing other possible dates for the future.
?It?s real frustrating,? he said.? Mike Jones was another guy who I was supposed to fight for the NABA title but they chose to go another route and fight Henry Bruseless. Things like that happen in boxing and I have had three fights fall out this year. That?s why I have decided to get my management and my team together and you can be looking for me on May 7th.?
When asked if Holloway still misses the intense atmosphere at the Wild Card, he nods his head and concedes as much. In closing Holloway points out that it is a door that he will always keep open because of the great camaraderie he formed with everyone in the facility.
?Sometimes it is hard to leave something behind. The Wild Card is my home and I still talk to the guys in the gym every now and then. For right now this is where I have to be and this is the move I had to make to better myself. I love them to death. Those are my guys. I still go and see the guys and I am always welcome to go work out. That?s my family and it wasn?t personal, it was a business move.?
