If there is anything you can say about Welterweight hopeful Rashad Holloway it might be the fact that he has always been able to adapt. Originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, Rashad?s journey in the boxing world has seen him frequent many states and gyms in pursuit of the prefect fit for his championship aspirations. All the while Holloway has always been able to fit in with his surroundings and claims he could honestly see himself making it anywhere.
Holloway made a name for himself out of the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles as he prepared for bouts of his own while often serving as a chief sparring partner for Manny Pacquiao. Earlier this year I spoke to Holloway at the open media workout for Bernard Hopkins? rematch with Roy Jones Jr. at the Mandalay Bay and he told me he had relocated from California and was currently residing in Las Vegas. It was a change that Holloway was welcoming with open arms but in life some things just aren?t meant to be.
While in Vegas Holloway?s duties were overseen by trainer Eddie Mustafa Muhammad, who also works with light heavyweight ?Bad? Chad Dawson, but the two would eventually go their separate ways respectfully. After disappearing from the scene for a while Holloway broke out with the news that he is coming full circle and moving back to L.A. While Las Vegas will always be fond to Holloway he reveals that it wasn?t an overall good fit for him.
?Vegas is cool, don?t get me wrong,? Holloway stated Tuesday night. ?I appreciate Vegas and the things that happened out there for me and the people too. But Vegas to me is pretty much just the strip. You have the strip, you have the casinos, but there is no real life there. It?s just the nightlife and the 24 hour life because everyone comes to visit. Don?t me wrong there are a lot of good people but it?s not like L.A.?
While not far from Las Vegas as far as traveling distance is concerned, Los Angeles has a completely different feel to it, unlike any other city. In speaking on his return to the area Holloway?s passion is evident.
?There?s just so much inspiration,? Holloway says of L.A. ?So many people from so many walks of life doing so much. Positive, negative, you can find anything out here from the beaches to the clubs to amusement parks or whatever. You name it and it?s here. The weather is great, the land is great and it?s just positive. Don?t get me wrong, I can make it anywhere, but Vegas just wasn?t cut out for me.?
Just as interestingly, Holloway revealed that he will now be working full time with trainer Freddie Roach, who oversees the duties of WBO Welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao, Jr. Middleweight Vanes Martirosyan, WBA jr. welterweight titlist Amir Khan and several others. The two men have known each other well for a while but will now be working together much more closely than in the past. Holloway seems to feel that it was meant to be.
?Long story short, things happen,? he stated. ?Everything happens for a reason. I worked with Eddie and he showed me some great things and I appreciate him a lot. He?s a good guy but Wild Card is my home. I spoke to Freddie and he knew I was back and he just advised that we set it up. I just got back with the same work ethic and started rolling and it?s back to work.?
The relationship between a fighter and a trainer is usually always a special bond. When you have two men who are working towards a common goal with one another they often get to know each other from the inside out. Holloway concedes as much as reveals that even before they started working together full time he was able to get to know the type of person that he was dealing with.
?Freddie is great,? Holloway claimed. ?I remember Freddie when I came to the gym the first time. I was the guy coming in the gym like anybody else and I had to prove myself. He saw me and he saw that I could fight. I got everybody?s attention. Freddie is just a real dude. Before he really just officially became my head coach we just really sat down and shot the s***. We basically just talked boxing and other things in life. As far as boxing I like his insight on everything and he is just pretty much straight up. There is no grey area with him. He is a straight forward guy. He tells it like it is.?
Holloway revealed that he and Roach rode together from LA to Vegas for the Pacquiao-De La Hoya fight and that they have had many a good conversation over dinner while talking and relaxing. But more than anything the two men will be sharing their time together at Roach?s Wild Card gym, which Holloway insists has always been very dear to him.
?Wild Card is my family, that?s my home,? Holloway stated. ?When I walked in the door when I first came back everybody kind of went crazy. One of the guys was like ?Ladies and gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen, Rashad Holloway is back!? Everybody laughed and we are like a big family. I probably spend 30 or 45 minutes talking to everybody when I am in the gym.?
Holloway said that his first official day back at the gym was on Monday and that he started off with a three hour workout that included sparring, hitting the heavy bag, working on the double end bag, jumping rope and shadowboxing. It was routine enough for Holloway but on his way out the door an unexpected surprise was right around the corner.
?I went outside and it was like 2:30,? Holloway said. ?Freddie sent me out to talk to some guys who came to see me and they told me that [Julio Cesar] Chavez Jr. was training. They told me that one of his sparring partners didn?t show up. Freddie just told me ?Hey, I need you? and I just started laughing and said ?Yeah, I heard?. I told him that I was getting ready to suit up and I went and sparred with Chavez Jr.?
Sporting a glittering 41-0-1 record with 31 knockouts, Chavez Jr. is the son of the legendary father with the same name. The Sinaloa, Mexico native is just 24 years old and while he may have many years ahead of him he has been criticized by some members of the press for lacking the key ingredients towards becoming a superstar. In further analyzing his sparring session with Chavez Jr. Holloway seems to crack a grin.
?I?m not one to boast or brag but I call it like it is. Let?s just say I was the teacher that day and I did very, very well. School was in session.?
Outside of the learning lessons he gave to young Chavez Jr., Holloway is sure to point out all of the other talent inside the building. The gym is filled with pugilists from all walks of life and Holloway has obvious love for his fellow boxing brethren.
?You have a bunch of guys in there,? Holloway stated. ?You have Jose Benavidez, the Top Rank kid that is new to the family and everybody talks about. You have Kid Chocolate, my boy Peter Quillin. He just moved from New York, I think he?s 21-0. You had my boy Rodel Mayol, the flyweight champ getting ready to fight Omar Nino. Bernabe Concepcion is in there training for Juan Manuel Lopez. He?s in there. You got Ana Julaton getting ready for her title fight. It?s just us fighters.?
Any aspiring fighter in the world of boxing is going to go through their share of twists and turns while chasing their dreams. Rashad Holloway seems to be in the middle of his journey in the sport of boxing and is able to realize just how meaningful his return to Los Angeles and connection with Freddie Roach truly is at this point in his career.
?It?s great. He?s teaching me so much and I am showing him a lot about me. He?s always known certain things but with me being off for so long he was wondering what I still had. He knows it?s still there and he knows I want it. It?s just that he knows I have great work ethic and it?s just up to me at this point. Everything is pretty much laid out for me. I am supposed to be fighting on July 23rd in Saratoga, New York.?
