By: Sean Crose
The entire fight lasted less than half a minute. The young man from Parlier, California named Evan Sanchez had made the trip to the Belasco Theater in Los Angeles aiming to impress – and impress he did. Coming right out at the bell with a long, sharp jab, the 21 year old southpaw proceeded to strike at Hector Hernandez, his overmatched opponent, with bad intentions. Hernandez was down and out just 23 seconds into the first round. Because of his frighteningly effective performance that night, Sanchez was signed by the famed Golden Boy Promotions. “It’s a big honor” he says over the phone of now fighting under the Golden Boy banner. “It’s a blessing.”
Although quite young, Sanchez is a professional who takes the fight game seriously. Boasting a record of 6-0 with 5 knockouts, the six foot super welterweight aims to fight “hopefully 5 or 6” times this year. His next trip to the ring will be on Valentines’ Day when he fights on the undercard of the Ryan Garcia – Francisco Fonseca bout in Anaheim, California. Although he’s been fighting professionally less than two and a half years, Sanchez is looking to be one the card’s highlights, if not THE highlight of the evening.
“I hope everybody’s ready to see me,” he says. “I’m going to put on a good show.” A confident, good natured individual, Sanchez starts his day at four in the morning when he “head(s) down to Fresno for strength and conditioning.” After he gets some rest, Sanchez proceeds to engage in a “five to six mile run at noon.” He eats and unwinds a bit afterwards. In the evening, however, Sanchez works on his boxing with his father.
It’s a routine that’s served Sanchez well so far, as has his six foot frame. “It works perfect for me,” says Sanchez of his height.
Dedication to craft means the young man from Parlier doesn’t have a whole lot of time for himself, at least at the moment (“No girlfriend right now,” he says). Coupled with his impressive ring performances, however, Sanchez is showing the kind of dedication that catches the eyes of those whose job it is to catch such things. Although he “spent some time in the amateurs,” Sanchez is eager to grow as a professional. As striking a force as he’s proven to be in the ring so far, the fighter is still looking to improve on his power. “We’ve been working on my strength,” he says. Further opponents might be well advised to work considerably on their defense.