This is Elian Andrade, AIBA International 1 Star Coach, who is close friends with Julio Castillo, Erick Bone and Carlos Mina.
A very important tool for punching in boxing is working with mitts or pets. This is used by the coach to correct errors in defense, to help get his hands out with force. But the main function is to teach the fighter to move, defend and throw, and correctly connect the blows in balance. In Ecuador, Elian Andrade (24 years old), international 1 star coach of the International Boxing Association (AIBA), is considered one of the most prominent in that area. Photographs published on his Instagram account show his close relationship with Julio Castillo, Carlos Mina or Erick Bone, to name. Andrade spoke with EL UNIVERSO about the balance left by the 2021 national boxing season and talks about the importance of learning boxing techniques for the evolution of the martial artist.
Carlos Mina believes that in a few days or a couple of months he can be back in the ring
Boxer Carlos Mina will return to Ecuador after being released in October from a United States prison
Despite global restrictions for much of the year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, do you think 2021 has been fruitful for the country?
Boxers resumed activity in different types of tournaments, national and international. That suits the Ecuadorian elite team because they will have more confidence when it comes to representing us abroad.
Did you see the birth of a new letter?
Jean Carlos Caicedo, at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games (he won his debut in the round of 32 in the 52-57 kg division, but failed to advance to the quarterfinals). He has had a process and has a great future. For the participation we had in Tokyo (between July and August 2021) there was already a preparation base, but due to the pandemic, we had to stop and do the training cycle again. It was a drastic change.
If the activity had not been paralyzed since March 2020, today we are talking about one or more national boxers with Tokyo medals?
Of course. The pandemic affected a lot because all the high-performance centers and gyms were closed, so all the elite and youth boxers of the Ecuadorian team were preparing at home via online, and we all know that a boxer has to always be in a gym, with all the equipment, to have an optimal preparation in the technical and tactical aspects.
To Julio Castillo, who surprisingly said goodbye to the Games in the round of 16, what happened?
He had already done everything to go (in 2020) to the Olympic Games, however, due to the pandemic, he or any athlete was logically going to feel a moral and physical change. They prepare in mind and body. When you are looking at a tournament, you have to go fight because you have completed the entire training stage, and returning to that stage, in my opinion, would be like overtraining and starting from scratch.
For you coaches, do you think that this year’s expectations were met in terms of mass events?
Yes, because right now we are seeing support for boxing by seeing all these cards that they are doing in Guayaquil, Quito, Manta or in the East. At last we are seeing a community form in boxing. Professionalism is taking a lot of weight thanks to today’s promoters and dissemination.
Today’s boxing coach also trains martial artists, why is this interest from other athletes?
The mixed martial arts (MMA) athlete prepares in different areas, in jiu-jitsu, in grappling, Muay Thai, kickboxing, wrestling, physical conditioning and in the boxing part. For that reason they are constantly visiting boxing gyms.
Is it correct to say that MMA today competes on a par with national boxing?
Ecuador’s MMAs have always been considered high, because they have a greater organization than boxing. MMA has been established in our country for many years; on the other hand, with boxing they are just doing the same so that it is seen with MMA. We have a great representative outside the country who is Marlon Chito Vera (ranked 8th in the UFC bantamweight class). We have many Ecuadorians outside the country. By 2022 many boxing companies are going to open and they have planned billboards top.
Is it possible that Carlos Mina, who spent almost 900 days in a United States prison, can return to the ring in a few months, how has he calculated it?
It is not impossible; you can give. But now, most of all, boxer Carlos Mina needs the support of all of Ecuador in every way because he came from scratch, and starting from scratch is very difficult. In order for a boxer to be ready again, he must first go through a psychological medical check-up, because he experienced a trauma while locked up. That is the first step and then the training sessions and the bases must come. I believe that in eight months or a year that boxer can be ready for a competition. You have to know if Carlos wants to continue in amateurism or if he wants to go professional. During the time he was locked up there was a cycle, and that cycle was occupied by other athletes in international championships, which became part of the current Olympic team. (D)
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