People know boxers have nine to five jobs and prove themselves to be master jugglers, as they do roadwork, go to work, then hit the gym to train.
But here’s a lil’ twist — usually, by the time they get to the place where they are entering into title fights, they ditch the day job. Makes sense, being that high-level combat sports sorts have to train hours per day. And the purses are usually enough so they don’t have to double dip.
Andre Cancio, though, is sticking with his day job, checking for gas leaks for Southern California Gas Company in Simi Valley. He was kind enough to check in during a coffee break, and give us the lowdown on when he expects to defend his WBA “world” 130-pound title. You recall that he beat Alberto Machado, and then took him out again in the rematch, proving that it was no fluke.
The fighter, age 30, holds a 21-4-2 mark, said that he goes on a route, finds a leak with a measuring implement, and then reports it. His work life is chill, sounds like, and what about the ring life? Well, he’s not a shit-talker, doesn’t look to take to social media to draw buzz.
We talked about his next move, but first touched on his latest outing, the rematch aganst Machado. He told me that he was “very confident he’d stop him again.” Machado came out more aggressively, and this time, Machado didn’t drop Cancio as he had in their first meeting.
“I knew that my style was a bad matchup for him, and I proved it once again on June 21st,” Cancio said. “I took over the fight pretty much after the second round.”
The hitter said that people are respecting him, and fans know now that he’s the real deal. He is targeting WBC champ Miguel Berchelt, he stated, and he’d like to get his social media numbers up, because that helps get fights and sponsorships.
“This is my time now,” he said. “I’m more confident, I believe in myself more now.”
Yep, bring on Oscar Valdez (rated No. 1 by WBO), a JoJo Diaz (who holds the WBA gold strap) rematch, Tevin Farmer (IBF titlist) — he fears no man, not even a bit.
Regarding JoJo Diaz and a rematch, where are they?
“Me and Diaz went at it a little bit after the Tevin Farmer fight, I Tweeted something,” he shared. “I really want that fight, and I want to show the world I’m a way different fighter than in the first one.”
Before that, though, a bout against Rene Alvarado is on deck. No date is set for that mandatory defense. He’s downed Alvarado before, back in 2015. Alvarado is on a seven-fight win streak, and their first one was a “tough fight.” That belt is on the line, so he expects a better Alvarado. End of October, probably, is when that one will unfurl.
Cancio would like it if Diaz took Farmer’s belt, and then him and JoJo would tango. First things first, Alvarado — “he is a tough opponent,” and the first faceoff was action-packed, and fan friendly, the boxer shared.
As for another big name at 130, Cancio said he’d like to try to push back Gervonta Davis if that clash occured.
“I’d go forward and throw a lot of body shots,” he said. Then, ideally, they’d go into those deeper waters, the later rounds. He’d try the same if he fought WBO champ Jamel Herring, he told the listeners.
The big bouts, he wants them to come, because he wants to purchase a nice big house, and get moolah and a nest egg for his kids.
My three cents: good, humble kid, great work ethic, and now he’s that much better, his confidence makes him a much more dangerous boxer.