Antonio Collado, the young promise who sacrifices his life for boxing – Spain’s News

Perseverance, perseverance, dedication. These are some of the adjectives that are closest to success and that are vital to achieve it. Clearly, luck must be sought, it does not fall from the sky. You have to work on what you want to get it, and in itself, you have to fight. Life is a constant struggle, a ring partner with whom you have to fight day after day. And for this reason, we must put on the gloves of reality and move forward to achieve what we most long for. A good example of these sacrifices is Antonio Collado, with a life dedicated to boxing which, for now, has allowed him to be champion of Spain in the lightweight category of this sport.

Champion of Spain with only 23 years: a promise that aims high

Collado got this award last Friday May 19 at the Casino Gran Madrid in Torrelodones, after defeating Brian Peláez from Madrid.Your balance is11-0-0 since turning pro in 2021. “It is a dream come true. It has been the belt that I have always had in mind. I also think about being a European champion and even a world champion in the future, but to do that, we have to go step by step. This was the first ”, this 23-year-old confesses to LA RAZÓN, showing his ambition and demonstrating that he knows the recipe that has led him to achieve such a comforting and pleasant evaluation and that could make him succeed even more in the future. . “I train three times a day and I can spend between four and eight hours in total, depending on the season we are in and the intensity at which we train”Explain.

Born in Quintanar de la Orden (Toledo), he landed in Madrid at just eighteen years of age with a clear objective: he wanted to succeed as a boxer. His first steps (or punches) were in Vallecas, and he now trains at the Rivas-Vaciamadrid Boxing Club. A sport “with a bad reputation in Spain”, as he explains, but of which he emphasizes that “it is not what it seems”. “Boxing can be more aggressive than other sports, but it has nothing to do with it. There are children who are crazy to learn, there are gyms and classes and there are people who are there, waiting. It is an environment of respect, the only thing that fails is that it does not have the impact of other sports such as football or basketball. If it was supported in that way, people would be more familiar with this sport.”

“Combat to combat”, in the footsteps of boxing legends such as Fred Galiana

There are only thirteen Spanish champions in the history of this category in our country. Collado has been the last to join this list, and like him, he is also his countryman Fred Galiana, a milestone in the sport of the twelve ropes and who slipped among the best not only in Spain, but also in Europe, by consecrating himself up to two times as European featherweight champion. “For me he is a reference, I have always spoken of him with all the respect he deserves. At the moment I am showing that I can follow in his footsteps ”, clarifies this young boxer, who adds that “I always pay attention to the Spaniards who have come far, and especially the greatest”. He also highlights other names such as Poli Díaz or Canelo Álvarez, a Mexican boxer whom he assumes “meets all the requirements that I like the most.”

His family or friends are always watching and covering him. Also acquaintances, colleagues or his coach, Víctor del Toro, who bet on him and is shown “proud” of everything he is achieving. “As a coach and person who has created him and knows all the work behind it, it involves many emotions, all positive. It’s something incredible and indescribable,” she notes. Del Toro highlights that “from the first straight left to the last step back, he has shown that he has a lot of potential and can go a long way.” “Tactically and physically he is unmatched. He is going to achieve great things in the future, but we must go step by step, fight by fight”.