Andy Vences aims to regain momentum on Saturday

Super featherweight Andy Vences looks to regain his momentum and return to contender status as he faces Christian Mino in an eight round bout.

On Saturday night, live from the Cow Place Arena & Event Center in Daly City, CA; it’s the return of super featherweight Andy ‘El Tiburon’ Vences (23-4-1) as he faces veteran Christian Mino (23-7-2) in a scheduled eight-round bout. The 31-year-old Vences, now under new management and returning with his old trainer, looks to rebound from his three consecutive losses to make a run leading to a title shot.

Vences has had an odd few years, which only saw him in the ring once each of the last three years. While having decision losses each time, Vences knew that his lack of activity would get him but he felt that part was out of his hands.

Vences told FanSided, “Top Rank was promoting me, and it wasn’t that I didn’t want to fight but more so that my manager wasn’t keeping me busy. I don’t know if Top Rank didn’t know what to do with me at the time, but I honestly felt in my heart that the lack of ring activity caught up to me. Being out of the ring for so long really affected me. I’ve always been one of the hardest workers in the gym, but it’s like a basketball or soccer player; if you’re not putting them on the court or field to play, how can you expect them to perform the way they should.”

Vences continued, “I know some people do it, but in boxing, it’s all about timing and rhythm. It was just out of my hands. My manager at the time wasn’t getting me fights. I’m very thankful to be with Emily [Pandelakis] now, my new manager, and we do have a little fight plan to fight in February, hopefully in June, and then one more at the end of the year. I’m blessed to have met Emily; she is on track with what I need regarding my professional career.” It’s a problem that fighters face more often than none these days, which leads to frustrated fans not seeing their favorite fighter more than twice a year if they are lucky. It’s an issue that will hopefully get resolved soon.

Andy Vences faces Christian Mino at the Cow Palace in Dale City, CA

While some of those fighters that perform twice a year often have a salary that can support that, Vences doesn’t have that luxury, and up until April 2021, he was working an armed security job to maintain a living. He was then let go from his job after being three months removed from purchasing a home with his wife. ”This is a funny story. I ended up buying a new home with my wife. Three months into moving to my new home in April 2021, they let me go from my job. I was devasted, thinking, ‘What am I going to do’ since now I had a mortgage and bills to pay. I was under a lot of stress, but they say you should surround yourself with good people. I had a friend of mine named Sergio Martinez who sat me down at a restaurant.”

Vences continued, “He said to me, ‘Why are you applying for a job? You’re a professional boxer’. I told him I had bills to pay and needed consistent income. He then said, ‘You’re a professional boxer who has been on TV, and so many people would want to learn how to box from you. Why don’t you start your own business and train people?’ I was unsure about it, but he showed me an app where I could create my own hours. He said, ‘Try it. If it works, it works, if it doesn’t, a job will always be there’. I gave it some thought, took action, and as soon as I started my LLC, I started to get clients from San Francisco to San Jose and became very busy. I’m thankful to be around great friends who gave me great advice, and it changed everything for me.” We all need that voice of reasoning in our ear, and it looks like his friend was exactly that, but it also sparked what later on would be an important career decision.

Trainer Angel Cordon was part of Vences’ team when he was (16-0) and stayed on until he reached a record of (23-2). While Vences openly admitted to having a misunderstanding with Cordon on whether he still wanted to train him, the two reunited recently after watching some old training footage of the duo back in the day. Both fighter and trainer spoke then and discovered that this would be the right moment to reunite and see if they could succeed at this stage of Vences’ career.

While reminiscing about it, Vences told FanSided, “The reason why I went back to Angel (Cordon) was that after my loss, my friend told me that when he met me, I was so successful in boxing and wanted to know what changed. He mentioned that something had changed in my life because I was such a winning guy. I started my YouTube channel, and because of it, I started to look at old footage. I started seeing all the preparation I was doing with Angel (Cordon) compared to these last fights. I realized the grind was missing. There is no way around the grind. I got in touch with Angel as he was the one I had the most success with. Now with Angel (Cordon), I’m being brought to places I haven’t been to in years. I have no doubt in my preparation.”

Although the duo is back together, what the trainer expects from his pugilist hasn’t changed. Cordon not only wants Vences to win, but he wants him to dominate. What happens if Vences doesn’t fight to his max potential and looks different on Saturday night? “If I don’t, he will let me know whether I should continue to box or not after the fight. He is training me hard to get the result he wants,” said the Bay Area veteran.

His opponent is Mino (23-7-2), a tough, aggressive fighter who packs a punch, and Vences knows this as he expects him to be a challenge. Vences is confident that the game plan that Cordon cooked up will be the right recipe to put together a victory in his backyard. While Vences is confident about getting the victory, he does have goals in mind for this year. “My goal is to get a big opportunity this year. After this fight, I want to come back in June and then get a big opportunity on whatever platform.”