Posted on 07/24/2020
By: Sean Crose
“It’s going to be an amazing fight,” 7-0 welterweight Evan Sanchez says of his scheduled Friday bout against the 18-4 Issouf Kinda. The scheduled 6 rounder will be the opening fight on Golden Boy’s Vergil Ortiz Jr – Samuel Vargas card, which will be aired live on the DAZN streaming service from Indio’s Fantasy Springs Casino. Without a doubt, it will be a chance for the 22 year old Sanchez to show his stuff in front of a live international audience. Golden Boy clearly sees a bright future in the California native, something the the 6 foot tall Sanchez is grateful for. Describing the company as “amazing,” the fighter goes on to explain that “they’ve been taking care of me, giving me the fights.”
Sanchez didn’t originally seem like the type of individual who would someday become a professional boxer. Describing himself as a “shy kid,” Sanchez explains that it was his father who introduced him to the sweet science. “He put me in the sport for self defense,” says Sanchez. The shy kid eventually found himself as a tall, power punching prospect in one of the sport’s top glamour divisions. Having all but one of his fights ending by knockout has clearly helped Sanchez’ career – not that he relies solely on his power. “If the knockout comes, the knockout comes,” he says.
Like all fighters, Sanchez was impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. Rather than sit around the house playing video games all day, however, the fighter made the best of a bad situation. “It was a little difficult,” he admits. “We had to make our gym.” Once he was allowed to train as he always has, Sanchez jumped at the opportunity. “I’ve been in the gym,” he says of the relative return to normalcy, “like nothing ever happened.”
Sanchez credits his family and those close to him for giving him the support needed to succeed in the ring. “They understand that I have to stay focused,” he claims. Not that Sanchez avoids basic human interactions. He just wants to keep his eye on the prize. “I have a girlfriend,” he says, while making it clear that otherwise, he’s “just focusing on the sport.” Provided he continues on with his winning ways, Sanchez and his team plan on quickly moving beyond the prospect stage. “We’re going after a Junior Belt,” he says.