The higher the better

I remember very well the first time I went up to Temoaya and Jiquipilco, these two towns belong to the State of Mexico, an area of the country that has certain benefits to train, the main one is the altitude, Toluca is the capital of the State of Mexico and has an altitude of 8530. 184 feet above sea level, these conditions contribute too much to the physical training of the boxer and depending on where in the world you are going to fight you have to go down to re-acclimatize your body, in case you fight in USA you can go down 5 days before in case you are going to fight in Japan you should go down 15 or 20 days before and continue your training in Mexico City or the region to which you belong.

I went up with the intention of documenting the training of any boxer I came across and fortunately the opportunity to train presented itself, it has been one of the most demanding physical efforts I have ever experienced.

Going back to the research part I found a magical place, full of boxing, the locals would ask you what part of the country are you from? assuring you that all visitors outside their town are boxers, the reality is that these two towns don’t have much to offer for tourism and everything revolves around boxing, therefore, gyms abound in these towns, the trainers are very experienced and you find fighters from all parts of the country.

Erik Morales, Julio Cesar Chavez, Marco Barrera, Carlos Cuadras, Jaime Munguia, Isaac Bustos, Jorge Arce and an infinity of legends have taken these towns as their training bunker, in addition to the current talent that is countless.

On that occasion I met boxers who were just starting their flight, a young William Zepeda, Julio Cesar “Rey” Martinez already a world champion, Dubiel Sanchez, Edwin Palomares, Angel Ayala and Jaime Munguia himself.

The atmosphere is purely one of discipline combined with the illusion of a very complete preparation, the fighters are focused from the beginning to achieve victory in their next commitment and that vibe of triumph is breathed in every corner of the gyms.

I put Jiquipilco and Temoaya as two indispensable destinations if you are a true boxing lover, you can find a lot of talent, it is a hotbed to find new talent and a place where legends have left their mark.