It’s never too late to pursue your dreams.
At 30, Charly Suarez made his professional boxing debut and since then, he started to pick up 17 straight wins.
Now 36, the Olympian is on the cusp of a potential title shot and he can come even closer with a victory against Andres “Savage” Cortes in an eliminator bout for the WBO super featherweight championship.
“Pinasok ko yung pagiging boksingero kasi may aim ako na maging world champion at magretiro na undefeated,” said Suarez during his send off luncheon hosted by his team headed by Arnold Vegafria with former Ilocos Sur congressman and governor Chavit Singson serving as facilitator in his upcoming bout promoted by Bob Arum’s Top Rank.
“Wala pang Pilipinong boxer na Nakagawa noon. Si Senator Manny Pacquiao, eight-division world champion. Pero sinasabi ko ito dahil ito yung nasa puso ko. Tatrabahuhin ko yan dahil ito na yung chance ko dahil maraming tumutulong sa akin.”
Suarez, the Philippines’ best hope of becoming the newest world champion, resumes his quest for a potential title shot as he takes on fellow unbeaten Cortes in a 10-round eliminator on September 20 in Glendale, Arizona.
A former national boxing team skipper, Suarez is just a win away from earning a shot of the WBO super featherweight crown.
Suarez is no spring chicken, but his coach, Delfin Boholst, is confident that his fighter is still at the peak of his career and has the strength, speed and stamina of younger boxers he had beaten in sparring sessions.
“Actually, yung mga ka-sparring niya, mga bata,” added Boholst. “Ang sabi nga sa kanya ng mga bata, ‘Kuya, parang hindi ka naman 36. Parang 20-plus ka pa lang.’ Pero sinong mag-aakala na aabot pa kami sa ganito.”
“Pero nagi-enjoy pa siya sa boxing. Yun ang pinakaimportante, gusto niya yung ginagawa niya at nagi-enjoy siya.”
According to Boholst, there’s still a lot of fight let in Suarez, an enlisted personnel of Philippine Army.
“Nasa peak pa siya kasi tinatalo niya yung mga bata sa sparring,” added Boholst.
One of the notable boxers Suarez was able to outshine in sparring sessions is one of the sons of boxing legend Fernando Vargas.
“Nung nasa US kami, yung Vargas family, yung isa sa mga anak niya, mabigat pa timbang noon, ang ganda ng ginawa niya,” added Boholst. “Ang daming taong nanoood. Dalawa yung ring doon sa venue, pero yung isang ring, huminto sila para panoorin yung laban.”
“Sa next sparring, yung mga tao nag-aabang na sa sparring niya.”
Suarez, the pride of Davao del Norte who won three gold medals in the Southeast Asian Games, has won 17 straight fights since he turned pro on January 1, 2019.
His latest victory was a unanimous decision win over Luis Coria of California during their bout held at American Bank Center in Corpus Cristi, Texas, on April 13 this year.
Suarez is scheduled to leave on September 1 for Las Vegas for the last phase of his preparation facing a dangerous opponent known for slaying 12 of his 22 opponents, including a vicious fourth round stoppage of Bryan Chevalier on February 16 this year.
Cortes is a stocky slugger who packs a wallop, is coming off a tough unanimous decision win over a game rival Abraham Nova on June 21 of this year.
Suarez’s camp is wary of their crack opponent, who is known as an aggressive fighter.
The 27-year-old Cortes made his pro debut in 2016 and is ranked No. 2 by WBO and No. 9 by WBC while Suarez is rated No. 3 by WBO and No. 5 by IBF.
