Figther’s Corner: James Smith, CHP

When did you start boxing? I started training and learning how to box in April/May of 2010 when I talked to a friend of mine (now trainer) Josh Kretschamann. I started training with him so I could better prepare myself for the roads of California. I wanted to get the idea and the mindset of what it’s like to be in a fight, were you know someone is trying to do some damage to you. Sometimes the biggest worry when it comes to fighting is the unknown. There are so many variables when it comes to fighting. You can’t train for each one, but you can train to be prepared for the worst ones. I figured this directly reflected what we do day to day and its better to learn in a controlled environment then out on the road.

What gym do you train at?  All my training has been in the garage. Either in my garage or my trainer’s garage.  I have a bag hanging in my garage that I practice on.  In my trainer’s garage we work on technique,  focus mitts and belly pads. All my running for this fight has been outside around my neighborhood. I have been doing more running this time then I did back in 2010.  I noticed I started to get winded in the last 30 seconds of the rounds and I want to avoid that this time. I set a goal to run 60 total miles with 5 weeks left until the weigh in. Thus far I have 48 miles and 7 days left.

Who is your coach or who taught you how to box? My coach is Josh Kretschmann. He is a boxer/mauy thai fighter/personal trainer/nutritionist. He is an all in one package kind of trainer.  Also being a family friend he has helped me to develop my abilities in the ring and the knowledge to better myself physically as well as the best way to fuel the body. When we train he really works on speed and technique. He is consistently reminding me to make small corrections until my boxing is perfect.

How do you see your fight with Aurelio Vasquez, LAPD  going? I think the fight with Vasquez is going to be a real crowd pleaser.  He has a height and reach advantage, but I have had to train against people (Jed McNamara, ABC) taller than me every week so that’s all I know. I think Vasquez is a real tough fighter and it’s going to take all three rounds to decide the outcome. But no matter what, the Charities are the winners and that’s what this event is really about.