
Alejandro Huerta, an exercise science senior with a concentration in physical therapy, earned the fourth championship title for Club Boxing at UTRGV in April at the United States Intercollegiate Boxing Associationโs national tournament.ย
Huerta claimed his victory with no boxing competition experience after joining in September 2022. The title holder trained in wrestling, jiu jitsu and kickboxing, as well as in mixed martial arts for the last six years, before he started training in boxing.
Q: Why did you switch to boxing?
A: โIt was the opportunity. Before, I told [my family] I [wanted] to compete, like, [in] MMA. They were like, โWhy do you want to do that? Like, justโฆ study.โ I was like, โYeah, Iโm studying, but I still want to do it.โ And then when [a training partner] told me about college boxing, I was like, โI could convince them for that. I donโt have to pay for my trips. Itโs school-funded. Iโm always at school, too, so I could still study.โ And I did it.โ
Q: How do you stay motivated?
A: โBefore, I was just all โI want to be a better fighter. I want to win that belt.โ That was the motivation. Now, the motivation is โHow do other people win that belt?โ I want to get that second title. โฆ Iโm on that path. But I donโt want to be the only one to win it. โฆ I believe we could take the tournament championship as a team.โ
Q: Who has been your biggest inspiration or role model?
A: โWell, Iโm always going to say my pops. Iโm always going to say my dad, because that man has worked so hard for my family and I try my best to do right by him.โ
Q: What advice would you give to a beginner boxer?
A: โBasics and fundamentals shine bright. A lot of times, what we see is โฆ new people who never box โฆ or learn boxing from YouTube. They [will] try to do these fancy moves. They try to look at these top professional boxers and try to copy them. Thereโs a reason why it worked for them, because they worked on their basics for a long time and perfected the basics so that they can do other things.โ
Q: What do you like to do in your free time?
A: โI, sometimes, read books. I try to get the energy to read. But [for] most of my time, I just play video games, spend time with my dog or my family. I like to go out with my family, sometimes.โ
Q: Whatโs your favorite video game?
A: โRight now, Iโm a sucker for โLegend of Zelda: Tears of [the] Kingdom.โ โฆ I finished โBreath of the Wildโ recently and after that โฆ โTears of the Kingdom.โ Thatโs what Iโm into, right now. I also love boxing and UFC. I play โFight Nightโ and โUFCโ on Xbox.โ
Q: Which movie would you want to be a character in?
A: โMy favorite movie is โPlanet of the Apes,โ but I donโt want to say I want to be a part of that movie. โฆ Like, I would say, a movie I would be part of, because itโs, like, right off the bat or out of my head, โcause it has to do with boxing โฆ the โRockyโ movies.โ
Q: What song could you listen to on repeat for the rest of your life?
A: โโMr. Ragerโ by Kid Cudi. โฆ Itโs a good song. I listened to that song before my final fight at nationals.โ
–Compiled by Abigail Ollave