Olympic hopeful Robert Herrera was set back of his goal of qualifying to fight for the state title in the 201-pound division. On Saturday March 31, 2007, 16-year-old Herrera fought a 3 round war against the San Diego district champion of 201 pounds, 28-year-old P.J. Faxson. The bout went to the scorecards where Herrera failed to get the decision. “I felt as if I was overconfident. I felt that I could have knocked him out. In the first round I had him. I had him pretty good, I stumbled him,” Herrera said. “In the 2nd round I got out of my game plan.”
Despite the big overhand right that rocked Faxson in the first round, Herrera was not able to control the tempo of the fight. “That’s when he kept on hitting me, tapping, tapping, tapping,” Herrera said. “I’ll hit him with a big right but in the amateurs it’s all about points so in the end he came out winning.”
Herrera said he was disappointed in losing the fight because he knew he could have won. He says he was careless and only looking for that one knockout punch. A mistake the 16-year-old has learned early in his career. “I got thrown off thinking I was going to knock him out waiting for that one punch,” Herrera said. “Just don’t ever think that you are going to knock someone out. Don’t go in there thinking like that. Just go in there and box and whenever the knockout comes it’ll come.” Despite the loss, Robert has been able to stay focus and positive. “Yeah it does make me stronger. I kind of needed it, just to tune me up, so that I have something harder to work out for. But I think I’ll be fine from this point on.”
Herrera has one last opportunity before he has to wait four more years to qualify for the Olympics. He will have to travel to Utah in late May and fight in the Western trials. The tournament runs from May 20-27. Herrera says this tournament will be composed of tough fighters who he is eager to face. “It’s another chance over there in Utah. I feel that I could do it. I feel pretty confident. I’m going to go in there hungry,” Herrera said. “I think that I can pull it out.”
Before he makes the trip to Utah, Herrera says he will get a couple fights under his belt. His first tune-up fight is Saturday April 14, 2007 in Pacoima at the Fidel Boxing Gym. “When you lose you find out who’s really behind you. Some people may not support you anymore because you lose,” Herrera said. “I just have to keep on training and just put in my work, that’s all I could do. [I] just [have to] keep on training hard.”
