By Robert Rizzo
Photo: Latino Sports
Boxing fans across the New York/New Jersey region mark down Friday July 29th in your agendas for Bergen County Fight Night 2 presented by Abella Boxing Promotions. The fights will take place at the American Dream Mall located in East Rutherford, New Jersey, the action-packed night is currently slated with a 12-fight card *(Subject to Change)*.
In the main event scheduled for 8-rounds, Julian “Hammer Hands” Rodriguez (Hoboken, New Jersey) is set to make his return to the ring, fighting in front of his home state crowd. Last year in Las Vegas on June 12th, Jose Pedraza defeated Rodriguez in the 8th round of a scheduled 10-round bout due to a corner stoppage. Coming off his first loss of his career, Rodriguez (21-1, 63.6 KO%) is prepared to be the highlight of the night. The 26-year-old recently stated, “I appreciate and I am truly grateful for those that have been rocking with Team HammerHands from the beginning as well as moving forward! This one’s for you guys, right in Bergen County. I’m confident it will be a great time.”
Featured on the thrilling fight card will be Robert “Tiger” Terry (6-0, Jersey City, NJ), Michael “The Champ” Lee (8-2, Newark, NJ), Harley “Heavy Hands” Burke (5-0, Sunnyside, Queens, NY), Jade “Posion” Ivery (1-1, Teaneck, NJ), Elijah “The Bully” Williams (2-0, Newburgh, NY) and Raymond “The Scientist” Cuadrado (3-0, Ridgewood, NY) among others.
A mighty standout on the fight card out of Port Chester, New York, is the one and only, Carlos “All In” Vanegas-Nuñez with an impressive 5-0 record and 4 knockouts. Fighting in the super bantamweight class, Vanegas-Nuñez trains out of Champs Boxing Club located in New Rochelle, NY. In the most recent episode of Sports with Rich, hosted by Rich Mancuso with co-host Robert Rizzo on The SLG Network, Carlos joined the show to discuss the lead-up to Bergen County Fight Night 2 as well as his extraordinary boxing journey.
Standing at 5’5, the orthodox fighter has proven to use his height to his advantage. He stated, “someone a bit taller, I’m chopping those guys down like trees. When I get in there with somebody my height, I switch it to boxing. But, if they wanna bang, we can bang. We can do it all.”
His mother, who was born and raised in Ecuador, has played a major role in where Carlos is today. Ingrained in training with his passionate work ethic, Carlos displays his Ecuadorian heritage to the fullest. His father introduced him to the fight scene in training muay-thai at a young age. The 25-year-old works a full-time job to add to his constant preparation in the boxing gyms.
When asked what shaped his dynamic mindset, Carlos stated, “My father has worked two full-time jobs his whole life. So, when I get tired, I sit down and think ‘this man came from South America with nothing, but the American Dream. I can’t complain if I’m working a full-time job and boxing’…That’s what I use for motivation.”
Carlos explained that as much as he is a fan of boxing, he is a student of the sport by constantly picking up and developing new skills. “It’s going through my mind, 24/7. Boxing keeps me from bouncing off the walls. Even when I don’t have a fight coming up, I’m in the gym all the time, all year round… It’s a part of life. It’s kind of like a routine now. Like I’m clocking in every day, and I don’t like to take days off.”
He discussed his admiration for a ton of former and current fighters; however, Carlos made it clear on who he enjoys watching most, “Arturo Gatti and Héctor Camacho, those are my two all-time favorites. When I want to get ready for a fight and get my mindset on in the back, in the locker room. I’m watching Gatti or Camacho highlights, for sure.”
Each time Carlos enters the ring, he demands greatness out of himself, as shown in his perfect 5-0 record. “It’s been almost three years since I turned pro. I’m just looking to put on a show and build new fans. Build a fanbase in the area, so they keep coming out to see me fight… Whenever they come out to see me fight, they’re going to be there for a good time,” he said.
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