Thompson Boxing Promotions returns with another edition of its “Locked ‘n Loaded” boxing series this Friday, Oct. 18, at the Doubletree Hotel in Ontario, Calif. The 8-round main event features the veteran and technical Christopher Martin (27-2-3, 9 KOs) of San Diego against the tough-as-nails Enrique Quevedo (14-6-1, 9 KOs) of Los Angeles.
Martin made himself available to talk about his upcoming fight against Quevedo, his professional life outside of boxing and the reasoning behind his recent knockout victories.
You train at the Undisputed Boxing Gym in downtown San Diego with trainers Joe Varga and Sergio Melendrez. How do you feel about your training camp and physical condition heading into Friday’s fight?
I feel like my timing and conditioning are where they need to be. We got a lot of good, quality sparring for this fight. I prepared for eight rounds, but I don’t think it will go to distance. I’m looking for a knockout win.
Three out of your last four wins have come by way of knockout. You don’t usually string together that many knockouts. Did you change your style or are you just being more aggressive?
When I was younger I was content with the win, I didn’t take too many risks. Now it’s more about winning convincingly and putting on a show for everyone. I played it too safe early in my career and was happy with a unanimous decision win. As I’ve grown older, my opinion has changed. I want to engage more, especially when I feel a knockout coming. I know my record would show more knockouts if I pressed the action a little more. Against Quevedo this Friday, I’m definitely going to make him work. I’m not interested in scoring a win based on points. I want a stoppage victory.
In your fifth professional fight, back in 2007, you fought Enrique’s twin brother, Daniel. The judges scored it a draw, but you don’t think that was the correct scoring.
To me, there’s no way that fight was a draw. I beat him cleanly. I landed the stronger punches. I controlled the fight from start to finish. He never tagged me with anything substantial. That blemish still bugs me to this day.
So is there any added motivation for your fight against Enrique?
There’s definitely a little bit of redemption, a little bit of revenge associated with fighting Enrique. I’m basically going to be punching the same guy in the face because they’re twins. I’m not going to make it easy on Enrique. He’s going to get a tough fight. I’m going to walk him down and wear him out.
On top of being a full-time boxer, you also have a career as a corrections officer in San Diego. Plus, you’re married and have two young boys. How do you manage all the responsibilities?
It’s definitely not easy. You have to maximize your time. I’ve become more organized and efficient as a result. I’ve had this busy schedule for more than five years now so it actually feels normal. If I have a long gap between fights, which doesn’t happen often, but when I do, I kind of don’t know what to do with all the free time.
How does your family handle the busy schedule? You’re up at six am to run four to five miles, you go to work all day, and then from four to six you’re at the boxing gym.
It’s tough on our kids. I only get to spend about two hours a day with them. Sometimes my wife will complain about me going to sleep early because I usually do my roadwork in the early morning before I go into work. She’s very supportive though and I’m very fortunate to have her in my life. There’s no way I could do this without her.
The company you work for, Corrections Corporation of America, are they supportive of what you do outside of work?
They’re very supportive of my boxing career, especially during the week of the fight. I take those days off to relax, spend time with my family and ready myself for the fight. I actually might have a few colleagues from my work attend the fight.
What energizes you?
I try to stay upbeat. My dad actually is a big inspiration; he’s a ball of energy. He’s really upbeat and positive and that’s the way I try to be. There’s really no reason to be negative. I think the people that have negative attitudes or a negative outlook do so on purpose because it requires less energy than being positive and warm.
