Randy “El Matador” Caballero (22-0, 13 KOs) will make his way back into the ring on February 5, in front of his hometown crowd in Indio, California.
After a disappointing 2015, Caballero will look to start the new year off fresh with a win over Mexican fighter Ruben Garcia (15-1-1, 6 KOs). We caught up with the young prospect to speak about his upcoming bout and the struggles he faced in 2015.
Round By Round Boxing: Randy, thanks for joining us today. Let’s get right into it. How has training camp been going?
Randy Caballero: It has been going great. I’ve been out of the ring for a while so I’m ready to get back into it and start the year off right with a win.
RBRBoxing: So lets talk about that. I know you didn’t have the year you probably wanted in 2015, so what goes through your mind when you think about this past year?
RC: Well, its like you said, 2015 was a very difficult year for me. I was supposed to fight on the Canelo-Cotto undercard and everyone sort of knows what happened there. My body just reacted in a way it hasn’t before and I woke up five pounds heavier. I literally tried everything possible to lose the weight, but my body just wouldn’t react. I sat in the sauna for as long as I could and didn’t break a sweat. It was just one of those freak things.
RBRBoxing: That had to be difficult for you. Especially fighting on such a big stage. Now that you’re fighting at 122 instead of 118 do you feel that those sort of issues are behind you?
RC: Honestly, I never had an issue like that happen in the past. I feel like I really let down my team and especially my fans. I’m not doing anything different in this camp because I don’t expect the same issues to reoccur. My plan is to get the win and prove to those people that I’m a fighter and that I’m going to be a world champion again.
RBRBoxing: Right on. So what can you tell me about your opponent and what you expect from him?
RC: Well, I haven’t seen a lot of his fights to be honest. I know that he’s a tough fighter. I know he’s probably going to come out looking to hurt me and I plan on doing the same thing to him. Like I said, this is a new year and I want to make a statement.
RBRBoxing: Can we get a prediction for this fight?
RC: I don’t want to make a prediction. All I’m going to say is that I’m going to come out victorious and the people watching at Fantasy Springs will get a great performance out of me.
RBRBoxing: Lastly, what message do you have for your fans who are excited to see you back in the ring?
RC: To my fans, I just want to say, thank you for all the support. I know I didn’t give everyone the year they wanted to see, but I promise that I’m back and I’ll be world champion soon. Tune in on February 5.
RBRBoxing: We wish you the best of luck for this fight and for the rest of the year. Thanks for your time.
RC: Thank you.
Randy Caballero vs. Ruben Garcia is a 10-round super bantamweight bout presented by Golden Boy Promotions and sponsored by Cerveza Tecate, Born Bold. Doors open at 5:00 p.m. and the first bout begins at 5:30 p.m. The Estrella TV Boxeo Estelar broadcast will air live on Friday, February 5 at 10:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. PT., and will stream live simultaneously on EstrellaTV.com and on YouTube via Fenomeno Studios: youtube.com/FenomenoStudios. The Ring TV live stream will begin at approximately 5:30 p.m. PT through 7:00 p.m.
Photo by Hogan Photos
