Photo by Gabriel Polanco/RBRBoxing
On a sunny hot day in Phoenix, in the Garfield district stands a house with a makeshift gym for a backyard. A layer of dirt from the most recent monsoon lays on different surfaces of the gym equipment.
Wooden beams and metal poles sit upright, holding heavy bags and speed bags and just beyond those, sit a ring. Under the tutelage of his grandfather, Danny Carbajal; Keenan Carbajal has had his ups and down in his short career so far, yet he keeps on going, proving his doubters wrong.
He has attained a record of 4-1-1, 3 KOs, with his lone loss being in his debut.
Carbajal was born and raised in the heart of Phoenix with a last name many older fight fans can recognize. Coming back to his trainer and Tata Danny’s house to finish his work day that included an early morning run and afternoon sparring session, Carbajal, or as many refer to him, “Kid Carbajal,” comes back to his home base and starts his bag work.
After working the bag, Carbajal shadowboxed to cool down. Finally, after what seemed like a strenuous session, Carbajal’s work day is done.
Round By Round Boxing‘s Gabriel Polanco caught up with Kid Carbajal as he prepares for his debut bout under his new promotional banner, Ben Miranda Boxing Promotions.
He touched on his career, his past, his family, his relationship with his uncle and former world champion Michael Carbajal; keeping the respect of the Carbajal name in the Valley of the Sun and most importantly, his future.
Round By Round Boxing: Hey Keenan, how are you doing?
Keenan Carbajal: I’m good, just had a good workout and finished up some sparring a bit ago. It’s been a hard working day. Just getting ready for the 26th.
RBRBoxing: How’d you get into boxing?
KC: I just grew up around it. Funny thing is, I wasn’t allowed to box, my first fight wasn’t till I was 12 years old. I grew up watching Michael train, my Tata carried me around in a backpack in the gym. I actually had to convince my family to let me box and they finally let me after I turned 12.
RBRBoxing: How was your amateur experience?
KC: When I was an amateur it was pretty rough, I’m not going to lie. The way I was trained fit more of a pro style and in the amateurs there’s the point system. I would go in there looking to hit the body and make them hurt and drop someone. I always went to the body and you don’t get much credit doing that in the amateurs. I got enough experience fighting in the amateurs, but I didn’t do anything significant either.
RBRBoxing: Your last name is Carbajal, you live in the Valley of the Sun where a lot of people know that name pretty well due to your uncle Michael’s career in the 90’s. How is your relationship with him now?
KC: We currently don’t have a relationship. One day if he would maybe get help for his personal problems, I would like to have him on my team, but as of right now, we do not have a relationship.
RBRBoxing: Do you feel any added pressure or expectations that comes with your last name?
KC: Expectations, yes. I feel like the Carbajal name gives me a boost. I have everything Michael had, the same trainer, the same support system so I feel like I can do the same thing.
RBRBoxing: All of your fights were on local Iron Boy Promotion cards, correct?
KC: All but one. I had a fight in Parker, AZ.
Photo by Isaac Hernandez
RBRBoxing: What was your relationship like with Iron Boy? Were you under contract with them?
KC: No, I was never under contract with them, but we had a good relationship. They would put me on their cards even though I wasn’t signed with them, but I was also bringing in tickets. I am very thankful to them for putting me on their cards, but business wise, it made sense for them because I was bringing in people and moving tickets, but overall it was a good relationship for the both of us.
RBRBoxing: So it was more a fight-by-fight basis?
KC: Yes, correct.
RBRBoxing: Now that you are not only signed to a promotional company–Ben Miranda Boxing Promotions–but also as one of their most prominent, marquee fighters; how do you feel about that?
KC: I am proud to represent BMBP as their first fighter signed since the late Ben Miranda was such an honorable man and it’s such a great name in the community. It gives me the extra drive to step into that ring and represent him and the company well.
RBRBoxing: How do you feel about your first fight for BMBP being labeled as Phoenix Fight Night and having so many people saying BMBP and yourself are bringing Phoenix pride back into boxing here in the valley like it was in the 90’s?
KC: Definitely, doesn’t that just sound cool? It’s hyped and I know I’m ready and I’m glad I’m the front runner for the company. That’s definitely the goal, to bring back that feeling you got in the 90’s and the early 2000’s that boxing was such a classy sport and there is so much respect in boxing. I just want to help bring that back.
RBRBoxing: Being the marquee fighter for BMBP, how are you going to use this to not only take your career forwad, but also the company?
KC: I feel like I have to represent the promotional company well and being the front runner, the marquee fighter, every time I step into that ring I have to go out and put on the greatest performance I can to impress the crowds and the city and eventually be on national telecasts and have people come in from all over the country to Phoenix.
I mean, wouldn’t that be awesome? To have all these people come down to Phoenix, AZ to come down just to watch a BMBP event and have Keenan Carbajal as the main event. That’s the plan, God willing.
RBRBoxing: Your pro debut was pretty hyped up locally and it didn’t exactly go your way, what can you say you learned from that experience?
KC: To be patient. I gained a lot of experience from that first fight alone. What I learned in that fight has carried over into my last five fights and I’ve learned that you can’t walk into that ring carrying too much emotion.
You take your time and you go in there and you do what you trained for. That was my mistake going into that fight and I promised myself never to do those mistakes ever again. I went in there just wanting to knock the guy out and you can’t do that. This is the pro level, it’s not the amateurs, you have on 8 oz. gloves, you have an extra round, there’s a long time to fight and you can’t go in there with the mindset that you’re just going to knock everyone out.
If that knockout comes, it comes, but you have to stick with your game plan no matter what because that’s what you spend your time training for. You have to stay disciplined and smart, but luckily I got up and have learned from that experience and now it’s just a small bump in my road that I have already gone over.
RBRBoxing: Do you have any particular fighters that you like today and try to emulate your style after?
KC: I like Mikey Garcia, he’s a boxer-puncher with power and that’s what I am. He’s a very good technical boxer and hits his spots perfectly and that’s where most of his power comes from. The funny thing is, when my Tata teaches me something, he always references older fighters, but mostly Michael.
He’ll tell me to go back and watch him because he is a product of his training. So I go back and watch Michael’s fights and he was fantastic. To me, he is my favorite fighter, he’s the best because he is the perfect example to everything I’m training to be. I try to emulate Michael and we obviously have our contrasting differences. I’m obviously taller than he was and at a higher weight, but I go to his tapes for references.
RBRBoxing: What was your favorite fight of Michael’s?
KC: The Muangchai Kittikasem fight. I see my Tata’s teaching in that fight. Everything he tells me to do, I see Michael executing it perfectly.
RBRBoxing: How important is your Tata Danny to you and your success?
KC: He’s just the prime example of a man that I would want to be. He’s a very wise, powerful man and in the ring, his voice is very comforting. No matter what the situation is in the fight, when I go back to the corner I feel at ease. Even when I’m in a position in the fight where I’m tense or something, he’ll tell me a couple of words and then I’m back on track and we’ll go out the next round and I’ll do exactly what he says.
RBRBoxing: Your fight is on September 26, what do you expect that night?
KC: If the knockout presents itself, like in my last fight, I’m going to take it. But I would like to get some rounds in. I’ve only gone six rounds once and I feel like I should get the experience in. I want to beat the guy convincingly and just win all six rounds. Go in there and execute everything we practiced.
There are people in the valley who say Keenan just lives off his family’s name and isn’t much. Then there are many who say he is special and could be good. From what I’ve seen, he has the potential to be the star the Valley of the Sun has not had since the 90’s, since his uncle Michael Carbajal was filling up arenas at home. He has the style and the looks of a crowd favorite. With what seems like a lot riding on a 23-year-old’s shoulders, Kid Carbajal is confident he can carry that weight and for the good of Phoenix’s boxing scene, I hope he can.
Header photo by #KolorRiot via @KeenanCarbajal on Instagram
