Sweaty from head to toe, in the middle of a workout, Germán Fernández López (Nájera, 1996) welcomes us at the ‘Team Marín’ gym in Logroño. There he works hard every day with the sole purpose of reaching his destination in optimal physical and mental condition. … debut on the professional circuit scheduled for September. Along the way, four years of hard daily routine, many personal sacrifices and the aspiration of “having an international career and measuring myself against the best” between eyebrows.
– Why boxing?
– From an early age, martial arts began to attract my attention. For many years I practiced other modalities, however, I couldn’t stop thinking about the gloves, the ring, the assaults… What has always really motivated me is boxing. And I have fought a lot to get here.
– When did you make the definitive leap into this sport?
– It was in 2020. I came from a break in which I stopped doing kickboxing, which was what I practiced until that moment. It was then when, as a spectator at an evening, I met Íñigo Marín, my current coach. We connected instantly because I saw that he believed in me. You could say that he is the one who created my dream.
– How has your career been from then to today?
– We have been getting out of one ring to get into another for four years now. Throughout this time, I have fought in many evenings in La Rioja and have traveled to other cities to train with the best, which in the jargon is called ‘sparring’. All that effort was rewarded in the silver (-67 kg) that I obtained last summer in the Melilla amateur championship.
– Which are the next steps?
– For now, fight again in the Spanish championships, which are next July in León. If the sensations are good, and I don’t get injured, I can confirm that in the month of September I will make the definitive leap to professional boxing. It is something that until now only my coach and I knew, and that will mean achieving the dream of my career.
– How is your life going to change?
– The rewards and demands are much greater. I’m already aware that I’m going to have to train very hard and deprive myself of other aspects of my personal life. I need it, because professional boxing involves more rounds, and people are going to kill, to hurt, it’s not like in amateur boxing, where what is valued is the touch. Here it is important to destroy the opponent. However, the change gives me more motivation than vertigo. I want to have an international career and measure myself against the best.
– To reach that ceiling it is important to follow a strict routine…
– Of course. Today, the three pillars of my sporting life, and almost of my life in general, are training, diet and rest. As Íñigo (coach) says, that trio is the key to success. I take it so seriously that I even left my previous job, which was at night, so I could rest better. Right now, I do two workouts a day, six days a week. Basically physical –cardio, strength, resistance, agility– and boxing school, to refine the technique –footwork, guard, combination of blows–. For now, I save Sundays to calm myself down a bit (laughs).
– What are your strengths in the ring and what other things would you like to improve?
– It is easier to see from the outside. They say I have a lot of explosiveness and where I am best at is at long distance: coming in, hitting quickly and coming out. I think I have the leg power to follow that strategy. It will be the legacy of my kickboxing days. Regarding the things I would like to improve in, that is very variable. It depends a lot on each fight and changes from one to the next. What I am clear about is that, with each round I fight, I will become a better and more experienced boxer.
– Tell me your references.
– I have great appreciation for Jokin García, the Basque boxer who is in the national ranking. I have fought with him a few times and I have enjoyed and learned. Furthermore, having people like Jokin around helps in preparation to better face the championships. I also follow the example of the Brazilian Esquiva Falcão. Soon I will enjoy the privilege of training with him, whom I consider a world great.
– Over the years, do you have any favorite fights to remember?
– The ones I am most proud of are the ones that took me to the final of the Spanish championship last year. Like the ones I played against Óscar Sevilla or Rafael Abascal. I also have good memories of the fight against Da Silva or that of Anuar el Ouchi in the regional championship. We are lucky that so many evenings are organized in our region, that we can measure ourselves against each other almost every month, and I hope it continues like this.
– Would you like to fight in Nájera?
– It would be amazing. You know, because of being a prophet in your land. But today it seems difficult because the only viable site is the Multipurpose Pavilion and even then I don’t think it is big enough to accommodate all the public that an event of this nature attracts.
– What do you hope to get out of boxing?
– This is something I think about a lot. Beyond sporting goals, of which I could tell you thousands, the goal is to be able to earn enough to get my mother out of work. She is everything to me. I want to make my own sacrifices to give back to her all the life she has given me.
