The two sides of Carlos Molina

By José Santana Jr: Words of warning: Do not hit lightweight prospect Carlos Molina. As a 7-year-old, and his first time ever sparring, Molina became upset and went after his opponent after the first punch he received. Things have not changed. It’s his instinct. In the ring, his demeanor is fierce.

When it’s time for business, Molina does not smile much. He has a stern stare which can intimidate any opponent. And apparently, it has worked. Molina, of Commerce, Calif., has built up a 10-0 (6KOs) record since his pro debut in May 2007.

“I can’t help it,” Molina said. “Once I get tagged I’m like, ‘alright, it’s on now.’ I guess that’s just the mentality that kicks into my head.”

However outside of the ring, there’s a different story to be told.

The 24-year-old father of two enjoys the company of his family. His father Miguel, who also acts as his co-manager, is the one who introduced him and his two brothers to boxing, and has been by his side the whole way. “My family is like a travelling team; wherever I go, they’re there with me,” Molina said. “There’s nothing better than the support of your family, especially my dad.”

Molina’s father grew up in the rough town of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. He always wanted to do something in boxing, but never could because his family was poor and he had to work from a young age. “He could never amount to that level (of boxing), so I’m trying to do that for him, ”said Molina.

The level Molina is trying to arrive at is the same as every prize fighter’s goal – a world championship.

The next step along the road to one is Thursday when he fights Hensley Strachan, 5-5-1-(1), at the Club Nokia in Los Angeles and televised nationally on Fox Sports Net part of Golden Boy Promotions “Fight Night Club” series.

Strachan is simply a stepping stone for Molina, who has been guided and co-managed since his pro-debut by Frank Espinoza Sr. and was recently signed to a promotional contract by Golden Boy Promotions. Despite Strachan’s record, Molina does not overlook his opponent and knows that Espinoza is building him for success. “I trust Frank 100-percent. How could you not? He’s a great guy and look at the caliber of fighters he has,” Molina said.

“I just try to put on a show. I would like to get up there already and fight big fights but I know it takes time and I have to work my way up there and let my managers and promoter handle that.”

Aside from his father, there is one other key member of the Molina team. “My mom, she’s at every fight,” Molina said. “She’s the one that makes all my meals. She makes all my vegetable shakes. My mom is very involved. She’s there cooking for me and doing everything.” Molina’s mother, Gloria, is a key part of making sure he manages his weight. “She makes some great meals but she always tells me, ‘no you can’t eat that.’”

Molina works off his weight every day at the Maywood Boxing Gym under the guidance of Clemente Medina. He trains alongside another highly regarded fighter, Alfredo “Perro” Angulo. Molina feels blessed to be able to train with such an accomplished fighter as Angulo. “Just the other day I was sparring and he was telling me, ‘you know you got to do it this way, and this way,’” Molina said. “I was kind of confused, but then I tried it and it was coming out and it was working.”

“Angulo has a lot of experience,” Molina continued. “He’s a very smart fighter. A lot of people don’t recognize that; they just think he’s a throwing machine. But he’s a smart fighter; he knows where he’s placing his punches. He gives me a lot of advice and I’m happy to have a champion like him alongside with us.”

Every day is a new day to learn for Molina. “There’s always something that we’re learning in the gym,” he said. “It’s never boring because we’re never doing the same routine.” The new routine this camp for Molina is movement. “We’ve been working a lot on trying to use different angles; trying to stay active and move our head a little more,” Molina said.

When Molina is not working hard at the gym he is spending time with his 4 and 2-year-old sons. “That’s what I love to do,” Molina said. “I enjoy spending time with my kids and messing around with them. I just try and spend as much time with them as I can now and try to teach them the great value in life like my dad taught me.”

The values Molina has been taught by his own father reflect in his demeanor outside the ring. Inside, he is a fighter. His face takes on the look of a bull blowing smoke out of its nostrils. His boxer-puncher fighting style is aggressive. Fierce combinations fire-off in rhythm as he pounds away at his opponents. All the while, this is the same person who is humbled to be in the position that he is.

He is not aggressive outside the ring. He is that which his family taught him to be, and what he plans to teach his children.

At the end of each “Fight Night Club” card, the Club Nokia is switched from a boxing venue, to a party-like atmosphere. As the area transforms itself back into a club, fans mingle, dance and meet the fighters. “I’ve never experienced something like that until this here,” Molina said. “I think it’s good for the crowd. For one, you can try and pick up on women and you can watch boxing; the two best things.”

Molina enjoys being able to interact with the boxing fans. “I just try to hang out with as much people as I can. Whoever wants to take a picture with me I’m honored; I’m honored to take a picture with anybody.”

Moments such as signing autographs and taking pictures can be surreal for Molina. “As a matter of fact, today I had one of those moments,” Molina said. “We had the press conference today and Oscar de la Hoya was right there and he was announcing our names, and I was just listening like man this guy is actually saying my name. Never in a million years would I have thought that this guy would have been talking about me. I was kind of zoning out, there.”

That is Carlos Molina: a vicious boxer with plenty of potential to be great and a humble person with family values. “I’m just glad that I’m surrounded with good people and that this is the outcome of it,” Molina said. “They’re always going to treat me the same and I’m always going to act the same.”

February 25, 2010