By Michael Norby: Heavyweight prospect Jason ‘Big Six’ Estrada is a puzzling young fighter. He is one of the most successful and celebrated amateur boxers in United States history, winning pretty much everything that was up for grabs in a glittering career. Yet, when he traveled to the spotlight of Athens for the 2004 Olympics, he was overweight, out of shape and subsequently flopped.
After turning professional, Estrada (7-1 1KO) blazed through his first seven fights against much more experienced opponents, winning every round. Then, after a sloppy performance in his eighth fight, in which he again came in overweight, he left the arena with the sour taste of his first professional loss.
He’s been called America’s hottest young heavyweight prospect and, in the same breath, been labeled an underachiever. When attempting to form an assessment on Jason Estrada it’s a classic case of call it like you see it, and the instantly likeable Rhode Islander has caused more flip-flops in opinion than your average election year.
Prior to his last fight on ShoBox on Friday night November 17th, Estrada had used his blinding hand speed and exceptional technical abilities, dumbfounding each outclassed opponent along the way. At last, consistency seemed to have married his natural ability and people were suddenly talking about the next generation heavyweight darling.
Something was bothering Estrada though as he walked toward the ring to face Travis ‘Freight Train’ Walker (22-0-1 17KO) that night – a man who he had beaten three times in the amateurs. He was feeling the weight of pressure that had followed him from the amateurs.
“Me being successful as an amateur has really put the pressure on,” explains Estrada. “There are a lot people out there that have high expectations of me and I understand that, but I’m only human and I’ll make mistakes. I won’t win every fight, but from now on I’m not going to trust the judges.”
It was clear throughout the Walker fight that Estrada was not in prime fighting condition. He looked decent for the first round or two, but after slowing his output from the 3rd round onwards (in which he injured his shoulder), Estrada allowed himself to be pushed around by his opponent, dropping a majority decision loss after eight untidy rounds.
Estrada, who received the nickname ‘Big Six’ when fellow amateur competitor Lamont Peterson stated that he looked big for being 6ft tall, rubbished suggestions that a lazy camp was to blame for his physique in the Walker fight, pointing instead to a mix up in supplements as to why he weighed in at a portly 257lb.
He explains, “I was taking protein and the first two weeks of camp I was 242. I thought I would be around 235lb by fight night. But when I looked into it, it was weight gainer I was taking.”
He added, “When I got on that scale at the weigh in and saw 257lbs, I was more surprised than anybody. Take nothing away from Travis Walker though because he was the better man that night, but I know that I’m a better fighter than him.”
With only a single knockout on his resume, the Rhode Islander has relied on his technical abilities and ring smarts to win his contests. He claims though, that after being on the wrong end of a somewhat controversial points loss, that fans will see a new power punching approach going forward.
“I know that I can hit hard and from now on there is no more games with me,” Estrada vowed. “There will be no more letting guys off the hook. I’m going to be ready for long fights but I’m looking to knock people out from now on. I have the power and I chose not to use it, but now I’m going to go in there to take guys out.”
Motivation seems to be the key ingredient to Estrada’s future. There is no doubting his phenomenal talent and he’s been patient when he’s had his opponents in trouble, choosing not to carelessly search for knockouts in fights that he has been far ahead in.
For now at least, the inspiration that he needs to realize his potential as one of the most talented young big men in boxing, seems to be there in full force. He was depressed after losing for the first time and is bent upon a spectacular 2007 to erase the memories of his last outing.
He said, “I’m putting this behind me and it’s going to motivate me. I was hurt after the fight and I didn’t know what to do with myself. But after losing this fight, a lot of pressure has been taken off of me and I’m more motivated now than ever.”
By the end of the coming year, Estrada will be somewhere in the region of 12 or 13 fights into his professional career. He has the opportunity to get back on track and put the Walker loss down to a bad day at the office. He seems to be in the process of changing the identity he will assume as a fighter from a pure, smart boxer to aggressively seeking knockouts in order to silence critics – a careless reason for changing what works maybe, but Estrada is confident that he has the necessary firepower.
“I just want to get back on track and make some statements with big knockouts through 2007,” said Estrada. “I’m going to get a lot more aggressive. Sitting down and punching is not a problem for me, and I’m going to get back to that.”
The 26 year-old campaigns in a division which is slowly hacking its way back to prominence, after a successful and surprisingly entertaining heavyweight calendar in 2006. No matter what anyone says of the current talent level of fighters north of 200lbs, Estrada believes that he is a member of the most desirable division in the sport.
He said, “I can’t really talk about the guys at the top right now because they’ve been around a long time and they’ve earned their stripes. But, regardless of what anyone says about the heavyweight division, the truth is that heavyweight fights make money and sell tickets.”
He added, “It all comes down to bigger men and bigger punches and there is nothing more attractive than that. As long as there are talented big men in the world, the heavyweight division is going to be successful.”
Time will tell if ‘Big Six’ will realize his full potential. When he matches his ability with any semblance of motivation, he is a pleasure to watch. An impressive 2007 will be paramount in his quest to assuage probable forecasts that another lethargic performance lurks just around the corner. It’s a challenge he relishes.
“I’ll probably never silence my critics,” Estrada said bluntly, “I may not get my credit until I’m done with boxing, but things are just getting started now. I’m ready to shut people up.”
