Wilfredo Hernández’s initiative to teach boxing stems from his desire to help young people progress in life. That is why, although boxing classes have a cost, they do not charge those who do not have the possibility to pay
Every afternoon, in a parking lot located around Urdaneta avenue, an improvised ring is formed attended by about 30 young people who, from Monday to Friday, put on their gloves to practice and learn boxing techniques at the Avión Combat academy. , the initiative of wilfredo hernandeza martial artist who seeks to help young people through sports to progress and avoid “going down the wrong path.”
Although belonging to the academy has a cost, the “Airplane Master”, the nickname with which Hernández was baptized due to the height of his kicks, makes exceptions for those who do not have the possibility to pay. “What matters most to me is the desire to learn,” he says.
He ensures that his students have become a family. “On December 31 we spent it with the master’s degree to give her support because her sister was sick and we didn’t want her to feel alone,” says Daermis Da Fonseca, one of her students.
Da Fonseca is the only woman in the academy. The desire to practice is due to her brother, who is also a student there.
Daermis Da Fonseca is the only female in the Combat Aircraft Academy. Photo: Lucia Ramirez
Despite initially receiving negative comments stating that “boxing is not for women”, she paid no attention and taught that gender does not matter in the ring.
She highlights that for her boxing is a passion that motivates her and helps her face other aspects of her life. «Many did not believe in me and I wanted to show them that I did have the capacity. Today I have been a national and state champion », she proudly expresses.
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“We are all champions”
The confinement due to covid-19 helped Jonathan Vásquez, 26, to awaken his desire to practice boxing. “He watched the UFC fights and it caught my attention,” he recalls.
Since he discovered the academy, in October 2020, he has not missed any training. His perseverance has led him to win five amateur fights. He currently doesn’t see his future without boxing. “Here I have learned everything that I am,” he says.
Vásquez affirms that thanks to his teammates he improves his techniques every day, because “nobody thinks they are more than the other. The fact of being here makes us all champions.
Everyone runs away from sparring. Photo: Lucia Ramirez
He says that Mondays and Thursdays are for sparring, a form of training that improves the rhythm of the fight, resistance and, in turn, observe the progress of each fighter. Vásquez says that sparring days are his favorite.
These days (Monday and Thursday) are the ones with the least attendance, because, as the academy students say, “the majority flee because they are afraid of being hit.”
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