It is safe to say that some 13 years ago Adanza probably wouldn't have predicted he would be considered one of the best American Muay Thai fighters, let alone be representing the country along with Kevin Ross and Joe Schilling against some of Thailand's top fighters.
When most athletes tell you why they decided to pursue their desired profession you often hear answers such as, "it was my dream as a child." Adanza doesn't really recall why he began training, he just knows that he started training in boxing when he was 18 at an LA Boxing gym. After a few amateur boxing matches he decided he wanted to learn to kick, so he began to take lessons at the age of 20.
"Don't really have a good reason as to why I got started," says Adanza, "except maybe that I had the exact amount in my pocket or the sales guy for the gym was really good or probably both."
It is probably difficult to imagine that a fighter of Adanza's caliber was a "sparring dummy" at some point, but according to him, he was. He was training under Tyrone Bennet when he asked Colin Oyama if he could spar with some of his guys. Adanza didn't do bad, but nonetheless, he was the "sparring dummy" for about a month. This would end, since, as life would have it, there were different plans for him at the time. Having just landed a job working the graveyard shift, he would be kept away from the gym for about 4-6 months. Adanza returned to pay Colin some training money he owed him, but he was no longer there. He gave the money to someone else at the gym so they could deliver it to Colin for him. Adanza again disappeared from training for a few more months.
Adanza returned to the gym ready to train, but it was closed down. He looked for another gym and found Boxing 2000, where Mike Semaza was the man in charge. Under Mike he had eight amateur boxing bouts. It wasn't long before the urge to use kicks in competition came to the forefront for Romie. It was then that he would again seek out the training of Colin Oyama. He's been Romie's coach ever since.
When you can't recall why you started to do something, such as train Muay Thai, odds are you never expect to become one of the best in your country. For Adanza something-to-do turned into something-he-could-teach. Teaching kept him in the gym and fighting secured he wasn't going anywhere. According to Adanza it is the longest job he has been able to keep.
"I started just to do something, then I started teaching classes so that kept me in the gym," said Adanza. "I wasn't keeping jobs, jobs weren't keeping me, but teaching classes just kept going and so did fighting."
Up until he had his first fight everything was recreational, but it would increasingly become his calling. This first bout was fast and brutal; a right hand ended his opponents night in the opening round. Aside from it ending in the first round, Romie doesn't recall the time it took to finish his opponent. He instantly knew, however, that he had found the job he knew he could stay with.
"Don't know exactly how long it was, but it was pretty fast in the first, I caught him with a right hand and he went down," recalls Adanza. "He was asleep before he hit the ground, actually didn't hit the ground, kinda dangled on the bottom rope face down, lifeless, that was it that's what I wanted to do, I found a job I wanted to keep."
At just 5'4" and 115lbs, Adanza's love for Muay Thai can't be measured in numbers and it is evident when just to make sure he could fight he was willing to take fights 11 to 15 pounds above his weight class. To Adanza it didn't matter, it was never about fame or money it was about something he loved to do. When he steps into the ring on October 21st, once again it is simply going to be about what he loves to do and nothing more, yes he is representing his country, but even if his career had gone a different path and he was simply fighting a local fighter in front of 20 people in an amateur fight it wouldn't change the fact that he is there for nothing more than to do what he likes.
Humble, Adanza doesn't have dreams of grandeur, he just promises to give it his all. When talks of being a potential world champ come up, he will likely be the first to dismiss the talks.
"World champ, I still can't see that happening" said Adanza. "I'll try, but I got a long way to go."
Adanza loves Muay Thai and has had various memories, but when asked what his best Muay Thai memory was, he didn't speak of a memorable fight or knockout, instead he spoke of his son.
"My best memories are happening now every single day. Not me in the gym, not me fighting, but of my crazy ass son. Fucker is 4 years old and every single day he don't miss, he puts on his Thai shorts, takes off his shirt, wraps his hands and puts gloves on and shadowboxes forever, sometimes for a couple hours, seriously. He doesn't do it at the gym, this is every morning in the living room, he'll grab a pillow, set it up knock it down, set it up knock it down clinch it and throw knees. Fucker is funny, then he goes and throws it in the air again and jump kick off the couch, kick the couch, punch the wall, non stop this guy and I don't even really teach him shit yet. This is just what he's absorbed through the gym, he hasn't started school yet that's why I'm holdin him back a little longer, till he understands he can't just go hittin other kids. Guys at the gym always play with him start taggin' him, man, when they get him started he won't stop. He just keeps swinging and swinging, can't have that happen when he goes to school. If he gets into a fight at school it won't be my fault, Giva ,Laercio, Fabio, Moe, and Bao are to blame. They are the ones teaching him the ground game, at least if he wrestles a kid down it ain't as bad, that's usually how it goes in the school yard anyway. But I'm never gonna forget how he trains himself, he trains more than me. Straight self motivated every fucking day, suits up and everything, just starts throwing. So fuckin cute man, never gonna forget it, for sure my best memories."
Adanza hopes to add another great memory to his Muay Thai memory bank. It might not top the daily interactions with his son, but it is hard to imagine anything will, however, a victory over Langsuanlek would be a great addition to the memory bank. Representing his country, his family and his gym Adanza is sure to make things exciting in the ring.
No comments:
Post a Comment