The fight game and the friends you meet along the way.

I recently spent some time with my friend and former world kickboxing champion, Fabian Zuniga, when I went back home to SoCal on a business trip a couple of weeks ago. I gained so much valuable insight on the subject of Muay Thai fighting from my friend who I first met back in the mid 1990's. Much has changed in both our lives yet so much of the critical bits of our personalities remain quite in tact - always restless, always learning...

Fabian is a regular guy - who happens to possess 20 years of high-level muay thai experience. I don't know of many people personally that could even relate to committing to one art for 20 years and even less who wind up champion to boot. Fabian generously explained to me his Muay Thai game on this trip... Providing me insight into an art that I personally never strived to understand, but I always respected. I came up boxing and the first kicks I learned were from my older brothers who studied traditional Korean martial arts - I should mention this was going on in the 70's when martial arts had some sort of mythical superiority over the western combat sports like boxing and wrestling. I guess that's why I spent some of the 80's wearing a black gi and attending the Long Beach International Championships. In the 90s, I was first introduced to Muay Thai by JKD instructor, John Solin, at the IMB in Torrance. I barely skimmed the surface of the art, but it was cool to know that Fabian learned some good basics also from John Solin when he first started out training at the IMB at the age of 13.

I got to meet lots of southern California locals on my trip and the majority of the stories I heard seemed rather bleak about the present and the future potential of the region. Its not fair for me to generalize the fate of the world by a few isolated and unique life experiences, but most of the people I've recently met professionally and personally have been having a tough time.Then I see the happiness and peace from a guy like Fabian and it makes me realize that life is all about being yourself.

So when I went back to my hometown and realized problems persisted all around me, I did what was natural. I ate good food, hung out with good friends, I even went to my old church - twice... I was just being me. It feels good to be inspired by people and places. I could only imagine what goes on inside the mind of a world champion fighter, but I would hope there would be inner peace and joy through knowing that you found something that makes you grateful for living.

When I was much younger I had an old boxing coach tell me there are 3 traits that determine the value of a true champion...
         1) The people you fight to get to the title
         2) How long you hold the title
         3) What you do with your life after your fight career is over

    Fabian and his Kru Ruben Rowell Jr. of Extreme Power Gym in Oceanside, Ca.

When I look at the accomplishments of my friend Fabian Zuniga and hold them against the 3 criteria that determines the value of a true champion - I am proud to count Fabian as one of my oldest friends who continues to be as successful in life outside the ring as he was inside the ring. Its easy for me to say I learned more about Muay Thai from Fabian than anyone else in the world. Whats difficult for me to explain is that I learned about what it means to be a champion from Fabian as well...