Christian Otero: I’m A Warrior And I Don’t Kiss Anyone’s Ass

As we come down from the high that was Fury vs. Wilder III, it’s time to get right back to not only the main televised cards but the regional club shows. Next Saturday, Tony Jeter Promotions is hosting a card at the Live Casino & Hotel in Maryland. This event will feature a young super featherweight fighter out of Harlem, NY, named Christian “Veneno” Otero (3-0).

About seven months ago, I initially introduced him to the NYF readers as a prospect to watch as he prepared for a fight in May. Unfortunately, things didn’t work out, and Christian ended up not taking the fight. Turmoil between him and his brother Juan led to their split back in April.

I asked Christian about the breakup and what led to it, and he said, “I was going through some personal things with my brother, who was my trainer at the time. The preparation was very scarce, and he wasn’t taking things seriously while still being paid as my trainer.”

Christian Otero has desires for a big 2022 but know he has to finish the year up strong before looking ahead.

Aside from splitting with his coach, another issue came up, which was with his manager Jason Scalzo.  Christian said, “He was trying to get me to fight this guy for peanuts. Christian told me he asked for his opponent’s contract to see if he was signed to the promoter on record Christy Martin. After his manager told him that his opponent was not signed to Martin, he recalls that he later saw a picture of the fighter with Christy Martin prior to the event. While that was going on, he reached out to veteran manager and author Adrian Clark (Protect Yourself At All Times) for advice and to look over the contract he was given. After a review, Adrian pointed some things out, and Christian decided to pull out of the fight.

Afterward, Christian flew down to Atlanta to work with Coach Mustafa. While down there, he found himself sleeping at the gym for weeks at a time as he was funding the trips himself. Although he would have preferred to stay in Atlanta consistently, it just wasn’t realistic based on the budget he was working with, so he went back to NY.

After returning from Atlanta, Christian hooked up with veteran trainer Marcos Suarez, who agreed to train him in preparation for his next fight. The pair have been working together for two months.

When he was going through all of those issues with his brother and manager, Christian went through a deep mental depression that saw him balloon up to 165 pounds. Working with Marcos has reignited the spark, and Christian has been working with undefeated fighters and prospects in preparation for this Saturday night.

Christian and trainer Marcos Suarez work out of the SouthBox Gym in the Bronx.

His opponent is Ebrima Jawara (4-1), from Germantown, MD, and is sure to have the hometown crowd for this one. He is a Tony Jeter fighter; however, Christian feels like this is a much different situation than a few months back. Tony called Christian and, after speaking to him, offered him the fight and the potential of working with him in the future if he performs well.

Can Christian Otero upset Ebrima Jawara in his hometown of Maryland?

When I asked the native of Harlem, NY, about his mindset going into this fight, he said, “This is my first six-rounder. I have to be very skilled as my coach trained me for war! I’m going in with the mindset of winning convincingly for six rounds but will try to make it a short night.”

Before we got off the call, I asked him about his IG post where he talks about recycled NY fighters and not giving fresh new fighters those same opportunities.

Photo captured from Christian Otero's IG account @veneno_otero.

“I haven’t fought in NY! Give me a chance to show that I can sell tickets and put on a show. Once a promoter works with you, they want you to move how they move. I’m a warrior, and I don’t kiss anyone’s ass,” said Otero. To end it on a positive note, he said, “After this fight, I want to campaign at Super Featherweight and one day become the undisputed Super Featherweight Champion!”

My Three Cents: Christian Otero is eager to get his name out there, and he knows that it all starts with how he performs next Saturday night in Maryland. If he can stay the course and fight six times next year like he says he will, we may see him hit the radar of matchmakers on larger platforms.

You can follow me on Twitter @abeg718 and follow @NyFights on Instagram.