Catching Up With Prospect Chucky Barrera

One year ago, Daniel “Chucky” Barrera was preparing for his pro debut. It couldn't have gone much better. The super flyweight prospect scored a third-round knockout. In the year since, Barrera has stayed busy, rolling up a 2-0-1 record with both wins by knockout.

Barrera, age 22, from Riverside, California, is scheduled for his fourth fight in his first year as a pro on the Hollywood Fight Nights series card from 360 Promotions on Saturday, July 22, at the Chumash Casino Resort in Santa Ynez, California. The Riverside native will fight in his first six-round fight at super flyweight against Eduardo Alvarez of Mexico (0-2-1). The card airs on UFC Fight Pass.

NYFights recently spoke with Barrera to catch up on his progress after his first year in the pro ranks.

Lessons Learned, Wins Earned

When Chucky Barrera fought to an unexpected draw, he gained valuable experience. Photo: Brandon Rivas, 360 Promotions

Barrera was initially supposed to make his pro debut in Santa Ynez last year. But after he trained and weighed in, there was no fight. “My opponent never showed. Not at all. He was in the winds. He didn't show up at all,” recalls Barrera. He never learned why and no one could find him. “He just disappeared.”

Barrera bounced back from a disappointing draw in November against Isaac Anguiano. It was a wake-up call, and he's answered it by identifying where he and trainer Al Franco needed to make adjustments. It gave him a first-round knockout in his last bout in January against Victor Hernandez Martin.

“The reason why we got that I'd say is because of the draw,” admits Barrera. “We trained a lot more, a lot harder, fix the weaknesses I was lacking in that fight where I got the draw.” Barrera said he realized he was looking for the one-shot knockout, which wasn't the right approach.

“So after that fight, we went to training camp, and we started working harder on higher output, our pace, combination after combination, so I can be ready to throw if needed. So definitely that was a big learning experience for me,” said Barrera.

Avoiding Knockout Temptation

Daniel “Chucky” Barrera with trainer Al Franco (left) and manager Ray Chaparro. Photo: Brandon Rivas, 360 Promotions

It's not unusual for young fighters with power to try and impress promoters, trainers, and fans with knockout wins. Barrera says he got caught up in this and got the opportunity to correct it and learn to avoid this temptation.

“I got carried away, definitely. I knew I could hurt the kid. And sometimes, I hit him, I would see him wobble or get stung for a bit. And then there I go, again, looking for one shot, rather than if I would have hurt him and followed up with a combination that might have changed the fight completely,” explained Barrera. These are the lessons prospects need to learn, or they end up reinforcing bad habits that can catch up with them later. (See Berlanga, Edgar).

It's no fun to face your shortcomings. Barrera said he apologized to his trainer Franco when he got to the dressing room after the fight.

“I still have a lot of work to do. You know, I believe in my abilities. I still think I'll be one of the greatest in the world at the end of my career, but I'd rate myself probably a C, C-minus, you know, I still got a lot of learning to do,” said Barrera.

It paid off when Barrera scored a knockout barely 90 seconds into his last fight. While it was fun, true career progression comes from making rounds. “You definitely want to get the most rounds you can. If the knockout comes, it comes – but definitely don't look for it. The more rounds I can get, the better,” said Barrera, especially when it comes to conditioning.

Currently training in Arizona, Barrera says the roadwork can be tough to face. “There are times I love it. And there's times I hate it,” he laughed. “You know, there's a time that I'm really, really sore. And I still have to go run the next day. It's tough, but you got to do it.”

Getting Social to Score Opportunities

It's about more than what happens in the gym for today's young prospects in boxing. They must connect on social media with fans. Photo: Instagram/@ChuckyBarrera1

Modern prospects must also manage their fan outreach. Social media has become nearly as important as roadwork or sparring to generate interest, which makes a boxer more attractive as a potential opponent. (See Garcia, Ryan). Barrera says he enjoys it, including greeting his fans at his cards. They're increasingly showing up in more significant numbers, and as many as 500 fans are expected to make the trip north to the Chumash Casino on July 22.

“Every time after the fight, I come out, I go talk to everybody. Whoever wants a picture or wants to just talk. I love going to see them and hang out with them and talk to them a little bit because I'm only human. I'm not a superstar yet, or even if I was, I'm still human. They're the reason why I have this big fan base,” said Barrera. “They're your fans, and they're your supporters. So, you have to be grateful to them.” You can follow Chucky on Instagram at @chuckybarrera1

Barrera Betting On Himself

Daniel Barrera says he's among the new generation of young fighters who believe the best should fight the best without regard to worrying about a perfect record. Photo: Brandon Rivas, 360 Promotions

Barrera is squarely in the new generation of fighters willing to test themselves and less worried about preserving a perfect record at all costs.

“They're finally putting together great fights again. The fights before, they weren't as exciting, or they were very one-sided. But now they have competitive fights, which everybody wants to see. Everybody wants to see the best of the best fight each other,” said Barrera. “If I get an opportunity to be on one of those cards, I mean, that would just be amazing.”

Meanwhile, Barrera intends to continue improving to consider himself “one day be one of the best, fighting another guy who's the best as well.”

“You have to bet on yourself quite a bit. I think that's a great way to continue your career, beating all odds and everybody doubting you. That should give you some great motivation as well. Going against a top guy when they think he's just gonna completely dominate you, and then you prove them wrong, is so much better,” explained Barrera.

Easy to say, but not so easy to pull off. Barrera is in the highly competitive super flyweight division. He's got his eye on the upcoming unification fight between Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez of San Antonio and Sonny Edwards of Great Britain.

“They're both good, good fighters. I'm on Rodriguez's side, you know, I think he's gonna pull it off. He's very sound and very good for his age, very experienced,” predicts Barrera. “He has phenomenal skills.”

Like any boxing fan, Barrera also looks forward to the showdown between welterweights Errol Spence and Terence Crawford one week after his bout. “That's gonna be a great one. We've seen the best of Crawford. I don't think we've seen the best of Errol Spence yet. I feel like he's gonna bring out his best. Now we get to see who's really there, pound for pound.”

Crosstraining on the Golf Course

Meanwhile, Barrera continues to cross-train by pursuing his golf game, which he says is improving. “Canelo has to watch out because I'm definitely coming after him.” Although it's a fun activity with his friends, Barrera says golf provides a training opportunity to practice mental discipline that translates into the ring.

“In the situations where it's getting really hard, staying calm and thinking straight,” says Barrera. “Don't get frustrated and take a bad shot just because you're trying to get it out there, or try to swing harder. Same thing in boxing. If it's getting hard with guys pressuring you, you've got to stay calm. Don't try to knock them out. If you can't, work to the game plan. Get the distance right, and you know, pick your shots nicely.”

If Barrera's skills are improving in the ring, credit his time on the course. “I can see myself improving every time, and they're shocked as well. You know, sometimes they're like, ‘Oh, man, like you're getting pretty good.' I can hit a pretty decent drive close to the pin. Even though I'm a little guy, I mean, that doesn't really matter in golf.”

Barrera will support the card featuring a ten-round main event between WBC Continental Americas Super Welterweight Champion Serhii' El Flaco' Bohachuk of Ukraine (22-1 22 KOs) defending his title against former title challenger Patrick Allotey of Ghana (42-4, 32 KOs).

Tickets for Hollywood Fight Nights, presented by Tom Loeffler's 360 Promotions, start at $55 and can be purchased online at Chumash Casino Resort. Doors will open at 5 p.m. PT with the first bell, and UFC Fight Pass broadcast at 6 p.m. PT.