“Bayou City Ram” Locked In: Gandara Ready to Charge in Galveston

Houston’s own Gandara, 23, returns to the ring on June 14th at the Galveston Island Convention Center, where he’ll face Christian Terrazas of Diboll, Texas in a featherweight bout under the El Tigre Promotions banner. Gandara enters the matchup undefeated with one draw, looking to keep his record spotless in front of a home-state crowd.

“I’ve fought in Galveston before—it’s really good,” Gandara says. “A lot of friends and family that’ve been following and keeping up with me, they’ve got to come and see, and you know, see them get excited. So it’s pretty good. I’ve had fans who I didn’t even know were keeping up with me. They’ll be like, ‘I’ll be there,’ and I’ll be like, ‘Oh cool, bet, I appreciate it.’ That’s awesome. The more the merrier. I’ve got to see more people that I’m getting exposed to, and that’s really good. I like it being close to town.”

Terrazas enters the fight as the #116-ranked featherweight in the country. Still, Gandara says he’s keeping the same mindset as always.

“I try to stay relaxed,” he explains. “I know the stakes are higher, and they’re always going to be more higher every fight. So I just try to keep it in my head—this is what I do, this is my life—so I’m just going to perform and try to make a good show for everybody.”

He says the El Tigre event always delivers a rowdy atmosphere.

“I mean, dare I say wild,” Gandara says with a laugh. “It gets really good, and the atmosphere—it’s really, really anticipated for the battle. Everybody’s real loud. It’s a good atmosphere and environment. The fights—people get crunk.”

Boxing has been a major part of his life for over a decade.

“I have nine wins, no losses—I have one draw,” he says. “I started a long time ago, like when I was 10. So it’s been about 13 years for me—more than half my life. This has been my life. It’s something that’s been a part of me for a while.”

It was his dad who first introduced him to the sport.

“My father—my dad—I was on the heavier side, and doctors said I needed to lose some weight,” Gandara explains. “So it was more of just to get in shape. After I’d been in the gym, my dad’s best friend since childhood is a coach, so ever since, I’ve been training with him. Then they were like, ‘You’re pretty good at this. We’ll start taking you to the fights,’ and it just kinda kicked off from there.”

Gandara says his family has since come around to support the path he’s chosen.

“I think mainly my mom was like, ‘No, no way—you’re not gonna fight. You’re just doing it to get back in action,’” he recalls. “But after she saw me spar a couple times, she was like, ‘Okay, I see. I trust.’ So she’s supportive. My family is supportive. It’s really good. It’s a blessing to have a lot of people back in my corner.”

This camp, he admits, has been a tough one.

“I gained a lot of weight since my last fight,” he says. “So mainly I’ve just been working on losing it. I was at 180—I’m going to be 126. I was pretty heavy. So it’s been hard trying to lose the weight, get my body back in shape. But I’m getting there. I’m really close to being on weight, so I think I’m doing pretty good.”

He credits discipline and support at home for helping him stay on track.

“My mom cooks for me most of the time,” Gandara says. “They have little meals we buy—like Lean Cuisine—so it’s already portioned, so I won’t get carried away making too much.”

Outside the ring, Gandara says he’s developed a love for cooking—especially flavoring dishes.

“Yeah, it’s going good. I’ve been trying to learn a couple recipes. I’ve been baking a little bit,” he shares. “It’s hard, ’cause you want to eat good, but you can’t eat too much. So I’ve been trying to limit myself on how much I eat. But cooking is good—I like seasoning. I’ve been really into seasoning a lot. My family always comes to me for seasoning suggestions, so I’m always the go-to guy.”

When asked what’s harder—training or dieting—he doesn’t hesitate.

“Losing the weight or just not eating as much is the hardest part,” he says. “I mean, you can train as hard as you want, but if you eat too much, you’re already messing up.”

He now trains out of Gator Boxing Gym with coach Eugene Hill, a move that’s made day-to-day life easier.

“Yeah, it’s closer. It’s real closer—15-minute drive,” he says. “So it’s a little easier to get to the gym and back. A little closer.”

Gandara still has ties to his old gym, Lopez Boxing, and gave a shoutout to former teammate Favian Lopez who is also on the June 14th card.

“Yeah, well I’m training out of a different gym now, but from my old gym—Lopez—there’s a couple fighters coming from that gym. Favian Lopez, John Torres. So they’re gonna be fighting. Wish them luck.”

He says the focus this camp has been on defense—but fans can expect a more aggressive look when the opportunity presents itself.

“Obviously I’m gonna listen to my coach, whatever he says,” Gandara says. “I’ve been working on defense. That’s what he mainly has been trying to—‘defense, defense,’ you know? Don’t get hit. Obviously, some technical cards to say I wanna look technically good and defensive—but also maybe a little aggression when I see I can put some.”

Asked if aggression is something new he’s been working on, he nods.

“I would say so. A little more aggression,” he says. “I mean, smart aggression. We don’t wanna give it away, but I think so. Coach has been telling me, in certain parts when you’re in the pocket, I guess the aggression would come into play more in the pocket.”

Gandara also supports youth summer camps and believes boxing can be an outlet for kids during the break.

“For sure, I think so,” he says. “The kids—it gives them something busy to do during the summer so they won’t be at home all day. But I think it does—it can teach them something, you know, something a little more. Or even inspire them to do something more.”

He ended by thanking those who’ve supported him from day one.

“Well, I wanna thank God first,” he says. “Thank my dad, my family, my coach—you know, everybody who supported me. I’d also like to thank my sponsors—Vic’s Gutters, Air Express, Aqua Gutters, and BRB Ranch. They’re really helpful. They’ve been there, and I’d like to thank them personally. So thank y’all, guys. Felix and Alfonso—I appreciate them for putting on the show. I’ve been training hard, so I hope my opponent has been as well, so we can put on a good show, put on a good fight. Entertain the fans.”

“Y’all be ready, y’all come enjoy—and I hope everybody has a good time.”