NAVIGATING THE ROPES: BOXER GIOVANNI CABRERA TALKS TRAINING, DISTINCT TECHNIQUES, AND THE IMPORTANCE OF IDENTITY
WRITTEN BY: ALEXANDER HERNANDEZ GONZALEZ
For Giovanni “El Cabrón” Cabrera, the journey to becoming a world ranked lightweight contender was more than difficult, it was ambitious. Born in Seattle, the 31-year-old boxer has lived many different lives across North America. However, Chicago is the city where everything kicked off.
With a record of 22 wins, two losses and seven knockouts, Cabrera currently stands as one of the top lightweight talents on a global scale. According to the World Boxing Association, Cabrera was ranked 15th in the world under the lightweight division in September 2024.
Despite a canceled bout in April 2025, Cabrera has continued to train in-between Chicago and Los Angeles while embracing other endeavors. From stand-up comedy to his role as Vito in “Arthur Ave.,” the celebrated Mexican-American athlete continues to expand his presence in different industries.
Now, after almost two years, Cabrera is returning to the ring this upcoming spring. On April 5, Cabrera will be competing against Uzbekistani lightweight boxer Siro Choi for the WBA Asia Lightweight Title in Seoul.
Ahead of Gente Fina Sport’s first athletic wear launch, Gente Fina spoke to Cabrera about his boxing beginnings, how his technique has flourished over the years and the significance of staying true to your identity amidst hateful times.
This interview has been lightly edited for clarity and brevity.
GENTE FINA: LEON, GUANAJUATO. SEATTLE, WASHINGTON. CHICAGO, IL. TELL ME, HOW DID YOU FIRST GET INTO BOXING?
CABRERA: I’m a first-generation Mexican here. My father is from México. We were always moving around [to] wherever the best jobs that he could get or wherever family was. We never stayed in one place too long. In a sense, that was like the beginning of my rebelliousness. If people know you for a long time, they accept you better. But I ran out of patience for that kind of behavior. So I was always kind of getting in fights in school and always questioned things. That is where my fighting spirit came from.
When my parents got separated, my friends [also] got separated. My mom took us to Chicago. I was on the South Side in the Bridgeport/ Canaryville area, and I ran into trouble. [When] my father came back in the picture, we moved to the west suburbs and I went to [middle] and high school [there]. I was kind of acting ghetto from my life before, and it was always just off putting to people because it didn't make sense [that a “white boy” thought he was so hard]. That’s when I started boxing. I made myself even more of a rebel.
I [thought] “What better way to escape the whole trap [through boxing?]” Nobody can tell me anything in this sport. I will fight for my name, I will fight for who I am, I’m going to prove myself and I’m going to try to be great. I think that upbringing of constantly being in different places, always being challenged [and] messed with [motivated me]. Right around that time, I started watching Muhammad Ali. The way he talked, believed in himself and spoke everything that came into his life into existence by the power of faith in God and in himself [was inspiring]. I could see the skill. I could see the power of that, and I used it to become one of the best fighters in the world myself.
GENTE FINA: PEOPLE HAVE DESCRIBED YOUR STYLE AS “AWKWARD YET HARD TO CRACK.” WHERE DID THE METHODS AND TECHNIQUES COME FROM?
CABRERA: Early on, I studied some of the best movers of all time. Pernell Whitaker, Ali [and] also the first guy that got me into boxing: Manny Pacquiao. These are all incredibly talented people who have the worst styles that you could imagine in terms of following the rules in boxing. I tried to emulate these guys, even though I had no business trying to emulate these great fighters. I was always a shy guy growing up before boxing gave me my power.
So that led me to a Warriors Boxing gym in the suburbs, and within a week I got on the boxing team. The first sparring session that I ever had, I sparred against the coach’s son, and I fucking felt like I won. I was like “Oh man, that was amazing. I can’t believe I won that session” and one of the coaches was like “No, you didn’t.” Even from [the age of] 16, my very first sparring match, I was pissing people off.
Through my imagination, I try to use the best skills that I had, which was movements, reflexes and awkward angles. Because I’m a left handed fighter, I developed a style that’s in between all the styles I punch. In between the punches, I move my head where it’s a weird position for you to reach. The reason they call me awkward is because they can’t figure me out. How the fuck is that awkward? Isn’t that intelligence? Isn’t that genius? I outboxed [Isaac] “Pitbull” [Cruz] for 12 rounds when he was the hot shit. I’m not looking for someone to kiss my ass in the commentary, but that’s what they do for their guys and it’s ridiculous to anybody that truly knows boxing.
GENTE FINA: TELL ME ABOUT YOUR JOURNEY TO LOS ANGELES AND WORKING WITH ICONS LIKE FREDDIE ROACH AND MANNY PACQUIAO.
CABRERA: I got an opportunity to be trained by Freddie Roach the first day in the gym [in LA]. I arrived on my birthday, July 19, 2022. As I was arriving, Pacquiao was leaving and I saw a line of people. I said “Holy shit, I forgot Pacquiao is fighting soon. This is incredible.” I go upstairs [and] Freddy [was] waiting for [me]. I [couldn’t] believe he [was] right there in front of me. This is a meeting between me and him, I have a chance for him to train me. It’s like a fucking movie to me. He asked me how many fights I have. I told him I’m 18-0. He said “Okay kid. Well, if you’re good, you could stay.”
I’m training [and] all out of shape. I’ve been a fat ass during the pandemic. I was depressed. I didn’t know what was going to happen with my career in the middle of my prime. Two days later, I’m training in the gym, out of shape as hell, and Freddie Roach comes out to me [and] says, “Gio, Pacquiao wants to talk to you when he gets here.” I was like “What do you mean Pacquiao wants to meet me?” So I trained [and] stuck around [after training]. Five minutes before Pacquiao gets there, Freddie says “Yo Gio, Pacquiao just fired both of his sparring partners. He wants to go four [to] five rounds with you right now. You wanna do it?” And I’m like “Holy shit, dude. Why am I not in shape right now? This is fucking crazy.” It’s my second day in the gym and I’m sparring my childhood iconic hero, one of the greatest, devastating punchers of all time in these weight classes. I [really thought] this guy’s gonna fuck me up. But, this was the moment. I was like “Are you a real fighter? Are you who you think you are? Are you gonna do this or what?” And I said “Fuck yeah, let’s lay some up.”
I put on the gloves, and I fucking fought with my childhood hero. I did very good. I have [an] incredibly unique, awkward style, so Pacquiao couldn’t really find me. At the end of it, people were shocked that my weird shit was working against him. Freddie said “Okay, you could stay.” At the time, I had packed all my shit in my car and I just drove to LA. I had nowhere to stay and they said, “Hey, Pacquiao wants to hire you for the training camp to be one of his sparring partners.”
I was like “Oh, hell yeah. The only problem is I have nowhere to stay.” I’m sitting here embarrassed. I didn’t have a plan, I was just gonna figure it out. I was like “Hey Pac, thanks for the opportunity. I just don’t know where I’m going to stay, so I don’t know if I can do this yet.” And he says “You see the hotel right over there? Don’t worry about it, you’re gonna stay right there.”
GENTE FINA: AS WE BOTH KNOW, CHICAGO HAS BECOME AN EPICENTER OF TARGETED ATTACKS UNDER THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION. HAS YOUR ROLE AS A MEXICAN BOXER CHANGED UNDER THESE TRYING TIMES?
CABRERA: This really kind of pisses me off about boxers and boxing. In general, boxing is a sport that, literally, its bloodline is nothing but Mexicans or every era of the struggling immigrant class. Boxing, in particular, profits from the backs of all these immigrants and gives them no benefits. There’s no union [or] guarantee minimums. They make you sign a contract that you have no fucking idea about and where you give away your likeness and image. It’s crazy to me that the actors who pretend to be tough are the ones that got it done for themselves. But boxers, the toughest people on the planet, didn’t do it for themselves. I stand on that.
You guys are making us compete for peanuts and profiting off everything, and that’s a metaphor for America. Boxing is an exact reflection of what happens to immigrants in this country. You come to this land of opportunity and are given the chance to fight your ass off, but you’re going to fight it uphill, the system is going to profit off of you and give you nothing in return. But if you’re lucky enough and you’re favored by destiny, shit can happen.
Being Brown or Black in America is a thankless job. But we keep this shit going, we keep this engine running. To talk about Gente Fina, Manny, first of all, we have the same last name, which is fucking hilarious. I [immediately] love his style, it’s completely cool. But, what I really love about it is what he [does]. He’s given Mexicans something to be proud of in fashion, which is very, very rare. And a name like [Gente Fina] is very powerful because we need to recognize that we are “Gente Fina,” we are fine people, we’re the top of the top. It’s a humble style, but stylish as hell.
GENTE FINA: ONE THING I ADMIRE ABOUT YOU IS HOW YOU USE YOUR PLATFORM TO CALL OUT ANTI-IMMIGRANT RHETORIC. HOW HAS YOUR STANCE CHANGED EVER-SINCE OUR GOVERNMENT DECIDED TO ATTACK THE LATINO COMMUNITY AND BEYOND ON A MORE MAINSTREAM LEVEL?
CABRERA: When [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] and the National Guard came into LA, I was at an all-time high in the rejection of my promoter and the rejection of the boxing powers that be in the whole fucking system. I was like “No, this is bullshit.” I am the Mexican that comes into the United States and makes his dreams come true. But at the same time, I’m also the Mexican that's being fucked by the system that that benefits from having me here. I marched on the streets man, the first day the fucking craziness erupted. We got tear gassed [and] shot with rubber bullets. There was no violence at all, and they came up and just started fucking everybody up. I tried to run back, but I couldn’t because there’s so many people. I was kind of stuck there, just hoping I wouldn’t get hurt because I was trying to secure other fights.
That Monday, after days of protesting, I go back to the gym and [my former trainer[a]] said “Hey man, we don’t do politics in this gym. If you're gonna be saying “Fuck Trump” and be at a fucking ICE protests, then leave and don't come back.” I couldn’t believe it. I’m not doing anything controversial. I'm not bringing anybody down. I’m standing up for my Mexican brothers and sisters now. So for him to react like that was crazy and I said “You know what? Fuck it. I’ll pack it up and I’ll try to go back to Wild Card.” I tried going back, but [the gym] had already called them and they're like “Gio, you’re being too problematic.” Now, I was alienated from everything. I thought [to myself] “Is it beneficial to fucking stand up for what you believe in?” I promised myself that I would never betray myself again. So I was like “Fuck that. I’m not betraying myself, [I’m] standing on principle [and with] my brothers because this could happen to my neighbors.
It happened to my uncle. People are dying in detention centers. They’ve killed people. It could be any of us. This is a time where this is not about fucking being a martyr. It’s not about attention. This is about the people within my ecosystem, [the] people that are around me. They need to know where I stand so they can stand for it too. I’m not doing this for everybody else, I’m doing this for my people, the people that know me. Just let[ting] them know they’re not alone, and we’re all in the fight together against this craziness that’s happening. I just want to stand for the principles that I believe in and for, and I want to defend the rights that allowed me to chase my dream.
GENTE FINA: HOW HAS FASHION INFLUNCED NOT JUST YOUR CAREER, BUT HOW YOU CARRY YOURSELF AS A PROFESSIONAL LIGHTWEIGHT BOXER?
CABRERA: I wear a suit to the weigh-in. I’m looking good at the weigh-in, and these guys are dressed like guys in high school or in a lot of street wear. First of all, I love streetwear, but it is a little bit more on the youthful side. We’re talking about serious men, serious belts and serious money online, you know. These guys are wearing nonsense. What you wear matters. It’s a reflection on how you carry yourself and that's what I love about Gente Fina.
It’s telling us that we’re fucking “Gente Fina,” like we’re top and high fashion. It just elevates our respect for ourselves and the way you dress elevates the respect for yourself. To have something for the Latino community and Mexicans in this country that we can come behind and say “Yeah motherfuckers, look at us” [is truly special]. There hasn't really been a definitive Mexican brand in America, which I believe [Gente Fina] can be [that].
GENTE FINA: WHAT DO YOU WANT READERS TO KNOW ABOUT YOU IN THIS CURRENT ERA OF GIO CABRERA?
CABRERA: I want them to know that I’m a dangerous fighter, I’ve found new sources for inspiration and just don't give up. Don’t take “No” for an answer. There’s always a different way. If you don’t like the system, find a way around it or create your own system. If you really believe something rubs you the wrong way, in business or in any relationship, just stand up for yourself, be who you’re meant to be. Everybody has this intuition inside, and I think following that is the most important thing you can do in this life.
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ALEXANDER HERNANDEZ GONZALEZ IS A JOURNALIST BORN AND RAISED IN AURORA, COLORADO. GROWING UP, HE WAS FASCINATED WITH HOW LATINOS CAN BE REPRESENTED IN THE FASHION INDUSTRY. WITH EXPERIENCE IN EDITORIAL, PRINT AND MULTIMEDIA JOURNALISM, ALEXANDER IS ACTIVELY UPLIFTING UNDERREPRESENTED VOICES THROUGH THE ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT SECTOR, THROUGH THE FASHION BEAT.
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PHOTOGRAPHS BY: LAURA LOPEZ @THEARTISTMEANSNOTHING
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