|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Christine Toledo Interview April 2005
Christine Toledo is a fast rising American female fighter, fighting out of Master Toddys gym in Las Vegas. She has fought in Thailand, starred in a movie documentary and holds a US title. She is also a member of the quintet of female fighters known as Toddys Angels. What is your age (never the question to ask a lady I know) and your complete fight record? Age: 27 8 wins, 1 loss, 4 KOs, 0 draws
What made you take up muay thai? ....thought I’d give it a try as a way to start something new and keep me grounded, as well as a way to get in shape and stay fit. So how long have you been training now? 4 years You've come a long way in such a short time, what do you attribute this to and where do your long term ambitions lie? I never thought I’d "come a long way". But now that I’ve become more involved in actual fighting as competition, I feel like I haven’t made it that far quite yet. It’s just the beginning for me. My first instructor, Kru Sam from Team USA always told me he saw potential in me to be a good fighter, and as much I didn’t think so, he kept believing in me. He made me believe in myself. Muay Thai became a part of me at that point and I wanted to prove to myself that I could fight. Long term... couldn’t tell you for sure. One would probably expect that I’d say something like, “I want to go pro and win a few world titles”. BUT, no I wouldn’t say that. Infact, I don’t believe my status as a fighter would depend on whether I’m pro or not, nor would it matter how many titles I held. I have a great passion for the sport, and I always want to have fun with it. I always want to learn more and gain more experience. There’s so much to learn. When you love something this much, it’s not about winning or losing or even gaining status, it’s about staying true and giving your all.
How does training with Master Toddy compare to your previous training at Team USA? There’s no comparison here. They are different. Not one is better than the other. World Team USA (San Francisco, CA) is my foundation. It’s where I sprouted from. Kru Sam Phimsoutham and Anthony Badua are excellent trainers and have taught me about how important the basics of muay thai are, and how to be disciplined in this sport. Both of them have motivated me, inspired me, and have steered me in the right direction as far as my development in muay thai. They both saw potential in me, watched over me and helped me grow, cared for me, knew what I was truly capable of, and have ALWAYS believed in me, not just as a student of theirs, but as a person, an individual. Without any of their guidance and instruction, I wouldn’t be the fighter I am today. At Master Toddy’s, it’s like I’ve taken muay thai to the next level, where I feel training is very intense and I’m more focused and motivated. They don’t call them Masters for nothin’. I am grateful to have Master Toddy, Master Chan, and Master Lookchang behind me, taking me under their wing and molding me to be a better fighter, a champion in the making as they would see it. I trust them, they trust me. They will never disappoint me, I will never disappoint them. They watch over me and take care of me. I’m always ready to listen and learn. I’m glad to have trainers that work well with me, make time for me, and have the patience to teach me. They give me their 110%, I give them my 110%. They’ve given me confidence I’ve never had before. I love muay thai so much more because of them.
Ronnie Green has recently joined the staff there, how is he fitting in? It’s an honor to work with him. He’s a legend and a class fighter of his day. He’s a man of wisdom who has great advice and touching stories that run deep and inspire you. He’s got great positive energy and is good at sharing it. You fought in England before against Janine Carlson, can you talk us through that fight? Janine was very tough. I didn’t know anything about her fighting weaknesses and strengths, so while I was training in Las Vegas for this fight, I didn’t really have a game plan to work on. When I arrived in Manchester, I was told she was gonna come in and try to dominate with her hands. The day of the weigh-ins I was talking to Mary Hart, Janine’s stable mate and she told me that Janine’s never lost a fight, she was undefeated with 5 fights. Janine was my fifth fight and at the time I had a record of 4 wins and 0 losses. So, both of us met in the ring undefeated and were a good match. The fight begins and she’s pretty aggressive. In the first round I learn her weakness – the clinch. She had some nice strong kicks but a lot of the time I could see them coming. And her hands, I managed to keep them away from me as I used to my advantage, her lack of skill in the clinch. So I went off with my knees that night throughout every round, moreso in the first and second round. My wind was horrible by the third round. Both Janine and I looked to be very tired and gasping for air. I wasn’t at my strongest, and nor was I most technical that evening, but I found a way to win. I took the victory after 3 rounds by unanimous decision. You can see clips of that fight on my website at www.christinetoledo.com go to “fight clips” and click on March 12, 2004/ Manchester England/ Christine Toledo vs. Janine Carlson.
Who has been your toughest opponent so far? Brenda Lopez from Mexico. She’s got the best skills and the most heart of all the opponents I’ve been up against thus far. She’s pretty amazing. She was tough to beat. She gave me a good fight and I love that. That girl has got TALENT. She’s definitely gained my respect. I think I might be one of her biggest fans. You can also view clips of this fight on my website. October 9, 2004/ Christine Toledo vs. Brenda Lopez You are fighting bareknuckle soon in Thailand, have you done anything like that before? My fight was cancelled, but I look forward to the next opportunity. No, I’ve never done anything like it before. I think that’s part of the excitement.
Do you not believe that it gives people the opportunity to slate the sport as too brutal? How do you feel about doing it? It’s going back to the roots, that’s all. Yes, it is a bit brutal and it’s easy for people to claim that when they don’t practice the sport. In muay thai, it’s very important to learn how to protect yourself. In a bareknuckle fight, it’s a true test of a fighter’s ability to protect him/herself as well as deliver technical strikes. What do you think of women fighting with elbows? Not different than that of men. It’s part of the sport. And it’s a weapon that’s difficult to master.
Do you ever think referees are too quick to stop a women’s fight? I’ve seen it happen. But I’m not quite sure if it’s an issue of equal game between men and women’s bouts or if the women that are stopped early in a fight just aren’t capable of defending themselves well. I’ve seen women stopped because they’ve taken a lot of punishment from their opponent. That does seem to occur more likely than it does in male bouts. Would you ever fight under other rules such as MMA, full contact or Western boxing? Only if I were trained properly. It’s a whole different game when you step in with different rules and an opponent that’s got different weapons and techniques.
What other fights do you currently have lined up? Visit www.mastertoddy.com or www.christinetoledo.com for updates on upcoming fights.
There was a movie documentary that you feature in that was filmed last year, can you tell us a bit about it? Myself, and four other female fighters (Gina Carano, LaTasha Marzolla, Lisa King, and Ardra Hernandez) from Master Toddy’s are featured in this movie. Our fight that took place in Las Vegas on October 9, 2004 was filmed, and from then on we continue to train for our next fight, scheduled in November 2004 to take place in Thailand. The story is simple, but touching. We don’t play any roles, we are ourselves and we are really training. Thailand was a beautiful experience for all five of us. There was good and bad, but in the end, we still managed to be positive and we left knowing we shared an amazing experience together. We learned a whole lot about ourselves as individuals as much as learning how to deal with each other and our differences, and we learned a great deal about Thailand and the culture. We were fortunate to train at the camps in Bangkok and in Chiang Mai- completely different atmosphere from training in the U.S. Raw, intense, authentic. It was an honor to be there training with the fighters and trainers at these camps. Definitely an experience we will never forget. Stories told, sad and happy; experiences good and bad; bonding and arguing among us girls and with Master Toddy; real training and real fighting, real BLOOD. Real stuff!
When is it released? Anticipated for release Summer 2005. What do you think of the name Toddys Angels? Not my favorite. But we ran with it and now it is what it is. What do you say to people that say they only get so much attention because of their looks? It’s not true. A fighter with real skills will shine. Who in particular would you like to fight? All the great active female fighters in my weight class. You only learn from going against the best. Is there anything you would like to say in closing? Thank you Dan Green of muaythaionline.net for taking the time to conduct this interview. Special Special Thanks to: all those that support me, especially to those that come out to see me fight. Thanks to Kru Sam, Anthony Badua, Master Toddy, Master Chan, and Master Lookchang for sharing your knowledge and giving me your guidance. You’ve given me confidence to be a better fighter and have encouraged and motivated me to work hard to be the best I can possibly be. To my friends and family, I am so grateful to have you by my side always. Thank you to my mom and my brothers Chris and Charlie for loving me, believing in me, and supporting me ALL THE WAY. Love you love you love you. And of course let’s not forget my thanks to all fighters whom I’ve trained with and have helped me in training, especially those who I train with on a regular basis at Master Toddy’s, and those who I’ve trained and grown with at Team USA. Patti Teran, you were the very first female muay thai fighter that inspired me when I first started in San Francisco. You are awesome. Big huge chunk of thanks for that. I wouldn’t be the fighter that I am today, without ANY OF YOU. To females that aspire, go for it! Give your best and have fun! I love this sport.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||