Hollywood heavyweight backs OKC’s Saucedo
Staff Writer amoseley@oklahoman.com
Boxing has always been a part of Peter Berg’s life.
As the director of movies such as “Lone Survivor,” “Friday Night Lights” and “Patriots Day,” Berg still finds time to visit his boxing gym in Santa Monica consistently.
But along with owning a gym in California, Berg is also a founder of Churchill Management, a boxing management group founded in 2016 alongside actor Mark Wahlberg.
The first boxer the group signed was Alex Saucedo, the Oklahoma City native who is topranked junior welterweight by the World Boxing Organization.
Saucedo (27-0) will look to stay undefeated Saturday as he faces Lenny Zappavigna (373) at Chesapeake Energy Arena. In a recent phone interview, Berg discussed his thoughts on Saucedo and the world of boxing.
Q: How did you get into boxing?
Berg: When I was a kid, probably around 12 or 13, my parents sent me to this camp in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. … The counselors loved boxing. They would pick campers and they would take us into the woods and they would rope off a ring between trees and they would put two of us in and make us fight and the counselors would bet on us. That was the first time I started boxing. There was always something about it that I loved.
Why did you start Churchill Management?
I have a boxing gym in L.A. that I’ve had for several years now and over the last four or five years, I’ve gotten to know a lot of young fighters. I’ve been very aware of how hard it can be for these guys to navigate careers in the boxing business. … They’re at the top of their game and they have trouble paying the bills. I, along with a group of friends, one of whom is Mark Wahlberg, decided that our main focus, it’s not our day job, but it was something that we wanted to get involved with and see if we could find a couple fighters we felt were putting the work in, refining their skill and maybe needed little bit of help and guidance.
Why was Alex Saucedo your first fighter?
We were very impressed by his personality, his character, and particularly his devastating power in the ring. It all added up.
Why did you decided to switch trainers and have Abel Sanchez train Alex?
We all sort of agreed that a more experienced trainer would be smart. Alex is a power puncher, kind of comes straight at you, for the most part, type of fighter… One thing I like about Abel is that he pointed out, ‘Yeah, Alex is very, very strong. He can hit you with both hands, very powerful and has a very strong punch, but let’s see if we can add some defense to his game.’
How did Oklahoma City become the location for the fight?
It’s something that Top Rank was supportive of. We want to start building a fan base for Alex and he feels connected to the community of Oklahoma City, it’s where he’s from, it’s where his daughter goes to school and his family is there. When he first found out, he was like a little kid, he was really emotional and had the biggest smile on his face. … He’s very excited to put on a great show for his tribe.
Why should people root for Alex Saucedo?
Alex Saucedo is a devastating fighter. He’s a very, very exciting fighter. For anyone that’s a fan of the sport, I assure you you’re going to see a very dynamic fight. He happens to be one of the sweetest, classiest, most honorable kids I’ve met in a long time, almost to a fault. We tease him in front of him, [saying] if he was more of a jerk more people might pay attention. He’s a really, really loyal family man, hardworking, great young kid, who happens to bear some of the most lethal knockout power I’ve ever seen. If you want to see a good guy stomp some a--, watch Alex fight.