"He has got a great attack and a very good defense and when you put the whole package together, Yoshi is a very, very good fighter."
Mike Hodgkins and Tony Valencia have been training Yoshi Fujii for nearly 15 years. As a raw talent at 16, a promising amateur, a young professional lightweight, and as a young man determined to earn his medical degree before resuming his boxing career.
"So I had to take time off, and the following year I entered the doctorate program through Fresno State and UCSF and with that there was no way I was gonna fight, so I just wanted to complete the schooling first."
In 2009 Yoshi was awarded his doctoral degree in physical therapy. Today, he's back to boxing, determined to make up for those five years away from the sport.
"At 29 whereas he's not a young man any longer in the boxing game, he's definitely not too old, people can fight to 35, 36 and still be successful."
"I feel like I'm continually getting stronger, so I don't think this will be it."
With his first professional fight in five years tomorrow night, Yoshi Fujii will re-kindle his dual dream of healing his patient's pain by day, while knocking somebody's block off at night.
"Sure someone may get hurt, always pray that no one gets hurt, but if someone gets hurt, it's part of the sport and that's what we're all in here for, there's a risk."
"Yoshi hits really hard. Yoshi inflicts damage when he lands punches, very similar to Jose Ramirez."
Jose Ramirez' Olympic dreams died last week at the Olympic games. Yoshi Fujii will never even get to the Olympics, but he hopes to achieve greatness nonetheless.
Yoshi Fujii will face Joe Garcia of Orange County Tuesday night at Table Mountain Casino. Their bout is at 5:00 p.m., followed by the Christy Martin, Mia St. James title bout at 6:30 p.m.
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