Family, Fighting and the Future for Filly Rubalcava
By Anthony “Stacks” Saldaña
As a young boy, Humberto Filimon Rubalcava aka “Filly” grew up in the streets of the OC and excelled in many sports including baseball, basketball, and soccer. He was a worry-free kid who never had a clue his home life would soon come crashing down before his very eyes. “I was ten years old and my dad left, he took off and I was really upset” stated Rubalcava in a recent interview with Supreme Boxing. “It hurt and I really hated he was gone because of the way it affected my mom, my mom suffers from schizophrenia, and with my dad leaving things got worse.”
Young Rubalcava would begin fighting in the streets, acting up in school and rebelling. With his mom suffering from mental health issues and being unstable Filly’s sister Julie would step up to guide him in the right direction. “My sister stepped in and beat my ass, she looked after me and it was important to her that I did well in school. She’d keep me up all night until I finished my homework” Stated Rubalcava. It was also Filly’s sister Julie who was an undefeated minimum-weight fighter and ranked #2 in the world who inspired Filly to box. “I remember it clearly it was January and my sister had just fought for the NABF Flyweight title. I told her and my brother-in-law I wanted to box” Said Rubalcava. “I trained for about 45 days and had my first amateur fight that March” Rubalcava continued to train with his sister’s husband Juan Juarez and throughout his amateur career compiled a record of 45-15. “I always fought great in the tournaments and I’d always ended up in the finals, but I’d always choke.” Stated Rubalcava “I wanted to box and win but I was an all-around good athlete who played several sports, so boxing and winning wasn’t really everything to me like it was for some other kids.” Rubalcava and his family also dealt with the struggles of their mom and her mental health issues throughout Filly’s high school years which made focusing on boxing even harder. Rubalcava would eventually graduate and begin college where he studied and received his Associates Degree in Criminal Justice. Rubalcava would eventually meet with his family and make the decision to turn professional. “I sat down with my brother-in-law and told him, I know what I have, I know what I want, and I know what I can do, I’m ready to give it my all as a professional.”
Rubalcava would start his career off with a bang and soon after would receive a visit from his father. Filly’s dad let him know how proud of him he was and encouraged him to continue to follow his dreams, but just two weeks after that visit Rubalcava’s dad would pass away to lung cancer. “Although it was tough losing my dad, I give all the credit to my sister for raising me to be the man I am today, and I think I’m doing pretty good for myself” stated Rubalcava who now with a record of (11-1, 7 KOs) will enter the ring next Sunday October 27th at the Avalon in Hollywood as part of 360 Promotions “Hollywood Fight Night” and take on the heavy-handed undefeated Mexican prospect Adrian Montoya (10-0, 9 KO’s). “I know that this is going to tough fight and with his record I know he has a solid punch, but these are the fights I need. I’ve sparred with Ronny Rios and Leo Santa Cruz in preparation for this fight and I know I’ll walk away victorious.” Stated Rubalcava who now trains out of Grampa’s Boxing Gym in Orange County “I’m managed by Charles Bosecker and Oscar Sanchez and I have no doubt that after this win they’ll continue to keep me on the path to grow as a fighter, challenge myself and hopefully one day lead me to a world title.” Bosecker who manages Rubalcava stated “Although Filly is like many fighters who have overcome adversity, Filly is different in the fact that he’s one of the hardest working boxers I know, not just inside of the ring but outside as well. As a team, we believe that Filly can accomplish anything he puts his mind too and is mentally stronger than many boxers and in fact stronger than most people who have faced similar adversity.
Rubalcava who works at Home Depot and is now in his fifth year of college in pursuit of his Bachelors Degree definitely has a clear understanding of his life and the direction it’s going “I came in to boxing with a backup plan and God willing I won’t ever get hurt and be able to become world champion, but if not I know that I can use my education to follow my dreams to one day become a detective.”
Hollywood Fight Night is brought to you by Tom Loeffler’s 360 Promotions and will take place at The Avalon in Hollywood, located at 1735 Vine Street, Los Angeles, California 90028. Sunday, October 27th. Tickets will sell out and only a handful are left if you’re interested in purchasing tickets please DM @rubalcavaaa on Instagram.
