SAN ANTONIO – It may have been a letdown for many, but to boxing aficionados, the fight between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao was a true boxing match: clean and not a brawl.
Professional boxer Alberto Espinoza said he truly believes the hype of the fight brought fans back to the ring.
"San Antonio is the capital of boxing here in Texas," said Espinoza.
Espinoza came from Laredo to train and get more exposure in the Alamo City. He said boxing matches like the Mayweather-Pacquiao bout are great for the sport.
"Mayweather did what he does best boxing. It's not called 'fighting,' so he outboxed Manny Pacquiao," said Espinoza.
Since the fight, the owner and program director of Randazzo Brothers Boxing Gym, Santo Randazzo, noticed people's interest in boxing has grown.
Whether it's novices or professionals, more people are headed into his northeast side gym to train.
"We keep a lot of kids off the street, we have pros, amateurs, little ones, big ones, guys, gals -- they walk the line," said Randazzo.
Randazzo's gym is just one of about 25 boxing gyms around San Antonio. The owner says Texas has been known to train professional boxers from across the country and the world.
And one person they're keeping an eye on is Espinoza, a boxer who hopes to make a name for himself, while remaining loyal to his Texas roots.
"I live off of GFB, which (stands for) God, family, and boxing, and that's what we live off of," Espinoza said. "And San Antonio is the perfect place to set that up."