Discipline, strong training and a lot of perseverance intertwine to accommodate the successful career of Ecuadorian boxer Carlos Gongora, 31-years-old, who in December was crowned the super middleweight champion of the International Boxing Organization (IBO).

Last month at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel in Hollywood, Florida, Gongora pulled off a big upset when he knocked out undefeated Kazakh puncher Ali Akhmedov in the twelfth and final round.

Gongora found himself in serious trouble in the first half of the contest, but he managed to recover and rallied the down the stretch as Akhmedov began to tire and was being worn down by the tough fight.

"I was waiting for the exact moment [to strike] because the punches [from him] were slower. He was already disoriented, and that's when I began to look for the hook from below," Góngora said in an interview with Efe.

Gongora commented that he felt tired during this fight, because - "I had never fought like this; it was the first time I fought for twelve rounds."

The boxer would recommend to everyone to do some training in the sport to better their lives.

"I would say to people that it is beautiful to make it a part of your daily life and that it will help them lose weight; to people who want to do it for sport, who have a lot of discipline, who fight for their dream, who fight for themselves," explained Góngora.

The routine Góngora goes through is based on three strenuous workouts daily, each lasting three hours, but they increase in intensity as fights approach.

"I have to do a lot more than my teammates because now I'm in professional boxing, so my training lasts three hours. I have to run, hit the equipment, shadow box," said Gongora.

Regarding diet, he emphasizes that although coaches always look after their athletes to ensure they are at the ideal weight and conditions, Gongora views himself as a "very disciplined" athlete, since he is always the first to arrive at training sessions and personally manages his diet.

"That is up to the athlete, because the coach is the one who is outside the ring and the athlete is inside. This is a part where the athlete is responsible. There are many who are undisciplined," Gongora said.

"When there are breaks, I can't take advantage of eating because of the sacrifice when working with weight is much harder. So, when it comes time to lose weight, I can assimilate it in a better way [when my weight is lighter]."

In the future, Góngora dreams of maintaining the defense of his belt and even opting to fight for another world belt , in addition to continuing to train for the Tokyo Olympics.