By Ryan Maquiñana
After cruising to four victories to open his pro career, welterweight prospect Zachary “Kid Yamaka” Wohlman incurred a third-round technical draw after a clash of heads with Jesus Vallejo in Hollywood, Calif., last Thursday.
Wohlman discussed the disappointing end to the fight with BoxingScene.com as well as what’s next for the 147-pounder, who trains with Eric Brown and Freddie Roach at the Wild Card Boxing Club.
BoxingScene.com: Tell us what happened that caused the fight to be halted after the third round?
Zachary Wohlman: I was up every round on the judges’ scorecard. It happened at the end of the third round. I’m a pure boxer, and I had him breathing out of his mouth and his nose. My rhythm was nice, and I felt him get weaker. He jumped in with his head and it happened. I’m not blaming him. I think it was an accident.
BoxingScene.com: What is the status of the cut?
Zachary Wohlman: I have a deep gash right down to the bone. I got 32 stitches in my head right now, but I could care less about that right now. I’m heartbroken with how the fight ended.
BoxingScene.com: Where would you like to go from here? Would you want a rematch with Vallejo?
Zachary Wohlman: I was up every round. I think I showed I’m a better fighter than him. I want to continue growing. I saw his look, adjusted to it, and now I want a new look. I’m only I guess you can say a moral victory over Vallejo is not going to mean that much to me. I ’m a young fighter, and I’d rather continue to grow as a fighter.
BoxingScene.com: As far as growing in the ring, what positives did you glean from your performance and what did you learn?
Zachary Wohlman: I started this fight like I was already in the second round. I got my rhythm quicker. I still have a ton of work to do, but I’m getting more comfortable in real fights as I am in the gym. Just because I can spar with Paulie Malignaggi at Wild Card doesn’t mean I can fight him under the lights right now.
Seeing the positives in it, I’m still undefeated. It was a freak accident, and when you watch something like that from the outside, you don’t think it will happen to you, but it’s boxing. I learned that with the blood streaming down my face, I wanted to still keep fighting. I wanted them to clean it up right away so I can get back in there. It’s good to know that I reacted that way, and now I’ll be a little more prepared next time around.
Ryan Maquiñana writes a weekly boxing column for CSNBayArea.com. He is a full member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and the Ratings Panel for Ring Magazine. E-mail him at rmaquinana@gmail.com, check out his blog at Norcalboxing.net, or follow him on Twitter: @RMaq28.
