Carlos Marrero Ram At The Fights interview on Atlantic City debut

In the Carlos Marrero Ram At The Fights interview, the boxer said he and his trainers had made adjustments ahead of his six-round fight with Josiah Kirk Patrick at the Hard Rock Casino in Atlantic City. He also explained why watching his younger brother, Jacob Lefty Marrero, led him to choose boxing over baseball, and how his daughter shapes his plans beyond the ring.

How has Carlos Marrero prepared for his next fight?

Carlos Marrero said his camp has focused on adjustments that he believes will help him perform as his trainers want when he fights at the Hard Rock Casino. He trusts their strategy and is eager to show the changes, while insisting that his past results do not fully represent the fighter he is.

Adjustments beyond the boxing record

Marrero said people have seen him fight as both an amateur and a professional, and he knows some judge fighters by their records. He credited his trainers with identifying what had been lacking in his performances. Marrero put his view of those judgments plainly:

my record doesn't really define me as a fighter

He did not describe a particular technical change. Instead, he said he believes he has found the piece his trainers have been looking for and expects to display it in the fight. Listening to the people preparing him remains central to his approach.

Fighting away from home

Marrero said both home and away fights appeal to him, but traveling can leave him more relaxed. At home, friends and family are watching closely, and he expects them to discuss his performance afterward. Away from home, he feels like a stranger to the crowd who can concentrate on showing what he can do.

That unfamiliar setting also motivates him. As Marrero described the feeling of entering someone else’s home territory, “it's kind of like me against them.” He said the reduced pressure helps him focus on giving the best performance he can that night.

What did Carlos Marrero say about Josiah Kirk Patrick?

Carlos Marrero said he had not seen Josiah Kirk Patrick fight, but expects the undefeated, up-and-coming boxer to perform well in front of his home crowd. Marrero intends to meet that effort with his own, saying he is confident in his preparation and wants to spoil the occasion for his opponent.

Records and respect for opponents

Kirk Patrick’s unbeaten status does not change Marrero’s preparation. He said he has seen underdogs produce surprising wins and does not treat a boxer’s record as a reliable reason to overlook him. He respects anyone willing to enter the ring and expects every fight to be competitive.

Marrero connected that respect to work outside public view. Fighters put their time and effort into training before they reach the lights of a fight night, he said. For that reason, he extends the same respect to past and future opponents as he does to Kirk Patrick.

The six-round fight

The bout is scheduled for six rounds. Marrero said it would be Kirk Patrick’s first six-rounder, but he does not expect the two additional rounds to create a drastic change. Nor does he view his own greater fight experience as permission to take the matchup lightly: he plans to follow his corner and approach Kirk Patrick as a competitive opponent.

How did Carlos Marrero get into boxing after playing baseball?

Carlos Marrero wanted to box as a child, but his mother did not allow it, so he played baseball instead. He eventually entered a boxing gym at about 17 or 18, after watching his younger brother Jacob Lefty Marrero fight at a local show in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

A possible route to college baseball

Marrero played baseball throughout his childhood and said he was a shortstop. He believed he could have pursued the sport at college level after high school, but boxing was what he had always wanted to do. He also said the classroom requirements that came with continuing in baseball did not suit him at the time.

Once he was old enough to make the decision for himself, Marrero chose to try boxing. He recalled thinking that, even if his mother was upset, she could no longer stop him as she had when he was younger.

Jacob Lefty Marrero’s local fight

Seeing Jacob Lefty Marrero box at a local show gave Carlos a more immediate reason to act. He spoke to his brother afterward, and Jacob offered to put him in contact with his trainer. Carlos went to that gym, stayed for a few years and later trained at other gyms as he grew older.

Although Jacob is younger, Carlos said he looks up to him in boxing because Jacob started first. He credited his brother with keeping his own interest alive and helping turn a long-standing wish into a decision to train.

How does Carlos Marrero balance boxing, fatherhood and school?

Carlos Marrero said boxing is always on his mind, but his daughter is the focus of the life he is trying to build outside it. He is studying to enter the medical field because he wants another career path and, above all, a better life for her.

His daughter is five, and Marrero said he regularly thinks about how to make her proud as she grows up. He described being a father alongside boxing and school as the main parts of his life, rather than presenting his studies as a replacement for fighting.

Marrero also recalled a period when he partied and drank more often. He said he had to remind himself that he was a boxer and ease off. These days, he said, he largely keeps to himself.

What did Carlos Marrero say about his daughter boxing?

Carlos Marrero said his five-year-old daughter loves going to the boxing gym with him. He would support her if she chose to box, despite saying her mother does not want her to pursue it, and he admitted that he would not mind becoming his daughter’s trainer.

On one recent visit, his daughter heard him speaking with his trainer Shaq on the phone and asked whether they were going to the gym. Marrero said she hugged him when he told her they were. Once there, she got into the ring and told him she would teach him.

He has noticed that she stands southpaw while he is orthodox. Marrero did not claim to know where she got that stance; for now, he spoke about her enjoyment of the gym and said he would back the choice she makes as she gets older.

Why does Carlos Marrero want to fight in Atlantic City?

Carlos Marrero said the October 30 bout on the Delta Forever Hungry card would be his first fight in Atlantic City, a place where he had long wanted to box. He wants to give spectators a good performance at the Hard Rock Casino and credited the team preparing him for the opportunity.

A first appearance in Atlantic City

The card is set for the Soundwave Theater at the Hard Rock Casino. Marrero said fighting in Atlantic City had been on his personal list of goals, and he asked fans to support the boxers appearing that night, whether they attended or watched the stream.

The people in Marrero’s corner

Before finishing, Marrero thanked Shacks Boxing and Fitness and named his trainers Shaq and Collin. He also acknowledged Cordell Booker and Mike Kimbo as voices in his corner. Their input matters to the way he prepares: throughout the conversation, Marrero returned to listening to his trainers, trusting his corner and showing the adjustments they have worked on together.