Nico Matias Ram At The Fights interview on Nick Chan and USC vs UCLA

In the Nico Matias Ram At The Fights interview, the USC boxer told Ram At The Fights that he expects Nick Chan to pressure him at the USC vs UCLA event and plans to counterpunch from the back foot. Matias also explained how the schools’ boxing clubs operate and how he balances training with biochemistry studies and plans for medical school.

What did Nico Matias say about USC vs UCLA boxing and Nick Chan?

Nico Matias expects Nick Chan to bring pressure when they meet on the USC vs UCLA card at the Los Angeles Athletic Club. Matias said his preparation has focused on that style: he intends to spend some time on the back foot, look for counterpunches and stay composed in the ring.

Preparing for Nick Chan’s pressure

Matias said Chan’s reputation as a pressure fighter was the main thing he knew about his opponent. Rather than describe a detailed scouting report, he pointed to the adjustment he was making in camp. He said the team had eased up on sparring and was working on technique and keeping cool during the fight.

A recent bout of flu had worried him, Matias said, but he felt it was subsiding as the event approached. He made clear that the USC–UCLA rivalry mattered to him, too: he did not want to lose while representing USC against its Los Angeles rival.

How did Nico Matias describe the USC and UCLA boxing clubs?

Nico Matias said USC and UCLA both have student-led boxing organizations rather than conventional varsity boxing teams. He described them as growing clubs supported by volunteer coaches, with USC faculty and staff involved. For Matias, their matchup was a chance to show what the programs had built.

USC’s coaches and club structure

At USC, Matias identified Omar, an assistant dean in Social Work, as the person who runs the club. He said volunteer coaches train its boxers and that some of those coaches have professional experience. He described the USC and UCLA organizations as programs that have grown over several years.

His first fight against UCLA

Matias said his first boxing match was also against a UCLA student, and he won it. He also credited USA Boxing requirements with making the current collegiate scene safer. Matias said WPC had become involved with one of the club’s earlier fights, which he saw as another sign that its events were becoming more formal.

Why did Nico Matias start boxing at USC after swimming?

Nico Matias began boxing at USC, not before college. He grew up as a swimmer and credited that background with his cardiovascular fitness, while acknowledging that swimming did not teach him how to take a punch. Watching Manny Pacquiao as a Filipino American was another part of his connection to boxing.

From the pool to the boxing club

Matias described swimming as his sport growing up and USC as the place where he picked up boxing. The change gave him a new use for the endurance he had developed in the pool. His earlier win over a UCLA boxer made the coming rivalry bout familiar territory, even as he prepared for Chan’s particular style.

Manny Pacquiao and his Filipino family

Both of Matias’s parents immigrated from the Philippines, and he said he is a first-generation American. He grew up watching Pacquiao’s fights and called him his favorite. Asked about Donita Loner, Matias acknowledged him too, but returned to Pacquiao as the boxer who had made the deepest impression.

That admiration extends beyond results in the ring. Matias pointed to Pacquiao’s work as a senator and his efforts to help his community. He said the ability to give back to other people is an important reason athletes pursue what they do.

What did Nico Matias say about the USC vs UCLA event and its crowd?

Nico Matias said his fight was scheduled as the fourth bout on the USC vs UCLA card, at the end of its first half before intermission. The Los Angeles Athletic Club event would have a black-tie crowd, including friends, family, club patrons and a separate student section.

A black-tie crowd and a student section

The dress code surprised Matias. He expected suits and cocktail dresses alongside students supporting their schools, and said he believed the student-section tickets had sold out. With family and friends also attending, he knew there would be a crowd watching his bout.

Gabe and Big Brendan on the card

Matias named Gabe and Big Brendan as the card’s main-event fighters. He said Gabe was fighting for a belt again and backed him to win. Although Matias’s own bout came before intermission, he wanted the rivalry card to give its audience more than cautious point-scoring: win or lose, he said, the fighters should have fun and put on a show.

How is Nico Matias balancing boxing with biochemistry and medical school?

Nico Matias is a USC junior studying biochemistry on a pre-med track while training and competing in boxing. He said he was preparing for the MCAT, hoped to take it in April and planned to apply to medical school in the next application cycle. He also works as an EMT.

Those plans put boxing beside a demanding academic and professional path, rather than replacing it. Matias discussed his studies in the same conversation as his fight preparation, without suggesting he had decided to give up either pursuit.

He joked that his EMT work could come in handy after facing an opponent. The comment was part of his playful approach to the event, not a claim about what would happen in the ring.

What did Nico Matias predict for his fight with Nick Chan?

Nico Matias closed with a swimming metaphor for his matchup with Nick Chan. The prediction drew on the sport he practiced before boxing, but his practical plan remained the one he had described earlier: handle Chan’s pressure and find opportunities to counter.

Asked what viewers should expect from the fight, Matias put his prediction this way:

me and him we both gonna be swimming but he gonna end up drowning

He had also said that, whatever the result, he wanted both fighters to make a show of the bout. The line captured his confidence ahead of another USC–UCLA matchup, while his account of camp showed the specific challenge he was preparing to meet.