Alexander Hagen, left, listening to trainer Luis Monda, far right, inside of Johnny Tocco’s in Las Vegas

By Chris Robinson

There is a special synergy and connection that takes place between aspiring pugilists and trainers in the sport of boxing.

Being a trainer in boxing requires a lot of patience and communication from the get-go, as the revolving cast of fighters they work with come with so many different levels of talent, experiences, history, and ability.

Out in Las Vegas, I have been keeping a close eye on the stable of trainer Luis Monda, who works out of the famed Johnny Tocco’s Boxing Gym a little north of the Strip. Monda has helped mold both Daijon Carter and Joseph Macedo into top amateur prospects in the city and he now has a new charge he has taken under his wings.

Light heavyweight prospect Alexander Hagen (9-1, 3 KO’s) from Norway recently arrived to the city and he and Monda are in the early stages of their fighting union together. Hagen will actually be sparring later tonight inside of Tocco’s, so anyone in the Vegas area can feel free to come check him out.

Check below for some quotes from Monda on working with Hagen and check out Tocco’s on Facebook for more info on tonight’s session.

A trainer’s dream…
“Alexander is pretty much a trainer’s dream. His manager told me as much, but you often don’t believe such things until you see them for yourself, but he really is. He loves the sport and appears thirsty for every bit of knowledge on how to refine his craft. No arguing, and while he is confident, it doesn’t come off as being purely ego-driven. Boxing could use more fighters like him.”

Coming together….
“We were brought together through his manager/trainer out of Norway, Andre Sollund. Andre visited Johnny Tocco’s and we got along very well. He had been interested in having Alexander fight here already, and I have some connections. Plus, it turned out Andre knew my partner, Icelandic boxing trainer Dadi Asthorsson. So we had some things in common, after learning more about how we train, and establishing a working relationship, he arranged for Alexander to come here. Dadi and I had also sent a fighter from Iceland (but he’s African) to Norway, to sign with Andre who has helped Alexander with sparring. He is another tentative prospect named Mustafa Jobi, who you’ll learn about not too long from now.”

Fighting style…
“Alexander is a boxer/puncher. He likes to counter-punch, but he isn’t afraid to stand and bang when needed. He is also very cerebral and doesn’t waste a lot of motion.”

An intriguing session…
“[Later tonight] is going to be very fun. Despite a small bit of jet-lag, Alexander is already pretty sharp. And the sparring partner is Tocco’s own Craig Parker, who is a very talented fighter trained by former Pro Rodrigo Aranda. They’re both skillful, but with different styles that compliment each other. So it should be an intriguing sparring session.”

Chris Robinson can be reached at CRobinson@hustleboss.com