Mario Vega: the dental student who couldn’t imagine being behind Yokasta Valle’s headlines

From a very young age, Mario Vega Morales was excited to have his own company. He had studied dentistry but never extracted a tooth because his dream was to have a profitable business that would allow him and his family to live comfortably.

A sports enthusiast and a loyal follower of Deportivo Saprissa, devoting himself to boxing has never occurred to him, although he has stated that he once put on his gloves and traded blows with a few friends, more out of fun and curiosity than any anything else.

It is for this reason that even he himself did not imagine standing behind the successes of the boxer from Costa Rica, Yokasta Valle Álvarez, who has defended her 105-kilogram world title of the International Boxing Federation on eight occasions and that of the Organization in two cases. World Boxing Cup (WBO).

Mario Vega too He was the manager of boxers Hanna Gabriel, with whom he won the super-lightweight world title and Bryan Tiquito Vásquez, interim 130-kilogram champion.

“I was born in Plaza Víquez and I grew up very close to the square of San Antonio de Desamparados. I didn’t miss fighting for Oscar de La Hoya or Mike Tyson, but more because I loved sports. I studied dentistry but never practiced. My duty was to do business from a very young age. I got married when I was 20 years old and I had to think about my family, so I started thinking about what I could do,” Vega recalls.

Since he liked sports and knew English, he got into a call center and later a sports book, which opened up the world of sports betting and, little by little, the opportunity to meet people and understand the business of boxing.

In his new venture, Mario met Joe Hernández, a Puerto Rican who had coached more than 30 champion fighters of the world, who accepted him into their organization and even asked him to help prepare boxers for future fights in Costa Rica.

Moreover, in 2009 he attended a convention of the Boxing Organization (WBO) and there he was convinced that boxing had an opportunity to “make a career”.

“I realized that OMB had no social networks and its official website was outdated. So I told them I could work and for a long time I fed the site and uploaded information, which helped me meet many people from the boxing elite, who over time were fundamental in the promotion of international fights and events. ”, commented Vega.

In 2010, with the blessing of Joe Hernández, Mario Vega accompanied the Mexican boxer Daniel Ponce de León to Los Angeles, California, who fought at the Staples Center (Crypto.com Arena), the home of the NBA Lakers, starting his ascent there. career.

Although his role as a boxing promoter has consumed most of his time, Mario Vega, who is 45 years old and a father of two, has managed to engage in other businesses as well, always looking for the idea to ‘was consolidated as a businessman.

“As soon as I sold the sports book, I joined a construction company, with heavy machinery, but boxing takes a lot of time and so it’s difficult because of tenders and contracts. I even stopped heavy machinery. In addition, my ex-wife had several dogs and we decided to open a veterinary clinic, which she still maintains and has been a profitable business,” said Vega.

However, despite trying to start his own company, Mario Vega chose to continue Yokasta Valle’s career. Starting over with her, looking to give her the best possible conditions to become the champion she is today.

“During the first five years it was very difficult, because we invested all the money we had in Yokasta. The first months I bought him clothes, shoes, we took him to the beauty salon because he had to have an image in front of the media, fans and sponsors. Thanks to their persistence, discipline and effort, all that investment has now paid off,” said Vega.

“I joke that the Yokasta Valle race was done with just a credit card, because I invested my savings and even borrowed from my father to have the ideal conditions for Yoka. On some tours we went without eating so she could eat well. It was difficult times, but the results have been seen and we were able to solve all the problems”, he added.

According to Mario Vega, without the help of his parents, Álvaro Vega and Carmen Morales, his dream of giving a world champion to Costa Rica would not have been possible, but he also thanked the dedication, courage and discipline of his his protectors. has always had the desire to be world champion.

“I’m a person who likes to win, competitive and I think Yokasta followed that line and it led him to success. I don’t like to show off, I prefer to be behind it, observing and listening to feedback to improve and know how people react. Without a doubt, the star is Yoka. But along the way we have sacrificed many things, including family, and it has not been easy,” said Vega.

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