LAS VEGAS – Dorian Perez has been on a whirlwind time since losing to Duane Crespo as Power Slap 3.
Perez worked some events at San Diego Comic-Con while training for his next bout. He also experienced a boost in followers after the bout, who leave him positive comments on his social channels.
“It’s been crazy,” Perez said. “I might have lost the match, but I won the fans.”
Perez returns to action to face James Stonier at Power Slap 4 on Wednesday. The card begins at 6 p.m. and will be available to view on the streaming platform Rumble.
Unlike the last fight with Crespo where there was a lot of trash talking with a hint of bad blood, Perez spoke highly of Stonier.
“I respect his style because he’s a real loose cannon,” Perez said. “I have nothing pleasant experiences with James. I don’t have the same animosity, but all these opponents are trying to take food out of my mouth.
“I’m Batman because I figure out a way to beat them. I definitely have a something on the toolbelt that can touch everybody.”
Since the loss to Crespo, Perez has been focusing on getting back on track. He trains whenever his work schedule allows. Sometimes that’s during the day; other times at night.
“I always make it work,” he said.
Perez doesn’t work with a coach for his training, either. He prefers the self-taught approach. It is something he’s done since he was in high school where he acted as the de facto strength and conditioning coach for his football team.
He developed this love for the coaching from his late father, who coached him throughout little league football and did not treat him any differently.
Aside from the physical aspects of the sport, Perez also focuses on his technique. He takes time to observe how other fighters approach the sport to personally hone his skills.
“I take little bits,” he said. “From as big as where to put your arm to as small as to how hard I’m going to flex my pinkie when. It’s a straightforward and fast sport, you can have to break it down in complex forms.”
All of the training is done to ensure Perez performs at a high level when the lights come on.
“I try to break it down into those moments, so when I’m on stage I’m not thinking about those things,” he said. “I want to know it so well that I want to do it, so I don’t have to think about the finer points in the moment.”
Perez fights to be an inspiration for his younger brother, Isiah, and leave behind a legacy that his father would be proud of.
“I want my legacy to impact how other people act, mainly, my little brother. If I can help him become a better man than me, I feel like I would have achieved that [legacy],” Perez said. “I just want to give him what I got. I got 21 years with my dad, ad he was my best [expletive] friend. He only got seven. He didn’t meet him. He doesn’t understand it, but it hurts because my dad was a good dude.”
