Pedro Azevedo- February 2025
Pedro, has been a member with us for 2 years now. Originally from Brazil, he moved to Vancouver in 2021 —though he’s now stuck in the chaos of rainy weather. Pedro turned to boxing in 2023 after realizing that maybe certain injuries were catching up to him. When he’s not punching bags, he’s diving into philosophy and political economy, fighting for a more equal world. Pedro is a softie at heart—just don’t tell him we said that. Check out our Q & A with him below.
Q: Can you start by providing a summary on who you are – where are you from, what do you do for fun etc?
A: I’m a 35-year-old software engineer from Brazil. I moved to Canada with my partner in 2020, and we’ve been living in Vancouver since mid-2021.
Q: What is your history like with sports/athleticism?
A: I’ve always been into sports—played American football, ran, and trained Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to stay active. But after some pretty bad injuries and the whole COVID-19 situation, I had to find new ways to keep active.
Q: And how long have you been boxing and what got you started in this sport?
A: I’ve tried other martial arts like BJJ, Muay Thai, and Kickboxing, especially when I was younger. I always heard great things about boxing but never got around to trying it. Once COVID-19 calmed down in 2023, I figured it was the perfect time to give it a shot. Wait—has it been almost TWO YEARS already??
Q: Could you share a few words about the coaching/coaches at Contenders, and how it’s been training under them?
A: The coaching team at Contenders is amazing—super attentive and flexible. They really know how to read the room and tailor each session to push everyone, no matter their level. Even after training for a couple of years (I still don’t believe this), I still find myself picking up new things in a fundamentals class and constantly seeing things from a different perspective.
Q: How do you stay consistent and motivated with your practice?
A: I’ve made boxing a regular part of my routine. The fact that Contenders offers classes both early in the morning and late in the afternoon is great. If my schedule changes because of a new project or whatever, I know there’s always a time that works for me to jump into a class.
Q: What challenges do you face in boxing, and how do you work through them?
A: For me, the biggest challenge is definitely the conditioning. It’s tough to keep throwing punches for an hour! 😉 But I try to listen to my body, push my limits just enough, and keep challenging myself in a way that lets me keep improving.
Q: What are both your short term and long-term fitness goals, and how has Contenders helped you in achieving them?
A: In the short term, I just want to keep improving my mental and physical health. Long-term, my goal is to avoid serious injuries and stay able to keep up with high-intensity sports.
Q: …And lastly, tell us something people would be surprised to learn about you?
A: After spending years working and studying IT, I decided to go back to school for a postgrad in Philosophy. Over the last few years, I’ve also been studying political economy, which got me really involved in politics—I’m part of groups like the RCP (Revolutionary Communist Party) and other organizations fighting for a more equal world.
