Mayan 'twin' brothers reach for boxing gloves in their battle against life's adversities

By Alexis Terrazas

Bernardo eyes the heavy bag drooping helplessly by a chain. He winds his left hand and unleashes a hook from hell - his power reaching back to the fables of his ancient culture.

It was hell where the mythical Mayan Hero Twins defeated the gods of evil. But for Mayan brothers Bernardo and Alex Nic, the fable of “Hero Twins” Hunahpu and Xbalanque battling their way through the underworld resonates with their own battles against adversity.

“Come on. We’re Yucas. Put your balls into it,” roars Bernardo in Spanish as he drills his fellow compatriots into the canvass. His brother Alex, working-out and watching from the outside rope, prepares himself for the inevitable - his first amateur boxing match. “I’m ready,” says Alex. “I’ve been ready for a long time.”

Those close to the Mayan brothers from Akil, Yucatan, Mexico call them the “twins,” despite their one-year age difference. Similarly to the Hero Twins of Mayan mythology, these brothers have faced and prevailed through adversity.

Alex, 24, and Bernardo, 25, came here 10 years ago and, like many Hispanic immigrant families, settled in the Mission District. Neither one of them liked the area. “There are a lot of crazy people there,” Alex says.

Carrying 160-pounds on his five-foot frame, Bernardo was fearful of his environment, and took to boxing for self-defense. “A crazy person can come looking for a fight anytime,” says Bernardo. “Boxing is like life, and you have to be ready for it.”

But for Alex, there was another more important incentive to putting on the gloves - to defeat his drug addiction. “When I drank, I did a little of everything. Cocaine, crystal, weed,” remembered Alex. “I was messed up. But Bernardo kept pressuring me to work out and take up boxing. He got me out of that, and now, my body doesn’t want it [drugs] anymore.”

Though he’s been clean for a few months, Alex is still saddened by those in his community who suffer from addiction. “These Indians drink and can’t handle it. They end up using other vices, and it pains me because they are my raza.”

Both brothers began training at Third Street Boxing Gym about a year-and-a-half ago under the tutelage of fellow Yucatan native and former prizefighter Roman Acosta. The once fat brothers now appear chiseled out of granite, both weighing between 115-118 pounds.

Also Mayan, Acosta taught the pair and other immigrant fighters the basics of boxing. A family emergency however forced Acosta’s return to Mexico and left many at the gym, Alex and Bernardo included, without a trainer.

With Acosta’s absence, several fighters have abandoned the gym. A core group remains however, largely due to Bernardo’s presence. “Roman taught me a lot. In this country, people don’t fight for necessity like they do in poorer countries,” says Bernardo, citing the lack of top professional pugilists in San Francisco. “Here, there is no motivation.”

But where there is no motivation, the pair creates their own.

“He motivates me, and makes me keep going,” says Alex of his brother. The elder Bernardo assumes the role of drill sergeant, imposing the same grueling training methods he learned from Acosta. “I always push myself and those I workout with,” he says as he explains his philosophy. “If you’re in the ring or on the heavy bag, you’ll get the best workout if you go 100 percent.”

Aside from his intense regiment, Bernardo has also established a feared reputation in the ring.

“Sparring with [Bernardo] is like torture,” said Nino Estrada, an amateur fighter who also trained under Acosta. “He’s fast and super strong. Every time he hit me in the body, he knocked my wind out.”

Estrada, who was 17 when he sparred Bernardo, has yet to get back into the ring with him. “Roman always asked me, ‘do you want to spar today?’ I would always answer ‘with who?’ He always said the same thing - ‘who cares with who,’” laughed Estrada. “I didn’t want to spar with him again, it was torture.”

Though those in the gym feel the ferocity of the Mayan brothers, they themselves are feeling the financial pressures during these uncertain economic times. “They’re cutting hours bad,” says Alex of the restaurant where he and his brothers work. “There is hardly any business; they’ve cut us down to working four days a week.”

But just like the twins from the ancient fable, these brothers think they can triumph through anything. As they both said, they are ready.