Veiko Valencia
Boxing is a game with specific rules and strategies. As with other
sports, it takes time to understand them, but to be involved, one
has to know the rules and learn how to adapt. As an immigrant
from Peru, I have experienced many confrontations in the U.S.
that involve issues of culture and identity. There is pressure on
newcomers in America to assimilate and accommodate to the
culture. Ironically, I have seen this within minority groups, each
expecting the “others” to adapt to the American system. As in
boxing, to culturally survive in the U.S., one has to be alert all the
time.