Fighter at heart

Soberano (second from right) coached competitors in the reality TV series The Ultimate Fighter: China (2013). Photo provided to China Daily

He entered his first fight at 12 and won his first US state title in kickboxing at 24, four years after immigrating to the US. He bagged his last muay Thai championship belt in Thailand in 2008, and has appeared as a coach in the Chinese reality TV series The Ultimate Fighter: China (2013).

This summer, Soberano released 50: Fit and Fighting, a book that talks of how he has stayed in shape through exercise, nutrition and nourishing relationships. He wants it to send a message of hope that no matter how old people may get, they can take steps to keep fit and enjoy life.

When he visits his childhood friends, Soberano says he sees how some of them have just given up on staying fit.

"I sit next to them and I feel like I'm their grandson. The age difference between us physically is so huge," he says. "Some of these guys were top football players in school, top basketball players ... These were the same guys who wouldn't let me play with them because I was so crappy."

Soberano can be a model not just to men and women in their middle years but also to those in their adolescence. Among the students at his northeastern Beijing gym is a plump 12-year-old boy who has been training for about a month.

His movements are slow and heavy compared to those of the muscular adult men around him. But in an hourlong boxing class, he doesn't give up on the punching drills, footwork and pushups. Maybe the boy knows that 40 years ago, his teacher also faced similar challenges.

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