Hector Echavarria:
Justice Is Served
Hector Echavarria:
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How You Know Him: Miami Vice (TV series), Cradle 2 the Grave Where You’ll See Him Soon: Dead Warriors, King of the Cage (movie) Martial Arts Experience: judo, jujutsu, kenpo, kung fu, taekwondo, tai chi Argentine-born fighter, writer, director and producer Hector Echavarria fits the profile of the self-made man. He’s climbed to his current position in the movie business through his many talents, enthusiasm for making personal connections and desire to help others. “I love helping people grow and be better,” he says. “I get that from the traditional martial arts. Whenever there’s an opportunity, I teach someone new techniques and abilities to make him a better fighter and a better person. I don’t charge for this; I do it because I love the martial arts.” Fortunately, he’s able to support himself from his work as an actor and producer. Although he no longer needs to earn a living through competitive fighting, he stays in touch with the community. “Staying in touch,” in this case, means training the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s light-heavyweight titleholder Quinton Jackson. “I was acting in Confessions of a Pit Fighter, and I was approached by Quinton’s manager at the time, Jeremy Lappen, who wanted to sign me on for some fights,” Echavarria says. “I told him I was concentrating 100 percent on the film industry and couldn’t do both. So he took me to train with Quinton. When he saw my kicking and asked for my help, I said, ‘Absolutely.’ His head trainer, Juanito Ibarra, who used to train Oscar De La Hoya, saw me working with Quinton and thought we made a great team.” Since then, Echavarria has tutored the champ in kickboxing. He helped him prepare for his bouts with Chuck Liddell and Dan Henderson, both of which were major victories for Jackson. Echavarria’s latest movie project is Duel of Legends, which is slated to appear at the American Film Market in November 2007. “I was the director and star of the picture,” he says. “It’s going to have a worldwide theatrical release next year. I’m playing opposite Cary Tagawa, a great actor who’s been in some big movies.”
In 2000 Echavarria was featured in his own comic book called Hector: El Justiciero. The story follows his character, the first Western monk to emerge from Shaolin Temple, as he goes from wandering spiritual aide to deadly “justice maker” after his family is threatened. The title sold well all over South America. “I’ve already been approached about a film adaptation,” he says. “We’re in negotiations now.” As if he doesn’t have enough work to keep him busy, he’s debuting a new line of street wear. “We’re going to have a huge launch in February 2008 at the Magic Show in Las Vegas,” he explains. “A bunch of the guys I train with—Quinton and Rigan Machado and some other fighters—are going to show up. And some of the actors—like Armand Assante and Flavor Flav—are coming, too. We’re going to do a huge show and put a cage there and do some demos. It’s going to be a lot of fun.” Clearly, Echavarria’s generosity and industriousness are coming back to him in multiple forms. He’s living proof of what’s possible when a martial artist puts himself out there and stays true to his roots. ________________________________________ EXCLUSIVE BEHIND-THE-SCENES PHOTOS! (Photos by Raymond Horwitz)
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