New boxing series in Spanish from Hulu La Maquina The series may not be directly based on a true story, but there are plenty of real-life inspirations behind the series, so here’s the context viewers need before diving into the critically acclaimed show. Although boxing has been a theme covered in all the iconic movies and TV shows such as Rocky, Raging Bulland much more, La Maquina looks at how the worlds of Mexican boxing and crime intersect. The show’s intense boxing storyline is incredibly entertaining.here are the real events related to Mexican boxing that inspired Hulu La Maquina.
La Maquina comes from frequent collaborators Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna, who have appeared together in landmark projects such as And Tu Mama Tambien. In the duo’s latest collaboration, an aging boxer and his manager become embroiled in a criminal scandal when they make a deal with a gangster who promises they will die if the boxer doesn’t lose his next fight. While the story of Esteban “Makina” Osuna Gael García Bernal may not be based on one real person, it does have some interesting connections to the real world of Mexican boxing.
La Maquina is not a real boxer
It can be inspired by many sources
As it turns out, Esteban Osuna, nicknamed “La Maquina” by Gael García Bernal, shares his name with a real-life boxer named Esteban Osuna. However, this is where the similarities end. The real-life Esteban Osuna was an Argentine boxer who was active from 1960 to 1979 and was apparently successful throughout his fighting career. However, the real Esteban Osuna has no known ties to the underworld, and the story of Gael García Bernal’s Esteban “La Maquina” Osuna is completely unrelated to him, although it is unknown whether the series intentionally chose this common name.
Although the true sources of inspiration for Esteban “Makin” Osuna have not yet been revealed, it can be assumed that the character is taken from many real-life Mexican boxers.. IN La MaquinaEsteban is considered an underdog as his age leads many to believe he has failed. Diego Luna’s Andy is having trouble finding opponents for Esteban, which is a key factor in why the duo turn to the Mexican boxing underworld. So, while the real boxers who inspired Esteban remain a mystery, we can take a look at a few real outsiders from the world of Mexican boxing.
Connected
While it has not yet been confirmed that Jose Valenzuela is the direct inspiration, this is a recent story from the world of Mexican boxing that is reminiscent of the protagonist La Maquina. Valenzuela was the underdog who ended up winning the World Super Lightweight Championship by defeating Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz in a completely unexpected move.
Another Mexican boxer similar to Esteban Osuna is Luis Villanueva Paramo, also known as Kid Azteca. Despite his name, Kid Azteca quickly became known for his age as his professional boxing career spanned four decades. Over time, his age did become a factor in determining whether matches would be made and who would fight him, similar to the situation with Esteban earlier in the season. La Maquina. However, these are just two of many incredibly famous Mexican boxers who could serve as inspiration for La Maquina when the series was written.
Boxing has a long history with corruption
As depicted in many films
Boxing has been associated with corruption for an incredibly long time. sport and crime go hand in hand. While this is obviously not the case for every person involved in the world of boxing, many professional boxing leagues and professional boxers have been involved in various corrupt practices, with things like match rigging and deliberately staging fights often being seen.
Boxing’s previous connections to organized crime, as well as other questionable activities, have contributed to the sport’s reputation. Many of the most famous boxing films and TV shows deal with this issue, such as series such as Daredevil and movies like Pulp Fiction with stories like La Maquina in which a fighter is forced into combat to help the mafia. Stories about boxers who were forced to dive, but they refused to become the poster child for the sport of boxing. La Maquina this is the best recent example of this.
Things haven’t gotten much better in recent years. In 2022 McLaren Global Sports Solutions published an independent investigation of the International Boxing Association that found evidence of official corruption, secret signaling between people in and outside the ring, allegedly corrupt results figures and much more. In 2019, the International Olympic Committee suspended recognition of the IBA due to corruption, among other things, and refused to reinstate the organization in 2023 after finding insufficient improvements. So, the state of the modern boxing world is still not very good, so corruption is everywhere. La Maquina this is not surprising.
Boxing’s dark history with organized crime explained
The two have been linked together for centuries
Boxing’s history with corruption has already been touched upon, but the history of boxing’s ties to organized crime is even more important. Boxing brand Boxrow has done a fantastic analysis of some of the most famous organized crime stories that resonate with boxing, highlighting how groups like the Mafia helped the sport grow.
One of the most famous stories about the connections of the mafia with the boxing centers of fighter Jake LaMotta, described in the Martin Scorsese film “Raging Bull”. LaMotta was a talented boxer who, unfortunately, had close ties to the mafia: in 1947, he was asked to arrange a match against Billy Fox. New York State Athletic Commission Investigates and Suspends LaMotta. In 1960, LaMotta testified against the Mafia, highlighting their role in the boxing world.
Connected
The world of organized crime also overlaps with the world of Mexican boxing. One famous incident occurred in 1983, when a 77-year-old trainer named Roberto “Uncle” Jimenez was shot and killed as he entered the ring to congratulate a fighter. It was suspected that Jimenez’s murder had a direct connection to organized crime, as they potentially lost money on the fight due to Jimenez’s involvement (UPI). This story is very similar to the story La Maquinaalthough the Hulu show does take a lot of interesting and fresh directions.
Sources: Boxraw, McLaren Global Sports Solutions.