'Tougher than boxing': Eleider Alvarez participated in Survivor Colombia

UPDATE DAY

Boxer Eleider Alvarez was in his living room in Quebec during the broadcast of his elimination from the Colombian version of Survivor Last week. A significant experience for the former world champion, during which he lost around thirty pounds.

Alvarez has come a long way in the adventure with only four participants left after his departure. He stayed in a remote corner of the Dominican Republic for a total of 50 days. 

“It was my dream to be on this reality show. In Colombia, it is very popular. It was a great experience, says the 39-year-old athlete. However, I don't think I would go back. It was very difficult.

“When I arrived on the adventure, I weighed 94 kg [208 lb]. By the end, I was down to 80 kg [176 lbs]. I lost a lot of muscle mass. It was the same weight that I had to respect during my fights. 

As we know, Alvarez made dozens of boxing training camps during his career. It puts Survivor, la isla de los famosos in a class of its own. 

“Those are two very different things,” adds Alvarez. In boxing, I knew what to expect from practices or fights. At Survivor, you never know what will happen. 

“We only ate coconuts and rice. For me, it was straight forward and that's why I lost a lot of weight. In addition to rubbing shoulders with funny critters in the jungle.” 

Not a 5 star

The participants live in an environment that is far from 'a five-star hotel by the water. 

“Given that I was born in a coastal village in Colombia [Turbo], I was not too out of place. I knew what to do to cope with the environment I was in, explains Alvarez. 

“We rarely slept at night. We often took naps during the day. The rain also made life difficult for us. It had nothing to do with a boxing training camp where you sleep and eat well.” 

Contrary to what As one might think, his past as an athlete did not favor him in the various events. 

“Eighty percent of the events were mental. I don't count the number of puzzles I had to do during the show.”