Cain Sandoval will always rep Sacramento in word and deed, but to move his career forward, he’s set up shop in the place where many have gone to chase their dreams – Hollywood. More specifically, Freddie Roach’s Wild Card Boxing Club.

“I love it,” said Sandoval, who faces Mark Bernaldez this Friday at Chumash Casino in Santa Ynez. “I feel like I needed this transition in my career to elevate myself and not only just my boxing, but as a person.”

It’s a big move for anyone, especially a 22-year-old getting thrown into a place where 22-year-olds can find plenty of ways to get into trouble. But Sandoval has not given into the temptations around him – he’s all business.

“I don't go out,’ he said. “I just train and come back home.”

That’s a good call, and probably a necessary one given the work he’s getting with the killers in Roach’s gym. But he’s not blinking, not walking into the gym on sparring day wondering who is going to try punching him in the face.

“Definitely not,” Sandoval said. “I come from a place where you have to adapt and either eat or get eaten, and here, I'm eating. I really liked the dynamic of Freddie’s gym since I turned pro when I was 19. I've heard stories about the gym, that they have top-notch sparring there, and everybody's down to earth and everybody's cool. So it was always in my mind that if I did make a change, I would go to Wild Card.”

He's settled now and enjoying the work he’s getting in Hollywood. And as smooth as the transition has been, that doesn’t mean there weren’t some detractors and doubters when he packed his bags to go.

“My family was supportive, but some people didn't like it,” said Sandoval. “Some people thought that it was a personal thing when it really wasn't. My business is boxing and this was to elevate that. Some people don't like it, and if you don't like it, f--k off. I don't care. I'm doing this for my family to elevate my skills to put myself to the top.”

In just 14 pro fights, Sandoval has shown the potential to get to where he wants to go in the junior welterweight division. He’s got power, he’s fighting quality opposition, and he’s got the determination to make a better life for himself and his family, especially his two daughters, who he hasn’t seen over the last two months in training camp.

“Back then, I really didn't appreciate coming home to my kids,” he said. “I ain't going to lie, I'd party and stuff after my pro fights in early my career when I was 19, 20. Now since I've been out here, I haven't seen them for almost two months. I'm going to go straight to see my kids after this fight.”

The 25-6 Bernaldez should be a solid test for Sandoval in Friday’s headliner. He can punch, he’s been around, and he can give the favorite some rounds. In other words, it’s a fight for where he should be at this point in his career. Sandoval knows it, mainly because he’s been doing this for most of his life – and he’s got the video to prove it, as evidenced by a recent Instagram post that showed him in his formative years as a boxer.

“It's not really a trip because since I was little, I knew I was going to be here,” he said. “It's not a cocky thing, but I knew that I had the talent.”

Talent will only get you so far in this game, and it’s figuring out the rest that will take him to a world championship. Sandoval is not all the way there yet, but he’s closing in, with the maturity to shut out the noise and leave home to get the work he needs a key in the process. And that, he owes to his parents.

“My parents told me not to listen to other people when I was little,” said Sandoval. “I'm not saying be disobedient or anything, because people that love me are telling me, ‘This is what you need for your career and I'm proud of you for this.’ But then you got this person like, ‘Who do you think you are?’ I'm not going to listen to the person that thinks what I’m doing is wrong. I'm going to listen to the person that loves me, that tells me, ‘This is going to help you.’ I don't let outside noise get into my head.”

With that shut off, he’s free to let his fists fly.

“Every fight matters now,” Sandoval said. “Every step I take, every training camp, everything I do during a training camp matters. It's not like, ‘Oh yeah, it's a four-week training camp and you're fighting this guy with more losses than wins.’ I'm not in that position anymore and I consider that with everything, the world is watching.”