By Austin Killeen

In their best showing in several years, New Mexico will be sending five boxers to Chattanooga, Tennessee to compete in the National Golden Gloves Championships; three males and two females. This is only the second year that females have been allowed to compete for titles at the national level. Here are some of the previous male winners. Hopefully, I have not forgotten any prior champions.  Freddie Garcia 1963 at flyweight, Brooks Byrd 1967 at featherweight, Earl Large 1967 and 1968 at bantamweight, Ray Theragood 1972 at bantamweight, Ronnie Rentz 1981 flyweight, Johnny Tapia 1985 flyweight, and Baldo Ramirez 1996 bantamweight. Could the class of 2019 produce the first female boxer to bring home a title to the “Land of Enchantment?”

 

Meet the young men and woman who will represent New Mexico in this year’s Golden Gloves national championships.

At 114 Pounds: Abraham Perez, Albuquerque (Perez Boxing) qualified for the GG’s finals for the first time. If lineage means anything, Perez has a good chance to bring home a title. His father Aaron, Sr. and Uncle Jordan run Legacy Boxing Promotions while his brother Aaron, Jr. is one of hottest pro prospects in the country. He also has a younger brother Andrew, who is a promising amateur talent. Trained by his father, the last year has been a great one for Perez. He finished second both in the USA Eastern Regionals and USA Nationals. Additionally, he was selected to train with the Olympic team and boxed in Europe. A good showing this week and he’ll continue to train at the Olympic Village in Colorado and gain additional experience internationally. Max Moya pictured on the left, helped prepare Perez for the nationals.

 

Sharahya Moreu, Albuquerque (Moreu Boxing) will represent New Mexico in the 151-pound woman’s division. Like Perez, Moreu has a rich background in amateur competition. Although she didn’t have to fight to reach the GGs finals, she has had sixty amateur bouts all across the country as well as competing in competitions in three other countries. Presently she is ranked second nationally in her division. This has resulted in her being asked to train at the Olympic Village and gaining international experience. Like Perez, she is also trained by her father, Yoruba Moreu. Additionally, she also has a younger brother Yoruba, Jr. who is also a talented amateur. I’ve watched Moreu develop her skills since she was thirteen years old. Her development as a boxer is amazing.

Because of their extended amateur backgrounds, both Perez and Moreu have the ability to come up with a plan ‘B’ if they get into early trouble. As a result, they both have to be considered capable of winning in their divisions.

Jorge Madrid, Columbus, New Mexico will represent the state in the men’s 141-pound division. Madrid lacks the amateur background of Perez and Moreu so the jury is out on what to expect of the fighter coming from the border town of Columbus. In this year’s state final he upset the defending state champion with a display of infighting that seemed to consume all the oxygen in the ring. Traveling to the regionals in Colorado, he proved his state title was no fluke, stopping his opponent in the second round. I usually don’t like a lot of noise coming out of a fighter’s corner, but Madrid trainer Leo Hand makes it work. Simply put, when it comes to Madrid/Hand the sum is greater than its parts. The challenge facing Madrid; is he capable of handling a talented opponent who has a superior background against stronger competition. One thing you can be sure of; Madrid will be in excellent condition and explode from his corner at the opening bell.

If you go to the link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onDcEZDnLlw you will see a very moving video on Madrid. He is only 18 years old but much wiser than his age. The video made me think of the children’s book “The Little Engine That Could.” After watching it, it’s about seven minutes long, you’ll believe in Madrid’s chances regardless of his experience. One of the points of the video is the special relationship he has with his coach Leo Hand. Every boxer and trainer should have a bond that Madrid and Hand share.

Chris Okoa, Albuquerque will represent New Mexico in the 201-plus division. I had the opportunity to speak with Okoa at the state golden gloves, but obviously not see him box. Earlier this week I went to the Jack Candelaria Community Center at 400 San Jose Ave SE to see him train. Okoa has a limited background, less than six amateur fights. Standing at 6’ 5” Okoa is a physical specimen, but the Nationals are a boxing tournament not a body building contest. So expecting him to capture the big prize is a huge challenge. When I went to the gym I met his trainer, former pro Joe Louis Murphy. Having Murphy in his corner is a big plus for the inexperienced Okoa. A southpaw I watched him spar with Charles Lewis a 165 pounder, who I have seen box. Lewis like Okoa is a very nice young man. Okoa’s parents come from Nigeria, but he was born in this country. The sir name Okoa is a common name in his parent’s country, but obviously not in America. At twenty-nine years of age, Okoa has ambitions outside of the ring. He has an Associate’s degree in Psychology and hopes to ultimately earn a Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology. Hopefully, he can use his educational background to psych out his opponents this week.

Yvonne Gonzales, Albuquerque (Power Plant Boxing Gym) will represent New Mexico in the 106-pound division. Surprisingly she didn’t get into boxing until her mid-twenties. A girlfriend was in training to be an MMA fighter and asked Gonzales if she would work out with her. Gonzales discovered she liked the boxing aspect of the training and decided to pursue amateur boxing. Like Okoa, Gonzales has had less than six amateur bouts. In our interview over the phone, she stated that she had only lost one fight. She stated she is tall and that she boxes from an orthodox stance. Because of her height, she likes to lead with her jab and use good footwork to create distance. She stated that she was disappointed that she had no opponent in either the state or regional competition. Like Okoa she is also in her late twenties and has a Bachelor’s in Business Administration from the University of New Mexico. She works as a hairstylist for Mark Pardo Salon in Albuquerque. She hopes to use her knowledge from college to establish her own studio some day. She closed the interview with the following comment; “I want to take in the experience of the sport and enjoy the process of being an amateur boxer.”