Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Isabel Garcia of Clovis hits the heavy bag during Wednesday evening's practice session at Roy Walker Gym. Garcia plans to fight in this weekend's Golden Gloves state championships, also at Roy Walker.
Eliseo Contreras-Silgueruo of Clovis is all focus at Wednesday's practice.
CLOVIS — Waiting to step into the Golden Gloves ring is kind of like waiting for Christmas — except that you get to hit somebody.
A pair of boxers who call Clovis home will be among a to be determined number of fighters hoping to take a state title and move one step closer to the national tournament in Omaha, Nebraska.
Fighters in up to nine weight classes will battle with hopes to qualify for the April 28 Colorado-New Mexico regional tournament in Albuquerque.
Roy Walker Gymnasium will host the event, which starts 7 p.m. Friday, 7 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. Admission will be $10 for adults, $5 for kids 12-and-under and $7 for military/senior citizens/first responders.
"We'll have a few show bouts," Bobcat Boxing Club trainer Tony Romero said. "They won't be able to advance but they'll get in a fight and get some experience, win or loss."
Local fighters seeking Golden Gloves titles are Isabel Garcia and Eliseo Contreras-Silgueruo.
Contreras-Silgueruo has New Mexico residency, but spent his last 14 years in the Grand Rapids, Michigan, area before coming to Clovis.
"A lot of stuff was going on up there and I needed to separate myself from it," Contreras-Silgueruo said. "Clovis is a perfect place to focus."
Armed with an 18-0 amateur record coming in, the fighter has shown promise — though Romero admits it's tough to know what work is required until he's actually seen him fight.
Contreras-Silgueruo is just looking for a good fight before he plans to turn pro in September through connections he made in Grand Rapids with Floyd Mayweather's Money Team.
"I just want to do my best," he said. "I want to do my best, pray they're at their best so I get the best fight possible. If I win, great. If not, I'll have the experience."
Garcia is 13-10 overall and 1-1 on the year, with a win over 2017 USA Boxing regional champ Hannah Thompson and a loss to Myshelle Allen of Mesa, Arizona by decision.
"I just need to become busier (in the ring)," Garcia said of what she learned from the defeat. "I stay busy, but I do feel like I need to throw more punches."
Matches and title brackets won't be known until fighters check in for the weekend. Romero said a boxer who doesn't have competition in the weight class can get an automatic berth into regionals, but the preference is to get in a match just for experience.
