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Friday, July 30, 2010 | Serving Del Rio and Val Verde County: Since 1929
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Reviving an old tradition
Published March 4, 2010
A local boxing club has a new name, a new look and hopefully a new lease on an old tradition.
Community leaders, boxers and coaches gathered Feb. 25 to celebrate the official opening of the Doc Calderon Boxing Club located adjacent to the American G.I. Forum - Dr. Fermin Calderon Chapter at 411 E. Morin St.
The club is an amalgamation of sorts of two former Del Rio boxing groups – the former American G.I. Forum Boxing Club and Albino’s Boxing Club. But the goal of the new club will remain the same – to train new boxers and to help keep Del Rio’s youth out of trouble and off the streets.
According to Hector Calderon, son of the late Dr. Fermin Calderon, boxing has been a tradition in Del Rio since the 1960s. He said his father was a strong supporter of the sport until he passed away.
He said the new club would offer the same opportunities to any youth willing to work and willing to learn.
“There’s no charge for kids to come in and practice or use the equipment. We give kids time because we want to see who’s willing to stick with the program and who’s actually ready for what boxing entails,” Calderon said. “We’re still getting reorganized but we have a lot of help from these supporters.”
While there is no fee to visit the facility or to use some of the equipment, kids who want to actually join the club will have to pay a $50 fee. That fee goes towards the purchase and upkeep of equipment and other costs associated with the club.
Should a young man, or woman, want to become certified by the state of Texas they would have to pay an additional fee to become officially licensed.
Eloy Cardenas and Luis Fernandez serve as the club’s coaches. Both men have sons in the club and both used to be a part of Albino Cruz’s club before he passed away in late 2009.
Cardenas said that it takes time to develop a fighter and that kids who walk through the door won’t just be put through their paces and thrown into a ring.
“If they put everything they have into training, it takes roughly two to three months to become ring ready. Of course that all depends on the individual fighter. Some kids take more time and some take less,” Cardenas said.
On the day of the official opening about 18 young men showed up to either train or see what the club was all about. As Cardenas and Fernandez worked with the more experienced fighters on one side of the room, JoElda Retana, a volunteer, helped put the newer kids through a series of drills and exercises intended to develop a variety of physical areas that boxers would need.
The club currently trains fighters from ages 10 to 21. When the fighters spar, they’re paired up in groups based on weight and experience.
The space in the building is limited. One half of the structure is dedicated to equipment including three heavy bags, one speed bag and a small gathering of workout equipment such as a medicine ball or free weights.
The other half of the building houses a makeshift ring. The ring’s floor is wood and uncovered. The ropes are just that – thick ropes more suited for climbing than bouncing off or resting against. Cardenas said the fighters dislike them because they’ll burn the flesh as the fighters work their way along them.
But despite the conditions the fighters put the same amount of work into their practice as if they were in a multimillion-dollar gymnasium. They grunt with every punch to the heavy bag. They sweat with every leap over the jump rope and they pant with every step they take as they practice their footwork.
Equipment is the biggest need for the club. Older gloves are discolored and the once vibrant red cover that landed with a “thwap” against a heavy bag or flesh is now frayed and falling off, leaving only the exposed material the glove is actually made of.
Cardenas said the club still needs more gloves, officially certified headgear and groin protection, punching bags and speed bags
“We need the proper equipment to train and to compete,” Cardenas said.
To help with those costs the club is holding a chicken plate fundraiser Sunday, March 7 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the G.I. Forum building. Drive-up sales are welcome though tickets are available through forum members.
The group will also use funds collected to help offsets costs for an upcoming Junior Olympics bout in San Antonio. Cardenas said the club hopes to take about five fighters to the event later this year.
“Our goal eventually is to bring some amateur bouts to Del Rio. We don’t have a timetable for that, but we know it’s something we want to do,” Calderon said.
Persons interested in learning more about the club are invited to attend practices that are held Monday through Friday from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.
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