BY L.J. GAMBONE
APPLE VALLEY REVIEW
Score another win for High Desert youth.
Like countless times before, local boxing coaches Robert Espinoza and his son Armando led two more of their protégés to victory last November at the Bi-national Boxing Games in Tijuana, Mexico.
Apple Valley resident Matthew Juarez, 16, took home a gold medal, fighting in the 132-pound weight class. Apple Valley resident George Navarro, also 16, earned a silver in the 114-pound weight class.
“I’m very proud of these young men,” said Espinoza, who also is head coach for the boxing program at the Hesperia Police Activities League. “They are such good examples of how hard work and dedication can pay off in a big way. Hopefully, other kids in the community will be inspired by their achievements.”
Juarez attends Apple Valley High School and said he began training in 2013 at Robert and Armando’s Apple Valley-based gym, United Team Boxing. The sophomore developed a passion for the sport around the age of 13, which he said came as a big surprise.
“Me and my family were living in Long Beach at the time and my dad enrolled me in boxing so I would have something to do after school,” Juarez said. “It sounded like it might be fun but after two days of training, I knew it was something I wanted to seriously pursue.”
Ever since, Juarez said he has kept a strict training schedule five to six days per week, two to three hours a day. Throughout his career, he's fought in the Diamond Belt tournament held at Oak Hills High School, as well as several other local competitions. The Bi-national Boxing Games was his biggest competition to date.
“Some of the boxers at the games in Tijuana had to fight in preliminary rounds but I went straight to finals,” said Juarez, who credits his coaches and his faith in God for his success. “It was a tough fight and I had to stay on point the whole time.
“But the hard work paid off and it felt really great to win a gold medal in a place that wasn’t even my home gym.”
Like Juarez, Navarro said he couldn’t help but feel proud of himself for winning a medal at the Bi-national Boxing Games. The Apple Valley High School senior fought in a preliminary match the first day of competition and won by decision. After a valiant effort in the finals, he said he lost the match but ultimately won the silver medal in his weight class.
“I tried my hardest to win but I fought a guy who had a lot more experience than me,” said George. “Still, it felt great to win the silver medal and I definitely learned a lot from the mistakes I made.”
In the future, both young men said they hope to turn professional. For now, the students have their sights set on scoring victories in the upcoming Southern California Golden Gloves Qualifier Tournament, which will be held in Los Angeles, March 17 to 28.
“The thing I love most about boxing is that it teaches me discipline,” Juarez said. “And I’ve also learned that if you want to be successful in life, you have to work for it. Nothing is going to be handed to you.”
For more information about Espinoza’s free boxing program through the HPAL, visit http://www.cityofhesperia.us and search "HPAL."