Santa Clarita Mayor Bill Miranda praised former WBO middleweight champion Fernando Guerrero and his gym on Sunday for the work they’re doing in the community, teaching area youth boxing skills and life skills — skills of focus, determination, competitiveness, endurance and self-defense.
For his support, Guerrero offered Miranda the Mayor’s Cup.
The Mayor’s Cup boxing event took place over the weekend at Guerrero Boxing Gym off Avenue Stanford in the Valencia Industrial Center. On Sunday before matches began, Miranda spoke to the crowd about his excitement for the matches to come.
“Thank you everybody for coming here to watch some fantastic boxing by some fantastic competitors,” Miranda told a crowd of people waiting to see the fights. “It’s an honor for me to be part of this, and I can’t wait to watch the boxers do their thing. So, let’s get ready to rumble.”
The three-day boxing event took place last weekend and will conclude on Sunday.
According to Yuri Shirinyan, director of operations at the gym, local fighters from the Guerrero Boxing Gym and others from all over the state, and even outside of the state, competed Saturday and Sunday. Shirinyan said fighter ages ranged from 9 to 40 years old. Most participants were in their teens.
The event drew approximately 700 boxers and spectators, he said.
Shirinyan added that the Guerrero Boxing Gym is a little over a year old, and while it’s still a bit unknown in the community, it’s growing.
“This will be called the mecca of boxing here,” he said early in the day on Saturday. “We’re growing rapidly.”
According to Guerrero, who came to live in Canyon Country about four years ago because the small town reminded him of his hometown in the Dominican Republic, the weekend’s event offered what he called “some bangers.”
He said there were some good fights and some really strong fighters. The community has shown him that it wants boxing.
“There’s a need here,” Guerrero said. “Boxing is a big sport. Not everyone can be a football player or basketball player.”
Boxing coach Robby Robinson, who’s also a Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station juvenile intervention specialist, said Guerrero is all about helping the kids, the families and the community. He spoke about how Guerrero is bringing the community together with the creation of his boxing gym and his boxing school.
“When I met him, before all of this (the boxing ring) was up, he talked about it,” Robinson said during the Mayor’s Cup event on Saturday. “So, he’s a man of his word. If he says he’s going to do something, he does it.”
Robinson added that Guerrero will also help out people who can’t afford lessons. And he spends one-on-one time with his fighters, teaching them boxing skills and life skills.
As Robinson was talking about Guerrero, a fighter approached the former middleweight champ for just that, and Guerrero offered tips and words of encouragement.
Over in the dressing room, several fighters were getting wrapped up and warmed up for their fights. Brian Ligama, 17, of Canyon Country was throwing punches at his coach, Anthony Messina of Sun Valley.
Messina had been coaching at the Guerrero Boxing Gym for about a year. Prior to that, he hadn’t coached much, but he fought quite a bit.
“This is good for the kids — a good experience,” he said. “They need to understand what it’s like to lose and what it’s like to win. That feeling goes both ways, and whether you’re going to win after a loss or if you’re going to give up.”
Messina added that Ligama had shown potential. The two were going to find out what he had in the coming moments. Ligama was up next to fight, and it was, he said, his first amateur fight. He was going up against Alodiel Reynoso, 15, of Los Banos.
In the ring, Ligama put on a show and hit with power. Between rounds, Guerrero went to Ligamo’s corner to keep the young fighter focused.
Ligamo would win his fight and take home a trophy. But other fights continued throughout the weekend, each day’s bouts between 1 and 7 p.m.
According to Shirinyan, Guerrero is hoping to do more boxing events — monthly events.
Miranda said he’s excited about what’s to come. While boxing offers entertainment for the community, he said he’s most proud to have such a skill-building school for residents who participate.
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