Not many 17-year-old high school students can say they have three boxing title belts to their name.
Amateur boxer Ruben Perez, a student at Santa Maria High School, can.
Recently, Perez took home the championship belt for the 141-pound division at the ADIDAS National Tournament held May 13 to 15 in Oxnard. Perez fought all three days in the single-elimination tournament, striving to stay on top of his opponents and make it to the final fight.
“When I won the championship fight, I felt happy,” he said. “I did it for my dad.”
Perez’s father Eduardo passed away from cancer March 24 at the age of 34. Eduardo, who started Ruben in boxing at age 10, also trained him for seven years.
Since he began his boxing career, Perez has fought in 11 sanctioned fights, sporting a 9-2 record. The last time he lost a fight was when he was 11 years old. Last year, he took home the belt in the State Championship.
Perez’s grandfather (Mike Almaguer, Sr.) and uncle (Mike Almaguer, Jr.) have taken up training him, helping prepare him for the national tournament. He trains every day after school, from 5 to 10 p.m. with the Santa Maria Police Activities League at the Minami Center.
Aside from the physical health benefits, Perez said boxing has helped him with previous anger problems, as well as improving his focus.
“I used to get in fights a lot when I was young,” Perez said. “My dad put me in boxing, and it helped my focus and my grades get better.”
Almaguer, Jr., said he couldn’t be more pleased with his nephew.
“He is very focused,” he said. “I’m proud of him, and so is his family.”
Perez took two days to recover from his nationals fight, but he’s started his training regimen with vigor once again. He’s currently preparing for the World Championship in Coachella, set for July 13 to 16.
Perez plans to attend Allan Hancock College to study criminal justice; he hopes to become a probation officer. As for his boxing career, he eventually wants to take it to the next level.
“I would like to become a professional fighter at age 19 or 20,” he said.
This article appears in Jun 2-9, 2011.