Silver
&
amp; Black Attack Boxing Club fighters Hernandez, Santiago both
win three-round bouts.
GILROY – For one Silver & Black Attack Boxing Club fighter, last weekend’s exhibition bout in Marin City was just another small stepping stone in his quest for a Junior Olympics National Championship.
For another young pugilist, Saturday’s three-round fight was something he will never forget as his hand was raised in victory for the first time ever but not the last.
Defending 90-pound California State Champ Jacob Hernandez, 13, of Gilroy, improved his amateur record to 13-2 with a 2-1 decision over Jerado Silva, 14, of Union City, while fellow Silver & Black Attack boxer Andrew Santiago, 9, of Gilroy, evened his record at 1-1 by defeating Alexander Acosta, 9, of Concord.
“Jacob took it to him. The kid was a little taller than him, but Jacob had more reach,” assistant coach Roy Ramon said. “(Andrew) did everything right. He threw a lot of straight punches. The other kid was swimming punches and throwing wild.”
Hernandez, now bulked up to a 102-pound fighter, gave up five pounds to Silva – who weighed in at 107 pounds for the fight – and was a year younger than him. But Hernandez was hungry to get back into the ring since his two-month lay-off.
“It was a close fight, but I threw cleaner and straighter punches,” said Hernandez, a seventh grader at South Valley Middle School. “I wanted to fight. I’ve been on a roll. My winning streak is at four in a row.”
It was not an easy fight, though.
“The first round it looked like the kid (Silva) was a little faster than Jacob,” Ramon said. “But Jacob was more aggressive, landing more power shots. When the kid’s head goes back, it’s more points for Jacob.”
In the second round of the three-round bout, Hernandez had a point deducted for ducking his head below the waist of Silva – who helped the matter by pushing down on Hernandez’ head.
“So in the third round, he just outpunched him,” said Ramon of Hernandez. “The kid was running from him. Jacob cut the ring off. It seemed like the kid was worn down in the third. Even with the point deduction, Jacob won two rounds or else he would have won all three.”
Hernandez – who started his boxing with Silver & Black in 2001 – is coming off a year in which he won his weight division at the Junior Olympics. But Hernandez was not old enough to advance into the national tournament – something he has been waiting for all year.
“I got a lot of experience over there. I got a taste of what it feels like to fight big guys,” said Hernandez, of last year’s Junior Olympics in Michigan. “I’m going to be working on a lot of movement, head movements, solid punches and build more muscle.”
Hernandez wants to fight at 105 pounds in the Junior Olympics – which will begin in April. The Nationals are scheduled for June 14-22 in Alexandria, Louisiana. For now, Hernandez awaits his rematch against Silva on March 1 at the Wilson School Gym, 1840 Benton Street, in Santa Clara.
“I have the last fight recorded. I’m going to study a lot of video,” said Hernandez, who will also fight in the Rumble in Reno. “That’s what I’m working for right now. After the 1st, I’m going to come back and train hard.”
The Silver & Black Attack Boxing Club trains five days a week out of the Gilroy Community Youth Center Gym on Sixth Street in Gilroy. The eight-member unit also trains on Saturdays when a fight is nearing – but Sundays are always rest days.
“I just want to thank the City of Gilroy and the Gang Task Force and Team Guerrero for their support,” said Ramon, who will only allow a member to fight if they are truly ready. “It depends on how prepared they are. We don’t mind going out of state to fight. It depends on their grades in school and how they do in the gym.”
Silver & Black Attack Boxing Club’s No. 1 rule is that all members must keep their grades up in school in order to train and fight with the team.
“Jacob had a little problem in school. He took some time off to get his grades up,” said Ramon, who has high hopes for Hernandez. “He’s much taller than last year and his punches land a lot stronger.”
In only his second amateur fight, Santiago got his first win over Acosta – who he will rematch again on the same card as his teammate Hernandez.
“Usually all fighters lose their first fight because of butterflies, but he came out strong in his second fight,” said Ramon of Santiago. “Even though the kid landed a lot more punches, Andrew showed a lot more technique and threw more straight punches.”
The amateur scoring system is based on technique for offense and defense as well as punches landed.
Santiago started boxing at the beginning of 2002 and has bulked up from 67 pounds to 75 1/2 pounds, the weight he fought at over the weekend.
“It was pretty cool,” said Santiago of winning his fight. “It was a pretty tough match. He was throwing a lot of punches. I didn’t know who was going to win.”
Silver & Black Attack Boxing Club is headed up by Russ Guerrero – father and trainer of undefeated professional Robert ‘The Ghost’ Guerrero. Along with Ramon, the staff includes assistants Rene Garcia and Rich Santiago.
FUNDRAISER: The Silver & Black Attack Boxing Club will be selling hotdogs outside of Nob Hill Foods on First Street in Gilroy as part of their fundraising efforts to save enough money to buy new equipment and uniforms. They will be there from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Anyone interested in signing up for the club can call the Gilroy Community Youth Center gym at 846-0965.
