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Valleywide boxing exhibition Saturday in Westmorland

December 12, 2002|By TOM RONCO, Special to this newspaper

Boxers from the around the Valley will meet Saturday to challenge fighters from the Westmorland Police Activities League and the Westmorland Boxers Against Drugs Boxing Club as they host a full exhibition card at the Westmorland Youth Center starting at 4 p.m.

The main event will feature 16-year-old, 147-pounder Charley "Golden Boy" Romero of Westmorland BAD, who will box Omar Arevalos of the El Centro PAL.

Romero warmed up for this weekend's main event by defeating Julio Nuñez of the San Luis PAL at the Ringside Challenge hosted by the Yuma County Youth Boxing Association on Dec. 7.

"He simply outboxed him. The other fighter was 10 pounds heavier but Charley beat him with his skills," said veteran youth trainer Ernie "Mono" Fierro of Westmorland BAD.

"It went well; better than I expected," said Romero. "He tried to intimidate me but I stayed away in the first round and tried to see what he had.

"By the second and third rounds I started throwing combinations and was able to get him against the ropes and score points," he added.

Westmorland's Jesse Romero, Fabian "Bam Bam" Lopez, Jose "Pepe" Villalobos, J.C. "Zurdito" Lopez and George "El Puma" Plascencia will represent the hosts on the under card.

El Centro PAL will have the largest contingent of fighters at the match, including Jonathan Rojas, Alex Camacho, Hugo Manjarrez, Alonso Rojas, Arturo Leon, Richard Lopez and Sergio "Goofy" Cardenas.

The Calexico Boxing Club will be represented by Pollo Velazquez and Eduardo Avila while Calipatria will be represented by Roberto Ledezma.

The La Gente Boxing Club of Brawley, managed by Ruben Garcia and coached by Greg Diaz and Ralph Espinoza, will feature Javier "Pee Wee" Cardenas, Freddy Rugio and Emanuel Diaz.

Diaz recently won the 70-pound weight class title at the USA Boxing Association's Silver Gloves State Boxing Championships in Long Beach, qualifying him for the upcoming Silver Gloves Western Regional Championships in Norwalk in January.

General admission to the Westmorland event is $4.

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