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35 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, December 16, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend December 2, 2004 Cesar Chavez, right, and Bobby Aguilar train Wednesday at Chavez�s boxing ring located in a Central Point miniature storage unit. Mail Tribune / Jim Craven Back inside the ropes At 30, Cesar Chavez returns from hiatus to take a shot at professional boxing By KEVIN GOFF Mail Tribune Time waits for no man in the world of professional boxing. The constant pounding, the tired legs, and the inevitable decline in reflexes set in as age catches up with a fighter. A boxer’s window of opportunity to make his/her mark on the pro circuit can close faster than a George Foreman Grill on a hamburger patty. Advertisement But Medford’s Cesar Chavez didn’t fuss over his late start. In fact, the 30-year-old, with two fights now under his belt, is in the best condition of his life. "I feel like I’m 21," he says. "I’ve always taken care of myself, so (conditioning) wasn’t an issue. "This is something I really wanted to do." Chavez slipped on the gloves for his first professional fight in September — a close defeat — then countered with a victory in his second fight a month later. He had to back out of an October fight held in Canyonville, but there will be more to come for the 1992 South Medford High graduate. He may be back in the ring as soon as January. "If you had told me I’d be boxing pro at 30," says Chavez, who weighs in at a chiseled 148 pounds, "I’d have laughed at you." With the help of trainer Bobby Aguilar, and a rigorous workout schedule, Chavez is prepared more now than ever for the pro ranks. "It’s definitely different," says Chavez, comparing his first two pro fights to his prior amateur bouts. "I was a little nervous (my first fight). I hadn’t fought in a long time and I was trying to shake off some of the ring rust. "Amateur fights are more about points and pro fights are more about power, or hurting the (opponent). I actually enjoy it more than amateur." For now, Chavez is competing in four-round contests. As he gets more fights under his belt, Aguilar and Chavez hope to bump up to six, then eight and eventually 12-round fights. "Right now I’m just getting my feet wet," says Chavez, who is also a trainer and founder of the Mongoose Boxing Club. "I’m really looking forward to my next fight." Chavez’s entrance to professional status would have made a great movie script, if it hadn’t already been taken. Similar to the baseball movie "The Rookie," based on a true story where a high school baseball coach is talked into trying out as a pitcher for a pro team by his players, Chavez was nudged toward the pro ranks by some of his pupils. "I was sparring with some of my students," he recalls, "and they said, ‘Wow, you should be fighting professionally.’ "It was something I always wanted to do. It’s kinda been a dream of mine." Nine months after the seed was planted, Chavez was fully committed. But he also had to run it by his wife of five years, Tisha. "At first she was kinda hesitant," says Chavez, who has two daughters with his wife, ages 2 and 6. "She doesn’t like the thought of me getting hit, but she’s known throughout our married life that (pro boxing) was a dream in the back of my head. "She’s been very, very supportive." Boxing isn’t just a part-time gig for Chavez. Aside from his job with Charter Communications, he runs 5 to 6 miles every morning before his 8 a.m.-5 p.m. work shift, then works out for another two hours late into the evening. "It’s a long day," says Chavez, "but obviously I love it." Adds Aguilar: "I’ve seen a lot of champions come and go. (Cesar) has the heart and desire to be the next world champion." Chavez started the Mongoose Boxing Club, which trains amateur and professional fighters of all ages, two years ago, and now runs it with the help of Aguilar. The quaint gym, nestled inside a storage unit at the Central Point Mini Storage, boasts a down-sized ring and several speed and heavy bags. "See, this is what boxing’s all about," Chavez says during one of his nightly workouts amongst five other boxers. "No glitz, no glamour. It’s about coming out and getting in a good, hard workout." Besides training, which costs $40 a month per fighter for two-hour sessions on weeknights, Mongoose also offers an aerobic-style training workout for women on Wednesday evenings and Saturday mornings. The club already boasts two pro fighters — 19-year-old Jose Cabrera and 21-year-old Fransua Moncada — and has housed at least three amateur boxers, as well. "We’d like to get more people in so we can get more sparring going," says Chavez. "Boxing is a great workout. It offers a lot for whatever you are looking for, whether it’s conditioning or competing." Cabrera still works out at Mongoose and is hoping to get back into the ring as soon as possible. "I’m just trying to keep fighting," says Cabrera, who’s boxed for 10 years. "I’m trying to stay ready. I’m hoping to get another fight real soon." Chavez, unlike Cabrera, didn’t climb into the ring until he was 19. His father, Ramon, would take Chavez to fights at the Medford Armory, and the sport stuck in the back of the younger Chavez’s mind. He picked up a pair of boxing gloves at a flea mart and fought off-and-on for three years in the amateur class before getting married, having two kids and putting boxing aside. Then the itch came back, and Chavez thought opening the gym would help scratch it. "I thought ‘I’ll open a gym and be a trainer,’" he recalls. "The plan was never to fight again. But here we are." After watching Chavez’s second fight, Aguilar, who himself competed in 156 fights over 19 years, thinks the sky’s the limit for his pupil. "The crowd was booing him when we first came down," says Aguilar of Chavez’s dominating victory in Anacortes, Wash., against a hometown boxer. "(Chavez) really opened a lot of people’s eyes. By the end of the fight, people were cheering him. "It’s rare to see someone who’s 30 and has to do so much (training) on his own. He’s so determined to do this." It may have been a late start, but Chavez considers himself lucky. "I didn’t want to sit around at 40 and wonder what if," he says. "I feel blessed. I get to live out a dream, and I’m still doing it." Reach reporter Kevin Goff at 776-4483 or e-mail [email protected] . Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities