Jesus Flores:
Twenty one years old Jesus Flores has been boxing for 3 and half years. Actually, Jesus’ dream was not boxing but be Wrestling. His first setback was his weight. At 278 Lbs he started exercising in the Canal Street Boxing Gym in order to lose weight and become a wrestler.
José Martinez, owner and trainer of Canal Street Boxing Gym, also known as Bugsy among friends and boxing fans saw him doing some movements that were more associated to boxing than with wrestling, strongly recommended him changing careers. “With that weight you can compete in the Heavyweight division,” he told Jesus. From that day on until the present his fortune changed. He has participated in 4 fights, winning 3 and losing one by split decision.
Jesus is well known in the Lowell Memorial Auditorium where he fought in the Golden Gloves tournaments as well as the City of Brockton in the Rocky Marciano tournaments, always in the Super Heavy Weight, Division 201+.
On Thursday, February 12th as we write this note, Jesus will be back in Lowell Memorial Auditorium competing in the semifinals of the New England Tournament. “I will win!” he said.
Angel Tricoche:
Believe it or not, Angel Tricoche, is only 13 years old and holds a record that many older boxers envy. In the three years he has been boxing he has participated in 30 fights of which he has won 18, losing 12.
Angel had fought in Ohio winning a Gold medal and last year in the Silver Mittens. This year in Lowell, he will compete in the 64th Annual Silver Mittens Boxing Tournament to be held at the Billerica Elks Club. If he wins the March 5 match, he will compete in the finals to be held on March 12, 2015.
Xavier Vega:
Xavier Vega is 20 years old and started boxing when he was 16. Probably, some of our readers saw him riding a skateboard around the city. Some people use it as a means of rapid and cheap transportation. This was not the case for Xavier, since he did it for exercise.
Since he was very young, Xavier wanted to be a boxer, so one day he went to Lawrence Boxing Gym located in Haverhill Street in Lawrence, where they recommended him to exercise to reduce some of the 200+ Lbs weight. That was how Xavier began using the skateboard; we could almost say by prescription and began to lose weight.
In 2011, he trained with David Ortiz, of the Lowell West End Gym. In late 2014, Ortiz became a member of the team of Canal Street Boxing Gym and brought him along as one of the boxers who had a future in the sport.
At age 17th he began training with Jose Martinez, alias Bugzy, of the Canal Street Boxing Gym. Since then he has participated in 24 fights, keeping a record of 21 wins and three losses by a decision within the Middleweight (152lbs) division.
In 2014 he won the Rocky Marciano tournament of Brockton and this year, February 5, won the Golden Gloves tournament at Lowell Auditorium.
His next fight will take place on Thursday, February 26th at Lowell Auditorium.
Yamarco Guzmán
Yamarco Guzmán is 21 years old and has been fighting for 1 year and 3 months. Yamarco trained with David Ortiz at the Lowell West End Gym. When Ortiz came to the Canal Street Boxing Gym, he came with him.
During this time he has participated in five fights as a Middleweight (165lbs) division and has fought in New Hampshire, Lowell and Billerica, winning four fights and losing one by decision.
Yamarco grew up watching and admiring his father Leoandy Guzman competing, although he was practicing a sport that it was not of his preference. Leoandy practiced Taekwondo, and reached the Black Belt category, qualifying for the Olympics in 1994 representing Dominican Republic although he never participated due to personal problems.
“My father is a very responsible man. He decided to skip the Olympics once my mother told him she was expecting a child. That child was me,” Yamarco said. “I hope he has forgiven me,” he said with a smile. “He had to stay and work to support the family,” he added.
In spite of his parental influence in Martial Arts, Yamarco always preferred boxing and is currently training to compete in the Rocky Marciano Tournament in Brockton, MA that will be held in November of this year.
