JV the Boxer

While there are plenty of team sports to play at Armijo, and the courts and fields are often filled with students practicing, not all athletes on campus play for the Armijo Royals. Jonathan Varela does a combat sport in boxing and boxes at the JL Tepito Boxing Club in Fairfield. The JL is run by Jesse Lopez, Jr. who invested his own money into starting the place to give opportunities to young athletes in the area.
Varela has been boxing there for about seven months. “It’s helped me work on myself physically and mentally,” he said. “I can just go there and let go of my problems and, if I (relieve stress if I) feel like hitting something or someone.” Varela hasn’t fought in any professionally-sanctioned fights yet, but he spars with other people there. While they don’t keep club records in spars, Varela does keep his own.
He has won his last two spars against “some really skilled guys,” he said. He has people there to look up to. The best fighter at the place is a young man by the name of Russo. He fights professionally and is really fast. Russo has been boxing for a couple of years. “When I sparred with him, he beat me bad,” said Varela. “I was only able to hit him like five times.” “I’m not good enough to fight professionals, but maybe one day, after more training,” he said. “I don’t even know what I want to do in the future, but if I become good enough, I would definitely consider (boxing as a career), but I do boxing more for fun than anything.”