Diamond in The Rough at United Boxing Gym

North Texas Fisticuffs dropped in at the United Boxing Gym in Pleasant Grove today to see how the new gym was working out.  As you recall, my last visit was at the grand opening two months ago.  As I walked up I noticed alot of young boxers, male and female inside and outside the gym.  It appears that the word is out and that this gym is on it’s way to becoming a great boxing gym for the Dallas metroplex.  The owner and Coach Fred Cavazos said that he has about 50 young fighters registered and that he averages around the middle 20’s to at least 30 that train each day.  And today it appeared that he actually had over 30 fighters either running outside, or punching on the bags inside, despite the heavy heat of Texas.

While there I think I found a diamond in the rough.  Her name is Christie DeLira, a single Mom and student at Eastfield College who has been training with Coach Cavazos since about 2009.  She took some time off and now is back in the gym training as hard as she did the last time they were together.  In fact, he said she trains so hard that she was a “trainaholic”.  He also said she has great hand speed, footwork and that she is a “natural”.  Although she has some amateur experience, he said he feels that with a couple of tuneup fights, he would like her to go pro in November.  After watching her do some mitt work I have to honestly say she looks like she is already a pro.  She has tremendous hand speed, good footwork and a nice uppercut.  She said that she has been fighting since she was fifteen and currently she has been training hard for the last several weeks.  She said that when she feels she gets back in shape, and she feels confident, that is when she would like to go pro. 

The United Boxing Gym has also teamed up with the Southeast Dallas Hispanic Chamber of Commerce this weekend and have been chosen to represent the Chamber at the upcoming Air Hogs baseball game at the Quik Trip Park in Grand Prairie, Texas.  In addition, Coach Cavazos will be taking three amateurs and will be working with Luis Webster, a professional boxer in Oklahoma on August 19th and 20th of this year.  He finished by saying that he hopes that next year will be his gym’s “noise-making year,” so look out Dallas!

Photo © Hector Sanchez