Locals fight to keep boxing club open for future possible Olympians
When the buzzer sounds, this run down garage turns into a boxing gym for Olympic hopefuls. Local boxers are fighting to keep the doors of the Thermal Boxing Club open for young fighters training for free for their professional careers.
Ralph Romero ran the gym and the Desert Showdown regional boxing event held at the Fantasy Springs Resort Casino. Romero lost his battle to pancreatic cancer two weeks ago, leaving the futures of the gym, the showdown, and the young people who train here in jeopardy.
“He wanted to have some vehicle for the kids, to have something to do and be off the streets. Since there weren’t a lot of economic opportunities here, he wanted the kids to have an outlet, and Ralph’s outlet was boxing,” shared Jan “Sonny” Green, a masters fighter who comes from Orange County to train at the gym.
“Each one of these kids has to have something to dream about, something to shoot for, and for them, a lot of these kids, the big goal is winning a belt in the Desert Showdown.”
One of the coaches, Daniel Ortega brings his son to the gym, “it opens up the doors for the kids around here, and the truth is, we teach them to fight inside that ring so that way they don’t fight on the streets.”
17-year-old Santos Ortega is number two in the country for amateur boxing and in-line to join the Olympic boxing team in 2020. Romero was a mentor for him, “He always said I was going to be a world champion. He liked how I fought. He would always talk about me making it big.”
19-year-old Jacob Lerma had a heart condition that almost kept him from boxing. He has never paid a dime to train at the gym and is looking forward to a professional career,”Hopefully I’ll be signing with Golden Boy promotions, but if not I’m going to try and fight for a contract.”
The coaches are currently fundraising with a car show and cook out on Saturday, April 23, to honor Ralph Romero and keep the doors open on the gym and the Desert Showdown for years to come. The event will feature live music, food, movie screening, cars, and more. It will start at 10 AM and last until sundown at the Thermal Boxing Club, located on the corner of Grapefruit and Airport Blvd at the Thermal Bridge. You can contact Mark Lerma at (760) 698-5922 if you’re interested in attending or donating.
