Roswell hosts New Mexico Golden Gloves state tournament | Local Sports

The Las Cruces PAL Boxing Club took the most fighters to the Golden Gloves Regional Tournament in this year’s state Golden Glove. Among those PAL fighters are DeVon and Alvaro Garcia, both headed to the regional tournament in Longmont, Colorado, on April 13.

In addition to being a fighter, Alvaro Garcia is also enrolled in college, finishing his degrees this May. He is a highly motivated individual who graduated in the top 10 in high school, but his drive stems from the adversity he faced in throughout his life. In 2020, Garcia’s father died due to gun violence, which affected the young fighter.

“I stopped boxing because of the pandemic. It put a hold on my boxing career. During that time, I lost my father, and I ended up gaining 130 pounds,” Garcia said. “I knew I was going to box once again, so I had to lose that weight, and now I’m here.”

As for their competition in Colorado, DeVon Garcia shared his opinion on what he expects from the regional tournament’s fighters.

“I expect them to be tough, and I hope to represent New Mexico the best that I can,” DeVon Garcia said. “I want to shout out to my gym, Pal Boxing, and coach, Louie Burke, the best coach in New Mexico. I couldn’t have done it without them.”

A fighter who has been there before aims to do it again: Leroy Clark from the Power Plant gym in Albuquerque. He was disappointed he was handed a forfeit victory on the final day, but excited for another chance at a regional and perhaps another national…