Inside the TUFF Gym
Story by Gerardo Martinez
Photos by Jose Leon Castillo
Boxing and academics don’t usually go hand in hand, but at The Ultimate Fighting Force (TUFF) gym in Albuquerque’s South Valley, they do.
“I started this gym back in 2005 to keep the kids off the streets, drugs, peer pressure and all the other stuff that could corrupt kids in the valley,” says TUFF’s founder and head trainer, Bernie Sanchez. “We also check their grades and make sure they are doing well in school.”
Sanchez has seen many kids come in out of the gym, which is why he stresses loyalty as a premier value.
“Most of the time that they come in here, the kids never leave,” says Sanchez. “But once they leave, they cannot return – it’s about loyalty.”
One of his most loyal boxers is current pro Randy “Savage” Arrellin who has been with Sanchez since day one. Other pros at TUFF include Mike Alderete, Lucas Galle, Charles Alderete, Alan Sanchez, Paul Castillo and Bernardo Guereca. The professionals assist Sanchez in the training of the amateurs and also contribute to the gym by paying utility bills.
As far as amateurs go, there is one boxer New Mexico fans should keep an eye on: 10 year-0ld Atrisco Elementary fifth grader Santiago Giron.
“His devotion to the gym is amazing,” says Sanchez. “Santiago is about wanting, loving, eating and drinking boxing. He’s shows me he’s gonna be a world champion and has everything it takes.”
Giron has been training with Sanchez since he was eight years-old, has fought 22 times as an amateur and has a Silver Gloves and Junior Olympics championship on his resume already. Giron says he wants to make it to the Olympics, graduate and go to college – all big goals for a little guy.
Besides training amateurs and pros, Sanchez, born and raised in the South Valley like most at the gym, also has a full time job as Sandia National Labs as an mechanical inspector. He’s also been a union pipefitter for 32 years. In order to keep his gym alive, Sanchez rents out his ring, holds fundraisers and relies on individual donations from people.
“I do not charge any of my amateurs” says Sanchez.
The only other requirement that Sanchez has for all of those who step in to the TUFF gym is that they must compete. And that’s exactly what happens on a weekly basis at 1705 Valverde Rd in the South Valley.
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