Mirabal Boxing, bottom to top
Story by Gerardo Martinez
Photos by Jose Leon Castillo
It takes years to get from the back stage of boxing to the big stage. Team Mirabal knows exactly about starting at the bottom when they started to train at the Westside Community Center in the South Valley of Albuquerque.
“We came to Westside Community Center in 2009, thanks to Bernalillo County Commissioner Art De La Cruz who got us the space here,” says Richard Mirabal, head trainer at Team Mirabal.
Mirabal has been involved in the fight game since the age of 17 when he got involved in kickboxing. In fact, he had his own kickboxing academy on Isleta Blvd. After the upkeep got to expensive he built a gym at his house and was there until 2002. The team then moved to train at one of Albuquerque’s oldest boxing gyms, Jack Candelaria Community Center, to focus on boxing until 2009 when De La Cruz got them the space at Westside Community Center.
“Our fighters’ ultimate goal is to turn pro,” says Mirabal about the kids who’ve been with the team for the longest. One of those kids, now a welterweight prospect and Mirabal’s son, knows a little bit about the big stage.
Vincent “Lil Man” Mirabal has had his ups and downs in the ring and currently holds a 8-0, 1 KO record as a professional.
“I used to get into a lot of trouble in elementary school,” says “Li’l Man.” Boxing helped him build discipline and now he would like to pass that experience on to the youngsters who currently train at Team Mirabal.
One of those youngsters is 15 year-old Matthew Griego, who’s been involved in boxing since the age of 5 and has been training with Team Mirabal since the age of 10.
“I used to play baseball, but I chose boxing – I love boxing,” says Griego who recently fought and lost a close decision in Colorado against Damien Vasquez, one of the nation’s top rated amateurs. Griego wants to join the professional ranks when he turns 18.
Another one of the experienced amateur fighters at Team Mirabal is 15 year-old Christina “Bubba” Mirabal (no relation to Richard or Vincent) who has been at it for eight years, earning multiple state Golden and Silver Glove championships along the way. Besides receiving instruction from head trainer Mirabal, she also receives instruction from her father and assistant coach Michael Mirabal who joins the team every afternoon after getting out of his full time job as a concrete finisher.
Head trainer Mirabal also has a full time job outside of boxing. He works with youth at Youth Development Incorporated where he helps high school students find jobs to develop usable skills. Besides that, he also puts on youth rodeos and competitions.
“Boxing is about pushing yourself, both, physically and mentally,” states Mirabal who as a power building exercise has the youngters push a car across the pavement on a weekly basis. “Everything we do is to prepare the youth for the big stage of boxing.”
Loading ...