Fort Worth boxers have a lot of history and pride on their side at state tournament

By John Henry

Special to the Star-Telegram

Fort Worth fighters representing the region this week at the Texas State Golden Gloves tournament are the heirs of a city once considered the amateur boxing capital of the United States.

Chris Martinez, Joel Ambriz, Brandon Chalker, Antonio Castillo, John Duplessis, Darren McDade, Estevan Roman, Alex Alvarez and Jesse Parker will all enter the ring, starting Wednesday, with their eyes on the national tournament in Salt Lake City in May.

The fight card starts at 7 each evening through Saturday at the John Justin Arena on the grounds of the Will Rogers Memorial Coliseum.

“Our opinion was we had the best fighters in the state, if not the country,” said Gary Lee Williams, a state qualifier as a welterweight (147) and light middleweight (156) in 1978 and 1979. “If I was fighting, I thought I was the one to beat.”

That era produced world champions in Bruce and Donald Curry — an Olympic qualifier for the U.S. team in 1980 that boycotted the Moscow Games — Stevie Cruz and Gene Hatcher.

Freddie Guzman, Mickey Pryor and Jay Strickland all had more than 25 professional fights, and Phil Sawyer had 16.

“We went into state with a chip on our shoulders because we thought we were the ones to beat,” said Williams, a 1980 Fort Worth Arlington Heights graduate who fought with Donald Curry and beat Hatcher in the semifinals in 1978.

“We were considered the amateur boxing capital in the country. Right up there with Detroit.”

The state, then as now, has some tough fighters in the metropolitan areas. They’ll do battle in three 3-minute rounds.

It can be a grueling nine minutes. Alvarez, a dynamic puncher nicknamed “Baby Tyson,” jumped on Austin Little in a 200-pound regional championship on Saturday. Alvarez knocked down Little three times in the first two rounds but had to hang on in the third.

Duplessis of Reyes Boxing Club has professional lineage. His dad was a noted pro with a championship loss to Julio Cesar Chavez in 1991.

Chalker, a San Antonio native studying at TCU, will turn pro after this week’s tournament.

He’s a 132-pounder who trains with Reyes Boxing Club. Chalker also felt the extended minutes in a title bout with Jesus Flores that was won with a decision.

“Run,” Chalker exclaimed when asked how he would prepare for state. “Run more. I feel I’m in good shape.

“But, you get tough fights, and you leave it all out there.”

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