“My goal is to keep the kids off the streets and have them focus on something that could change their lives for the best,” said Ameliono Gonzales, the club’s manager and one of the trainers.
Gonzales and trainers Richard Gonzales and Robert Serna provide the lessons, motivation and expertise to several young boxers from Beeville. The Bee County Boxing Club is a beehive of activity after school and into the summer. It provides a place to work out and train along with learning that discipline, hard work and devotion to a sport is the only way to be successful. All of these attributes also transfer to real life for the young boxers in the program, according to Gonzales.
He has been around boxing for many years. Gonzales got his start in the Air Force and boxed on the elite Air Force team that competed against the other services.
He has been associated with the BCBC for about three years, putting his time and money into the programs at the club.
Gonzales also has made a name for himself with the USA Boxing Association. He has been a volunteer official for the past four years and has reached a level two status. That allows him to referee and judge bouts within the state of Texas, including all the Golden Gloves competitions and the Lone Star State Boxing Championships.
Gonzales has the opportunity to become a level three judge by passing a written test from the USA Boxing Association.
“You’ve got to score a 100 percent. It is tough but I hope to get there,” Gonzales said.
A level three status would make it possible for Gonzales to judge and referee bouts on a national and international level.
“I’ve had the opportunity to meet a lot of boxers and their coaches while volunteering my time as an official with USA Boxing,” said Gonzales.
The “smokers” he hosts in Beeville are always well attended and provide lots of action for boxing fans. Gonzales draws on his many contacts to help fill out the bouts.
The BCBC has two state Junior Olympic Champions under its roof as Cande Cruz and Jacob Almaguer train and box under the BCBC banner. They both hold titles in the 125-pound intermediate division at 13 years of age.
Gonzales wants to thank all the supporters in Beeville for providing some financial assistance. The club pays rent and it is expensive to travel to the tournaments around the area. Sometimes that rent just comes out of his own pocket.
Gonzales and the BCBC will hold another smoker on July 11 at the Texas Grand. It will provide 30 sanctioned bouts and provide an afternoon and evening of some of the best young boxers in South Texas performing for boxing fans. The bouts will begin at 2 p.m.
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