JULIE COSGROVE
Volume 22. Issue 3
inside
October 3, 2011
chaffeybreeze.com
Chaffey’s own prepares for fight
Food Pantry helps those in need page 3 DREAM Act discussion at Wargin Hall page 5 What a (Club) Rush page 6 Road Trip Nation visits Page 8 Parking in the dirt —and paying for it Page 10 PHOTOS: CHRISTINA SEPULVEDA AND DARLEINE HEITMAN
Danny Martinez employee at Chaffey College, running on the track to train for his upcoming feather weight boxing match on Oct. 13 at the Orange County Fair Grounds.
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JESSICA RUBIO
D
anny Martinez isn’t one to fall through the ropes. For those who are unfamiliar with him, Martinez is a school employee at the Rancho campus. He has been employed with the school for a little over three years, and has worked with the aeronautics building, the auto-tech lab, and information services. He may seem shy and timid at first, but there’s more to Martinez than what meets the eye. What people don’t know about Martinez is that outside of school he is a featherweight boxer. With 84 wins under his belt, Martinez hasn’t kissed the canvas yet. “You’re not depending on anyone. It’s just you.” Martinez said of the sport. “Whatever you put into it, you’re going to get out of it.” Raised in Azusa in a family of eight, life at home wasn’t always so nice for Martinez. Besides getting bullied by his six sisters, Martinez grew up with both parents suffering from drug addiction. Fortunately, Martinez’ mom was able
to overcome her addiction by finding God, and has since been able to watch her son become the well-known boxer that he is now. Martinez discovered boxing at the age of 15, with the support of his cousin and his uncle. He has had some rough fights in the ring, to the point where there’s blood on his gloves after knocking someone out. “I’m always nervous before I fight, but when the first punch comes everything is out,” Martinez said. Regardless of the situation, Martinez always congratulates his opponents out of respect for a good fight. Martinez trains three hours a day, six days a week. He can sometimes be seen running the track at school. Martinez’ way of relieving stress is to hit the gym. He has trained closely with the best that there is in boxing. Wild Card Boxing Club, Martinez’ training gym in Hollywood, has been home to some famous MMA fighters. Martinez has gone far with boxing. He competed in the finals of the 2004 Olympics in Salt Lake City, representing the west coast of the United States. Unfortu-
nately, he lost on points to the east coast representative that year. “Everyone has a plan till they get hit, Martinez said. “I always tell myself, don’t get dropped.” When Martinez isn’t training, he’s playing the drums with his two bands. He says drumming helps him with boxing, because of the rhythm and timing. One of Martinez’ goals is to one day have a teen center, so kids who might otherwise be on the streets have somewhere to go. “Children are our future,” Martinez said. “The kids need a place of escape where they can get all their stress out and not think about problems at home.” Regardless of how many times Martinez has been in the ring, he always gets nervous before a fight. He has had second thoughts about boxing because he doesn’t like hurting people. Danny’s next fight will be on Oct. 10 at the Orange County Fair. Tickets are $35-45. For ticket information contact Martinez’ Assistant Manager Vivienne Ramirez at (909) 868-8453 or the Orange County Fair Box Office.