“The School Boy” Bounces Back Up

Walter Sarnoi is knocked down early but pulls out a win

“It was a wake up call. Nothing comes easy,” says boxer Walter “School Boy” Sarnoi, the day after being knocked down in the first round of his Friday night fight. He was dropped early in the opening round by the older and more experienced Alvaro “Cañas” Muro at this past weekend’s “New Blood III” show presented by Thompson Boxing Promotions at the Doubletree Hotel in Ontario, California. “If I wasn’t in shape, I wouldn’t have gotten up,” he adds.

The young Sarnoi (3-0, 2 KOs) tells me what went through his head after the quick knockdown by his 31-year-old opponent, the durable Muro (6-12, 5 KOs). “I thought, ‘I have to pull it into another gear.’ I expected to take my time and box but I had to shift and go all out for the whole fight,” he remembers. “I had to do something out of my comfort zone.”

After battling for four rounds, the 22-year-old boxer received a unanimous decision of 38-37 to secure his third pro victory. “I’ve never been down before–it was different,” he says with a small chuckle. “I knew I had to get up, come back and win every round or I’d lose the fight.

“I definitely learned a lot. You can’t take anyone lightly. I learned to get up from my first professional knockdown,” continues Sarnoi. “It was a tough fight. He’s fought a lot more bouts than me; it was a test to see if I was the real deal.” He sealed the win, celebrating with Team Sarnoi that includes trainer Danny Zamora, Hector Aguilar, Cesar Flores and Joel Diaz.

Training out of Santa Fe Springs with Zamora, Sarnoi is also looking forward to a trip at the end of this month to South Africa where his stable mate Yonnhy Perez (18-0, 13 KOs) will be fighting. “He’s facing the number one contender for a world championship. I’ll be going to the camp in South Africa; we’re sparring partners.” On April 18, Perez is set to face Silence Mabuza, (22-2, 18 KOs) in Johannesburg.

And career wise, what’s next for the young prospect? His good friend and 2008 Olympian Shawn Estrada is fighting on the March 27 undercard at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles and Sarnoi is hoping to fight on that upcoming card too. “Hopefully I will recover in time, I’d love to fight on March 27,” he says. “I’ll see how my body recovers and plan my next fight–I’m already looking forward the next one.”

“We’ve been best buddies since we were kids,” Sarnoi tells me of his friendship with the middleweight Estrada, who have known each for years and grew up in the sport together. “I’ve known him since we were 12 or 13 years old.”

Raised in Monterey Park, the Thai-American fighter fluent in Spanish, Thai, Mandarin, and of course, English. He was a 2008 California State Golden Gloves Champion and a member of the U.S. Boxing National Team. Sarnoi remains supportive of amateur boxing and both he and pal Shawn Estrada will be making a special appearance at this Friday’s “Gold Rush” amateur boxing show at the El Monte Expo Center in El Monte, California. “I was always involved with amateur boxing and I still want to be involved,” explains Sarnoi. He’s a proud National Representative of the Athlete Advisory Council for USA Boxing and enjoys encouraging future champs of the ring.

The super bantamweight is also ready for an additional challenge. Earning his nickname of “School Boy,” he graduated from Northern Michigan University in 2007 with a Bachelors of Science degree in Finance. Living up to this nickname, the young prospect will continue to hit future worthy opponents but will also be spending some time “hittin’ the books” as well. “I’m applying for my Master’s degree in business since my nickname is the ‘School Boy'”, says Sarnoi with a laugh. “I’ve applied to three different universities in Los Angeles area and will get my MBA.”

Sarnoi’s trunks are embroidered with the Psalm 37:4 verse, “Delight thyself also in the Lord, and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.” And whether it’s in the ring or in the school room, Sarnoi has definitely a bright future ahead of him and he plans to continue to work hard to achieve all his goals.
Let’s hear it for the boy…make that the “School Boy”!

Photos by Raymond Rodriguez