K-Town’s “Pistol Pete” Impresses Promoter
Amateur standout Peter Haro has waited almost 17 years to make his pro debut. On Thursday night, his goal became a reality as the Inglewood, California boxer made his professional debut on the “Mixed Combats” card taking place at the Warner Center Marriott in Woodland Hills.
“
Pistol Pete” Haro faced off against crosstown rival Elliot “Buffalo Soldier” Seymour for four rounds of war in this All Star Promotions and Square Ring Promotions event that offered boxing, Muay Thai and MMA. Kicking off the start of summer, the action-packed card featured two boxing matches.
In a blistering bout of Haro vs. Seymour, the two warriors gave the crowd their money’s worth. Peter trains with Jesse Reid out of KTown Boxing Club in Los Angeles; Elliot had Troy Bodean and Jerry “Whiteboy” Rosenberg in his corner. Haro went full-blast at Pasadena’s Seymour as the crowd cheered for the foes’ non-stop action center ring. Elliot, training out of Wild Card, countered with some goof left hooks of his own in a 12-minute battle for braggin’ rights.
During their heated exchange, official Jack Reiss put in a warning for no hitting on the break as the pair of pugs continued to go at it. Haro pinned Seymour against the ropes as his killer instinct took over. At the final bell, “Pistol Pete” won across the board with official scores of 40-36, 40-36, 39-37. Haro is now 1-0 as a brand new pro, while Seymour’s record falls to 1-3.
In earning this unanimous decision, Peter also made an impression on All Star Promotions’ Ed Holmes and Pete Hironaka. With his friendly demeanor outside the ring and his beast-mode mentality inside the ropes, the promoters think he’ll be a great asset to showcase on future shows. Half Mexican and half Salvadorian, the fighter is already building a strong fan base.
And after a successful and convincing pro debut, matchmaker Pete Hironaka raved about the kid. In the lobby of the Grand Ballroom, I caught up with the All Star partner after the fight.
Noticing that Haro did not suffer any visible damage after the bout with Seymour, Hironaka told me he’s looking forward to putting Haro on two shows coming up in the near future. All Star has a show in three weeks that Haro may be on.
“It was a good fight; Peter’s gonna be a real crowd pleaser!” Hironaka notes. “It would be great to have Peter fight on our July 13 show at Quiet Cannon and also our August 18 show at the Bonaventure.”
Checking in with Team Haro after their victory, Peter confirms that he’d be ready to go on July 13. While he fought Seymour in the 150-pound division, Haro tells me he may go down to 143 for his next match.
And it wasn’t easy finding matchups for Haro. The amateur vet lists 120 bouts during his USA Boxing career and finding an opponent proved difficult. As part of the inaugural “League of Champions” team, the LOC Commissioner Simon Herrera was also there to witness Haro’s much-anticipated debut.
“It’s really hard to get a fight here in L.A. because they know me from the amateurs,” the young boxer explained. During his amateur stint, he faced off against the likes Demetrius Andrade, Janks Trotter, Adam Trupish, Cleotis “Mookie” Pendarvis, and many more.
Fellow L.A. fighter Elliot Seymour stepped up to the task. Seymour had made his pro debut back in 2008.
“I heard there was a lot of trash talking between you guys,” I ask Haro. “So were you rivals in the amateurs?”
“No, we weren’t rivals…I had never heard of him before our fight!” the new pro fighter laughs. “But my gym told me the things he was saying through Facebook–he was talking a lot of smack and it traveled through word of mouth.”
What did Haro think of his first performance as a pro?
“I’m happy. We went out with a win but I’m not completely satisfied,” the ambitious boxer and gym rat assesses. “I’m gonna wake up tomorrow and head back to the gym. I can’t rest–I don’t want to stop.”
And others are also very happy with his Haro’s debut in the pro ranks.
Maywood Gym trainer Tony Medrano was in Haro’s corner for 11 years, working with him from age 8-19.
“I thought he won every round,” Tony nods. “He looked good in there; he’s got a great right hand and nice jabs.”
And the prizefighter had a large contingent of of fans with him to witness his victory against Seymour.
Team Haro included many of his KTown stablemates from Koreatown, family members and friends. With over 30 family and friends cheering him on, there was still one voice in the crowd that stood out and rose above the others. It was the voice of his proud mama, Connie.
Right after the unanimous decision was read, Connie Haro screams of joy could be heard in the venue. Peter’s mom rushed to greet her son as they shared an embrace ringside.
“He’s my baby and I’m SO proud of him!” she exulted.
The fighter’s father Peter Haro Sr. and the boxer’s brothers and sisters Mirna, Sonia and Paco were also there in support.
“We support him in his boxing career,” Connie says. “I help him with nutrition too.”
Peter and his mom laugh that she only found out about his fight three days before it went down. “I wanted to make sure everything was confirmed before I told her,” he chuckles. It’s not easy for a parent to watch their child in the ring but Team Haro said they had a great time watching “Pistol Pete’s” first win as a pro.
And just why did he choose that nickname?
“I always admired “Pistol” Pete in basketball,” he explains. NBA legend “Pistol” Pete Maravich (who died in Pasadena in 1988) was a crowd pleaser, just like many think Peter Haro will be.
“I fight with pure aggression and I’m always gonna go forward,” Haro says when I ask what fans will see in him. “Keep a close eye on me–‘Pistol Pete’ is coming!”
Photos by Michele Chong
