Young L.A. boxers keep their focus on the Olympics
London 2012–where the Summer Olympic Games will take place–is just over 800 days away. Taking in the famous landmarks of Big Ben and Buckingham Palace and sampling fish and chips, the world’s best elite athletes will also be hoping to bring home the gold after competing on the biggest stage of all.
In two years, London Town will be bubbling over with the cream of the crop in the sport of boxing. Hoping to make their mark and earn a spot on the U.S. Olympic Boxing Team are two Los Angeles teens who have been training for years to make this dream a reality.
Meet Seniesa Estrada, 17, and Angel Bojado, 16, from Los Angeles, California. Angel competes in the 140-pound division with over 65 bouts in his passbook, while Seniesa fights in the 112-pound division with over 70 bouts logged in. The two teenagers and boxing buddies are familiar faces in the amateur circuit at shows and tournaments both locally and across the U.S. This pair of talented boxers have probably racked up enough trophies, medals and championship belts by now to fill up an entire room. Competing internationally, Seniesa also traveled to Ecuador recently for the Pan-Am Games.
Now the two amateur fighters, who have grown up together in and around the boxing gym, both hope to add “Gold Medalist” to their list of accomplishments in their burgeoning careers. They are friends and stablemates who have built a close brother and sister-like bond through the years.
I recently had the chance to chat with the young athletes as we got ready to watch some pros in action at the Chris Arreola-Tomasz Adamek fight at the Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario. They were with their coach, Seniesa’s father, Joe Estrada, who is as passionate for pugilism as they are. It was her dad who was by her side when the story of this tiny little girl in a Hello Kitty tee was shown outboxing the boys in her neighborhood. Nine years later, she’s managed to outbox and outlast many of her peers even in this male-dominated sport. I am sure Seniesa has heard her share of “You fight like a girl!” taunts all those years when Joe first took her and his two older kids, Johnny, now 21, and Joey, now 25, to the boxing gym. But it was his youngest, his little girl, who shares his intense love of prizefighting the most.
Through the decade, Seniesa and Angel have competed in Silver Gloves, Ringside World Championships, Junior Olympics, Blue and Golds, Desert Showdowns, Golden Gloves and countless other shows and tournaments. Rising early for weigh-ins and matchups is nothing new to the two, who have also logged endless hours wrapping their hands and shadowboxing in sweaty little hotbox gyms across the U.S. But each amateur victory with their hands raised, inches them one step closer to the Olympics and hopefully a successful future in the pros.
The young sluggers are comfortable in the spotlight and are no strangers to garnering attention from the boxing world. Seniesa’s story first came to light in an outstanding series of articles a few years ago in the L.A. Times by Kurt Streeter. She has also appeared in short films documenting how she was raised by her single father, who left a life of drugs, gangs and prison behind him to train and take care of his young daughter.
And Angel is the kid brother of Francisco “Panchito” Bojado, an amateur standout with a 168-15 record who was also a 2000 Mexican Olympian in the Sydney Olympics. After turning pro, “Panchito” fought to a 18-3, 12 KOs record.
But the teenagers are unaffected by these early touches of fame that have already managed to find the two. Seniesa is a “normal” teen girl–at times quiet and thoughtful, other times laughing and joking around. And like all girls her age, she texts non-stop and at lightning speed. And when I inquire about the Laker playoff game, she quickly finds the score in real time and holds her phone out so I can see it. And just like other teens her age, she is testing her independence while still under the guidance of her father.
While the bright lights and big contracts beckon toward the most talented amateur prospects like Estrada, Seniesa has decided to try and make history as one of the first female fighters to ever compete in the Olympics. When the world meets in London for the 2012 Summer Games, it will be the debut of women’s boxing–the very first time girls are being allowed to box in the competition.
We all know how the world embraced the “Golden Boy” Oscar De La Hoya, also from East L.A. Well, maybe in a couple of years, the world will recognize the “Golden Girl” Seniesa Estrada. The pretty teen has the talent, looks and personality to make it to the top. But she also says candidly that it was extremely tempting to turn pro upon her 18th birthday coming up in June. Fellow amateur stars Jose Benavidez Jr. (who will turn 18 on May 15) and Frankie Gomez (who turned 18 in February) burst onto the scene this year with a bang; both doing very well in the pro ranks.
Seniesa could’ve have easily opted to go pro as well. Staying in the amateur ranks wasn’t an easy decision for father or daughter, but this “Daddy’s Girl” says she is excited about trying to make the Olympic team. Joe, her proud papa, remains supportive of his daughter’s dreams but also chose to let her make the final decision to stay amateur or go pro.
“I had been trying to sway her for months to give it a try for the Olympics,” admits her dad. “But she had her mind made up to go pro. I’ve been making decisions for her since she was eight. Now that she’s gonna be 18, I decided to let her make the decision all on her 
own.
“I told her, ‘I’ll be behind you all the way–no matter what decision you make!”
Seniesa stuck to her guns about turning pro…until about three weeks ago when his youngest child suddenly approached him, saying, “Dad, I think I’ll give the Olympics a try.”
Joe then picks up the story, “I was so happy! And then she said right away, ‘Dad, remember you told me you’d get me a car if I try for the Olympics?'”
“What?” her father answered, surprised that his daughter remembered this promise back when she was just a third-grader.
He laughs out loud and explains to me, “I had told Seniesa years ago that if she trains for the Olympics, I’d get her a car.”
Did he make good on the promise?
“You saw that PT Cruiser?” he asks, as I recalled seeing the cute new car at the fights. “Well, that’s hers!” he answers with a chuckle. “We just got it two weeks ago. She got her permit and will be driving around in it!”
And Joe Estrada is also very close to Angel Bojado, whom he also co-trains at the Montebello PAL gym along with Sergio Mora’s trainer Dean Campos. “Dean’s great with them. He’s a smart coach, very professional, who shows them different things.” And Joe, humble and easygoing in all the years I’ve known him, has always been a stand-up guy who doesn’t coddle his young charges. Both kids have been boxing since they were tots and the duo maintain a natural rapport like sister and brother.
They also joke and tease each other a lot. Angel, who resembles “Panchito” but is a little taller than his sibling, has a great sense of humor. It’s hard to believe he’s only 16. While at the fights, I noticed he knew a lot of the fighters, trainers and fans at the fight and was very comfortable among these experienced boxing aficionados. He won’t be 17 until December but he is also already setting his sights on the 2012 Olympics. I ask Seniesa if Angel has a nickname like his brother “Panchito”? She laughs and says, “They call him the “Baby-Faced Assassin!”
“Like Marco Antonio Barrera!” I add. “By the way, who are your favorite boxers?”
“Sugar Ray Leonard and Roy Jones Jr.,” Seniesa quickly replies. Angel gestures to his right, saying, “I see Sugar Ray over there!” The champion just happens to be sitting in the next section over. She glances toward the area with curiosity, hoping to meet one of her boxing heroes.
And when she meets HBO’s Larry Merchant at the fight, Seniesa is friendly, polite and humble as he inquires about her amateur career. Estrada is no spoiled L.A. teen; she is dedicated and disciplined in the ring and doesn’t depend on just learning from the “School of Hard Knocks.” Only 17, she’s already taking college courses at a local university with a degree in nursing.
Will these two young warriors make it all the way from East L.A. to across the pond as U.S. Olympians?
If they do achieve their goals, the two charmers will no doubt not only win over the British fans but the whole world too. While they are being groomed for success, Angel and Seniesa both know there is no shortcut to the success. Both put in plenty of gym time and are scheduled to compete in June and July.
“I’ll be taking Angel to North Carolina where he’ll be fighting in the Junior Olympic National Championships,” Coach Estrada tells me. “And in early July, Seniesa will be going to the Colorado Springs Olympic Training Center for the U.S. Nationals. She won it last year, so we’re looking forward to going again.”
And if they both qualify for the 2012 Olympic team, it is a perfect fit for the two. Angel will carry on the Bojado family tradition of Olympians; Seniesa will be part of the inaugural U.S. Women’s Olympic Boxing Team. If anyone can break through to the world-class stage of elite boxers, it will be this duo.
With hopes and dreams of being London-bound, Seniesa and Angel will keep training and competing with their eyes on the big prize–the Summer Olympics.
Photos by Michele Chong