Boxing saved Fausto De La Torre from a life of violence on the streets of Pasadena. It’s ironic but true. De La Torre was on a dangerous path as a pre-pubescent. “There were a lot of distractions for a troubled youth during the ’90s in Pasadena,” De La Torre said. “You name it. It was here in Pasadena. There were drugs, gangs and other things that were a problem for kids.”
De La Torre, 50, tried boxing as an impressionable 12-year-old. “Boxing diverted me from a bad path,” De La Torre said. “I put all of that anger and energy into the sweet science and I found a safe haven and a family at the gym.”
A generation later De La Torre, who is the boxing specialist at the Villa Parke Boxing Program, is hoping to attract as many as he can to the ring, which prompted the free boxing event last month in front of City Hall. The showcase featured a dozen bouts of Olympic-style boxing with competitors 8 years of age and up.
“We had a great turnout,” De La Torre said. “Kids get a taste of competition. They get to experience the pro atmosphere of a boxing event with the beautiful backdrop of city hall.”
However, there are a number of reasons De La Torre organizes the event. The lifelong Pasadena resident hopes folks will check out his Villa Parke Boxing Program at the Villa Parke Community Center. The program is geared toward health, fitness and personal growth through the “sweet science.”
“Boxing is a great way to get in shape,” De La Torre said. “My main objective is to provide something for a kid that is overweight and perhaps being bullied. It’ll help him be healthier physically.”
There are other positive aspects to working out as a boxer. Pugilists develop social skills, self-confidence, leadership, character and sportsmanship. “All of those things help a person in life,” De La Torre said. “Boxing helps boost self-esteem and so much more. Once people come to this gym, the transformation begins. My motto is ‘Making Champions of Life.’”
Villa Parke has a competitive boxing program for those who would like to take it up a notch.
A Villa Parke Boxing Program participant gets a safety check. (Koury Angelo Photography, Inc)
Antonio Aguilar, 26, who has trained at Villa Parke Boxing Program for five years, is a novice boxer. “I think it’s awesome here,” Aguilar said. “There’s so much camaraderie. Fausto is an amazing role model. I found him through a summer program and I never left. I love to compete as a boxer and I love this for the endurance I build up. I highly recommend the program here.”
The Villa Parke Boxing Program offers training to prepare youth for local, regional and national competition. There are also programs focusing on Olympic-style boxing techniques for health and fitness in a fun, non-contact environment.
“When people think about boxing, they think about what they see on television, which is the blood and the dramatic,” De La Torre said. “Yes, you go into the ring and you touch gloves and stare each other down, but it’s really not about hurting someone. Boxing is a human chess game. It’s such a clean sport. It’s about how many times I can touch you without you touching me. It’s a sport that’s about skill and technique. People saw that when they came to our event in front of City Hall. Parents don’t want their kids to get hit in the face. I get it. They saw the event we had and nobody got knocked out. Boxing is more than what many people think it is. It’s an extraordinary sport.”
According to De La Torre, there is always time to lace up the gloves. “We have guys in here that are 80 and older,” De La Torre said. “We have guys who are adults that were never in the ring until they were older. Boxing is for everybody. What you’ll be surprised about is how therapeutic boxing is. It changed my life.”
De La Torre was a skinny pre-pubescent the first time he entered the ring. “I was an overly active young man with so much energy back then,” De La Torre said. “I was just 12 when I had my first fight and I was just 85 pounds and I loved it! I can’t tell you how thankful I am that I found boxing. I landed here instead of going to the beach or finding trouble. Pasadena was so different when I was a kid. We weren’t allowed to go past the 210 freeway. Old Town was skid row. Northwest (Pasadena) was so gang infested. Pasadena is beautiful now. We’re the Crown City. The town has changed, but the thing that remains the same is that kids and people can use what boxing provides, and you can get it here.”
