A FIGHTING CHANCE; FORMER FIGHTER MAGANA USES BOXING TO EDUCATE YOUNGSTERS.

Byline: Nevin Barich Staff Writer

Art ``Chico'' Magana used to do his fighting on the street, with glass bottles and baseball bats. Now any fighting he does is with boxing gloves, in the confines of the ring, and he's encouraging his students to do the same.

A former gang member, Magana's discovery of boxing enabled him to make something of his life but not before learning his lessons the hard way - getting beaten, stabbed and thrown in the county lockup time and again. Now he's trying to pass on those lessons as a boxing coach at the Santa Clarita Community Center in Valencia.

``It's just me being a role model,'' said Magana, an instructor at the center since its opening in 1994. ``They (the kids) respect me.

``I teach them some discipline. I teach them something so they don't steal or do drive-bys. I have them do something productive.''

It didn't take long for Magana, 36, to drift into gangs after his family moved to Pacoima from Mexico when he was 13. Living with his cousins, both gang members, Magana got his first taste of the path his life would travel for the next five years.

Two years later, Magana moved to Newhall and his involvement with gangs deepened to the point where he formed his own gang. From there, weapon fighting, county lockups and looking over your shoulder became an everyday part of his life.

``It's not really nice to remember,'' said Magana about his past. ``I didn't do a lot of good things back then. I was in juvenile hall and county jail. I was carrying a lot of problems.''

But in 1981, Magana got married and soon the couple had their first child. With that, his involvement in gangs lessened considerably as he embraced his new roles as a husband and a father. But while becoming a family man led him away from gangs, Magana credited boxing for keeping him away.

``I used to box in the street. I used to be tough,'' said Magana, a father of two who dabbled in both boxing and tae kwon do while living in Mexico. ``But I knew that, with my family, I had to be responsible. I still liked to fight a little, but I wanted to do it the right way.''

Fast forward to 1989. Magana, still with the boxing bug, began training extensively at a gym in Lincoln Heights run by late trainer/promoter Johnny Flores. But the travel to the gym from Santa Clarita took a toll on Magana and he, along with Flores, began lobbying City Hall to build a boxing gym in the area. When the city council wouldn't comply, Magana took matters into his own hands, turning his carport into a makeshift boxing gym in 1992.

``After seeing me do this, kids started training with me,'' said Magana, who never turned pro but finished his amateur career in 1996 with a 16-7 record, which includes winning the 1993 Golden Gloves championship in Lincoln Park in the 135-pound weight class.

In 1994, the city council finally relented and created the Santa Clarita Community Center. Magana became the establishment's first boxing coach and continues to council kids on life and the sweet science.

``The kids use him as a mentor because of his past,'' said David Smith, the boxing coordinator at the center. ``They look to him as a father figure.''

``He's a great teacher,'' added 16-year-old Rudy Martinez, who has been a student of Magana's for the last five years.

``He just tells me to stay out of gangs and to make something of my life.''

Magana no longer looks over his shoulder when he's walking down the street. He simply looks straight ahead, thankful that he's around to see his future.

``I'm really lucky to have survived,'' Magana said. ``I'm real proud to be where I am today.''

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PHOTO Art Magana, who credits boxing for helping him escape from gang involvement, is a coach at the Santa Clarita Community Center.

John Lazar/Daily News