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BOXING CURBS DRIFT TO GANGS.


Byline: GIDEON RUBIN Staff Writer

PALMDALE Palmdale, city (1990 pop. 68,842), Los Angeles co., S Calif., in the irrigated Antelope Valley; a growing residential suburb of Los Angeles near Little Rock Creek where it forms Lake Palmdale Reservoir, inc. 1962.  -- Johnny Reyes had already gotten a taste of elite level boxing two years ago and battled an injury to get back to top form.

The less-experienced Arturo Villarreal had never been to a major national event before this summer.

And both members of the Palmdale-based Grace Boxing Academy won individual titles at the Ringside ring·side  
n.
1. The area or seats immediately outside an arena or ring, as at a prizefight.

2. A place providing a close view of a spectacle.
 World Boxing Championships in Kansas City Kansas City, two adjacent cities of the same name, one (1990 pop. 149,767), seat of Wyandotte co., NE Kansas (inc. 1859), the other (1990 pop. 435,146), Clay, Jackson, and Platte counties, NW Mo. (inc. 1850). , Mo., in early August.

Reyes, an Antelope Valley This article is about the Los Angeles County region. For the census-designated place in Wyoming, see Antelope Valley-Crestview, Wyoming.

The Antelope Valley
 High freshman, won the open 13- and 14-year-old division championship. Villarreal, a Palmdale junior, won the 15- and 16-year-old novice division (for those with fewer than 10 bouts Bouts is the name of
  • Aelbrecht Bouts (c. 1452-1549), An early Netherlandish painter
  • Dirk Bouts, Netherlandish painter
 going into the tournament).

Reyes (9-7), a 15-year-old Antelope Valley High freshman, has been boxing since he was 10.

He lost in the second round of the Ringside tournament two years ago and was especially eager to return to Kansas City after missing last season with an arm injury.

He excelled against significantly more experienced boxers boxers Boxer shorts Reproductive medicine A type of undergarment that leaves the “guys” swinging in the breeze; according to popular culture, sperm quality and successful insemination ↑ dramatically with prolonged use thereof. Cf Briefs.  at the Ringside tournament, including one who'd already logged more than 100 fights.

Reyes and his sister, Valerie -- who also trains at the Academy -- will compete in the Police Activities League National Championships Oct. 1-7 at the Oxnard PAL (1) (Programmable Array Logic) A type of programmable logic chip (PLD) that contains arrays of programmable AND gates and predefined OR gates. PALs are defined by their number of inputs and outputs; for example, a 22v10 PAL means 22 inputs and 10 outputs.  Gym in Oxnard.

Villarreal (7-3), a Palmdale High junior, is a relative newcomer to the sport who just started boxing three years ago.

His title run included a knockout of his first-round opponent.

``It was a good feeling,'' Villarreal said. ``I really wanted to win.''

Reyes and Villarreal are among several success stories from the academy, which is owned by trainer Tony Reyes (Johnny and Valerie's father).

Tony Reyes started the Academy three years ago to help keep kids out of trouble.

Tony Reyes, who himself was involved in gang activity earlier in his life, said boxing offered him an opportunity to channel his energy into something positive.

He boxed competitively and was in and out of gangs before moving to the Antelope Valley to start his family about 15 years ago.

``It would be bad if I could box but I couldn't pass along what I've learned to kids,'' Tony Reyes said.

Johnny Reyes is an aspiring as·pire  
intr.v. as·pired, as·pir·ing, as·pires
1. To have a great ambition or ultimate goal; desire strongly: aspired to stardom.

2.
 Olympian who hopes to get an amateur ranking out of the PAL tournament. He hopes to someday some·day  
adv.
At an indefinite time in the future.

Usage Note: The adverbs someday and sometime express future time indefinitely: We'll succeed someday. Come sometime.
 turn professional.

``I have a chance to do this, so I'm going to go for it,'' he said.

Villarreal isn't sure how far he wants to pursue boxing. He is an ambitious student who wants to attend medical school.

But he credits boxing with helping set him on the right course in his personal life.

``I like the discipline,'' Villarreal said. ``It gets people out of gangs and everything.''

Tony Reyes said his dream is that the academy someday will produce a world champion. But he said teaching kids life lessons is the ultimate goal.

``I remember myself as a youngster recruiting other gang members, the stupidity of what we were doing wasting time on the streets,'' Tony Reyes said. ``Now I try to recruit kids to get away from that.

``It's weird the way it came out to be.''

gideon.rubin@dailynews.com

(661) 267-7802

CAPTION(S):

photo

Photo:

(color) Young boxers Arturo Villareal, left, and Johnny Reyes signify sig·ni·fy  
v. sig·ni·fied, sig·ni·fy·ing, sig·ni·fies

v.tr.
1. To denote; mean.

2. To make known, as with a sign or word: signify one's intent.
 their aim to be No. 1 in the ring. Both members of the Palmdale-based Grace Boxing Academy won individual titles at the Ringside World Boxing Championships in August.

Jeff Goldwater/Staff Photographer
COPYRIGHT 2006 Daily News
No portion of this article can be reproduced without the express written permission from the copyright holder.
Copyright 2006, Gale Group. All rights reserved. Gale Group is a Thomson Corporation Company.

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Publication:Daily News (Los Angeles, CA)
Date:Sep 24, 2006
Words:564
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