As a Carson-based boxing center serves local youths seeking a healthy and athletic outlet, the center is also in the midst of training an Olympic hopeful.
Nico Robledo III is training for the Olympic trials later this fall. He said he is most looking forward to “that first bell, the ring, and for me to perform and for me to perform for my people back here in the harbor area, in Wilmington and Southern California and hopefully come back as a champion.”
Robledo III’s father, Nico Robledo Jr., also trained at the Fabela Chavez Center and now coaches his son.
“I’m really proud of him because of his hard work, dedication he puts into the sport,” Robledo Jr. said.
Get Southern California news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC LA newsletters.
The boxing club was founded by the late Fabela Chavez, a boxer who sought to create a space for the community that trained athletes in an alternative to other sports.
Eduardo “Eddie” Rodriguez — who has been running the boxing club for over 30 years — echoed this sentiment.
“Let’s try them in boxing, another type of discipline, which is workout, exercise and take your anger and aggression out on a bag instead of taking it out on the street,” Rodriguez said.
Local
Get Los Angeles's latest local news on crime, entertainment, weather, schools, COVID, cost of living and more. Here's your go-to source for today's LA news.
Rodriguez said he was about 12 or 13 years of age when he began training there, himself.
Dozens of teenagers from as far as Long Beach are members of the Fabela Boxing Center. But for the Robledos, the Fabela Boxing Center is more than just a place to train.
Robledo III became emotional when speaking about his mother Sabrina, whom he lost to COVID-19 in 2020.
“You know, just me seeing her and how she was hopeless and the pain that she was in, it’s nothing compared to what I’m doing,” Robledo III said. “The loss of my mother really pauses me and motivates me to go harder in everything I do — not just boxing, but life in general.”
Robledo Jr. also contracted the illness and was in a coma for months following Sabrina’s passing. Boxing was there to heal him.
“In my head, I just felt like a bell ring and it’s time to fight — but instead of fighting in the ring, you’re fighting for life,” Robledo III said. “You’re fighting for your parent, your father, and someone that’s been there for you since day one.”
Today, each fight — win or lose — celebrates another milestone for the Robledos in a space welcoming more young men and women to do the same every day.
Rodriguez hopes that the Fabela Boxing Center will “just keep it going with the community and be available for the community, for the kids to come.”
