Local boxer ‘a natural’

Jesus Magdaleno has dreamed of being a world champion ever since his father put a pair of boxing gloves on his hands when he was 6 years old.

Now 17 and a junior at Durango High School, Magdaleno is one of the country’s top amateur bantamweights, and his plan to one day win a title takes an important step this weekend as he competes in the Golden Gloves Western Regionals at the Silver Nugget Events Center.

The semifinals begin at 6 p.m. today, with the finals set for 2 p.m. Sunday. Fighters from Nevada, Washington, Oregon and Arizona will compete, with the winners advancing to the Golden Gloves National Tournament in Salt Lake City from May 1 to 4.

“If I can do well, it will help me in the future,” said Magdaleno, who claims to have fought in 100 amateur bouts, beginning when he was 8, and is 88-12. “My goal is to make it to the Olympics (in 2012), so this is an important competition for me.”

This is Magdaleno’s first time competing in the open classification, which means he could face fighters nearly twice as old as he is. And while the prospect of meeting a 34-year-old this weekend is unlikely, he probably will be in the ring with some seasoned fighters.

“There’s no pressure,” Magdaleno said. “I know what I want, and that’s to be No. 1.”

Magdaleno fights out of Barry’s Boxing, and his coach, Pat Barry, believes the young fighter has the potential to be as good as older brother Diego Magdaleno, who was a standout amateur and is 8-0 as a professional fighting at 135 pounds.

“He’s a natural, just like Diego was,” Barry said. “One of Jesus’ strong points is he’s articulate with his punches. He knows where his punches are going. He doesn’t throw just for the sake of throwing. He’s very economical in the ring.”

Having his older brother as a role model has helped Jesus Magdaleno grow as a fighter.

“He’s always in the gym, and he has such a good work ethic,” Magdaleno said of Diego, who is scheduled to fight on Top Rank’s May 1 card at the Hard Rock hotel. “He’s there to push me and make me better.”

Barry is trying to get Magdaleno more international amateur experience to help prepare him for the Olympic trials in 2011.

“That’s the one thing he lacks right now, that international experience,” Barry said. “The USA Boxing people know who he is, and they’ve had their eye on him for a while.”

Tickets for the Western Regional are $10 each day and are available at the door.

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913.