As she walks through the entryway that reads “House of Champions,” she leaves her worries at the door and enters a world where the pressures of the reality outside seem meaningless. She can escape and enter a therapy session that she attends four to five times a week, one that involves warming up with punch combinations, sit ups, and a little jump rope. She will normally follow that up with six to eight 3-minute rounds with a double-end bag before traveling to the speed bag, finishing with more abdominal workouts to cool down and unwind at the end of her day.

With a stiff right jab and a left hook that will make you think twice, Evelyn has the combination that can take her as far as she wants to go. Tracing back to her family roots, Evelyn’s grandfather enjoyed boxing and taught her father how to box before the interest sparked in her. Inherently, this charismatic young woman adopted the interest in the sport at a young age and has taught her lessons that go beyond the gym.

Evelyn has spent the past six months training in advanced classes at City Boxing “House of Champions,” located on 14th Street in downtown San Diego, directly across from the Saville Theatre at San Diego City College. What once started out as a healthy outlet to keep her fitness in check and to stay out of trouble transformed into a serious passion. She began to commit herself more and more as she progressed in her training. With a drive to constantly improve her craft, Evelyn has noticed the strides she has made since first walking through the doors at City Boxing.

Initially, she struggled to keep up with the workout regimen that her trainer and former World Boxing Council and International Boxing Federation Champion Manny Melchor had in store for 17-year-old Evelyn.

“Evelyn’s potential is very good and her quick feet, agility and ability to stick and move are keys to developing other attributes to her repertoire,” Melchor said.
He compared Evelyn’s skill set during training sessions to a matador’s swift and agile movements, which is a fitting description considering that her idol in the professional ranks of boxing is Mexico native Juan Manuel Marquez.

Sparring partner Keegan Shea said, “She could probably beat up a lot of people. Her punches are energetic and non-stop and those that face her in the ring should not be fooled by her smile alone.”

A good boxer’s regimen demands a high level of discipline, and requires Evelyn to elevate her level of focus and maintain a balance in her stance inside and outside of the boxing gym. In the gym, she focuses on the lesson being taught to her at that moment, which she said helps her to block out any outside distractions that may be interfering with her life. Evelyn takes advantage of the insight and other advice that anyone has to share with her along the way and emulates the strong local talent who work out with her on a regular basis at City Boxing.

Evelyn talked about how her mother kept her and her sister involved in extracurricular activities and after school sports, such as soccer. However, after joining City Boxing, she found constructive ways to manage priorities, personal fitness, and most importantly to stay out of trouble and away from bad influences. A fight between Evelyn another girl at school is what caused her mother to find another way for her to cope with the pressures and stresses that could lead to her ultimately harming herself or someone else. As petty as the encounter was, there was potential that it could have led to another conflict, or might have derailed her educational goals. This was something Evelyn and her family were not willing to risk.

Evelyn is currently working toward finishing her education in the City Middle College program at San Diego City College and is looking forward to attending City to further her education. Evelyn’s post-secondary experience at City Middle College has challenged her as a student, and has raised her awareness about maintaining educational goals and responsibilities for future successes.

“If I try to tell you my favorite thing about boxing, I wouldn’t know where to start because I love everything about boxing,” Evelyn said.

The relationship Evelyn has with boxing seems to point to a bright future and with the support of her family there is no telling how far she can take her new passion. “Boxing is like a relationship and the commitment you put into it, like anything else, is a major part of what you can expect in return,” she said.