Hollister fighter moves on to regionals; Bribiescas falls to
state opponent
HOLLISTER
Hollister boxer Jonathan Casaca advanced to the regional round of Silver Gloves when he defeated Martin Espinoza and Rudy Mecedo at the California State Silver Gloves Championships in Carson last weekend to earn the state title in the 14- to 15-year-old age group for 125 pounds.
Casaca, who trains out of the Backyard Boxing Club in Salinas, will now represent California at regionals, which will be held in Norwalk on Jan. 4-7.
“He looked real good at Silver Gloves,” said Rudy Puga, Casaca’s trainer. “He’s matured more. He just turned 15 last month, so I think physically he was already there. But mentally he’s growing now.”
Casaca easily defeated Espinoza in the semifinal round by a unanimous decision (5-0) to advance to the final against Mecedo.
“And that was a close one,” Puga said.
Nevertheless, Casaca came out on top when he narrowly beat Mecedo by a split decision (3-2) to advance to next month’s regionals, where fighters from six states will be represented, including California, New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, Utah and Nevada.
Winners will advance to nationals in Kansas City, Mo.
Casaca has had a string of tournaments recently where he has finished in the finals, including the National PAL Boxing Championships in San Antonio, Texas, in October, where the 15-year-old fighter lost in the championship round.
“He’s been competing with the top fighters in the country,” Puga said. “He’s always in the medal round, which is good.”
Hollister fighter Matthew Bribiescas, meanwhile, lost his bout at the California State Silver Gloves Championships last weekend to Josway Gonzalez of Southern California, who fought in the finals at the national Silver Gloves championships last year.
“The kid was just too quick for him,” said Zeke Lopez, Bribiescas’ trainer at the Bull Dog Boxing Gym in Hollister. “Matthew tried to hit the kid a couple times, but the kid was just too quick, just a different level.”
The fight was called in the first round on an RSC — Referee Stopped Contest.
Lopez said Gonzalez was about two inches taller and was turning 16 in two months, whereas Bribiescas just turned 14. The trainer chalked the fight up to a learning experience as a result.
“It did him some good,” he said. “On the way back home, he was talking about how he was gonna train.
“Matthew went in and tried, and as long as he tried his best, that’s all that I want.”
