Charles Perales can’t stop talking about Samuel Torres.
Perales, who has been a trainer at Hollister Boxing for the last four years, has never had a junior boxer who has advanced to the Silver Gloves West Region Tournament.
But that’s what he has in Torres, who will be competing in the West Regionals next weekend in Pasadena, which features junior boxers from California, Arizona, Colorado, Hawaii, New Mexico, Nevada and Utah.
This is Torres’ chance to make an impact on the national level, as he didn’t have a chance to show off his skills in the Silver Gloves state finals last month.
Torres, who is a fourth grader at Ladd Lane Elementary School, won the 80-pound weight class after not having an opponent to fight against.
“I just remember there was no kid in my weight class, and I just wanted to fight,” Torres said. “I feel like I’m going to win (West Regionals) because I’ve been working so hard.”
No kidding. Perales said his protégé has an attitude and work ethic of a professional athlete. The 4-foot-11, 81-pound Torres likes running up hills—serious hills.
“I like to run at Pinnacles (National Park) and Fremont State Peak,” he said.
Torres added he’s been the fastest runner in his class since the second grade.
“I’ve trained guys who have been in world title fights and never had anyone respond to training like this little kid,” Perales said. “Man, he’s not your normal 9 year old. I’ve had professionals run on Lone Tree Road off Fairview and some have quit. Samuel can run up it four miles and never quit.
“He never turned around until he saw the green gate. You can’t teach that type of stuff because a lot of kids will second-guess themselves. The hard part is coming to gym everyday and running three miles everyday on top of that. His heart for a 9-year-old is unbelievable.”
Torres displayed a champion’s mentality at an early age, asking his parents to take him to Hollister Boxing two years ago. Even to this day, Torres will joke with his mom, Liz Castellanos, that if she doesn’t take him to the gym, he’ll run there.
Whenever Torres trains—often against older kids—he throws an assortment of jabs, hooks and uppercuts. He’s got tremendous foot speed, ring savvy and quickness.
Torres developed a passion for boxing at the age of 6, when he first started watching the sport with his grandfather, Nacho Castellanos. Sometimes Torres will spar with his much bigger older brother, Rene, who is close to 5-6 and outweighs Samuel by at least 40 pounds.
Torres is secure enough to admit that the last time he cried was a year ago in a sparring match with Rene. In fact, Torres was sporting a shiner below his left eye after sparring with an older kid last month.
“Older kids hit much harder, so it makes me tougher when I get hit from them,” he said. “I want to be able to take a punch. My goal is to be a champion.”
Perales feels if Torres continues to work hard and progress, his potential is limitless. This fighter-trainer combination has a motto: The harder we work, the easier the fights will be. That’s why Torres trains anywhere from five to seven days a week, displaying an insatiable appetite to improve in the process.
“What separates Samuel from other kids his age is he’s really hungry to get better,” Perales said. “He’ll go run in the rain and not think twice about it. He’s got everything going for him, and he’s humble and comes to the gym everyday ready to put in a full day’s work. That’s why he’s special.”
