“I have been around gyms all my life. Combat sports are in my DNA.”

So said Gloria Alvarado, a boxing coach/trainer who has earned the respect of her peers. It’s no longer shocking to see a woman assisting in the corner of a prizefighter, but when a woman is the main cog, as Alvarado usually is, well, that’s still a novelty.

“Coach Gee” to her fighters, Alvarado may not fit the stereotype of a boxing coach, but she certainly has the pedigree. Her grandfather boxed and her grandmother was a professional wrestler. Gloria is the niece of MMA legend Benny “The Jet” Urquidez and his sister, Lilly Urquidez Rodriguez, both of who were instrumental in popularizing the sport of kickboxing in the United States. Aunt Lilly, notes Alvarado, once trained Bridgett “Baby Doll” Riley, a ground-breaking West Coast boxer who fought on the undercard of the first meeting between Lennox Lewis and Evander Holyfield at Madison Square Garden.

“In my family, people became great fighters or great trainers,” says Alvarado, 53, who competed as an amateur kickboxer. A single mom for the last 22 years, Gloria was born in the great boxing incubator of East LA and currently resides in Burbank.

She helped train Seniesa Estrada when the future undisputed world minimumweight champion was an amateur. “I have known her since she was a little girl. She was a great kid growing up,” says Alvarado.

Things between them became frosty when Alvarado began training Yokasta Valle. The rift between them became a major storyline when Estrada and the Costa Rican, each holding two world title belts, were matched for the undisputed title this past March in Glendale, Arizona. The media contorted the match into a grudge fight which became something of a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Valle finished strong in a fan-friendly fight, but all three judges voted against her, giving the fight to Estrada by 97-93 scores. Valle was fighting an uphill battle from the opening round when she suffered a bad gash over her right eye, the result of what was ruled an unintentional clash of heads.

Gloria Alvarado begs to disagree, arguing it was an intentional head butt. Post-fight, she took umbrage with the decision, an unpopular verdict, and demanded a rematch, but that’s not likely to happen, at least not in the near future. Estrada announced her retirement in October several months after tying the knot with Sports illustrated Senior Writer and DAZN ringside correspondent Chris Mannix. And if Seniesa eventually unretires (for an undefeated fighter, the first retirement is seldom the last) and a rematch comes to fruition, Gloria Alvarado likely won’t be there. She and Yokasta Valle are now on the outs because, says Gloria, Yokasta was a stiff, refusing to pay her all that she was owed.

Alvarado doesn’t limit her good counsel to boxers that share her gender. She trains and is also the manager of Alan “Kid Kansas” Garcia.

Garcia, who turns 22 tomorrow (Jan. 5), hails from the town of Ulysses in the southwestern portion of the Sunflower State. He fought twice on Top Rank cards before inking a multi-fight deal with the organization in March. “Alan Garcia is a sensational young talent with world championship potential,” Top Rank honcho Bob Arum was quoted as saying in the press release that announced his signing.

Kid Kansas

Kid Kansas was 14-0 with 11 KOs when his career hit a snag. On Sept. 20, he was knocked out in the fifth round by Spanish-Bolivian journeyman Ricardo Fernandez.

Garcia had his back to the ropes when he was tagged with a looping right hand. It was a classic one-punch, 10-count knockout. Garcia crashed to the canvas, his head resting under the lower strand of ropes. Coincidentally, it came in the round when ESPN broadcasters Bernardo Osuna and Tim Bradley had their microphones turned off and half the screen was focused on Alvarado shouting instructions to her fighter. The knockout punch rendered her speechless, but the look of horror on her face left a lasting impression.

“When it happened,” recollects Alvarado, “my view was blocked or I would have yelled for Alan to get off the ropes and he would have instantly obeyed my command.”

While a one-punch knockout can betray a brittle chin, it’s also easier to overcome than a knockout forged by sequences of unanswered punches in a relentlessly one-sided fight. That’s because the victim of a one-punch knockout was usually just careless, a correctable deficiency. Before the roof fell in on him, Garcia had won every round, arguably every minute of every round.

“I had no time to brood over the mishap,” says Gloria Alvarado, “because I had to be in Mexico the next day with three of my amateur boxers.”

Alvarado feels an emotional connection to all her fighters but that goes double for Garcia’s stablemate, 23-year-old Iyana Verduzco. Nicknamed “Right Hook Roxy” (her middle name is Roxanie), Verduzco is the youngest of Gloria’s two daughters. (The older girl, now 35 years old and a mother of three, fought as an amateur; she was Alvarado’s first boxer.)

As an amateur, Iyana won 21 national titles. “Thanks to her, I got to see a lot more of the world,” says Alvarado, noting that she accompanied her daughter to tournaments in places like Poland and Hungary.

Alvarado, who once owned her own gym, can usually be found at Freddie Roach’s famous Wild Card Gym. Iyana, currently signed to Tom Loeffler’s 360 Promotions and 3-0 as a pro, can usually be found there too, training alongside men including world champions.

Roxy Verduzco

Iyana entered the pro ranks with a ready-made fan base thanks to social media. Among other things, she has an Only Fans platform. But don’t be fooled; it isn’t what you might think.

While it is true that the bulk of its revenue derives from pornographic material, Only Fans didn’t start out that way and the majority of its content is still created by entertainers and influencers who use the site to monetize interactions with their fans. You won’t find anything raunchy on Right Hook Roxy’s platform. “If she did that,” says her mother, “I would disown her.”

Being a woman in a male-dominated sphere can be daunting. “Getting access to [my fighter’s] dressing room is always a challenge,” says Alvarado. “When I am with Alan Garcia or another male boxer, security guards assume that I am his mom. ‘I’m sorry,’ they might say, but only the boxer and his handlers are allowed in there.”

She says this without a trace of rancor. There isn’t a hard-edge to her, at least not around civilians with whom she is always pleasant. But there is one thing that really bugs her, and that’s internet trolls who spew invective at a boxer encountering adversity: “No one would dare rush up to ringside and yell ‘you suck’ at a fighter while a bout is in progress, but they can do it on the internet because their cowardice has no consequences. What others call a troll, I call a keyboard gangster.”

A woman who likes to stay busy – she ran three restaurants before her passion for boxing became all-consuming – Alvarado will be especially busy in February. Alan “Kid Kansas” Garcia begins his comeback on Feb. 1 in Garden City, Kansas, with the ubiquitous TBA in the opposite corner. Gloria’s daughter Iyana Verduzco, aka Right Hook Roxy, returns to the ring on Feb. 17 at SoCal’s Commerce Casino in a 6-round super featherweight contest that will air on UFC Fight Pass.

Concurrently, more people will become conversant with Gloria Alvarado, an unconventional boxing coach who can hold her own with the big boys.

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By TSS Special Correspondent RAYMOND MARKARIAN — It’s difficult to understand the mind of a fighter. At its core, a life filled with danger in the boxing ring is stranger than the normalcy of everyday work. Throw a punch or send an email, and you live with the consequences. Most boxers begin their journey at a young age, driven by self-promotion and personal ambition. But Dante Kirkman is not like most aspiring fighters.

A Stanford senior majoring in Art Practice, Dante is a highly educated young man with a passion for boxing — not for fame or financial gain, but for a deeper purpose. While most boxers are self-centered, focused on building their personal brand, Dante has a different vision. He wants to merge the worlds of education and boxing, using the sport as a platform to give back to the community.

“I want to go all in with my boxing,” Dante says. “But outside of that, my family and I are creating a non-profit to help kids with their education. My family has always been big on education.”

Dante’s commitment to education stems from his upbringing. His brother ran a non-profit focused on helping underserved communities prepare for college and SATs, a mission Dante is determined to continue. His goal is to combine his love for boxing with his passion for mentoring and uplifting others.

“I believe in using my life to help others,” he explains. “My family raised me with a deep sense of faith and selflessness. We grew up Catholic-Christian, always trying to do good for others. I believe God has a purpose for everyone, and this is what my life looks like.”

It’s a rare perspective in a sport where most 23-year-old professional boxers are focused primarily on their own careers. But for Dante, boxing isn’t just about personal glory. It’s about creating opportunities for others to grow, both inside and outside the ring.

“While I box, I want to continue to build my non-profit,” he says. “I want to combine these two worlds — education and boxing.”

Dante’s family has supported his boxing journey since he first stepped into the ring at 10 years old. They’ve always encouraged him to focus on his education first. “The same way basketball or football players go to the NBA or NFL after college, I’m just continuing with boxing,” he says.

Now 3-0 as a professional, Dante, a middleweight, plans to fight several times this year. He trains at B Street Gym in Downtown San Mateo, California, under the guidance of former bantamweight and featherweight campaigner and three-time world title challenger Eddie Croft.

Dante’s love for boxing is shaped by the fighters he admires. He’s a fan of Andre Ward and Floyd Mayweather, two athletes who, in his eyes, embody the artistry of the sport. “Being in Silicon Valley, I’ve been around people who don’t really understand what boxing is,” he says. “Most people think of the Rocky movies, but boxing is so much more masterful and artful than people give it credit for. I realized that because I’m a huge fan of Floyd Mayweather and Andre Ward. Those two lived and breathed the art of the sport.”

Dante is not just inspired by their success, but by their intelligence in the ring. “The top 1% of fighters are smarter than people give them credit for,” he says. “Boxing is a mental game as much as it’s a physical one.”

As a modern athlete, Dante is no stranger to the influence of social media. His TikTok and Instagram accounts document his journey in the boxing world, providing a behind-the-scenes look at his training, personal growth, and the highs and lows of his professional debut. These platforms allow him to share his story with a broader audience, blending his passion for the sport with his commitment to education.

Despite the risks of boxing and the bright future he could have in other fields, Dante is committed to his dual pursuit of the sweet science and education. It’s an unconventional path, but for Dante Kirkman, it’s the one that feels right.

Note: Kirkman returns to the ring on March 8 against an as-yet-undetermined opponent at the Thunder Valley Casino in the Sacramento suburb of Lincoln, California.

—

You can connect with author Raymond Markarian at TikTok @huntsports and on Instagram @raymarkarian

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Here is the concluding segment of our annual, two-part, end of year necrology where we pay homage to boxing notables who left us last year.

July

July 21 – RICHIE SANDOVAL – A member of the 1980 U.S. Olympic team that was marooned by the boycott, Sandoval was 29-1 as a pro. He wrested the lineal bantamweight title from Jeff Chandler in one of the biggest upsets of the 1980s, rucking the Philadelphian into retirement, and then nearly lost his life in his third title defense vs. Gabby Canizales. Quick work by paramedics saved his life and he spent his post-boxing career working in various capacities for Top Rank. At age 63 of an apparent heart attack at the home of his son in Riverside County, California.

August

Aug. 1 – JOE HAND SR. — A former Philadelphia policeman, Hand was one of the original investors in the Cloverlay Corporation which sponsored Joe Frazier. He later opened a boxing gym that produced 14 national amateur champions and as a businessman was on the cutting edge of the pay-per-view industry, distributing boxing and UFC events to bars and casinos around the country. At age 87 from complications of covid-19 in Feasterville, PA.

September

Sept. 12 – FRED BERNS – During a 44-year career that began in 1968, Berns, an ex-Marine and former Chicago policeman, promoted or co-promoted more than 500 shows. He and his matchmaker Pete Susens plied the Midwest circuit but ventured as far from their Indianapolis base as Anchorage. At age 84 in Indianapolis.

Sept. 21 (approx.) – JOHNNY CARTER – Nicknamed “Dancing Machine,” Carter came to the fore in Las Vegas where he had his first 10-rounder in his fifth pro fight and compiled a 13-1 record en route to a 1992 date with his former Philadelphia high school classmate Jeff Chandler, the defending WBA world bantamweight champion. He lost that fight (TKO by 6) and finished 33-8. At age 66 of an undisclosed cause in Philadelphia.

Sept. 29 – MYLIK BIRDSONG – A welterweight with a 15-1-1 ledger, “King Mylik” was shot dead in a drive-by shooting on a Sunday afternoon while standing on the sidewalk with his girlfriend outside his South Central Los Angeles home. He was 21 years old.

October

Oct. 10 – MAX GARCIA – A former preschool teacher, Garcia was the linchpin of boxing in Salinas, California (60 miles south of San Jose) where he coached amateur and pro boxers for 27 years. His son Sam Garcia carries on his legacy at the gym co-owned by their protégé, featherweight contender Ruben Villa. At age 74 after a long illness in Salinas.

Oct. 24 – ADILSON RODRIGUES – The Brazilian answered the bell for 452 rounds in an 18-year career that began in 1983. He finished 77-7-1 with 61 KOs but was exposed by Evander Holyfield and George Foreman, both of whom stopped him in the second round. In 2013, he was diagnosed with chronic traumatic encephalopathy. At age 66 in Sao Paulo.

Oct. 28 – ALONZO BUTLER – His 34-3 record was forged against a motley lot of opponents, but “Big Zo” was no impostor; he would have assuredly accomplished more with a stronger team behind him. Longtime sparring partner Deontay Wilder called Butler the hardest puncher with whom he had shared a ring. In Knoxville at age 44 where the Tennessee native was reportedly exhibiting signs of early-onset dementia.

Oct. 28 – JOHNNY BOUDREAUX – The Texas journeyman scored his signature win in Don King’s scandal-scarred Heavyweight Unification Tournament, winning a hotly-debated decision over Scott LeDoux. He left the sport with a 21-5-1 record after losing a split decision to future titlist Big John Tate and entered the ministry. At age 72 of an undisclosed cause in Houston.

Oct. 31 – DOMINGO BARRERA – A 1964 Olympian for Spain who finished 40-10 as a pro, Barrera had two cracks at the 140-pound world title in 1971, losing a 15-round split decision to Argentine legend Nicolino Loche in Buenos Aires and then getting stopped in 10 frames by Bruno Arcari in Genoa in a messy fight in which Barrera allegedly suffered a knee injury from a coin tossed into the ring by a disgruntled fan. At age 81 in his native Tenerife in the Canary Islands.

December

Dec. 2 – ISRAEL VAZQUEZ – A three-time world champion at 122 pounds, “El Magnifico,” the son of a Mexico City undertaker, will be forever linked with his four-time rival Rafael Marquez. Their second and third encounters, in 2007 and 2008, were named Fight of the Year by The Ring magazine. In Huntington Park, California, a cancer victim at age 46.

Dec. 11 – NEIL MALPASS – Active from 1977 to 1990, after which he became a youth boxing coach, Malpass seemed destined for big things when he upset Danny McAlinden in his 10^th pro fight, but his career sputtered and he finished 28-19-1. In 1989, as his career was winding down, he won a regional heavyweight title with a 10-round decision over Gypsy John Fury (Tyson’s dad), the bout for which he would be best remembered. In Doncaster, Yorkshire, of an apparent heart attack at age 69.

Dec. 20 – THIERRY JACOB – One of three fighting brothers, Jacob was a five-time world title challenger. The third time was a charm. He unseated WBC 122-pound belt-holder Daniel Zaragosa, but lost the title in his first defense, stopped in two rounds by Tracy Patterson. Active from 1984 to 1994, he finished 39-6. In his native Calais, France, at age 59 from lung cancer.