Elizondo wins in international fight

In a matter of seconds, the dream was over. But in the face of tragedy, Jose "Chuey" Elizondo has embarked on a new dream.

The dream of boxing in the Olympics is over. But the dream of beginning a professional career appears to be just on the horizon.

Still an amateur, Elizondo, 18, took his first step to realizing his dream by fighting in an international card on Saturday in Las Vegas in which top boxers from Nevada took on top boxers from Alberta, Canada. Elizondo was the only fighter from Northern Nevada to fight for the Nevada team as the rest of the boxers were from Las Vegas.

Elizondo won his four-round bout at 154 pounds by unanimous decision against Morris Losier and as it just happened, the Nevada team beat the Canadian team 4-3.

Elizondo ran his amateur record to 75-4 with the win. The plan calls for Elizondo to fight a few more amateur bouts and turn pro in December, January or February. Even as a pro, he plans to stay with the club where he's trained ever since he began bozing when he was 9, Victor Bruno's Boxing Club.

"This club means a lot," Elizondo said. "It means a lot to me. This is where I started. Hopefully this is where I'll go pro and represent this club."

The journey to becoming a professional really began last December 9 when as a passenger, Elizondo was involved in a traffic accident when the car he was riding in rolled over on Six Canyon Road on the way to Virgina City. The accident killed the driver, Robert Delao, a close friend. While Elizondo realized how tragic it was to lose his friend, he realized how lucky he was. The guard rail the car crashed into killed Delao after it went through his chest.

The guard rail also went through Elizondo's leg and foot and ended up breaking his ankle. Elizondo still has a scar from the accident.

"It was pretty hard," said Elizondo about dealing with the death of his friend. "He was a really good friend of mine. It was a pretty hard thing to get over."

Elizondo had to go through physical and mental therapy to recover from the accident. He said the accident showed him "I shouldn't take life for granted so much."

Because of the accident, Elizondo couldn't begin his quest for the 2008 Olympics this past spring at the Western Regional Olympic Trials. At that time, he still wasn't even able to walk, yet.

"It was pretty disappointing because that's what my dad and me were shooting for," said Elizondo about his father, Jose, who's his main trainer. "I was pretty bummed out. It was just a pretty big disappointment."

Elizondo entertained thoughts about training for the 2012 Olympics but in the end has decided he'll go pro. "I just figured I'll try to go pro," he said.

And it looks like Elizondo's younger brother, Diego, 8, could be following in his footsteps. Diego has already begun his boxing career and looks like he could have success like his older brother.

Bruno's Club has kept him out of a lot of trouble, Elizondo said. He said he could have been "out doing something stupid" if he wasn't for the club.

But the club didn't keep him from struggling at Carson High. "There was distractions," Elizondo said. "I wouldn't get any work done. I was cutting class a lot."

So Elizondo requested the chance to attend the alternative school, Pioneer High. "I just asked if I could transfer to Pioneer," he said. "I really got my grades up there.

"I wasn't cutting my classes anymore. I ended up graduating from there. I didn't think I was going to graduate."

But Elizondo has done so well, he plans to take some classes at Western Nevada College this fall.

Elizondo admitted he was nervous about Saturday's fight because it was his first bout since the accident and he didn't know how his ankle would hold up. But it held up just fine. "It felt pretty strong," said Elizondo about his ankle in the fight.

In the fight, Elizondo, a southpaw, was fighting another southpaw in Losier. Elizondo was taller than Losier and had a longer reach, so he was able to control the fight with his jab.

"He was a lot stockier than I was," Elizondo said. "He was more of a brawler. I just had to keep him out of my range because I had longer arms. He pressured me a lot. I kept hitting him with the jab."