When I talk to some of the boxing coaches in the area, for me, it's like talking to an old friend. The boxing community in Buffalo, New York is small in comparison to other in major markets, but we still remain competitive with the rest of the country. Many of the coaches in the area I've known for many years. Although, there are new coaches I run into that I may not know as well as the others. The dialogue is the same with new and old coaches. We talk about boxing in general, local fighters, match-ups, and "have you seen such-n-such lately?". It's always a great time for me and I seem to make a new friend whenever I go to a local boxing event.
One of my favorite coaches to catch up with is the legendary and "Hall of Famer" Ray Casal of Niagara Falls, New York. Ray has been in the fight game for over 40 years and is still going strong. I met Ray in 1998 at a Toughman Competition in Niagara Falls. At the time he was coaching a few of the fighters that night. Actually, Kevin Rozier (participant in UFC 1 and 4) introduced us and we've been friends ever since. Ray Casal's fighting background is in Kickboxing, as a fighter and a coach. In the 70's and 80's Kickboxing was extremely popular and there were several huge promotions in the area. This kept him very busy as a coach and a fighter. As the 90's approached the popularity of Kickboxing declined, Ray then moved his attention more to traditional boxing. In its heyday, the late 90's to mid-2000's, the Casal's Boxing Club was an one of the elite gyms in the country. He had a team of open class fighters that traveled the United States, winning tournaments, titles, and respect. One of his marque fighters was his very own son, Nick "Hands of Gold" Casal. Nick was a "beast" as an amateur and he terrorized open weight classes from 132lbs. to 152lbs. nationally and internationally. Ray Casal has always maintained a competitive stable of fighters. He's a great motivator, excellent coach, and he keeps a family atmosphere at his gym.
In 2003, when I started "The Western York Boxing Academy" at the F.LA.R.E. center, he was instrumental in getting everything off the ground. He gave me names of other coaches, supported my club shows, matched up my fighters on his shows, and be there with advice. I can't thank him enough. He really supports amateur boxing in our area and we're lucky to have him.
A few days ago, I visited Casal's gym for a video shoot. I interviewed Ray and a few of his fighters. I was not disappointed in the talent he had for me. In 2015, he doesn't have the stable of fighters he used to have, but his team is definitely ready to compete in the Buffalo Golden Gloves, Saturday, January 24th at the Tralf Music Hall. Ray has a lot of pride and his fighters represents his boxing club with the that same pride when they come to fight. Leading the charge this year is Mike Vega, a 132lbs. open class fighter. I've watch Vega develop as a fighter and a fine young man over the years. He's always been a gentleman and a credit to the sport, since I met him a few years ago. Vega trains hard, competes at a very high level, and his technique makes him a handful for anyone in the 132lbs. division. In his interview, he said this may be his last Golden Gloves tournament he competes in before he turns professional. The 132lbs. open class division is the most competitive division in the 2015 tournament. Returning are Saquan Felton, who is the 2014 champion, Jeffrey Nyguyot, was last years the runner-up, and Oscar Peralta, from Syracuse, New York won the 132lbs. title in 2013. We can add Mike Vega to that list. Also in the gym was Brianna Smith, one of Casal's top female fighters. She has yet to lose a fight in the Golden Gloves. Although women can't advance in the tournament, she comes to fight. Brianna is a true athlete. She also played division 1 soccer for Canisius College. She's well rounded and has the stamina for a hard 3 round fight. She throws punches in bunches and she will be hard to stop in 2015. Brianna is a second generation fighter at the Casal's boxing club. Her father was Ray's first pupil and fighter. Keeping it in the Casal fighting family is always a good thing.
For more info on Casal's Boxing Club CHICK HERE!!!
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