“At first, people may have viewed him as a bit of a novelty act. But now it’s getting harder to find opponents for him. We spend as much time looking for fights as we do training.” Gary Sullenger, boxing coach at the Concord Youth Center 4-feet-11 and 174 pounds — seriously overweight. He noticed that the one sport his son seemed to like watching the most on television was boxing — so, on a hunch, he brought him in to the CYC, where Jose’s cousin was a member. “We agreed with them that it probably wasn’t a situation where he would actually be able to compete, but that if his interest in the sport would keep him in our program, it
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SportStars™
October 28, 2010
would certainly improve his physical condition,” Sullenger said. And, how. Despite having a right leg with about half as much overall mass as his left, Delgado fell in love with boxing from the first workout. He lost a great deal of weight, gained a great deal of ambition (which spilled over into his schoolwork and other
areas of his life, according to his father) and, in no time at all, began turning plenty of heads. He even survived the biggest test a boxer faces — taking that first punch to the face. “It was from my sister (Diana),” Delgado recalled with a laugh, adding that he and Diana don’t square off in the ring anymore. (His sister, though, is also active in the CYC boxing program.) After a few months, Sullenger began contemplating the once-unthinkable – could “Fluffy” (a nickname Delgado gained when he was heavier – and, yes, it has stuck, in an affectionate sort of way) take it up a level and enter the ring against an opponent? Sullenger wasn’t going to take any chances. But, he wasn’t about to deprive a dedicated, sincere young man of his chance, either. “He made a believer out of me early on,” Sullenger said. “It’s something you can’t see, that is inside of him – just a tremendous desire. “He worked harder and pushed harder than anyone in here.” There was, however, a big obstacle to overcome before Delgado could enter the ring against an actual opponent. Because of the lack of strength in his right leg, he wasn’t able to pack much power into his right hand. “I told him that if he had any hopes of competing, he would have to let me ‘turn him around’ and make him lefthanded, essentially starting all over from the beginning,” Sullenger said. “I honestly expected some complaining or skepticism, but his exact words were, ‘do we start today?’” The next step for Sullenger was giving ‘Fluffy’ a “ladder of accomplishments” to achieve before he could be considered for the competition team. “He has climbed that ladder with amazing efficiency and never looked back,” Sullenger said. As a result, the legend of the “one-legged boxer” spread through the 1,500 other participants at the CYC. Delgado began winning awards at the club for most improved, most dedicated, and most inspirational athlete. “At this point,” Sullenger recalled, “he had already won the fight.” So it should come as no surprise that once the fights started, he attacked them with equal enthusiasm. Delgado’s first fight was in January, in the 118-pound weight division. (He now fights at 114 pounds, a full 60 pounds less than when he first joined CYC.) He doesn’t hesitate when asked what he remembers about that first fight. “Nervous,” he said. “But once the bell rings, it goes away.” Delgado won that first fight easily, so Sullenger lined him up to enter the Oregon Golden Gloves competition in February. He ended up winning the championship — with a first-round knockout, nonetheless. Since then, he’s had seven more fights throughout the western United States, and he’s won them all — including a bout in the Victory Outreach Tournament in San Jose last summer, where he received the “Most Outstanding Boxer” belt. So, obviously, the legend has spread far beyond the walls Upload photos and team stats! www.SportStarsMag.com