By Brian Argabright
The 830 Times
With sweat dripping from every pore, and the heavy bag taking a beating, Roberto Zavala Jr., trudges forward and delivers another series of blows to the swinging canvas target.
Nearby, his coach Salvador Pascacio is encouraging his fighter, reminding him that the pain and fatigue is just temporary but the glory of a fight and a win is forever.
“Yes, coach!” Zavala hollers, his words a bit garbled due to the mouthpiece he uses. It’s that respect and dedication that has Zavala set for the biggest fight of his short career Saturday night as part of the undercard of the highly anticipated Jermell Charlo/Brian Castaño showdown in San Antonio at the AT&T Center.
For Zavala and the coaches at Del Rio’s No Quit Boxing Club, it’s a chance to be seen and hopefully extend what’s already been a remarkable run for the 33-year-old.
Yes, you read that right. Zavala is 33 but looks and moves like a man a dozen years his junior.
Zavala is no doubt a heavyweight. A powerlifter at Del Rio High School, the hulking bruiser is as wide as he is tall with arms that deliver punches with such force it’s no wonder that Pascacio christened him “Heavy Artillery,” as not just a nod to his military service, but the power he brings.
“I started here in November 2019. Within three months I really began to take the training seriously,” Zavala said. “We did boxing when I was younger. It was the only sport my father really enjoyed. I trained at the G.I. Forum about 20 years ago, but by the time I graduated high school there was no more boxing there.”
Zavala enlisted in the US Army out of high school and served 10 ½ years as a field artilleryman. He spent time in Iraq and Afghanistan and was part of the NATO force in Turkey before he left that life behind in 2017.
He soon found a job working for Union Pacific, working as a conductor on a freight train and as a locomotive engineer. He remains a railroader, working on his boxing skills when he is able to do so.
“When I was in the army I was still watching the big fights. When I came back home, I tried playing soccer but that wasn’t for me. One day I brought a friend home and heard the sound of gloves hitting the heavy bag. I went searching for that gym the next day and that’s how I wound up here,” Zavala said.
Zavala and his brother Danny both train with No Quit. Pascacio said watching them spar is like watching a battle between two bulls, but Zavala said the support of his brother and his family has kept him going.
“My son, Calixto, is also in a boxing class here. He’s a gentle soul, so I’m not sure if boxing is for him, but it doesn’t hurt to learn,” Zavala said. “My wife, Marta De Jesus, is very supportive. She understand what this means to me. She watches my diet and helps me stay on the right path.”
Zavala has four fights under his belt. Three as an amateur and the fourth was his professional debut June 12 in Galveston. Fighting against a man who outweighed him by nearly 80 pounds, Zavala set out to prove he belonged. He went down in the first round, Zavala called it a slip, but he regained his composure and took it to his opponent.
After battering him for three rounds, Zavala’s opponent chose not to answer the bell for the final round, surrendering while on his stool.
“He’s progressed so much from when he first started,” Pascacio said. “When he first started here he was horrible, but the thing I would tell him, and he would follow through with, was practice, practice, practice. He never complained and never had that attitude because he was an older guy. The most words he would ever say were, ‘Yes, coach!’ As I tell all these fighters, I can only tell you how to do it. It’s up to you to use those tools. He went from not knowing anything at all to making people quit on the stool.”
Saturday night Zavala will take on Levi West in West’s professional debut. According to Sherdog, a website that tracks mixed martial art fights and fighters, West last fought as a welterweight at 170 pounds, but that was in November 2018. His MMA record as a pro was 1-4, but as an amateur he was 2-1.
According to Tapology.com, Zavala weighed in at 254 pounds while West was at 200 pounds even, the minimum weight to fight as a heavyweight. West is four years younger than Zavala and stands at 6’ 2”.
While the Charlo fight is scheduled to air live on Showtime, Zavala’s fight is not scheduled to be televised. His fight is set for four three-minute rounds.
While fighting twice in just over a month is typically unheard of in the sport of boxing, Pascacio said this was a great opportunity for Zavala.
“One of the promoters was having a hard time finding fighters for his guy. He reached out to me to see if I had someone that had all their paperwork, blood work and license ready to go and Robert did. He’s getting this fight by staying ready,” Pascacio said. “This is not just a big opportunity in the ring, but we’ll get the chance to speak to other coaches and promoters and he’ll get the vibe of how the whole thing works.”
Zavala knows that being 33 years old isn’t the norm for a fighter just starting their career, but he also knows what he can do and what he’s willing to do to get the chance for a win.
“I’m a firm believer that you have to workout hard. You win your fights in the gym. You can never gauge effort and I know my opponents are only getting younger and getting faster, but I’ve done whatever the coach has told me and I do what’s asked because he has the know how. I’m bringing that attitude and I’m going to fight for that win,” Zavala said.
“These fighters like him give the name to ‘No Quit’ boxing,” Pascacio added.
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Contact the author at drnhsports@gmail.com
