By Brian Argabright
The 830 Times
Del Rio’s Danny Zavala returns to the ring this weekend in search of his second professional win.
Zavala, 32, is scheduled to fight Jerome Aiken (0-4) Saturday at the San Antonio Shrine Auditorium as part of Triple A Promotion’s Showdown at the Shrine event. Doors open at 5 p.m., and the first fight will be at 7 p.m.
This will be Zavala’s third professional fight and his first since a four-round draw against Tyrail Crosby March 26 in Amarillo.
Zavala’s first pro fight was Feb. 19 against Gavin Reyes in Odessa. He won that fight by unanimous decision.
Aiken’s last fight was May 28 against Rudy Silvas at the Freeman Coliseum. He lost that fight by unanimous decision though it was his first fight since 2015.
“I’m feeling good. I’m ready. Yeah I’m a little nervous, but that always comes with every fight,” Zavala said Wednesday. “The biggest difference for me now is that I’m a little more relaxed going into this fight. I’m getting used to the ropes and the crowd and all of that. I don’t train in front of a lot of people, so it takes a little getting used to those larger crowds that are there to see me and cheer. It’s just getting used to the routine that makes it a little easier.”
Like his older brother Robby Zavala, Danny is fighting out of Del Rio’s No Quit Boxing Gym. Both are heavyweights, but Danny is a little smaller than his brother, nicknamed “Heavy Artillery,” due to his power and his time in the military. Danny doesn’t have a nickname yet and said that while he’s heard some here and there, he hasn’t found the right one just yet.
“That’s something somebody gives to you. You don’t just come up with it on your own. I only have two fights under my belt so far, so I haven’t heard a whole bunch of nicknames yet,” Zavala said.
Both of Zavala’s previous fights went four rounds. In the ring, he’s a fighter that likes to move forward and doesn’t like to give ground. He’s quick for a man his size, and he doesn’t get easily winded. While the heat around the gym turns the structure into somewhat of an air fryer due to the lack of circulating air and no air conditioning, Zavala plugs along with his training routine and only a gallon jug of water to get him through.
“I know my conditioning and my endurance have improved. I still weigh about the same, but I know I’ve run more and I’ve sparred more and that’s helped me to last longer when it comes to my glove work. My coach likes to remind me that the more I keep up with it, the better I’ll get,” Zavala said.
Zavala and his brother are the oldest fighters in the No Quit family, but that hasn’t deterred them from carrying on in a sport they’ve loved since they were kids. Danny said opportunities like this weren’t available when he was younger or he’d have made boxing his passion. Now, he has a full-time job gets in a few hours of training only after putting in a full day of work.
“I was 29 when I started coming to this gym. I already loved this sport; I just started late. I wasn’t able to do this in high school. In three years I’ve had four amateur fights and I’m about to have my third pro fight. My true feeling is I’ll be doing this until I get too old to do it,” Zavala said.
As a heavyweight, Zavala doesn’t get many chances to spar against someone his size. He said he and his coaches, Salvador and Karina Pascacio, have had to travel to Acuña in Mexico or San Antonio just to find someone to spar. He works with the bigger youth in the gym, but mainly that’s to improve his defense and footwork. He doesn’t unload on his younger sparring partners, as that wouldn’t help anyone involved.
“I look at these younger fighters as my gym mates, but my brother and I try to serve as mentors to them to the best of our abilities,” Zavala said. “They’re younger, but there’s also some friendly competition there. We try to keep up with them and we’ll push them to succeed. Of course, they motivate us as well,” Zavala said.
—
Contact the author at drnhsports@gmail.com
