ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – Sergio Chavez is no stranger to the boxing scene, having been brought up in the competitive combat sport from an early age. “Ever since 1972, I still have my first trophy, and I display that all the time,” shared Chavez, a former boxer and boxing coach.
Before becoming the highly respected “cutman” he is today, he also wore the gloves. Although never going pro, Chavez shaped the careers of countless fighters, including world champions like Johnny Tapia and Danny Romero.
In late March, the 63-year-old was diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer. “Once you hear that, it’ a life-changing thing,” Chavez explained.
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Chavez, sees the diagnosis as the biggest fight of his life, a championship match with 12 rounds of chemo. “The doctor said 12 rounds, and he had no idea what I was thinking, you know, I was like, I’m thinking over here on the boxing and stuff, you know, I was like, ‘Oh okay, we’re getting up in the ring again,’” he says.
Over the last seven months, Chavez has been undergoing not 12, but 14 rounds of chemo, while not taking any days off and continuing to train. “I’m not going to stay home and lay down and feel sorry for myself. That’s the last thing I’ll ever do,” he said…