Female boxer has unforgettable year

On April 5, Fallbrook High School senior Araceli Tinoco, eagerly joined her Team USA colleagues on an eight-hour flight from Los Angeles to Tahiti, for a series of boxing exhibitions and another giant-step, in a year of personal milestone memories.

“It was exciting from the first minute until we arrived back in the U.S. on April 16,” said Tinoco. “Although it was a long flight, we each had our own TV to watch, making the flying time seem less than anticipated.”

“Our hosts treated us like royalty, taking us on several tours and even wading in beautiful blue-green clear ocean water, feeding stingrays and sharks with tuna,” she said. “The most amazing sight however was the black sand beaches, and the fact there was absolutely no air pollution. I have never eaten so much fish and bread in my life.”

And on top of those experiences, she triumphed in boxing, and won a gold medal.

“Oh yes, I won both of my matches, against girls a head taller than I,” said Tinoco.

Tinoco, who trains at Porras Boxing Club gym in Fallbrook, is now in training for the national championships held May 15 through 20 in Oxnard, Calif.

At the 2011 matches held in Ohio, she was the runner-up and plans to win the title in her division, this year.

“I am having some trouble raising the needed funds, but regardless, when the bell sounds for round one, I’ll be in the ring,” she said with confidence. “Win, lose or draw, I will turn professional in June or July.

When asked about the differences between amateur and pro; she responded, “I will no longer wear head protectors and the punches will hurt and sting more than what I am accustomed to. I will go from 10-ounce gloves to eight ounce and the punches are much more pronounced. That is what professional friends of mine tell me to expect.”

Tinoco is on schedule to graduate in December from Oasis High in the Fallbrook Union High School District.

To comment on this story online, visit http://www.thevillagenews.com.