The 20th Street Recreation Center has a lot of big names associated with it when it comes to boxing.
Former lightweight champion Stevie Johnston got his start there, as did current welterweight contender Mike Alvarado. Even heavyweight champion Sonny Liston was said to have spent time working out there in the early 1960s when he lived in Denver.
There’s almost 70 years of history there, but the days of training boxers at the 20th Street Gym may soon be over.
According to Denver Parks and Recreation spokesman Jeff Green, the organization has informed boxing instructor Robert Baca it is moving its attention away from competitive sports and would not be keeping him as an on-call employee.
“We’ve been meeting with him for six weeks and have let him know that our focus is youth sports, arts, culture, fitness and aquatics. We see the competitive boxing as not fitting in as something we support,” Green said.
Green said Baca has been offered time at the gym, but that he would have to rent the space from them. Baca currently works with boxers three nights per week in two-hour sessions.
Baca said he was offered three days per week, but one of the days was Saturday, typically when competitions are held.
“They offered me a different format that just isn’t going to work,” Baca said.
He added that he was offered a rental fee that work out to about $700 per month, something he said he could not afford without raising the cost to his students.
Adults in his sessions pay $20 a month and kids 16 and younger get free access with the MyDenver card.
Baca works with about 10-15 boxers per session. He has produced several amateur champions throughout his 10 years there, including three-time champion Shon Mondragon.
“Coach is like my second dad. He’s helped me through everything in boxing. It’s kind of like my home,” Mondragon, 15, said.
Baca said he has offers from other gyms but hopes to stay at 20th Street, where he had his first amateur fight in 1971.
“I’m still in negotiations with them. I’ve taken the matter up with city council people. I’m doing everything I can to pursue keeping the program open,” he said.
Green said the change in philosophy would be enacted in the fall, and Baca added that his last scheduled day is Oct. 4. However, Green said he hopes something can be worked out that is beneficial to both parties.
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Joe Vaccarelli: 303-954-2396, jvaccarelli@denverpost.com or
