Part-Pinoy twins in Magsayo undercard
By Joaquin Henson
PhilBoxing.com
Sat, 03 Oct 2020
Barrientes twins pose with Gervonta Davis (C).
Part-Filipino twin featherweight boxers Angel and Chavez Barrientes will see action in separate six-rounders before the main event featuring Tagbilaran City’s Mark Magsayo against Mexico’s Rigoberto Hermosillo at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles tomorrow morning (Manila time) with the brothers vowing to put on a rousing show.
The identical twins are 18 years old, born 13 minutes apart, to Mexican father Richard and half-Filipina, half-Portuguese-Japanese mother Tiffany Garalde in Hawaii. They were two years old when the family resettled in Las Vegas. Both tote identical records of 3-0, with 3 KOs. Chavez faces Ivan Varela while Angel takes on Fernando Ibarra de Anda in the Magsayo undercard.
Richard, 49, owns the Pound4Pound gym in Las Vegas where he trains his sons. “They started boxing when they were seven,” said Richard. “Our family is rooted in boxing. The twins graduated from high school last May. They’ve put college on hold while pursuing a pro career. They were amateur champions but couldn’t try out for the Olympics because they were under-aged. They started out as bantamweights, now they’re featherweights. They’re 5-11, very talented, highly-skilled. In time, they’ll move up to 140-147 and with their height, could be competitive even at superwelterweight. Within two years, they’ll crash the top five and be ready to fight for the world title.”
Twins Angel and Chavez Barrientes with from left, father Richard, brother Santana, sister Nysja and half-Filipina mother Tiffany.
Angel recently sparred eight rounds with WBO bantamweight champion JohnRiel Casimero in Las Vegas and held his own. Angel and Chavez are always available for high-level sparring, having also worked with WBA lightweight titlist Gervonta Davis. “Casimero never hurt me,” said Angel. “He was coming on but I kept my distance. He’s a tough guy, strong and tricky. My all-time favorite fighter is Manny Pacquiao and my favorite Mexican fighter is Juan Manuel Marquez. Maybe, the boxer I resemble most is Tommy Hearns.”
Chavez, who was named after Julio Cesar Chavez, said he’s more of an inside fighter than his brother. “I fight like Errol Spence,” he said. “My favorite fighter is Pacquiao. I’ve never watched him live, only on TV and I’ll always remember his knockout of Ricky Hatton. A few years ago, Angel and I went to the UNLV track to meet Pacquiao. He signed our championship belts and told us to work hard, that we’ll be champions one day. He really inspired us.”
The twins’ mother Tiffany, 45, traces her Filipino roots to Ilocos Norte through her father Lawrence. She’s a real estate agent. Aside from the twins, the Barrientes’ other children are Alyssa, 28, Nysja, 21 and Santana, 8. “I’ve never visited the Philippines but I’d like to go with my family when this pandemic is over,” she said. “The twins have a lot of Filipino fans. They’re proud of their Filipino heritage. They know how beautiful the country is. It’s rare that a fighter is part-Filipino and part-Mexican so the fans are excited that my sons are now stepping onto the big stage.”
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Joaquin Henson.
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