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Young pro seeks first KO at ShoBox

By Kevin Klein /Sports Writer

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Rufino Serrano, a member of the Santa Maria Boxing Club, is slated to fight for the third time in his pro career at the ShoBox event at Chumash Casino on Friday. //Mark Brown/Staff

Friday night, the flashbulbs and cheers will be circling the boxing ring at the center of the Chumash Casino’s Samala Showroom.

In the middle of the fray will be one of the Central Coast’s own.

For 19-year-old Arroyo Grande resident Rufino “El Animal” Serrano, it’s just another day at the office.

“Boxing is his full-time job,” his manager, Willie Flores, said during a training day interview, adding “and Friday will be the moment of truth; where he will be showcased and where he’ll be comfortable.”

Serrano is a professional boxer, has been since the ripe age of 18, and this Friday he will be pitted against Jose Pacheco in an undercard bout as part of the ShoBox: “The New Generation” lineup.

He is not like most other 19-year-olds: He works out six days a week, sparring three out of the six, and often travels to Oxnard to train with world-class boxers.

Serrano has also quickly become the idol of several of the Santa Maria Boxing Club youth boxers and even gets recognized while on the campus of Allan Hancock College, where he currently is taking classes.

“It feels good having people see what you do,” Serrano said.

While still new to the professional ranks, Serrano’s journey from amateur to pro has been a quick one.

He first put the gloves on in his mid-teens while attending Arroyo Grande High. Along with his brother, Daniel Serrano, Rufino set foot in the Santa Maria Boxing Club with zero boxing experience.

“My brother and I always wanted to get into boxing; we used to watch wrestling with my dad so we just started coming here and we liked it,” Rufino said at the SMBC gym in the Minami Sports Complex.

Before graduating from AG and delving into the boxing world, Rufino was a cross-country and track runner for the Eagles.

“A lot of my friends didn’t think I’d be a good boxer, well, you look at me and I don’t look like a boxer, but after running I’d run to the car and come here — it was stressful sometimes,” Serrano said.

In street clothes, maybe he doesn’t look like a boxer, but in the ring he has proven his mettle. At 5-foot-8 and boxing at the featherweight level of 126 pounds, Serrano is long and lean. While fighting opponents often several inches shorter than him, it’s his reach that gives them fits.

“It’s a disadvantage for (his opponents),” Serrano’s trainer Carlos Ruiz said. “Everyone wants an easy fight but they say, ‘Oh, he’s too tall.’ So we’re moving him up to 126 (pounds) and hopefully we’ll get more opportunities for more fights.”

His power and relentless fighting style have earned Serrano the nickname “El Animal,” a name he is finally starting to warm-up to, but aside from his natural athletic abilities and rigorous work ethic, Serrano’s youth and inexperience are the only things holding him back.

Serrano turned pro in May of last year, with just a handful of amateur bouts — although he did impress during his short stay in the amateur ranks, winning tournament titles and belts along the way.

However, it was Serrano’s wish to go pro, for both the competition and love of the sport.

“We asked him what are you in it for and he responded that he likes boxing,” Ruiz said. “He’s in it for the game and the love of boxing; the money doesn’t do it for him and that’s why we call it a game — because you should enjoy what you do.”

Flores, who runs the Santa Maria Boxing Club, didn’t agree on Serrano’s timing, but gave his blessings as he entered into the pro world.

“I would have liked him to box at least another two years as an amateur, but he felt there wasn’t much of a challenge at the amateur ranks and wanted to try the pro ranks, as a result he is learning with every fight,” Flores said.

With this, his sixth fight as a professional on the schedule, Serrano, boasting a 3-2 record, is looking for something to legitimize his fighting resume — his first knockout.

“He wants to do that for his manager; to prove to him that he has what it takes,” Ruiz said.

Pacheco, his opponent, is a 2-10-6 journeyman who will be hard pressed to neutralize Serrano’s reach when the two enter the ring.

As the experience comes with each bout, only time will tell when Serrano will hit it big or call it quits, but one thing is for sure, Pacheco is in his crosshairs.

“I’m going to be ready, take it to him and go for the knockout,” Serrano said.

The Samala Showroom’s doors open at 5 p.m. and the featured bouts go live at 8 p.m. on Showtime.