SUN VALLEY : Youth Proving He’s a Winner in Boxing Ring

When the bell rings, Miguel Espino Jr. turns into a 119-pound flurry of fists. But at the end of the boxing match, win or lose, he thanks his opponent and bows to the audience.

“Afterward, you have to thank him (your opponent) for a good fight,” said Miguel, a 13-year-old who after only a few months has become the pride of the Los Angeles Police Department’s Jeopardy boxing program in Sun Valley.

Recently Miguel, who started competing just two years ago, bested more experienced boxers to take second place in the 13- to 14-year-old age category at the National Silver Gloves championships in Kansas City, Kan. He lost a close bout in the finals to a more experienced boxer from Florida.

It was his first try at the Silver Gloves title and he is the first LAPD Jeopardy boxer to go that far in the championships.

“The fact that he got to the finals in his very first try speaks real well for him,” said Melanie Ley, a Southern California representative of the USA Amateur Boxing Assn.

“He probably doesn’t have as much experience as some of the others,” she said, adding that some boxers his age have been competing for four years, making his second-place finish more remarkable.

Ray Rodgers, president of National Silver Gloves, said that 300 boxers competed in a variety of categories, and that 53 national champions were crowned that weekend of Feb. 5-6.

“Some of these kids obviously will be Olympics-bound,” said Rodgers, who added that the organization does not aim to make kids into professional boxers--which is what Miguel dreams of becoming. Miguel will be too young to compete in the next Olympics, and plans to turn professional when he is 18.

Miguel trained in the North Hollywood back yard of a neighbor, former professional boxer Fidel Briseno, before he joined the LAPD North Hollywood Division’s Jeopardy program last fall. The program, which meets daily at a Sun Valley park, is aimed at keeping kids from joining gangs by offering them alternatives.

Miguel first put on boxing gloves when he was 3. Briseno, who was forced into retirement because of a detached retina, took him under his wing within the last two years, when his training began.

“When he’s ready to go, bang! He really gives a show for you,” Briseno said. “I give him maybe another year and there will be no other kid who can match his ability.”

To succeed, Miguel has had to remain dedicated to the sport, an attitude police officers who run the Jeopardy program hope will rub off on the other boys.

“He’s respected,” said Officer Manuel Martinez. “He helps coach the little guys and they look up to him because he’s a proven winner.”

Miguel’s father said he knew his son would stick with boxing, not because he won his first seven straight boxing matches, but because he stayed with it after his first loss in his eighth bout.

“Each loss, I think, is a learning experience,” Miguel said.