Trainer No Foreigner to Cuban Boxers Who Defected to U.S.

Diobelis Hurtado and Mario Iribarren, on the card in separate bouts June 21 at the Warner Center Marriott, both have sterling boxing credentials.

Hurtado was 1994 world amateur champion at 132 pounds.

Iribarren, a veteran of more than 300 amateur bouts, is a former Pan American Games champion.

But neither fighter has a resume to match that of their trainer, Manuel Elizondo.

Elizondo was a trainer for the Cuban national team for 14 years--tutoring dozens of world champions--before defecting eight months ago during an international competition in Mexico.

Hurtado and Iribarren, both of whom defected on separate occasions earlier, continue to flourish under Elizondo’s guidance as professionals.

Hurtado, 22, a junior welterweight, is 5-0 with three knockouts. Iribarren, 25, a junior middleweight, is 4-0 with three KOs.

Rene Gil, the Miami-based manager for both fighters, said reuniting the boxers with their former amateur trainer seemed only natural.

“The way they trained in Cuba, they must be doing something right,” Gil said. “They were all world champions.”

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No changes ahead: Although Ventura High track Coach Hudson Scoggin says Nicole Campbell will never reach her potential until she trains year-round, the Cougar sophomore said she doesn’t plan to alter her training regimen after finishing fourth in the girls’ 800 meters in the State championships at Cerritos College on Saturday.

As a member of Ventura’s varsity basketball team, Campbell got a late start on the outdoor track season and she ran few cross-country races in the fall. Nonetheless, she lowered her personal best in the 800 by more than four seconds in the last three weeks of the season.

“Basketball is more for fun, while track is more serious,” Campbell said. “But I like it that way. I don’t plan on changing anything next year. I want to continue competing in both sports because I have a tendency to get burned out if I compete in just one.”

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Dumb question: Ventura College right-hander Brandon Knight, who turned down a scholarship to USC to sign with the Texas Rangers, was asked how Trojan coaches reacted to the news.

“They don’t know yet,” he said. “They’re in the College World Series.”

Oh, yeah.

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Private line: Basking in the glow of the La Canada High softball team’s Southern Section Division IV championship, Spartan second baseman Lori Hanson can take congratulatory phone calls on her private line, which ends in digits that spell out L-O-R-I.

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Happy birthday: Race-car driver Ryan Cole of Santa Maria turned 20 on June 2 and celebrated with a victory over defending International Motor Contest Assn. national champion Scott Pounds of Bakersfield in the 20-lap Modified main event at Ventura Raceway.

Cole is trying to become the second West Coast-based driver to win an IMCA national title, after Pounds won it in 1994.

Quotebook

“Paul’s the defending champion, and he’s certainly a better driver than me. I would have been happy with second place.”

--Joel Remmenga of Camarillo, after beating out four-time defending Ventura Raceway Street Stock champion Paul Moore in a 20-lap feature race to notch his first victory.

Honors

Thirteen area players were selected to All-Southern Section teams by the Boys Volleyball Coaches’ Assn.

Royal High seniors Eric Carlsen and Dan Rizzo were named to the Division I first and second teams, respectively. In Division II, Highland senior Ryan Millar was a first-team selection and teammate Brandon Kimball, a senior, was named to the second team.

Three Village Christian players--seniors Chad Hanson and David Ludwig and junior Kiko Banos--led four area players on the Division III first team. Campbell Hall senior Eric Hassan also was a first-team choice. Juniors Dylan Herrick of Campbell Hall and Ben Lee of Flintridge Prep were named to the second team, and Flintridge Prep senior Brian Grosenbaugh was named to the third team.

Mike Scyphers, forced to resign last month after 17 years as Simi Valley High baseball coach, had his jersey number (No. 2) retired Wednesday night at the team’s awards banquet.

Things to Do

The NASCAR Southwest Tour makes its first appearance of the season at Saugus Speedway on Saturday night with a 100-lap feature starting at 7 p.m.

* Compiled by Rob Fernas. Contributing: Darin Esper, Jeff Fletcher, Mike Hiserman, John Ortega, Bryan Rodgers.