Boxer’s Winning Combination

Carlos Navarro knows there’s nothing he can do about his past, but occasionally he catches himself looking back on it.

Two years ago, Navarro was a cinch to make the U.S. Olympic boxing team and a good bet to become the Oscar De La Hoya of the 1996 Olympics. As an amateur, Navarro won 21 national titles and two world titles, and he was from East Los Angeles, the same area that De La Hoya comes from.

But comparisons to De La Hoya stopped when Navarro was upset in the Olympic trials by Augie Sanchez and Floyd Mayweather, who won a bronze medal in Atlanta in the 125-pound weight division. If only Navarro had stayed with longtime trainer Frank Rivera instead of bolting for Top Rank Inc., where he was trained by Joe Goosen, his past might not be so painful and his present might look much different.

“Regrets?” Navarro said. “On one hand, I don’t regret it because I learned a lot from the Goosens. But do I regret it because I think if I had stayed with Frank, I’d have a gold medal, my own house and a new car, instead of driving an old car and living in an apartment?”

Don’t feel too sorry for Navarro, who at 21 is close to signing a long-term promotional contract with Cedric Kushner and appears to be on the verge of getting a world title fight. Navarro, a wiry southpaw with incredibly fast hands, has won his first 11 professional fights, nine by knockout. He is being managed by Mouthpiece Sports, but more importantly, he is being trained again by Rivera.

Rivera, too, is trying to forget the past.

“What happened with the Olympics is over with,” Rivera said. “We turned the page.

“I know it was a family decision, not his. It was a move that was made for the wrong reasons. I think some of it had to do with money. He started realizing [he had made a bad move] too late.”

Rivera said he ran into Navarro a few months after Navarro’s loss to Mayweather.

“He said, ‘Hey man, what do you say we give it another shot?’ ” Rivera said. “I asked him what were his intentions. He told me he wanted to be a world champion. I said, ‘OK, let’s go then.’ ”

Tonight in the Irvine Marriott’s 10-round main event, Navarro goes for his 12th victory when he fights Carlos Valdez (8-1, two knockouts). Valdez is managed by former Olympian and former world champion Michael Carbajal, but Rivera doesn’t see Valdez as a threat.

“This fight’s not going to go the distance, that’s for sure,” Rivera said. “We know how important good wins are to a fighter trying to get a title fight.”

Rivera and Mouthpiece Sports did not give Navarro much time to dwell on his Olympic failure. By his third professional fight, Navarro was fighting an eight-rounder against an experienced club fighter. He has fought four scheduled 10-round bouts.

Two months ago at the Marriott, Navarro won a unanimous 10-round decision over previously undefeated Marcos Licona of Westminster to take the California junior featherweight title.

“Every time we take a step forward, he comes up big,” Tom Loeffler of Mouthpiece Sports said.

Next spring, Navarro is scheduled to take his next big step, when he fights for a world title against South African Vuyani Bungu, the International Boxing Federation’s 122-pound champion.

Navarro, who has a son, Tristin, 1, and is engaged to be married to Jennifer Lynn Sabo, is trying not to look too far ahead or behind.

“I’m happy where I am,” said Navarro, who has three brothers and eight sisters. “I’m comfortable now. I’m back with Frank, who’s not only a good trainer but a good advisor and a good friend.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Boxing at a Glance

* Where: Irvine Marriott

* When: 7:30 tonight

* Main event: Junior featherweights, 10 rounds--Carlos Navarro, Los Angeles, 11-0, nine knockouts, vs. Carlos Valdez, Phoenix, 8-1, two knockouts.

* Undercard: Middleweights, eight rounds--Nick Martinez, Basset, 6-0, four knockouts, vs. Augustine Renteria, Tucson, 9-18-5, three knockouts; Junior featherweights, six rounds--Naoya Hirahara, Tokyo, 5-2-1, three knockouts, vs. Oscar Zamora, Panama City, Fla., 3-5-3; Junior middleweights, five rounds--Carlos Bojorquez, Mira Loma, 1-0, one knockout, vs. Edgar Manjares, Chihuahua, Mexico, pro debut; Super middleweights, four rounds--Jaime De La Torre, South El Monte, 1-0, one knockout, vs. Nick Chiaravalle, Los Angeles, pro debut.

* Tickets: $25, $30 and $35, available at Marriott Boxing Office.