Grab a pen and paper and write down the name of Popo Salinas.  Fresh off of a P.A.L. National Championship, the 16-year old Youngstown fighter has his sights set on making the United States Boxing Team for the next Olympic Games.  The number one-ranked amateur in his weight class nationally, put on a show for the hometown crowd with a first round knockout of Lavell Briggs.  In the minute-and-a-half or so that the fight lasted, Salinas showed a little bit of everything – defense, speed, power, and agility.

“It feels wonderful to have my family and some of my friends here to see me win this bout”, said a happy Salinas after the win.  “I thank God for this beautiful opportunity.  I am hungrier than Mayweather if you can believe it.  Just hearing people cheer, hearing my name, and knowing that these people were behind me hyped me up, but I was able to stick to the game plan.”

“I want to focus on the Olympics next year, and then I want to go pro.”

The fight itself was brief.  After Salinas entered the ring with George Thorogood’s, ‘Bad To The Bone’, blaring through the venue, the shirt came off and it was go time.  Briggs came out swinging, Salinas avoided most of what was thrown at him.  After using the jab for about thirty seconds, he went back on the defensive briefly.  Salinas then landed a powerful four-punch combination in a neutral corner that put an exclamation point on what his trainer, Jack Loew, has been preaching for three years – this kid is really good.

“I thought he did real good, just like I told everybody he would”, said Loew. “He is an exciting kid, he can punch, and it is time for him to go to the next level, and I think that he is ready for it.”

Salinas stood by the runway to the ring and thanked everybody for coming. Surrounded by his proud family, this kid makes no bones about it, he is a boxer with a gift, a plethora of promise, and the support staff of a WBC Champion, and he is only 16.

If you did write down that name, put a piece of tape on it, put it on the refrigerator, and wait about a year before he gets a crack at bigger things.  Here is a picture (below), courtesy of Ron Stevens, to print and tape to the fridge with the name.