By CLAIRE CRUZ, Staff Writer
Omar Juarez loves his Brownsville community, and on Wednesday the community showed him how much it loves the young boxer in return.
Hundreds of supporters sat in their vehicles as part of a “pitada,” a procession that drove by Juarez’s gym on Ruben M. Torres Sr. Blvd. Fans laid on their horns and had balloons, posters, confetti and pom-poms to show their appreciation of Juarez’s skills and community involvement.
“It’s a surreal feeling. This is dreams coming true, slowly but surely. It’s a blessing,” Juarez said after the event with a big smile on his face. “It makes me feel good. It gives me a lot of inspiration and motivation as well. Every time I feel like giving up, I feel like quitting, I know I have a lot of people to prove right.”
The event was initiated by Sergio Zarate, co-founder of Down by the Border — a non-profit organization created in 2004 for people with Down syndrome and their families. Zarate said Juarez has been friendly to the organization for years, going to any event they let him know about to sign autographs and “embrace the kids”, and he even opens his gym to special-needs children so they can work out with him.
“We’re so thankful for a young man like Omar … who understands the importance of giving back to some of those kids who didn’t get the same opportunity that he does,” Zarate said. “We had to do this because it’s our responsibility to take care of those who take care of us. We’re so proud of him and what he does, and what he means to our families.”
The celebration was sparked by a big win Juarez earned in the ring Saturday. He was chosen to be featured in a Premier Boxing Champions super lightweight prospect eight-round bout against Willie Shaw of California that took place in Los Angeles.
Juarez won in a unanimous decision to maintain the perfect 8-0 record (four knockouts) he has built since turning pro in Sept. 2018. It was the first event for the 21-year-old in six months, after the COVID-19 pandemic put sports on pause.
“I told myself that I need to continue training because I could get that call at any moment, and that’s exactly what happened. I was more than ready. They gave me six weeks to train, and I came up with the win,” Juarez said. “It was different without the crowd, but it didn’t get to me that much mentally. I had to get the job done no matter what. It was a beautiful feeling after six weeks of hard training. I’m just blessed to be healthy.”
Juarez expects to be fighting again in October. The Brownsville Hanna alumnus has been boxing since he was 8 years old, and the love for the sport began because of his father, Rudy. He trains with his dad in Brownsville at RGV Elite and in San Antonio with trainer Rick Nunez.
Juarez has been active in the community for a long time, going to high schools to talk with the youth as he strives to be a good role model for everyone in Brownsville. He loves getting to be that positive light for those who look up to him.
Zarate said Juarez’s dedication to others is something he respects above all else. He said the pitada might just become a tradition after every Juarez win, and after a large turnout at the first at which fans said, “You make Brownsville proud,” as they drove by, that could be as successful as Juarez.
“We’re really looking forward to his future, and we wish him all the best in the world,” Zarate said. “But you know what? He’s already a champion in our eyes. It doesn’t matter what happens in the future. His heart is so pure and so right, and we’re blessed to have him in our community to be our champion.”