AVENAL -- Jose Ramirez certainly isn't lacking in versatility. In the last school year, the Avenal High junior-to-be ran in the state cross country championships as fall, played midfield for a soccer team that reached the Southern California finals in the winter, and competed in track during the spring.

He did all that while posting grade-point averages of 4.0 for the first semester and 3.8 for the second. That gained him scholar-athlete of the year honors at this school.

But Ramirez's love is boxing.

"It's what I like to do ,'' he said. "I enjoy every single minute, whether I win or I lose.''

Ramirez has done much more of the former than the latter. He owns an amateur record of 65-14 -- and the last string of victories earned him a national championship.

The 15-year-old went 4-0 at the National Junior Olympics at Marquette, Mich., June 17-20. He claimed the 119-pound division title with a 9-3 decision over Colorado's Ricky Rodriguez in the final.

"It was a good experience,'' Ramirez said of the tournament. "I trained really hard for it. I was kind of nervous at first, but I got more confident as I went along.''

Ramirez won the right to represent the United States in the World Cadet Championships, which will feature the top 15-16-year-old boxers. The date and site of the event have yet to be announced.

"I'm looking forward to it,'' said Ramirez, who is ranked No. 1 nationally among 119-pound Cadet fighters. "I'll be able to make new friends, and meet different fighters from different countries, and see their different styles.''

Ramirez will be one of two fighters with Kings County roots representing the United States in international competition.

Former Hanford resident Shawn Estrada will fight for the USA in the 165-pound class at the Beijing Olympics next month.

Making the 2012 London Olympics is a goal for Ramirez. And his coach -- Armando Mancinas -- said the fighter definitely puts in the work, and does so on a daily basis.

"He's not just a fantastic boxer,'' Mancinas said. "He's a good kid. He's a 4.0 student and he's really well-respected in the community.''

Mancinas, coach of the KINGS Boxing Club in Avenal, is also the coordinator for USA Boxing's Central Pacific Region, which is composed of Central and Northern California.

Mancinas brought a 16-member regio-nal team to the Junior Olympics, and Ramirez was the only male on the squad to capture a title. Since Ramirez is still only 15, he'll be able to fight for a Junior Olympic title again next year.

At 5-feet-9, Ramirez is tall for bantamweight.

"He's a tall, lanky kid,'' Mancinas said. "He has quick hands, quick feet and very good defense.''

"But he packs some power,'' Mancinas said. "He's one of those kids who has rolls of muscle on the inside of his back.''

Ramirez owns scored of championships, including titles at the Ringside World Championships and National Junior Golden Gloves. He's been boxing for eight years and was one of the first members of the KINGS Boxing Club, which Mancinas said has had 500 members since it was founded in 1999.

So what's so great about boxing?

Ramirez said one of the best things about the sport is that it gives him the opportunity to travel, and he likes the mutual respect fighters must show for reach other.

"You have to respect the other boxer,'' he said. "It's not like other sports, where some of the people don't show respect. Boxing is all about respect.''

Mancinas and Ramirez agree that the latter' participation in "other sports" like soccer and distance running are helpful to his boxing preparation.

As far as preparing is concerned, Ramirez said he couldn't do so nearly as well if he had to do so alone. "I have a lot of support from my family and my friends,'' he said. "That helps me a lot.''

(July 4, 2008)