Boxing: Teammates Boyd, Medina go for the gold

Trevion Boyd is 25 years old, almost 26; Kaleb Medina recently turned 20. Seeing them together, one might think the opposite.

“It’s the beard,” Medina said with a laugh before the two Albuquerque amateur boxers began a workout at Duke City Brawlers gym in the South Valley.

At any age, neither man is a laughing matter for an opponent in the ring. Both New Mexico Golden Gloves state boxing champions, they’re scheduled to compete for Colorado-New Mexico regional titles in Roswell on Saturday.

At stake in Roswell are spots on the Colorado-New Mexico team that will compete at Golden Gloves nationals in Tulsa, Oklahoma May 11-18.

Boyd and Medina train under the tutelage of Albuquerque’s Yoruba Moreu, whose career as a trainer began with his daughter, Sharahya, and his son, Yoruba Jr. He learned the trade from the late Johnny Tapia and later from Albuquerque welterweight Josh “Pit Bull” Torres.

Moreu now has six fighters in his charge.

Medina grew up in Las Vegas, New Mexico, where he boxed as an amateur while excelling as a wrestler. He won a 106-pound Class 3A state title for Las Vegas Robertson as an eighth-grader, then moved to Rio Rancho. He was a state runner-up for the Rams at 127 pounds in 2023.

“I always did both (wrestling and boxing) when I was little,: he said, “but recently I’d taken time off (from boxing) and been more just wrestling.

“With coach Ru, I just had to get back my footwork, stuff like that. It was a little tough, but now it’s going good.”

In addition to his New Mexico Golden Gloves title, won in Roswell last month, Medina was a runner-up at the 2024 Gene Lewis Invitational in Mesa, Arizona.

“I’ve been doing good,” he said. “But you know, there’s always room for improvement.”

Boyd, meanwhile, came to boxing — and to New Mexico — by a more circuitous route. He’s a native of East St. Louis, Illinois, where he grew up participating in every sport he could find.

“I played football, I wrestled,” he said. “I ran track, I played basketball and I did gymnastics.”

Like Medina, Boyd said, he was a state wresting champion. Despite his diminutive stature — he’ll fight on Saturday at 132 pounds — he was a starting running back for Cahokia High School as a freshman.

Then, however, his life took a turn.

“I got expelled,” he said. “... Doing stuff I wasn’t supposed to be doing.”

An uncle who lived in Albuquerque, thinking a change of scenery was what his nephew needed, persuaded Boyd to come west.

He’s never regretted the move.

“I love it here,” he said. “I love the climate. I love the people.”

Boxing was one of the few sports Boyd hadn’t tried back home, but he’d always had the desire. Albuquerque offered him that opportunity.

With Team Moreu, he said, he sees a bright future.

“I’ve made a lot of progress,” he said. “I’m more calm, I’m more collected. I see a lot of things.

“It’s different now ... I started to see the bigger picture of boxing. It’s just what’s in front of me.”

Though boxing is a ruggedly individual sport, Medina said Team Moreu is more than just a label. Moreu Jr., who’s announced he’s turning pro, was in the gym on this day, sparring with his amateur teammates.

“We’re all close,” Medina said. “It’s good because we all have different styles. ... We feed off each other’s energy.”

Between Golden Gloves state and regional tournaments, there’s been little time for anything else. But Boyd spends time with his girlfriend and their daughter, who’ll turn 2 in July.

For Medina, it’s “boxing, boxing, boxing, boxing.” When time allows, he enjoys hunting and heading back to Las Vegas to see friends and family.

The New Mexico team: Alejandra Rocha, 112 pounds, Albuquerque; Angel Sandoval, Clovis, 121; Alexa Garrobo, Peralta, 132; Boyd, 132; Medina, 143; Bradley Jordan, Las Vegas, 154; Ib Maiga, Rio Rancho, 165; Alvaro Garcia, Las Cruces, 176; Anthony Ortiz, Roswell, 187; Leroy Clark, Albuquerque, 198.