Zaragoza gear was started with a dream of continuing the legacy my grandfather, Raymond Zaragoza started in my family. My grandfather was a Texas Welterweight Champion back in the 1940’s, fighting under his stepfather’s name Serrano. My grandfather was not just any ordinary boxer. He represented what this company stands for, the love of boxing and giving back to the Houston community.
My grandfather was born in the old 6th ward of Houston during the depression, and had to turn to boxing to help support his family. It was apparent after winning his first and only amateur fight before turning pro that he was something special. My grandfather fought against some of the world’s best boxers with a career record of 156-8 .
Below is a quote from my grandfather’s biography as he describes taking his first fight from a boxing manager. He had been approached the day before, and had been asked to fight professionally. He first told the man no, but then came back the next day. This is where our legacy begins:
“Anyways, I came back the next day looking for this fella. I spotted him on the other side of the gym and walked up to him, and said I will take that fight. The manager told me to show up the following Tuesday ready for my first professional fight. When I showed up that Tuesday, I didn’t have any shoes or trunks, but they got some from somewhere. JoJo Pissante, already a 10 round fighter was already in the ring. They gloved us up, and the bell rang.”
Even after returning home from serving our country, he continued to dedicate his life to boxing. One of his greatest fights was against Lew Jenkins. He floored Lew Jenkins six times, and in the end the fight was a draw.
My grandfather’s love of boxing trickled down into three more generations in the family- my father, myself, and my son. To this day, my family is very actively involved in the boxing community and can often be seen at the boxing events volunteering as referees and judges.
