Pasadena’s Golden Girls Share What They Love About Boxing

With grit and dedication, the Villa Parke boxing program’s Golden Girls have punched and jabbed their way into the Golden Gloves State Championship this weekend.

Fatima Martinez, Diamond Machabie, Asia Eng and Antonia Aguilar Cole will be fighting on April 1 and 2 in Concord. If they win the upcoming state championship, they will advance to the Golden Gloves nationals tournament to be held in Pennsylvania from May 8-13 and could potentially earn a spot at the Olympic qualifiers.

The proud boxing instructor of the quartet, Fausto De La Torre, head boxing instructor at the Villa Parke Boxing Gym, said it is their dedication that sets these women apart from others. 

“They have put so much work and dedication into their workouts and into the sport,” he said. 

Martinez, who will be fighting at the 178-pound division, has been with the Villa Parke boxing program since she was 11. 

“She lives and breathes boxing for all her life. You know the whole meaning of no boxing, no life. That’s her,” De La Torre said of Martinez, whom he said is the leader among the four, having been listed as a finalist for the Olympic trials in the past. 

Speaking to Pasadena Now, Martinez said she picked boxing as her sport because she experienced bullying when she was young. Because of the sport, she was able to discipline herself. 

She said the sport strengthened her not only mentally but as well as physically.

“What I love about this sport is that you’re able to express yourself through the sport, in little to no words. You’re able to leave it all in the ring. It’s a mental game. It’s not only about fighting, but it’s about being a smarter fighter, being able to show and display your hard work, to show it through.”

“This sport has taught me so much discipline. It has taught me that I have to also prepare for life. I have to also make sure that I was able to get an education through the sport of boxing. It just helps you become a better person.”

Martinez’s goal is to make it to the Olympic trials again and get a gold medal. 

“I wasn’t able to get a gold medal a few years back, but now I want to try it again and test myself again. I am still the athlete that I am. I train hard for it. I want to display my skills. I want to show that I’m ready, I want to do this.”

Of the four, De La Torre described  Machabie, the newest to the team, as perhaps the scrappiest. 

“She tries really hard to keep up with the team,” he said. “She doesn’t have a lot of experience, but her athletics makes up for it.”

Machabie will be fighting in the Golden Gloves State finals at 146 pounds.

Prior to boxing, Machabie played basketball. She started boxing in 2018 but it was only over summer last year that she got into competitive boxing and truly dedicated herself to the sport.

“I love everything [about boxing]. There’s so many layers to the sport that it really challenges you as an athlete, as an individual,”  Machabie said. “And just like the intricacies of the art to really exercise discipline, see how far you can progress in something and learn the footwork like the different striking techniques and build your endurance.”

Machabie admitted being in male-dominated sports is hard at the beginning because as a female no one will take you seriously until you have proven yourself. 

“Playing pickup basketball, you need to be a competitor or no one’s going to pick you up just because you’re a woman. Then everybody will skip on you to play a five-on-five game, but then when you prove yourself that you’re a competitor and you can score, then they’ll pick you up. And I feel like it’s the same in boxing.”

“You prove that you love the craft and you can compete and then more men are likely to spar with you, train with you and stuff. It’s kind of a ceiling because you are a woman, but we’re trying to break through that.”

The most important thing she learned from the sport is the importance of consistency and teachability. Machabie hopes to win on Sunday and make it to the Olympic team. “I think that’s the first goal — to see if I can try to make the Olympic team. It’s going to take a lot of training.”

Eng has been in the sport for about 10 years now but she has been with Villa Parke boxing program only for four years. 

Described by De La Torre as a “very strong” and “seasoned” fighter, Eng, will be fighting the State finals at 139 pounds. 

A mother of two, boxing for Eng is a “violent dance.”

“I call boxing like a violent dance. I just really love competing. Also, I have ADHD, so it’s really important for my mental [health], because I get that dopamine hit. I don’t take medication for ADHD, so boxing helps regulate it.”

“I feel like I give a little piece of myself in the ring and that person also gives a little piece of themselves in the ring and we just share like this very unique experience. And I made friends in competition too, like someone I’ve competed against, I still become friends with. There’s a lot of reasons why I like boxing and those are just a handful.”

Eng finds it satisfying to constantly grow in the sport. “As time passes, your character changes, so I know I’m a [stronger] person this year than I was last year.”

With years of experience, she has learned that in boxing, repetition is key.

She has also learned that while boxing is a one man sport when inside the ring, winning is impossible without the community. 

“I couldn’t be there without my coach or my stablemates, my teammates, people are in my corner. I also can’t do it without the people who helped me in the gym.”

Her goal is to be a coach someday. 

“I’d be really nice if I could learn how to give back to teach it at the gym. I would love to learn how to coach. I would like to become a referee or judge or just see where the sport can carry me.”

Of the four Golden Girls, Cole, daughter of former Mayor Rick Cole, is the lightest. Described by De La Torre as a committed and hardworking boxer, Cole will be fighting in the 125-pound flyweight division.

“I really love the sport,” said Cole, who started boxing when she was in college. “I liked the energy, the grit of it. People say boxing is the loneliest sport because it’s you in that ring. But what I found is that I have my coach in the corner, I have my friends on the sideline, and it’s really been a journey of finding yourself and finding your capabilities.”

Prior to boxing, Cole has also tried other sports including basketball and weightlifting. 

“For me [boxing] has become a way of life. I go during my lunch breaks, after work, and run in the morning. So it has really become the foundation for how I live my life and the way I train and the things I interact with.”

“I hope to fight in the MGM Grand. That’s my one goal. But aside from that, just fight the good fight and have fun,” Cole said when asked about her goal. 

De La Torre said the four are now undergoing rigorous training in preparation for their upcoming fight. 

The four go to the gym two to three times a day for workouts and training. 

“Three times out of the week we’re out sparring. So we go to different gyms and we spar with other girls or other males,” De La Torre added. “They can either be male or female just to keep them prepared, keep them sharp, keep their timing.” 

Golden Gloves is one of the most prestigious amateur boxing in the sport of amateur boxing, according to De La Torre. The tournament, which features both male and female amateur boxers ages 18 and up from across Southern California, will serve as a qualifying tournament for the 2024 Olympics in France.

For more information about the Parks, Recreation and Community Services Department and its programs, visit www.cityofpasadena.net/parks-and-rec or call (626) 744-6530.