Cain Elizondo Jr., 14, has won two national titles this year and hopes for four more

Paul Valencia
ClarkCountyToday.com

All of the training — the hours in the gym, the conditioning, the sparring — all of the workouts led to this moment for Cain Elizondo Jr.

Still, this is the ultimate in competition, a one-on-one battle, a fight. The opponent has put his heart into this, as well. 

There are no guarantees.

“I was nervous in the beginning, stepping into the ring,” Junior said. “But I knew I was ready and prepared.”

Junior had the lead after the first round. His coaches — including his father Cain Elizondo — could see that the judges had Junior ahead 4-1.

The second round was even more dominant for Junior, a 5-0 judgment.

Still, Junior had to remain focused.

“He’s going to be desperate and aggressive,” Junior said of an opponent who needed a knockout to win. “I stayed composed and I do what I do best.”

The referee raised Junior’s arm, declaring him the 125-pound intermediate (ages 13-14) champion at the 2024 USA Boxing National Open in Albuquerque, N.M., earlier this month.

“That was amazing. I can’t really explain it. You gotta be there,” Junior said. “It was the best feeling in the world.”

And it is a feeling Junior had already experienced this year. 

In February, Junior won the 2024 National Silver Gloves Tournament in Independence, Mo. 

“The year before, I took second place,” Junior said. “I knew it was my time this year. This whole year is going to be mine. I’m going to try to win six national titles.”

So far, the 14-year-old from Vancouver is 2-for-2 at national events. 

And breaking news on this day, March 22, 2024: This Vancouver boxer is officially ranked No. 1 in the country by USA Boxing. The rankings for the intermediate division were released Friday morning. 

It says Cain Elizondo Jr., from Washington, on the ranking, but this truly is a family and team thing, too. Junior’s dad has done a lot of the coaching, while Junior’s mom Angi is the rock who coordinates schedules and stresses academics.

“For me, I get the joy of seeing my son’s face and his expressions when he wins or when he trains,” Cain Elizondo said. “He never complains. He’s always ready to go. For me, it’s a joy to try to make my son a champion.”

“I didn’t know much about boxing at all,” Angi Elizondo said before becoming a boxing parent. “I had the typical stigma, that the kids are angry, that they are troubled kids.”

Not at all, she has learned.

“The sportsmanship is out of this world. They’ll be in the ring, they’ll have a brutal fight, and right afterwards, they’re hugging, taking pictures of each other, they’re becoming friends on social media,” she said.

Junior is now training with Young Guns Boxing, owned and operated by former professional boxer Jason Davis, who grew up in Vancouver. 

“He’s pretty much everything I dreamed of when I started this,” Davis said. “Once he stepped into the gym …”

Davis did not finish his sentence. But the smile in his eyes said it best. Junior is the real deal. 

There are posters of Davis in the Young Guns gym in Vancouver, visuals of Davis’ past as a professional boxer. Davis said he has no doubt that some day there will be posters of Junior.

Junior is getting plenty of attention — from his friends at home and the experts with USA Boxing — but that has not changed him. Junior helps out the younger boxers in his club, from wrapping wrists, to finding equipment, or even offering an encouraging word.

His parents say Junior has always had a big heart, but boxing has made him even more of a joy.

“It’s been huge for my son’s confidence,” Angi said. “He’s very self motivated. It takes determination. He’s put a lot into it, but he’s also learned a lot from it.”

He respects all who train and get in the ring. 

Junior has won two national championships in the past two months, with four more nationals this year. But recall, he did not say he was going to win all six. He said he was going to try to win all six. There is a difference. He will prepare himself for these opportunities, but he will never take a victory for granted.

“You have the best of the best in the nation,” Angi said, referring to the recent events in Missouri and New Mexico. “The best kids are there. They are all there to win. It’s very competitive.”

Junior’s work ethic is beyond that of most 14-year-olds. But that is not what impresses his parents the most.

“He’s not cocky. He’s not arrogant. Junior’s best attribute is he is a humble kid,” his dad said. 

Priorities are in order, as well.

“We have God first. We have family second. Then we have boxing third,” the dad said.

Junior has always been athletic. He was a wrestler when he was younger and also trained in jiu jitsu. While working in the martial arts, experts there, along with his dad, suggested boxing.

It was not love at first punch for Junior. He picked up the sport right before the pandemic, and he kept training at his dad’s private workout area. He just got better and better, and understood that he had to work even more to get to where he wanted to go in the sport. 

Angi is able to step in if she thinks Junior is training too hard. Cain said he and his wife make a great team, getting on the same page to help Junior excel but not get too carried away with just boxing.

Angi pushes the school work. Junior is a home-schooled eighth grader, which allows him the flexibility to train and travel for boxing. 

Interestingly, it took Angi a little bit longer to warm up to boxing.

“It’s nerve-racking, for sure. I wouldn’t watch for a really long time,” Angi said. “Everybody kept saying how good he was and he was just very natural. ‘You need to come watch.’ I finally watched him. He’s definitely got what it takes.”

A year after finishing second in the Silver Gloves, Cain Elizondo Jr. became even more motivated to become the best that he could in this sport.

Now, in 2024, he is proving he has what it takes to be elite.

The ultimate goal, son and father say, is a spot on the Olympic team in 2028, when Junior is 18.

Long term, Junior said he wants to have a professional career.

No matter where this athletic journey takes Junior, he and his family know that boxing has already helped turn a boy with a good heart into a humble teenager with greater compassion for those around him, in the sport and away from the sport.

Cain Elizondo Jr. is a young athlete with a desire to win, to help others, and to honor his parents. 

A championship boxer with a championship character.