Stories

In his own words, Jose Celaya shares his journey to becoming a professional boxer, along with the challenges he faced before, during and after his boxing career ended. Below is an excerpt from his speech to youth in Salinas and from his visit to his former fourth grade teacher's class.

"My name is Jose Celaya. I am a former amateur and professional athlete and I grew up on the east side of Salinas. My boxing career began when I started going to the Bread Box Recreation Center, where I learned I could escape some of the hardships that are common in Salinas. I began to train at the age of 9 and used the gym as an escape. I found peace in my ability to clear my mind and have something to focus on rather than all the negativity I was seeing at home and at school. I saw my friends joining gangs, and I lost one of my friends to gang violence. I saw other friends using drugs and drinking, and I could see it was taking them away from their goals. So, I started going to the gym and sacrificing the time it took to be the best in boxing. It took me out of the streets and gave me a positive place to put my energy.

It took me nine years of focus, dedication, and training to finally turn professional. Eventually I made the 2000 U.S. Olympic team as an alternate and it was an amazing experience. One of my dreams was to fight in Madison Square Garden, and two years after turning professional, they flew me to New York City and I got my chance. All of that was due to hard work and perseverance. Never did anyone think that I could come from the streets of east Salinas to Madison Square Garden. Then in 2003, I defended my belt for a third time in San Jose. I made the Olympic team, won the North American Boxing Organization (NABO) title and ended my career with 31 wins, 7 defeats and 16 knock-outs.

But when my boxing career ended, I sustained injuries due to all of the repeated physical trauma of boxing – some injuries, like my speech difficulty, are still a challenge. At that time, my life completely changed. I had to figure out which road I was going to go down again, just like I did when I was 9 years old. I could have stayed home and felt sorry for myself or I could go out there and get the job done. I went back to what I was great at, which was working out in the gym. I worked on what I could do, and that's what kept my mind busy and my heart happy and away from the negativity. I had to once again pull on my faith and get back to living life by using determination and hard work.

I am the person I am today, because of the hardships and challenges I have been able to overcome. So for those of you who may be facing challenges, they may be gifts if you look at them a certain way. Today, I am still boxing and now I am boxing as a trainer and mentor to the kids in our community, and I have even gone back to college.

Being on top takes hard work, but it takes even more determination when you get knocked down. After my boxing career ended, I faced more challenges that were harder than those I faced in the ring. I have gone through a divorce, I have vision changes and speech difficulty. It's a daily struggle to handle all these injuries both physically and emotionally.

Instead of dwelling on the negative, I turn to my coaches, friends and family who support me in making a new life plan. I use the same methods I did when I was fighting professionally and had to wake up at 4 am to go on a five-mile run before school. I tell myself every day, and I will tell you as well, keep on keeping on, stay focused, work hard. It is never too late to start fresh. Never give up and remember fear is the thief of dreams. Everything you want is on the other side of fear."