By Eric ‘Sugar Foot’ Duran, Graphic by ‘Amazing’ Amanda Armstrong

Gabriel Montoya’s life changed over night, literally.

“I was feeling normal and then one night I woke up in the middle of the night with a really bad stomach ache.”

Montoya stated that he rarely goes to the doctor, “I was up all night and it just wouldn’t go away. For some reason I decided to go get it checked out,” stated Montoya.

Montoya comes from a family of boxers, on both sides. His father boxed for 16 years, his uncles from his mother side, all boxed. You can say boxing has always been in his blood, “When my dad stopped boxing, he started coaching so I literally grew up in a boxing gym.”

The boxing gym and boxing was Montoya’s place of serenity. It was always his place to escape the realities of the world and release his stress. It was the place that Gabe realized he was something special, “I was about 14 when I realized that I could be something in boxing.” Montoya had just knocked out a kid at the State Silver Gloves. That’s the night Montoya stated his boxing skills started to bloom. Montoya fought Rau’shee Warren in his first open men’s tournament, “I barely lost to him by 4 points. At that moment I knew I could bang with anyone across the ring from me,” stated Montoya. Warren would go on to become a 3-time Olympian and current WBA Bantamweight World Champion. Montoya went from competing against and training with the best, sharing camps at the Olympic training center with the top young amateurs in America, to fighting for his life overnight.

“The first doctor told me they thought I was having really bad muscle spasms. Over the weekend the pain wouldn’t go away so I went to another doctor. They thought it was pancreatitis so they set up an ultrasound and that’s when they noticed something off. So they did a few more tests and that’s when they found out it was cancer.”'

Montoya’s dreams of pursuing a professional career were shattered in an instance, “I was definitely looking forward to making my pro debut this year. It’s been long awaited,” stated Montoya.

“From the day I found out, I’ve been strong mentally. I try to keep myself in the best of spirits I can and not to let it get me down.”

Montoya’s normal day routine of work, train and spending time with his family completely changed, “I wake up and head to the hospital at about 7:30 am. I have my blood drawn and they test for any abnormalities in my blood cells and all that. I talk to the doctor about how everything is working and how I feel. I get hooked up to an IV and start treatment. Treatments usually last about 6 and a half 7 hours so I’m in the hospital all day. I come home and sometimes I fall asleep if I don’t feel good.”

Some days Gabe eats and some days he doesn’t, sometimes his appetite just isn’t there, “Physically I get drained after treatments.” Gabe knew the treatments would be hard, he figured he would get sick here and there. The hardest part though was when he started losing his hair, “I just shaved my head right away. It was different at first because I’ve never been bald before. I’ve gotten used to it though.” Ask Chris Morris for some tips Gabe.

Gabe credits the support of his family for making him strong in his darkest hours, “My mom took it the hardest as the youngest of her four boys. But we’ve all taken this challenge head on. We’ve decided laughter and family time will ease the tension.”

While his daily routine has changed, Gabe’s love for boxing hasn’t, “Cancer has given me a new appreciation for boxing though because it’s taken a part of my dream away. I miss boxing more than anything and can’t wait til I can come back,” stated Montoya. Montoya and his family had a lot questions in the beginning that they had no answers for. But in boxing, there’s a saying, ‘roll with the punches”, and that exactly what Gabe is doing, “Some days I feel great and I just want to be with my family and stay active.”

One thing is for sure. Cancer may have put Gabe down, but not out. He WILL rise to his feet, brush off his gloves and continue to fight his ass off!

Additionally, if you want to donate a prize for the Benefit Raffle on the Under Dawgs show September 3rd please contact Chris Morris at 720-231-7724.