Hospital Corpsman 2nd Class Antonel Cruzpadilla was awarded the silver medal at the 2010 All Armed Forces Boxing Championships in Ventura, Calif., on April 23. His next stop is Nationals in July at the Colorado Springs Olympic Training Facility.

When the Navy moved Cruzpadilla to the Pacific Northwest, he joined the Fidalgo Boxing Club.  He trained three times a week after work and participated in his first match on April 12, 2008.  He won that bout and the competition bug bit him. 

He was deployed on the USNS Mercy for six months and upon his return, was back in the gym with renewed energy. He was entered in the Washington State Junior Golden Gloves tournament in February 2009 and earned first place in the 152-pound weight division. After Junior Golden Gloves, he kept training and racked up nine fights and remained undefeated in his weight class. 

Success in hand, Cruzpadilla prepared his package for the All Armed Forces Boxing Program (AAFBP). All of his energy was channeled in to qualifying for the team. He got the good news that he was accepted last October. 

Coach Leonard Johnson of the Fildago Boxing Club worked with Cruzpadilla. Cruzpadilla credits his coach with teaching him the basics and getting him ready for competition by entering him into eight matches in five months. He wanted to make up the time he lost while on his deployment.

These matches were instrumental in his preparation to compete with the Army and Marine boxers. The Navy and Air Force teams train for two months before the AAFBP whereas the Army and Marine boxers train for a full year in the ring. Knowing the training regimen of the competition, Coach Johnson entered Cruzpadilla in two additional events.

A pair of Olympic prospects in Canada accepted the invitation to fight Cruzpadilla. He entered the matches 9-0 and subsequently lost the two Canadian bouts. However, he felt the two losses were valuable and helped him realize the level of completion he was about to face and focused on his training.

Thirty boxers sparred at regional camps in San Diego and Norfolk, 12 were selected for the All Navy Box Off. Eight advanced to the championships.

“It was an honor to represent the Navy,” Cruzpadilla said, and he is looking forward to his role as an ambassador for the sport which is on the rise due to the success of the team.