“KO” Birthday for Shawn Estrada

Middleweight will be featured on April 24 card

It was a very good Friday for boxer Shawn Estrada as he celebrated his birthday surrounded by family and friends at a surprise party held in his honor in Los Angeles. When the 2008 U.S. Olympian walked through the doors of the Mariscos Tampico restaurant in Maywood, guests shouted “Surprise!” as the man of the hour realized he’d been fooled.

“Shawn was really surprised; I tricked him!” laughed buddy and fellow fighter Walter Sarnoi. Both boxers are scheduled to fight on the undercard of the Chris Arreola-Tomasz Adamek battle on April 24. And both guys have been training hard and looking forward to their showdowns at the Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario, California.

But Sarnoi, whose nickname is the “Schoolboy,” said he duped his pal to make sure the private party would stay under wraps. He cooked up an elaborate scheme to make sure Estrada arrived at the location on time. “I told him I was gonna have surgery on my foot and that the doctor said I can’t have seafood for three months,” explained the super bantamweight. “Then I took him to my favorite seafood restaurant. When we walked in, he was shocked; I tricked him real good.”

Estrada, since turning pro, remains unbeaten with a perfect record of six victories with six knockouts as part of the talent-rich Goossen Tutor stable. An amateur standout from nearby East L.A., Shawn has been relishing this upcoming return to the ring in front of his hometown fans. The young slugger came up through a hardscrabble childhood and continues his quest to rise to the top.

And it wasn’t an easy road for him. Estrada’s toughness stems from his days as a scrappy youth. His strength and conditioning coach Hector Aguilar has known Shawn since he was just 14 years old. “He had to prove himself a lot even back then. It was a challenge,” explains the amiable trainer. “When the other kids found out he was a boxer, they all wanted to fight him–they were always trying to fight him!”

But the super middleweight prevailed and will now showcase his skills later on this month. At his Friday night fiesta that ushered in the Easter weekend, he had many supporters in attendance, including tons of family members. Shawn looked around the room as he tried to introduce us to as many people as he could. “I can’t believe all the people here,” he said. As I was introduced to a steady stream of brothers and a couple of sisters, I asked one of his siblings, “There’s 17 of you, right?”

“Actually, 18!” one of the Estrada brothers replied with a chuckle.

At the B-day celebration, hosted by Sarnoi and restaurateur Cesar Flores, a live DJ got the guests up and on the dance floor. As the partygoers continued to greet Estrada, a birthday cake was brought out by friends as Shawn blew out his 25 candles, ringing in a promising year–both in and out of the ring.

During the evening, the Birthday Boy also took time to thank those in the room while his mom, family and friends looked on. The boxer also introduced a very special guest, singer Mike Nez, who participated in an impromptu “sing-off” at the birthday party.

First up was fighter Walter Sarnoi, who has been friends with Shawn since they were kids. Fluent in Spanish, Sarnoi sang en Español and surprised many with his vocal talents. He performed a rousing rendition of “Sabor a Mí” and seemed at ease on stage.

Then the talented Nez crooned an acapella tune as the audience showed its appreciation.

Next in line was Henry Vega, who serenaded the crowd with a Spanish ballad. Vega works with Daniel Ponce de Leon, Cecilio “Boga” Santos, among many others, and has been friends with the Estrada family for a while.

It was a friendly and close competition, but Vega, who offered his version of Alex Ubago’s “A Gritos de Esperanza,” was declared the singing champ of the night. Cornerman and manager Vega, brought along Ponce’s compadres Sergio Vorgal and Eric Bonilla from Las Vegas to join the festivities.

But while the birthday celebration continued, many of the boxers made sure to hit the hay in time for their training. Since Sarnoi (5-0, 2 KOs) will be fighting soon, the disciplined athlete ducked out a bit early, gearing up for an early morning of intense roadwork. Upon hearing the news that his friend Henry Vega won the singing competition later that night, Sarnoi remarked, “If I had known there was gonna be sing-off I would stayed! And I would smoked the competition.

“But had to leave early to run in the mountains. Me and Yonnhy Perez ran up to the Hollywood sign.”

Walter then took some playful jabs at his competitors on the mike. “I called people out to sing, but they waited until I left,” he said. “Maybe they were intimidated? So we’re gonna have to do a sing-off! And I know I’m a better than Henry, I can do everything from R & B to pop to Spanish to rock.”

Vega counterpunched with a good-natured laugh, saying “Tell him anytime…anywhere!” Okay, boys, maybe at Shawn’s next birthday party you can have a rematch.

For now, the focus is on the next competition inside the ropes. “Shawn looks mean in the ring, but he’s the nicest guy,” observed Vega. “He’s a really good friend. And I’m really looking forward to his fight.”

In regards to the Ontario matchup, his pal comments, “Shawn’s always an exciting fighter to watch. He looks strong, is in shape and is very confident.”

For Shawn Estrada, April is already shaping up to be a great month for the fighter–with a birthday blowout and an April 24 bout just around the corner.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SHAWN. See you all at the fights!

Photos by Michele Chong and Steve Harpst