'Little Hero' 10-year-old St. Cloud boxer wins national title

Jonas Ruiz, the ten-year-old “Little Hero” from St. Cloud Area Golden Gloves has won his third boxing national title fight in just over a year.

Last week in the USA Boxing National Junior Olympics & Summer Festival in Lubbock, Texas, he defeated Elijah Olivas of Levelland Boxing Center in Levelland, Texas, to win the peewee title at 95 pounds. The fight went to a split decision after three 1:30 minute rounds, with four judges deciding in Ruiz’s favor. Two judges had Ruiz winning 29-28, two scored it 30-27 and the dissenting judge picked Olivas 29-28.

Ruiz "falls more in love with boxing every day," he said. His older brother, 17-year-old Jesus Ruiz III, competed in the same tournament and their father, Jesse Ruiz, himself boxed for 27 years. Both brothers were raised in the gym, as is their littlest brother Jack Ruiz, who turned eight June 18.

The siblings are the fifth generation of Ruiz boxers and all three were punching bags at two years old, their father said.

"When they were babies they were jabbing at me," he said.

Jesse Ruiz said for him and his father, boxing was about protecting themselves from bullies. His sons feel like they are carrying on the torch of their grandfathers.

Jonas Ruiz has competed in amateur USA Boxing-sanctioned since he was eight. Last April at 85 pounds he won the Eastern Qualifiers in Cleveland and the Junior Olympics in June 2022 at 90 pounds. He earned the title again this June 10.

In his Junior Olympics appearance, Jesus Ruiz’s fight was stopped with 37 second remaining in the first round in favor of his opponent Hugo Mendez, of BlindSider Boxing in Austin, Texas. Jesus Ruiz said he jumped up to the 132 pound class for the event, but only gained two pounds from his usual weight of 125. He said he doesn’t let losses get to him and next time he’ll be back in the 125 class.

“I was light but it’s no excuse, I should have done better,” he said. “He just really out-powered me. The ref saw that and he just stopped it so it there wasn’t so much I could do.”

Jesus Ruiz also plays football for St. Cloud Apollo High School and wrestles for the St. Cloud Crush combined team that has athletes from St. Cloud Tech, Apollo and Cathedral high schools. Jonas Ruiz also plays youth football and baseball.

Daveone Olive, 25, also fought in Lubbock representing St. Cloud Golden Gloves in an amateur bout at 165 pounds. Going the distance of three three-minute rounds, Olive lost to 22-year-old Damian Munoz, of Levelland Boxing Center. Four judges scored the bout 29-28 and a fifth had Olive losing 29-27.

Jesse Ruiz is hugely proud of his sons, but not just for honing their skills in the family craft. He has taken to calling two of them “heroes.”

In 2021 his wife and their mom, Jessica Ruiz, collapsed from cardiac arrest. Jack and Jonas Ruiz were home at the time and Jonas Ruiz did CPR for 8-10 minutes while emergency officials arrived. Jessica Ruiz survived after a several-weeklong coma thanks to his efforts.

“If it wasn’t for Jonas, my wife of 22 years wouldn’t be here,” Jesse Ruiz said. “And if it wasn’t for my boxing family, I don’t know where we’d be financially.”

Jonas said his mind froze when he saw his mom unconscious, but luckily Jessica Ruiz is a nurse at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center and she taught her sons what to do in a medical emergency.

“I wasn’t going to stand there and watch her die,” Jonas Ruiz said. “I did CPR and all of that and then called the ambulance, gave them my address, name. This cop did CPR until they got there and then they put me downstairs. That’s when all the stuff — I cried.”

The situation was like a tough challenge in the rink, but Jonas Ruiz has been in high-pressure situations with gloves on, too.

"(Boxing) is not a sport where you rely on your other fellowships, this is you and only you," Jesse Ruiz said.

Between local shows and competitions around the country, the St. Cloud Golden Gloves fighters compete year-round. The Ruiz family travels several days a week around the state to other gyms to spar and train. Jesse Ruiz likes to instruct his kids and a previous student, Charlie Schumacher, also does a lot of the Ruiz’s coaching in addition to other athletes.

Longtime veteran of both coaching and boxing Donnie Penelton is another trainer at St. Cloud Golden Gloves. This December Olive and Jesus Ruiz plan to go to the 2024 Olympic trials in Lafayette, Louisiana. The top 13 boxers for each weight class will make Team USA.

Olive said he plans to allocate more intensity to the front portion of workouts to train for future fights.

“I feel like I'm a slow starter,” he said. “I take about a round or two to warm up, and then once I figure out, I always feel like I got them.”

At the Junior Olympics, all three fighters had opportunities to train with, spar and meet the 1,100 competitors from around the country. The St. Cloud Golden Gloves group took advantage and trained every day they were there.

Padded headgear is worn while sparring and at amateur events and while the Canadian Paediatric Society and the American Academy of Pediatrics recognize the benefits of boxing including exercise, self-discipline and self-confidence a statement reads, “Participants in boxing are at risk of head, face and neck injuries, including chronic and even fatal neurological injuries,” and the groups “vigorously oppose boxing as a sport for children and adolescents.”

Jesse Ruiz himself has arthritis in his hands he attributes to competing and said, "I would love for them to do something else because I know the outcome. But when they say 'no' to everything but boxing, ain't much I can do. They say, 'Well hopefully we don't get what you got dad.'"

“It’s in our blood,” he said.

The National Guard Armory in St. Cloud will host several fighters from St. Cloud Golden Gloves and athletes from the upper midwest gyms October 14.

Until then, “There’s no days off for us,” Jesse Ruiz said.

This article originally appeared on St. Cloud Times: St. Cloud Golden Gloves boxer wins national title