Searching for glory

The reasons are different but the results have been the same. Both are fighting in the state Golden Glove championships April 14 in Los Angeles. A win there sends them on an Olympic path with the final destination being the 2008 games in Beijing, China.

"I never thought about competing in the state Golden Gloves (championships)," said Holland, 22, a heavyweight who now lives in Redwood City. "I've always been into sports. The thing about boxing is it's so demanding, which is what I like."

Barger, 24, a fighter at 141 pounds and a first-year law student at Hastings Law School in San Francisco, trained in martial arts when he was younger and started going to boxing gyms for workouts. He always wanted to compete in the ring but never got around to it.

"When I was a senior in high school, I sparred a little bit," Barger said. "I knew I had a talent. It was something I wanted to do but I never had the focus."

Both train out of the Westside Boxing Club in San Mateo and are trained by the club's owner and four-time Golden Gloves champion Pat Ragan. Since opening the gym at its present location on North Idaho Street a year and a half ago, he's already trained eight San Francisco Golden Gloves winners.

"I have a very strong philosophy about boxing," Ragan said. "Boxing is not a bunch of kids or men throwing punches. It's a very cerebral sport. It's like a chess match in there. You're training your physical aspect but if you fight with your mind you can be successful. Size means nothing in boxing."

The cerebral aspect of the fight game may be why both Holland and Barger are succeeding. Both believe their time spent in college has helped them in the ring. Although Holland has not graduated from NDNU, he plans on going back to get his degree in business management.

"In there (the ring) it's not all about physicality," Holland said. "It's about following a game plan. You have to stay focused mentally."

Said Barger: "I'm a boxer-thinker. I want as cerebral fight as possible. I think it helps to be a thinker. If something isn't working, you need to change.

"I analyze everything a lot. I want to know everything I can about an opponent. I'm probably the only guy who Googles opponents."

Both fighters have arrived at the state Golden Gloves championships the same way. They both won their divisions at the San Francisco Golden Gloves in March and then won the Regional Golden Gloves championships last weekend.

Now, both boxers are taking huge steps up in competition. Barger faces Javier Molina, who was ranked No. 1 in the nation last year at 132 pounds. Holland takes on Paul Saxton, the sixth-ranked heavyweight in the country.

Despite Barger's and Holland's relative inexperience -- they have a combined 22 fights between them -- they've already faced, and beaten, guys with three times the experience. In San Francisco, Holland decisioned Michael Debowski, a boxer with more than 30 amateur fights. In the regionals, he beat Carl Baxter by technical knockout.

"Beating guys like that, with a lot of experience, gave me a lot of confidence," Holland said.

Barger has been even more impressive in his short career. Undefeated at 10-0, he's won a Police Athletic League state championship, the Diamond Belt championship, as well as the San Francisco and Regional Golden Gloves titles.

"I'm real happy with things," Barger said. "I didn't think I would go to state."

While the fighters themselves need to have the will to step between the ropes, Ragan's guidance, knowledge and connections have been instrumental in their development. He identifies those who are serious about the sport and want to take it to the next level. The numbers prove his effectiveness.

"Out of 250 (boxing) clubs in Northern California, I have the largest contingency of licensed boxers (45). I try to find the elite kids and push them as hard as I can but I never push them into sparring," Ragan said.

His connections in the sport allows Ragan, a certified USA Boxing trainer, to introduce his fighters to some of the best professionals -- both fighters and trainers. Barger, for example, has spent time training at world-famous Gleason's Gym in Brooklyn, home to such boxing luminaries as Mohammed Ali, Joe Frazier, Larry Holmes and Thomas Hearns. Holland has spent time sparring with Rudy Pierre-Louis, a Canadian champion who has served as James "Lights Out" Toney's sparring partner for the last year.

"We take this thing very seriously. If they really want to learn, if they want to gather some knowledge, I'll give them everything I have," Ragan said. "As a trainer, you have to have the passion for the sport. I grew up in boxing. That's what I do. I'll do whatever I can do, whatever I have to expose them to."

Nathan Mollat can be reached by e-mail: nathan@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 117.