by George P. Hassett

A senior at Somerville High School jabbed his way to the 152-pound championship at the 2004 Mickey Ward New England Boxing Invitational June 10 at the Bayside Exposition Center in South Boston.

“I went into the ring knowing I could outbox [Luis] Viramontes. So when the bell rang, I was just trying to move my head and create nice angles I could punch from,” said Frankie Tajado, 18, a Pearl Street resident who fights out of the Somerville Boxing Club.

Tajado, who normally weighs in at 140 pounds, put on twelve pounds to meet Viramontes for the third time.

“Frankie won the first bout, then lost the second. He wasn’t satisfied with the loss so he decided to put on some pounds and fight Luis, who had moved up in weight considerably,” said Tajado’s trainer, John Curran

The bout started slow as each fighter jabbed and circled the ring, with the only action coming in the second round when Tajado twice stepped inside Viramontes’ looping left hook to land solid overhand rights to the jaw.

“In the first two rounds, Frankie was just trying to figure him out and settle into a good rhythm. He was thinking too much in there and not letting his hands go enough,” said Curran.

As the fight moved on to the third, Tajado found a comfortable rhythm and began to execute the game plan he and Curran had worked on inside of the four red ropes of the Somerville Boxing Club’s ring.

“In the third, I relaxed and began to do the things I wanted to do in the ring,” said Tajado.

The Somerville pug found success with a technique meant to accentuate his decisive advantage in hand and foot speed.

“I normally fight out of a right handed stance with my left side forward. But tonight—to confuse him—after I threw a right hook, I would switch my stance to a left-handed one, throw a right jab, then catch him with a right hook.

“That was a big reason why I was effective at the end. In the fourth, I hurt him with that right hook. I don’t think he was expecting those kinds of punches and moves,” said Tajado, who won a unanimous decision from the judges at ringside.

Tajado brought home a two-foot high trophy for his efforts and high praise from his trainer—a man who has been in the fight game for four decades and has seen world champions pass through his Somerville gym.

“Frankie’s the best fighter I have ever trained. He’s so courageous and dedicated when he’s inside the ring or at the gym. As he develops and learns more about putting punches together, he’s going to be a force inside that ring,” said Curran.