WESLACO – Omar “El Relampago” Juarez loves to box. He comes from a family of fighters.

His next challenge takes him to Omaha, Nebraska, where he’ll compete in the National Golden Gloves Tournament.

Last year, Juarez lost in the regional tourney. The defeat motivated the Hanna graduate to train harder

This time around, he made it all the way to the state tourney, where he won the 141-pound title.

The new champ is going the extra mile to prepare for the national tourney.

"The thing with the Golden Gloves is that it's people from 19 years old to 40 years old, so I get these men who are fighting with me,” said Juarez. “What we do is pick up the intensity of the training, sparring with professionals from San Antonio, Houston, Dallas.”

After the Golden Gloves wraps up, “El Relampago” will fight one last time as an amateur May 25 in Brownsville. Juarez plans to turn pro in June.