Financial dispute at Ybarra’s Boxing Club in Pueblo sparks exodus
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Carlos Fernandez started boxing with Scott Gomez in Pueblo when he was 8 years old, but two open heart surgeries in three days ended his boxing career when he was just 15.
When Gomez told him about a new boxing gym opening in Pueblo in 2021, Fernandez was excited to follow his former coach to work at Ybarra’s. But that turned out to be a “dream that wasn’t going to come true.”
After Gomez allegedly asked gym owner Luis “Joe” Ybarra for the financial records of a recent fundraising event the gym hosted, Gomez said Ybarra fired him along with the rest of the coaching staff.
Over half of the families whose kids box at Ybarra’s have since stopped going to the gym and are planning on working under Gomez at a new gym he’s opening in a basement space near the intersection of Second and Main streets.
Fernandez started coaching his younger brother, Micael, a few years ago. Micael was one of a few boxers from Pueblo to qualify for the upcoming National Junior Olympics tournament in Texas.
Without an adequate training facility, Gomez said he had to make the difficult decision to pull Micael and another qualifier out of the tournament.
Ybarra also runs a gym in Colorado Springs and operates the organization as a nonprofit. Coaches and parents told the Chieftain that Ybarra did not regularly attend trainings and came to Pueblo only to collect money.
The coaches and staff at the gym were not paid for their time. Gomez said he spent upward of $29,000 last year to take boxers to tournaments around the region and country and was not reimbursed by Ybarra.
When reached by phone, Ybarra referred the Chieftain to Andrew Long, his attorney. Long declined to comment on specific details but said Ybarra denies the accusations people have made and is considering suing for defamation.
How Ybarra’s came to Pueblo
Amy Funk and her grandson Brandon were walking to the chile festival in 2021 when they saw a sign for Ybarra’s saying it would be opening soon. Brandon, now 15, had been talking about wanting to try boxing — he was one of the first participants at Ybarra’s when the gym opened in fall 2021.
Ybarra leased a part of the Pope Building in downtown Pueblo at the discounted rate of $1,200 per month for 7,400 square feet of space. City council approved the month-to-month lease in July 2021.
City spokesperson Haley Sue Robinson confirmed Thursday that the lease is still active and that Ybarra has been making regular payments. Ybarra has not been paying any utilities or facility fees for the city-owned building, which has three other tenants.
Gomez has been in the boxing world for over three decades and served as the president of USA Boxing from 2000 to 2008. He left his position at another gym to work at Ybarra’s.
The gym was one of the best facilities in southern Colorado, if not the entire state, Fernandez said.
“(Ybarra) never helped us. He never gave us funds to travel, to register, gas, food: He had never given nothing. Not one penny went back…
Read More: Financial dispute at Ybarra’s Boxing Club in Pueblo sparks exodus 2023-05-28 19:09:01