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For Jorge Villarruel, amateur boxer, there was a lot still out there if he so chose: fights to be won, medals to be earned, trophies to be hoisted.

Instead, at the tender age of 19, he chose the pros. The ultimate goal: a title belt.

Villarruel is scheduled to make his punch-for-pay debut on Saturday at Ohkay Hotel Casino on the northern outskirts of Espa帽ola. He鈥檚 matched in a four-round super flyweight bout against Texan Cruz Reyes, whom Villarruel defeated when they met in the amateur ranks.

鈥淚t was the right time (to turn pro),鈥� the sa国际传媒官网网页入口 boxer said during a recent interview at Absolute Fitness on San Mateo NE. 鈥淚 just felt like the amateurs weren鈥檛 doing it for me. It鈥檚 time for a new chapter in my life.鈥�

Villarruel decided to turn that page after a decade-long amateur career and more than 100 amateur bouts. Though he won far more of those than he lost, he never reached the heights in the amateurs that some of his New Mexico contemporaries did 鈥� never won a national title, nor fought for one.

The highlight of his amateur career might have been a Junior Olympics nationals bronze medal, earned in 2015 when that career was just beginning.

That was the beginning; this was the end. Earlier this year in Lubbock, Texas, Villarruel won his opening bout by split (4-1) decision at the USA Boxing International Open but lost by unanimous decision to Kyrgyzstan鈥檚 Zafarbek Kamilov in the second round. That hardly was a negative result, since Kamilov went on to win the gold medal in the 121-pound weight class.

Even so, Villarruel, after consulting with his team 鈥� father Jorge Sr., coach Leroy Bazan, advisor Donald Sanchez 鈥� decided a decade in the amateurs was enough.

Why? Largely, a matter of style.

In amateur boxing, bouts are judged strictly on the number of scoring blows landed by the two fighters. The force of the blows isn鈥檛 supposed to matter, nor are professional boxing judging criteria like ring generalship and effective aggressiveness.

Villarruel first was drawn to boxing as a kid, watching fights on TV with his dad. It was the pro game, not the amateur sport, that he fell in love with.

In the amateurs, he鈥檇 grown weary of losing bouts to lighter-punching, hit-and-run opponents.

鈥淚n the amateurs,鈥� he said, 鈥淵ou鈥檝e just got to tap them and you鈥檒l get some points. The pros, they score way different.鈥�

Saturday鈥檚 bout against Reyes is only one round longer in duration than a three-round amateur bout. Still, Villarruel is looking forward to being more judicious with his punches 鈥� picking his shots 鈥� and punching with 8-ounce gloves, not the more pillowy 10-ounce gloves he wore as an amateur.

鈥淚 think I鈥檝e got the power (for the pros), too,鈥� he said.

He鈥檒l be fighting Saturday at 115 pounds, rather than the 121 weight class in which he was campaigning in the amateurs. He and his team see that as another positive in the move to the pros.

Sanchez, who鈥檚 been fighting professionally for 20 years 鈥� MMA, kickboxing, boxing, bare knuckle 鈥� and had his first pro fight at age 21, respects Villarruel鈥檚 decision to turn pro now.

He likes the young man鈥檚 potential.

鈥淲e鈥檝e got big plans for him,鈥� Sanchez said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 shown he has the work ethic and the discipline to put (the work) in.

鈥淗e鈥檚 pretty composed and doing very well right now.鈥�

THE CARD: Saturday鈥檚 card at Ohkay Casino is Santa Fe promoter Pat Holmes鈥� first event since February 2020, just before the COVID-19 pandemic shut the sport down for the better part of a year.

Holmes鈥� welcome has been warm; the card is a sellout in the Ohkay ballroom, capacity 1,200.

As listed on , the card consists of seven bouts, all four-rounders and each featuring at least one New Mexican.

Santa Fe鈥檚 Jerome Rivera, a former UFC fighter, is scheduled to make his pro boxing debut against Rony Liranzo (0-1) of the Dominican Republic.

Action is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. Doors open at 5 p.m.

ANOTHER GUERO: Villarruel鈥檚 nickname is 鈥淕uero,鈥� Spanish for 鈥渓ight-skinned鈥� and a moniker he shares with sa国际传媒官网网页入口 veteran pro Jose Luis Sanchez (14-6-1, four KOs).

Not to worry, fight fans; the two Gueros will never face each other in the ring. Sanchez campaigns at welterweight (147 pounds) or junior middleweight (154).