![]() ![]() Whenever they had met in the ring for sparring sessions, it had always been hot and heavy. Antonio’s lean form and long reach made him the better boxer, while Felix’s short and muscular frame made him the better slugger. If asked a question about any given fighter, they would immediately zip out from their memory banks divisions, weights, records of fights, knockouts, technical knockouts, and draws or losses.Įach had fought many bouts representing their community and had won two gold-plated medals plus a silver and bronze medallion. Between them, they had a collection of Fight magazines second to none, plus a scrapbook filled with torn tickets to every boxing match they had ever attended and some clippings of their own. While some youngsters were into street negatives, Antonio and Felix slept, ate, rapped, and dreamt positive. ![]() Early morning sunrises would find them running along the East River Drive, wrapped in sweatshirts, short towels around their necks, and handkerchiefs Apache style around their foreheads. ![]() Every chance they had the boys worked out, sometimes at the Boys Club on 10th Street and Avenue A and sometimes at the pro’s gym on 14th Street. Antonio’s hair was always falling over his eyes, while Felix wore his black hair in a natural Afro style.Įach youngster had a dream of someday becoming lightweight champion of the world. They had known each other since childhood, growing up on the lower east side of Manhattan in the same tenement building on Fifth Street between Avenue A and Avenue B.Īntonio was fair, lean, and lanky, while Felix was dark, short, and husky. They were so together in friendship that they felt themselves to be brothers. The referee and the two trainers pried them apart.Antonio Cruz and Felix Vargas were both seventeen years old. Round, the boys were fighting so intensely that they did not hear the bell, and As the two climbed into the ring the crowd exploded Popular in their neighbourhood that the morning of the fight, Tompkins Square The appointed day, both fighters come out swinging. They vow that, whatever happens, their friendship will remain intact. They agree to treat each other like typical opponents in the ring, and Though they have always been trained together, in theĭays leading up their bout the boys decide to separate till the day of theirįight. Two face internal conflicts about the value of friendship as they prepare for Now, let's see the second part of the story. Let’s see an animation about their lives and the events that happened before the Division Finals in this first part of our video lesson on ‘Amigo Brothers’.Īmigo Brothers | Animation | Part 1 | Video Lesson □ Their passion for boxing is a positive element of their lives that has kept them away from gangs and drugs, which are prevalent in their New York City neighbourhood. ![]() They train together whenever they can and share an encyclopaedic knowledge of the sport and its stars. What happens when they have to face each other in one of theīefore going to that let’s see how they lived together as two amigos in the same neighbourhood, who live and breathe the sport of boxing. They have to select between their friendship and competition – two themes of the story ‘Amigo Brothers’ and decide which is more important to them. Since they have to fight it out among themselves to fulfil their dream of one day becoming the Light Weight Champion of the world, now they are facing one of the biggest challenges of their life. One day, Antonio and Felix learn that they are set to fight each other in an elimination bout that will determine which of them goes on to compete in the Golden Gloves-the first step towards a real professional fighting career. Antonio was fair, lean and lanky, while Felix was dark, short and husky. (The Spanish word ‘amigo’ means friend).Īntonio and Felix are skilled, enthusiastic and intensely passionate boxers. The two boys have grown up together and are such great friends that they feel like brothers. They are born and brought up in the Lower East Side of Manhattan in the United States. ‘Amigo Brothers’ written by Piri Thomas tells the story of two seventeen year old friends – Antonio Cruz and Felix Vargas - who are trying to qualify for the Golden Gloves Championship tournament. ![]()
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