Vargas Takes Over as New Head Coach

Richard de Give Sports Editor

AVENAL – There’s been a change of command at the Avenal Police Activities League gym. With the retirement of Armando Mancinas, who founded the Kings Boxing Club in 1999, Senior Officer Dennis Vargas has taken over coaching duties at the gym that has produced 2014 Olympian and NABF junior middleweight champ Jose Ramirez and potential 2016 Olympian Marisol Lopez. Mancinas, a former All-Army boxing champ, is also a retired correctional counselor. “After 14 years of developingg young boxers, I decided to focus on my own family,” Mancinas said. “I took early retirement to get Jose to the Olympics, got him to 8-0 as a pro, and he decided to go train with Freddie Roach. I decided I didn’t want to be in that position again.”