Kings County Fighters Ready to Step in the Ring

By Shannon Williams Staff reporter

One local public safety officer will be making his debut and another will be defending his UCA title at the second annual Central California Battle of the Badges, slated to take place in April.  The charity boxing event will pit firefighters, law enforcement and military personnel from across the country in the ring to see who is worthy of being crowned a United Combat Association champion. The event will kick off at 7 p.m.  April 11 at the Hanford Civic Auditorium. Hanford police officer John Henderson will be the first Kings County representative stepping into the ring against Madera police officer AJ Forestiere. The undercard Super Middleweight match-up marks both Henderson’s and Forestiere’s first amateur fight. “I’ve done a little boxing training in the past,” Henderson said of his fighting experience. “But I never actually been committed like I am now.” Henderson said in preparation for the match, he has been following a regimen consisting of a strict diet plan along with rigorous workouts on his days off. “It’s been a lot of work,” Henderson explained. “And the more and more I have been training, the more confident I am.”  Making his second appearance in the ring is Avenal police officer DJ Vargas. In his first UCA fight, Vargas beat Big Bear City Firefighter Ricky Seward to claim the UCA Middleweight Championship title. This year he will be brawling for his first defense of the title against Quincy Mirage of the Los Angeles Police Department. Vargas, who has been training for the event since December, said he will be treating this match much like his last. “I’m going to stick to the same game plan,” Vargas said. “Getting into condition, sparring and roadwork.” With only a few weeks left before the contenders hit the ring, both Henderson and Vargas said they are looking forward to going pound-for-pound with their challengers. “I’m hoping we can put on a good show for the supporters of Kings County law enforcement,” Vargas said.