Baldwin Park man keeps boxing flame alive

I saw this story on ESPN about a Baldwin Park restaurant owner who has turned his establishment into a haven for area boxing fans. The main event this weekend?

Miguel Cotto defends his welterweight championship in Las Vegas against Antonio Margarito of Mexico on Saturday.

Here's the lede:

BALDWIN PARK, Calif. -- Old fight posters do not adorn the walls of El Siete Mares, a Mexican restaurant and bar just outside Los Angeles. But make no mistake, the establishment is a haven for Mexican boxing fans.

Instead of posters, six televisions are strategically placed so that no matter where a customer sits, the fights are visible.

It's a tradition for Rafael Chavez, who owns eight El Siete Mares restaurants as well as five other Mexican restaurants in the Soutern California area. If there's a fight on the tube, Chavez will show it.

Chavez was born in Mexico, but has been a Southern California restaurant owner for the past 25 years.

"I like all sports, but my main love is boxing," Chavez said. "I did a little bit myself and I've followed guys like [brothers] Rafael and Gabriel Ruelas, locals that fought around here. I also have a lot of friends who come here who are boxing fans. It is something we can relate with because we love it.