Sanchez ready for marriage, world title shot

     By Murray Anderson
     View staff writer
      Local boxer Augie Sanchez knows a knockout when he sees one.
      The Cheyenne High School graduate is 22-1 in his professional boxing career and recently knocked out three-time world champion Jorge Paez.
      But the "knockout" Sanchez is preparing for now is his June 5 wedding to Dawn Barry, daughter of his trainer, Pat Barry.
      "We've known each other since we were kids. When I was boxing as a 9-year-old she was a card girl," said the 21-year-old Sanchez. "Pat's been in boxing a long time and we were watching a tape of when I fought one of his guys and there she was as the card girl."
      The young couple is planning a seven-day cruise to Cancun, Mexico, for their honeymoon. Dawn Barry, 19, graduated from Bishop Gorman High School and is attending UNLV as a criminal justice major.
      The biggest fight of his career came May 8 when Sanchez scored a seventh-round knockout over Paez in a junior lightweight fight on the undercard of a pay-per-view show at the Las Vegas Hilton.
      Sanchez used a straight right hand to stand up the unorthodox Paez, then a crushing left hook to floor him. Paez was motionless for the entire 10-count.
      The victory was the biggest in Sanchez's career and his punching power earned him the respect of the former champion.
      "When I fight better competition it brings out the best in me. It makes me a better fighter," Sanchez said. "I knew he wasn't going to get up after that shot. He told me after the fight that was the hardest he's ever been hit."
      The Paez fight was the first scheduled 10-rounder of Sanchez's career, which has seen some ups and downs the past two years.
      Sanchez began his professional career with 16 straight victories, 14 by knockout. In his 17th fight, he was knocked out in the first round by Edgar Garcia in Los Angeles on April 18, 1998.
      Sanchez, who had been trained by his father since age 5, decided to put his career in the hands of Pat Barry after the stunning defeat. Top Rank, Sanchez's promoter, was also stunned and gave the youngster some time off after the loss.
      Sanchez climbed back into the ring on Sept. 18, 1998, with Barry by his side and hasn't looked back.
      "He really strives to improve every time he gets in the ring," said Barry, who along with his wife Dawn owns Barry's Boxing Center. "You can see his skill level is advancing every time he fights."
      Unfortunately for Sanchez and Barry, their contract with Top Rank expired after the Paez fight, but both said they are negotiating a new deal with the Las Vegas-based promoter.
      "This is my hometown and Top Rank is right here and I feel they are the best in the business, so we are trying to work out a new deal," Sanchez said.
      Said Barry: "We're still meeting to get a new contract and we're going over some suggestions, but both of us want to stay with Top Rank."
      Sanchez and Barry believe they are not far from a world championship fight. Sanchez, whose loss to Floyd Mayweather Jr. in the finals of the 1996 Olympic Trials cost him a spot on the U.S. Olympic team, would like to fight the flamboyant "Prince" Naseem Hamed for the featherweight title.
      However, he's willing to accept any fight that comes his way.
      "I'd like to fight any of the top featherweights in the world," Sanchez said.
      For now, Barry said Sanchez is preparing for his wedding but will return to the ring in about a month.
      "We're looking at the end of June or early July before getting back in the ring," said Barry, who along with his wife are both Metropolitan Police officers. "We'll definitely be fighting 10-rounders from here out -- unless of course a 12-rounder (championship fight) comes along."