The death of 12-year-old boxer Anderson Aguilar continues to reverberate through the Midland community as tributes pour in for the teenage fighter whose journey in the sport has only just begun.

Aguilar died on June 9 from stern injuries in a June 1 accident in Midland, Texas.

As a result of the tragedy, 18-year-old James Baker also died, and three other teenage passengers were taken to hospital and are currently recovering.

As the community continued to mourn, those who knew Anderson through boxing remembered a teenage fighter whose love for the sport left a lasting impression.

The boxing community pays tribute

Texas boxer Ernest Bustos shared an emotional message after learning of Anderson’s death.

“It was nice meeting you, Andy,” Bustos said.

“Seeing you in your element sparring with anyone willing to share the ring with you was truly inspiring and exhilarating to be out of it!”

“To all those affected in these complex times, we must mourn, but let us not forget that these are wonderful children who now have a place in heaven.”

A remembered teenage boxer

According to his family, boxing was one of Anderson’s greatest passions.

“He had been training since he was a child and was just starting his adventure with the sport he loved so much,” relatives said.

Sports also strengthened the bond between Anderson and his father, who proudly watched his son pursue the same dream he once had.

Family members described Anderson as a content child with a kind heart and a personality that brought smiles at every turn.

He loved music, especially Bruno Mars, and was known for singing, dancing and making people laugh.

His mother affectionately called him “Gordito” – a nickname that has become a indefinite part of many treasured family memories.

Community support

While the investigation is ongoing, Anderson’s family thanked the community for its support and continued prayers.

They also asked people to think of other teenage survivors who will continue the long road to recovery.

To those who knew him, Anderson will be remembered not only as a teenage boxer with a passion for the sport, but also as a child whose energy, kindness and enthusiasm made a lasting impression on those around him.

A GoFundMe page set up to support the Aguilar family also collected donations from community members mourning Anderson’s loss.

About the author

Phil Jay is the editor-in-chief of World Boxing News (WBN) and a boxing veteran with over 15 years of experience. Read the full biography.

Errol Spence Jr has explained how a “screwed up” training camp cost him an uncontested showdown with Terence Crawford.

“The Truth” lost the WBC, IBF and WBA welterweight titles to “Bud” in July 2023, suffering a ninth-round defeat in what was widely believed to be a 50-50 fight.

He has remained out of the ring since then, but the 36-year-old is now preparing to face fellow former world champion Tim Tszyu on July 25.

The pair will compete in Australia at the 158-pound catchweight, and Spence will not only compete at the higher weight, but will also train under novel head coach Ronnie Shields.

A major change appears to have been necessary, both in terms of bulking and training, with the American hoping that Shields would lead him to his first win since April 2022, when he scored Final in the 10th round with Yordenis Ugas.

At least Spence is certainly confident that his preparation for Tszyu will be easier than for Crawford, whose shift-hitting style will be a nightmare to replicate in sparring.

In fact, the former unified champion said All smoky boxing that esteemed former coach Derrick James failed to arrange appropriate sparring partners.

“NO [no conversations with Derrick James about how to go about the fight]. This camp sucked. I didn’t take part in sparring. The guys didn’t fit in – I didn’t have any southpaws there to spar with. Everything was wrong.

Basically, I was living a bad life. Even outside the camp you have to live properly, so once you get to the camp, that’s it [is] Nippy.

Derrick [job to pick the sparring partners]he’s a teacher, right? We just worked on the gloves. You’d think he’d put on gloves and tell me to block shots, but nothing like that.

I just felt feeble, exhausted. Even though I exercised, I feel like I wasn’t getting stronger. The whole camp – it was just a whole crazy situation.

It’s clear that Spence also blames himself for not getting back to his best, but credit shouldn’t be taken away from one of Crawford’s career-defining performances.

The World Boxing Organization has confirmed that Miguel Cotto Promotions and Golden Boy Promotions have formally approached former world title challenger Luis “Flechita” Castillo as a last-minute replacement for Collazo’s WBO minimumweight title defense scheduled for Saturday in California.

Castillo, a 25-year-old Mexican fighter, has a professional record of 22-1-1 with 14 knockouts. However, since the WBO does not currently have a 105-pound weight class, the sanctioning body must first determine whether he can be added to its rankings before approving a championship fight.

In a statement released Tuesday, WBO president Gustavo Olivieri explained that the organization’s Ratings and Championship Committee would meet on Wednesday morning to consider the request.

“The Assessments and Championships Committee will meet tomorrow morning to carefully assess the application, the relevant facts and the athlete’s merits.” Olivieri wrote. “Once the review is completed, the Commission will issue an appropriate ruling.”

Collazo was originally scheduled to defend his WBO title against Canoy in a fight that was considered by many to be one of the most invigorating fights in the minimum weight division. Canoy’s inability to obtain a work visa forced promoters to quickly look for a replacement to keep the champion on the card.

Castillo previously challenged for the 2024 world title, losing a unanimous decision to then-WBA minimumweight champion Knockout CP Freshmart. Since that defeat, the Mexican has gained momentum with several victories that have put him back in the conversation at a global level.

Collazo, 29, unified the WBO and WBA minimum weight titles with a seventh-round victory over Thammanoon Niyomtrong in November 2025. The Puerto Rican southerner is considered one of boxing’s top fighters below the main weight classes and is looking to continue his streak towards further unification fights.

If Castillo is approved by the WBO commission, he will have just a few days to prepare for the biggest opportunity of his career.