Visually impaired teen setting his sights on success in the boxing ring
Elmhurst, Illinois native Dino Pecoraro certainly has the heart of a boxer. The 17-year-old is punching back at life's obstacles and hoping to compete in the ring, despite a rare condition that impacts his vision.
Dino Pecoraro decided to start boxing when he was 16 years old, just a few years after he had first noticed a change in his vision.
"It kicked in at like freshman year, so like 14. My teacher emailed my mom, because … I was having trouble reading the board," he said.
That led to being diagnosed with a rare disease that currently has no cure.
"I got Stargardt's disease. It's genetic. My body doesn't process Vitamin A very well, so it turns into sludgy stuff and then builds up in my macula. I have a big blind spot in the middle of my eyes. So it's like faces are hard to see, reading," Dino said.
But Dino has always wanted to box. He researched and tried different gyms, before eventually finding Kendrick Watkins, a professional boxer with a 2-1 record, and the owner of Trenches in the Jefferson Park neighborhood in Chicago.
"He's here sometimes when I'm not even here. You know, we're just missing each other by an hour or something, but he's grinding, always here," Watkins said.
The work Dino puts in inspires others around him, including his coach.
"He's already doing defense, hitting punches, you know. He's seeing stuff normal to me," Watkins said. "There's some people with 20/20 eye vision that can't even see those punches coming. So for him to be out here doing that, it's amazing, and it motivates me to keep going and keep pushing."
The skillset Dino has developed in just a year and a half is not only impressive, but is one he and Watkins feel is ready for the next level.
"He came to me, he said, 'Coach, I think I want to compete,' and I said honestly the level and how much training and work and your reflexes. And we spar a little bit get a little work in. He earned it," Watkins said.
"So like it will keep getting worse and worse, so I'm trying to, got to grind now so hopefully I can get some fights before it gets worse and worse," Dino said.
Setting up a fight is just one of many goals Dino has for his future.
"You can't let any obstacles get in your way. If you've got a goal, you've just got to do it. It doesn't matter if you've got a disease, or you're different than anyone else. You just have to keep going," he said.
Anything this 17-year-old wants to do will be seen through to completion.
Dino is a senior at York High School, and is headed to Illinois State University next year, where he plans on studying special education. He wants to become a teacher.
