Crescencio “Chencho” Mercado Memorial Scholarship

Crescencio “Chencho” Mercado was born on January 19, 1982 in Fresnillo, Zacatecas Mexico to His parents Martin and Esther Mercado. He came to the United States at the age of 7 with his parents, his grandmother, Socorro, and 6 siblings: Sergio, Miguel, Armando, Jose, Norma, and Oscar Mercado.  He was raised in a loving, supportive family with hard working ethics.

Chencho attended Bessemer, Corwin, and Central High School. Every morning, he & his brother Oscar rode on their moped & delivered the Pueblo Chieftain. He also worked in roofing with his older brothers.

Chencho loved making creations in the kitchen like his delicious fresas con crema or perfected breakfast. Above all, he enjoyed time with his sister and little brother, especially at the Bessemer pool. Family nights watching boxing on tv were always special.

He was full of life, practical jokes and laughter. A memory forever cemented in his family’s minds’ is the countdown on New Years Eve leading into the year 2000. As the clock struck midnight, all the power shut off. Everyone was sure it was the “2000 Bug Hit” but no. Chencho & Oscar perfectly timed the outage to enjoy the reactions of everyone. He was surrounded by great amigos from school who enjoyed parties, movies , and eating out.

The Pueblo Athletic League quickly became a huge part of Chencho’s life. He was passionate and dedicated to training. His coach Tano Roybal, a former Police Officer, began working with PAL & soon became a fatherly figure, mentor, and boxing coach.  Every evening, there was Tano waiting in his van ready to pick up Chencho & Oscar to train in Dog Patch. They ran through the prairies of Dog Patch and old Interstate 26.  His coach remembers losing track of him once when they were in Las Vegas for a boxing tournament. Another time, he forgot take his mouth piece leading up to a fight. Chencho loved his coach and his wife Irene Roybal and  had great respect for them. His fellow boxers became his family.  

Chencho traveled several times to New Mexico, Kansas, California, Arizona, and Nevada. He won Golden Gloved and Silver Gloves a couple of times. Chencho WON his first PRO DEBUT with a TKO in the first round in Pueblo CO. God called Chencho back home on April 21,2001 after his Pro fight.  His memory lives on in the stories and love shared with his nephews, nieces, boxing brothers/sisters , cousins, and Coach.