El Paso, Texas (KFOX14/CBS4) — Magdaleno “Leno” Puentes, an 82-year-old author and former professional boxer, has lived a life marked by resilience and determination. Growing up in Socorro, Texas, Puentes faced a challenging childhood. “I grew up chopping and picking cotton. I grew up in Socorro, Texas. So we were poor, poor people,” he said.

Puentes, who was often bullied in school, found solace and strength in boxing. “I was the smallest kid in school, and I got hurt many times in grades elementary, so I said ah I gotta do something,” he said. At 16, he began boxing and quickly learned to defend himself. “And after that, I got even with them bullies and I can defend myself pretty good,” he said.

His boxing career took him across the nation, including several fights in the Borderland. “That’s amateur fight right here, featherweight championship in 1960. The guy is 24 years old and I am 16. And I won,” Puentes recalled.

During his boxing career, Puentes was drafted into the Army, as was his younger brother, Manuel Puentes, a few years later. Manuel has been missing in action since March 25, 1971, after serving three months in Vietnam. “Oh, he’s MIA man since March 25th, 1971, 20 years old. He spent three months in Vietnam. He got lost,” Puentes said. In 2006, the Socorro Independent School District honored Manuel by naming a school after him: Staff Sergeant Manuel R. Puentes Middle School.

After leaving the Army, Puentes worked various jobs, including construction and at a state prison. “It was fun. It was fun. It would be something different every day. I mean, I can’t tell you what I saw. That’s extra R rated,” he said.

Despite his varied career, Puentes always aspired to be an author. “I’ve been trying to write books for a long time, but I never had the courage and the time. Yeah, now that I’m retired, I got. I got both,” he said. Since publishing his first book in 2020, Puentes has written four books. His latest work, about the Dallas Cowboys, is his favorite. “Because I wrote this book, I’m going to be loved or I’m going to be hated. Love or hate me,” he said.

Puentes is currently working on a book titled “College Learned English,” which critiques grammatical errors made by modern-day broadcast journalists. “Ahh, it’s about mostly Anchors and reporters,” he said, noting that he keeps a notebook of such mistakes. “They’re college educated, they can speak better language. Si?” he said.

Puentes, who has his GED, believes there is no excuse for such errors. He plans to finish his book by the end of the year, and it will be available alongside his other works at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and several other bookstores.

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