A year and a half ago, Oscar Jes\u00fas Cant\u00fa was awoken early by a message from the John E. Conner Museum. In the message, he was told that his hometown museum of Kingsville wanted to feature him in an exhibit. Thinking the message had been part of an elaborate dream, Cant\u00fa put the message aside and went back to sleep. Little did he know, the message wasn\u2019t imaginary, but a dream come true for the champion boxer.<\/p>\n
Cant\u00fa, known as Li\u2019l Oscar by his fans, is a prominent member of the Kingsville community as a boxer and a role model to school children and advocate for \u201cI Am Second.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Connor Museum is a place Li\u2019l Oscar had been to over a hundred times. He grew up coming to the museum to pick up his younger sister from Conner Camp every summer. On Saturday, Aug. 25, Li\u2019l Oscar nervously made his way to the museum, anxious to see a permanent exhibit made in his honor.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt finally sunk in as I started getting ready this morning. I thought, \u2018oh man, there\u2019s going to be an exhibit about me. I\u2019m so nervous.\u2019 I told my wife, \u2018what am I going to say?\u2019\u2019 Li\u2019l Oscar recalled. \u201cI feel like a little kid, I don\u2019t know what to say. But I finally got it all down.\u201d<\/p>\n
The project started in 2016 as a way to find new exhibits that would expand the museum\u2019s Hall of South Texas History. The hall hadn\u2019t been substantially updated since the 1990s, and it wasn\u2019t attracting much attention from younger crowds. Jonathan Plant, director of the Conner Museum, decided he wanted to create an exhibit based on a community member with outstanding achievements.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wanted someone who would be interesting and inspirational for young boys because we get a lot of schools kids coming in from the rural schools,\u201d Plant said.<\/p>\n
Plant quickly approached the Cant\u00fa family, which was more than enthusiastic to contribute to the exhibit. Li\u2019l Oscar and his family donated pictures, uniforms, championship belts and boxing gloves that could go on display and some that would be auctioned at the opening of the exhibit. All the proceeds raised from the silent auction will go towards charity for children in Kingsville.<\/p>\n
Several people from the community, including the Kingsville city commissioners, Mayor Sam Fugate, and Kleberg County Judge Rudy Madrid attended the opening of the exhibit. Fugate gave a brief speech about Li\u2019l Oscar and his influence on the Kingsville community.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t believe there\u2019s any other person that has brought as much honor and pride, and esteem to our city like Oscar Cant\u00fa has,\u201d Fugate said. \u201cIt\u2019s not really hard to understand why he is who he is when you know his parents.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jaime Cant\u00fa, \u2018Li\u2019l Oscar\u2019s dad, trainer, manager and best friend runs a boxing program for children in Kingsville. He believes youth sports are meant to do more than just teach youngsters skills about a sport, but to teach them to give back to others and to learn discipline. Jaime Cant\u00fa has trained Li\u2019l Oscar since he was eight at the 12th Street Gym in Kingsville.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am completely honored, beyond words. I speak on behalf as his father, but the reality is that this is Kingsville\u2019s child. This is all of us. So everybody who\u2019s ever prayed for him, bought a raffle for him when he was a kid\u2026this is our result,\u201d Jaime Cantu said.<\/p>\n
Erica Marcial, one of Li\u2019l Oscar\u2019s sisters, gave a speech about her brother\u2019s childhood start in boxing. She recalls having friendly boxing matches with her brother and the moments her family went to watch him compete in the Olympic trials. She believes that the new exhibit honoring her brother will give local kids someone to look up to.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt brings a human quality. That connection. Yes, we see animals because we live down here,\u201d Mercedes said, referencing the taxidermy animals on display, \u201cbut to come into a museum [to see Li\u2019l Oscar], you see that there is more to this town. We can become something,\u201d<\/p>\n
Li\u2019l Oscar admits that he initially started boxing as a way to protect his sisters as the only boy of his family, but he is now the current champion of five boxing titles. These titles include the NABF Flyweight, NABF Super Flyweight, Junior NABF Super Flyweight, WBC USNBC Super Flyweight, and WBC Youth Intercontinental Bantamweight championship titles.<\/p>\n
Eric Mercado is Li\u2019l Oscar\u2019s figurative big brother. Mercado first met Li\u2019l Oscar in 2015 when he went to one of his fights in Laredo, Texas. In the past three years, they have become great friends and have a strong brotherly bond.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s an amazing accomplishment of what he did. He\u2019s worked hard for the community and for him to be recognized as a role model, it\u2019s an amazing feeling because he\u2019s like my little brother. It\u2019s like my little brother is getting honored. I\u2019m so proud of him,\u201d Mercado said.<\/p>\n
The \u2018Li\u2019l Oscar exhibit is just one of many of the museums \u201clong overdue\u201d changes Plant intends to make to the museum. Plant plans to install new texts panels at the Conner Museum that are bilingual, colorful and have more graphics that will cater to the web-based generation.<\/p>\n
Eddie Aguilera thinks the museum couldn\u2019t have picked a better role model for their new permanent exhibit. Aguilera has known the Cant\u00fas since he was a 16 years old. Javier Cant\u00fa was his mentor and helped him get out of gangs. He has since been Li\u2019l Oscar\u2019s co-manager and believes the museum exhibition reflects Li\u2019l Oscar\u2019s years of hard work.<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously there are hard times, we have bumps in the road, and then things happen from the Olympic trials to everything that he\u2019s gone through and the big battles\u2026It goes to show what he believes in. That hard work pays off..,\u201d Aguilera said<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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