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The Brooklyn Paper / Graham Letorney

Put ‘em up: Shemuel Pagan, above, is headed to the Empire State Games and perhaps the Olympics thanks to wins at local fights, like his June 23 match at Gleason’s, below.

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The Brooklyn Paper / Graham Letorney

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I love to fight,” said Shemuel Pagan, a 19-year-old featherweight from Borough Park who is currently ranked as one of the best boxers in the country. “Beating people up legally, that’s the greatest thing about it.”

At 125-pounds and standing just 5-foot-6, Pagan — whose nickname is “Da Problem” — doesn’t look like he’s an ambitious, world-class fighter. He has a faint, boyish mustache, a quick smile, listens to Bobby Valentino and wears his hair in a ponytail. Prior to starting his amateur boxing career six years ago, he was a self-avowed mama’s boy.

According to his father and trainer, Robert Pagan, a former U.S. kickboxing champ and pro boxer, Shemuel learned to box because he was getting picked on at school. “His mother said to me, ‘Robert, you’ve got to teach this boy how to fight so he can defend himself.’ So I started training him. Right away, I could see how talented he was.”

A two-time New York Golden Gloves champ and bronze medalist at the U.S.A. Boxing Championship, Shemuel has accumulated a record of 59 wins and 12 losses.

“His speed is his greatest asset,” said Robert. “He’s sharp, and he makes quick adjustments. His only problem is he tends to overeat a little. He wants the pizza and the ice cream. We struggle to keep his weight down.”

Despite his diminutive size, Pagan is a deceptively powerful hitter. “People underestimate his strength,” said Robert. “He wears glasses most of the time and looks a little nerdy, so they’re surprised when they feel the punch.”

Now that he’s getting ready for the Olympic tryouts, however, Shemuel has to literally pick his battles. “He was traveling [to fights] a lot,” his father said, “but now that he’s an elite athlete, we don’t participate as much. I don’t put him in the club shows unless it’s necessary.” Club shows, events where lesser known fighters try to make names for themselves, are unnecessary and unsafe according to Robert.

On June 23 at Gleason’s Gym in DUMBO, Pagan fought in the final round of qualifiers for the Empire State Games, a multi-sport amateur competition held each July, which he won last year. His opponent was a speedy and talented 19-year-old from the Bronx named Joseph Arroyo.

In the fourth round, one resounding thwack after another issued from the ring as Pagan delivered a series of staggering blows to Arroyo’s vulnerable noggin. He held Arroyo on the ropes, constantly forcing him to reset. In the end, Pagan’s superior footwork and power subdued Arroyo. The judges ruled 5-0 in Pagan’s favor.

The Pagan’s are strict about their Jewish faith, which means Shemuel cannot fight on the Sabbath. His bout, the last on the card Saturday, began after sunset.

“He’s my number one hope for winning the gold,” a beaming Harry Louis, coach of Brooklyn’s Empire State Games boxing team, said afterwards.

“It was a pretty tough fight,” acknowledged Pagan, who admires the Brooklyn-born welterweight great Zab Judah. “Arroyo was a good fighter, but I’m better. My plan wasn’t to knock him out but to beat him by rounds. I knew he was trying not to get knocked out. Every time he came at me, I had an answer.”

Pagan, who has already earned a try-out for the U.S. Olympic team later this year, hopes to turn professional in a year or so.

“Right now, boxing is everything,” he said. “I have the skills to become a world champion.”

“I feel happy,” said Shemuel. “My name hasn’t been ringing bells for the longest time, but it’s time to let people know, Shemuel’s here, and he’s from Brooklyn.”

©2007 The Brooklyn Paper