It’s been 20 years since 34-year-old West Side champion boxer Robert “Pikin” Quiroga was murdered by a bully from his childhood.
Over the last decade his family created an anti-bullying campaign in his honor, and now his legacy is being remembered with a pavilion in Rosedale Park.
The renaming was made possible by District 5 Councilwoman Teri Castillo who notified his family about the incoming name change about a month ago.
“Adding his name to Rosedale Park will serve as a reminder that San Antonio and District 5 is full of champions,” said Castillo.
Robert Quiroga graduated from Edgewood ISD’s Memorial High School in 1987. He was the first World Super Flyweight Champion from the United States and successfully defended the IBF Jr. Bantamweight Championship five times from 1990 to 1993.
Quiroga is also the first San Antonian to win any worldwide athletic championship. In 2019, a one-hour documentary about his life was released.
Quiroga’s trainer, Joe Lopez, said he has dreamt of this moment. “It’s been 20 years … I’m glad they decided to do it. He deserves it, and he finally got it,” said Lopez, a world-class boxing trainer who guided Quiroga to his championships.
The Quiroga family and friends honored him during a city council meeting on Thursday addressing his legacy, not only as a fighter, but also as a role model in his community.
“There's another side to this young man. He's a local hero. He was a philanthropist at heart … he went to elementary schools to encourage children to stay out of gangs,” said Ronaldo Ramirez.
Ramirez was the psychologist and clinical nutritionist for Quiroga since the late 1980s. He said he was able to see who the real Robert Quiroga was outside of the ring.
“He walked the streets. He went to the stores. You all might have run into him and may not even know who he was. He was very unassuming … a great role model,” said Ramirez.
In 2004, when Quiroga was 34 years old, he was killed by a man who had been his middle school bully. Quiroga was stabbed 13 times and died of his wounds.
His younger brother Epifanio “Epi” Quiroga started a program called the SABULLYFREE campaign in 2014.
“I have gone to every school district here in San Antonio,” he said. “36,000 kids have heard his story and have made a commitment to not bully anybody,” said Epi Quiroga.
He said each of the children took an anti-bully oath to stop hate in their community. “Hate, envy and jealousy is the killer of all dreams,” Epi Quiroga stated.
The Quiroga brothers only had a one-year age difference. “When my brother passed away, my mission changed to become my brother's keeper, to keep my brother's legacy alive,” said Epi Quiroga.
On Sept. 14, the Quiroga family will host an event at Rosedale Park where they will officially rename the pavilion. Epi Quiroga said he hopes the dedication will be one of the largest anti-bullying pep rallies in San Antonio, adding that every school district and their community is invited to listen to his brother’s story.
“People loved who he was … if he didn’t have a boxing career, he’d still be remembered by all his buddies,” Epi Quiroga said.
