By Jonathan Morales

April 26, 2024

Kevin Montaño ’20 (Kinesiology) is an undefeated professional boxer with aspirations of winning a world championship. He is also a K-12 substitute teacher. And a budding promoter. And a volunteer youth boxing coach.

This intermingling of the boxing and education worlds is something Montaño says gives him a leg up in both fields, a crossover first launched during his time as a Sacramento State student.

"Boxing is my passion, it's what I do, but at the same time education is also my passion,” he said. “My unfair advantage when it comes to boxing is my education. It's something I'm really grateful for and something I thank Sac State for."

Montaño said he had a “humble start.” He slept on the couch with his older brother in the one-bedroom Richmond home where his family, having recently immigrated from Mexico, lived. He didn’t find boxing until he was 8 years old, after the family had moved to Concord. He looked up to his brother, a boxer, so he became a boxer, too.

As an undersized novice, however, it was hard to find someone willing to fight him. The only person small enough was his gym partner, who was nevertheless a year older and more athletic. Unexpectedly, however, Montaño won the fight – and gained a passion for boxing that continues today.

“I wasn't supposed to win that fight, because I would never win in sparring and practice,” he said. “If I didn't win that fight, I probably wouldn't have fallen in love with the sport, and (would have) walked away.”

He continued boxing throughout middle school and high school and after graduation decided to come to Sac State, where his brother also attended. They are the first in their family to attend college. Montaño became a Kinesiology major, wanting a better understanding of how the body works and how to potentially recover from injury more quickly.

“As an athlete, especially as a boxer, it’s very, very easy to get hurt,” Montaño said. “I knew how to listen to my body and how to hold back when it was necessary, and that’s something I thank Sac State for.”

Something else on the long list of things he thanks Sac State for is The WELL, which is equipped with heavy punching bags. Montaño used them to continue training despite being separated from his team back in Concord. Most boxers, he said, must quit if they decide to go to college, but at Sac State, he could focus both on his athletic pursuits and his education.

He also realized the mutually beneficial relationship between his sport and his schooling. His coursework helped his boxing. Boxing provided a much-needed break from studying. Both required a strong work ethic, focus and persistence.

“You’re studying for six-eight hours a day, nonstop, and you want to give up. You want to stop and do literally anything else,” Montaño said. “But boxing taught me that, no, you keep working and you keep working hard. At the end of the day, once this thing’s finished, you’re going to appreciate everything you worked for.”

Education also paid off in a more literal way: Many boxing organizations sponsor scholarships, and “I had an advantage because I took both boxing and school seriously.” The money he received helped him focus on training and studying, rather than working.

"Most of these boxers lack the education to get sponsors, to get on the right fights, to market themselves the right way. I'm hoping to help educate the next generation of boxers through what I’ve learned.” -- Kevin Montaño

One of Montaño’s professional goals was to fight for Team USA, and in 2017, while still a Sac State student, he had his opportunity. He earned a chance to compete in a qualifying tournament in Tennessee and launched a successful crowdfunding campaign to pay for his travel. His second-place finish in his weight class earned him one of two open spots on the national team. He made his amateur debut with Team USA a few months later.

Montaño made his professional debut in August 2021, about a year after graduating from Sac State. The venue was in Sacramento, and roughly 150 of the 800 seats were filled with his supporters.

“That right there made me fall more in love,” he said. “That showed me how much people really want to see me win, which is crazy. I’m not special, not anything different. I’m just some guy that works hard.”

Montaño earned his first professional victory that night, but that’s not all he gained. Loathe to nickname himself, as many fighters do, he figured something would come naturally and entered the bout under his own name.

After the second round, his opponent took a knee. He heard the crowd chanting something but could not make out what it was. It wasn’t until later, watching videos of the fight on Instagram, that he realized what they were saying: “no más,” Spanish for “no more.” Soon after, his opponent, in a way, said the same, quitting the fight.

That’s how Kevin Montaño became “No Más” Montaño.

Since then, “No Más” has run his record to 5-0, his most recent win coming in January. His next fight is May 18 at the Fox Theatre in Redwood City.

Despite the professional success, Montaño has not forgotten the important role education has played in his life. He works part time as a substitute teacher, and says his “other” job as a boxer gives him a decent amount of credibility and coolness with the kids. Through his home gym, Flawless Boxing, he teaches boxing to youth in West Sacramento.

He also wants to educate his fellow boxers, many of whom don’t know how to promote themselves, get sponsorships or find fights that will help their careers.

“The source of that problem has to do with education. Most of these boxers lack the education to get sponsors, to get on the right fights, to market themselves the right way,” he said. “I'm hoping to help educate the next generation of boxers through what I’ve learned.”

He hopes to launch a sponsorship and marketing agency – called No Más Promotions, of course – to do just that.

The launch of Combat U at Sac State – a first-of-its-kind university-based combat sports program – has been bittersweet for someone who would have loved the chance to participate while he was a student. Montaño, however, is excited about potentially partnering with his alma mater and giving back to the place that nurtured his love of boxing and education.

“I’m excited to watch and give back to Combat U in what way I can,” he said, noting the support he has personally received from Sac State President Luke Wood, an amateur boxer.

“Sac State is still keeping me motivated, even years after I graduated.”