With three knockouts in his first four professional bouts, Raymond Guajardo has a clear vision of his objective every time he steps in the ring.

“These guys I’m fighting now, at this point in my career, I’m supposed to finish them (early),” he said. “The faster I get them out the faster I get paid.”

Just 19, Guajardo has used that power to start 4-0 as a junior middleweight and earn a place on the growing list of promising young prospects local fans need to watch.

“Everybody tells me I hit different,” Guajardo said.

The biggest win of his young career came Aug. 24 in Edinburg, where he knocked out McArio DelCastillo in 2 minutes, 29 seconds on national TV.

Soon afterward, he signed with Al Haymon of Premier Boxing Champions, one of the sport’s leading promotional companies.

“Two days later, I had five checks in the mail,” Guajardo said.

Haymon and PBC weren’t sure about Guajardo and for good reason. He had a limited amateur career, with only 26 fights. To boot, he just turned pro in March.

But there was that raw power coming out of a southpaw stance and 6-foot-1, 157-pound frame. In the end, Haymon couldn’t resist.

“They wanted to test us,” said Eddie Guajardo, his son’s trainer. “I think we passed the test.”

Guajardo, whose favorite fighter is Nonito Donaire, is eager to move up the ranks of the junior middleweight and middleweight divisions.

He trains out of his father’s small garage converted into a gym on the Southwest Side.

He landed there after being kicked out of several gyms around town amid complaints Guajardo had a bad attitude, often becoming angry during sparring when he came out on the short end, sometimes seeking to take the dispute to the streets to settle the score.

Guajardo says the opposite occurred. That he was the victim.

“There’s a lot of jealously in this town,” he said.

“Some people just don’t want to see others succeed,” his father said. “They tried to change the way he boxed. So we left. We’re doing what we need to do to be successful.”

Guajardo’s older brother Eric, a former top amateur boxer locally, is helping to train his younger brother.

Raymond Guajardo dropped out of Southwest High School in the ninth grade after several stints in alternative schools.

“I was real hard-headed, I didn’t like being told what to do,” Guajardo said. “School just wasn’t my thing.”

“I would go to meetings (about Raymond) at his school,” the father said. “They don’t have any patience with these kids.”

Eddie Guajardo and his wife, Esther, don’t want their son to give up on his education. Raymond Guajardo said he hopes to one day get his GED.

“Boxing is my life right now,” he said.

These days, most of Guajardo’s learning is done inside the ring. So far, he’s been getting high marks.

Calo-oy won’t seek re-election

Mark Calo-oy told more than 2,200 members in an e-mail this week that he does not plan to seek a fifth term as president of the South Texas Amateur Boxing Association.

Calo-oy, who headed the South Texas LBC for 11 years, said he wanted to devote more attention to his profession and more time with his family. He plans to stay involved in STABA as an official and help the new board of directors.

A San Antonio resident, Calo-oy said his time as head of STABA was “filled with an overabundance of wonderful memories with our athletes, coaches and officials.”

Online voting for the election of new STABA officers runs Nov. 18-Dec. 1 on SimplyVoting.com.

Castaneda set to return to ring

Undefeated San Antonio super lightweight Kendo Castaneda (16-0, 7 KOs), is scheduled to fight Stan Martyniouk (20-2, 6 KOs) in an eight-round bout Friday at the Silver Legacy Resort Casino in Reno, Nev.

Twitter: @johnfwhisler