‘His memory will live in every round that we fight': Champaign boxing gym remembers teen killed in car vs. train accident
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) — After a weekend tragedy, many are still coming to terms with the death of three Effingham County teenagers and one 21-year-old.
Among the victims was 18-year-old Cruz Watts. Watts died this past weekend in Sigel after their car was hit by a train. Now, one of his friends is opening up about the situation and who Watts was.
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WCIA's Jack Krumm sat down with his boxing teammate of three years, Demi Ramirez. They shared the same love for the sport and the same gym in Champaign. The Effingham native was just a couple weeks away from his 19th birthday when his life was cut short on Sunday.
Ramirez said the loss is as unimaginable as it is tragic.
'It hurts a lot. It hurts. And it's something that will probably hurt for a while,' Ramirez said.
A peaceful Sunday morning turned tragic in Effingham. 18-year old Cruz Watts of Effingham — along with three others — died after a car collided with a train in Siegel.
'You develop sort of a relationship with people that you see every single day, and Cruz was someone who is in the gym every single day,' Ramirez added.
She was his friend and boxing teammate for three years at Luyando Boxing in Champaign.
'He brought back a sort of spark to the gym — a sort of fight to the gym that we had been missing for a little bit,' Ramirez said.
Watts would get to the gym by any means necessary, even if it meant early mornings on the rails.
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'When he first came to us, he would take the train from Effingham at 4 a.m. to come to our classes that start at 6 a.m., and he would stay until the end of the day 5 p.m. working out, talking to coaches, just just trying to learn,' Ramirez said.
She said his legacy to others is forever one of a fighter..
'[He was the] Golden Gloves champion back a couple of years ago, had won multiple bouts since that championship. He was on the road to greatness; we all saw it,' Ramirez said. 'I think his legacy of working hard, always showing up, never letting excuses or anything get in the way. Always training, always trying to be better.' says Ramirez
And to those who knew him at Luyando's gym, Watts made a standard to live up to.
'His memory will live in every round that we fight, every punch that we throw. We will be thinking of him,' Ramirez added.
Ramirez says there's a service happening for Watts on Thursday in Effingham.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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