SPRINGFIELD — Even in street clothes with little warm up, Anthony Velasquez’s fists disappear into a blur of motion, the sound of individual blows blending into a steady machine-gun buzz of knuckles on leather.
Velasquez, known as “ATV” in the boxing ring, has come a long way since he tagged along as a 10-year-old with his father, Carlos, on trips to the gym.
He left Monday afternoon for Sydney, Australia, and his Dec. 17 fight against former WBO junior middleweight champion Tim Tszyu.
“I’ve got my shot,” Velasquez, now 29, said at a sendoff organized by state Rep. Carlos Gonzalez at Springfield’s Tower Square.
Velasquez indulged the crowd and headed into the YMCA of Greater Springfield’s gym for a quick demonstration on the speed bag.
“We see Anthony like seeing a brother, a son, you

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