For the last several weeks, three sinewy Santa Fe firefighters at Station No. 4 have been on a steady diet of protein shakes, shadow boxing, ego-puffing and Justin Timberlake.

Paul "Monster" Moreno, Beau Anderson and Freddie "The Spaniard" Martinez are preparing for fights they say they are certain to win — fights this weekend against police officers in the fourth Rumble in Rio.

"None of us are going to lose," Moreno said. "There is no way for us really to lose."

Anderson, 28, is a former University of New Mexico basketball player who has never boxed before. He has been through hours of training and is trying to gain weight, about 6 pounds total to get to his 190 fight weight. Moreno, 32, a former Marine, and Martinez, 27, a former wrestler, practice mixed martial arts in their spare time. Both are trying to lose weight and have been restricting their diets, which, one day last week, included salads with buttermilk ranch dressing, one of the team's keys to success. The other parts of the winning formula, at least for Moreno, are Justin Timberlake and the theme song from Karate Kid.

And this: "Violence, intensity and discipline," Moreno said definitively, "will win fights."

His death stare suggests he is not lacking in any of these characteristics.

Last year's Rumble raised $50,000, which bought 500 new bicycles and helmets for needy children in New Mexico, according to Pete Camacho, the event's promoter and a Rio Rancho police officer. Professional referees and coaches help with the event.

Boxers wear protective head gear and thick gloves to minimize the harm they can do to each other. Camacho said no one has ever been seriously injured during Rumble, and there have been only two knockouts. He was knocked out the first year he fought, he said.

Last year's Rumble was a tie. This year, the Santa Fe firefighters think they have the advantage. "As firemen, we have to be in good shape anyway," Martinez said. "It's not like we can just drive around in our cars all day."

Comparing his fellow firefighters to cops, Moreno said, "We're stronger. We have more time to train. And people like us."

The police officers are less boastful. Instead of goading opponents, Paul Ytuarte, a Santa Fe police officer participating for the second time, said the men at Station No. 4 are "built like the Spartans from that movie 300."

"I'm in it mostly for the charity aspect," he said. "The most nerve-wracking part is the crowd. The best part, to me, will not even be the fight. It will be handing out the bikes afterward."

For all their kidding around, Martinez said the firefighters get it, too. They all agreed to participate in the Rumble because they knew it was for a good cause, he said.

"It really doesn't matter who people root for as long as they show up," he said. "We're like a sidebar."

Contact Natalie Storey at 986-3026 or nstorey@sfnewmexican.com.

IF YOU GO

What: Rumble in Rio boxing matches

Who: Local fire and police departments

When: Saturday; first fights begin at 7 p.m.

Where: Santa Ana Star Casino

Cost: Tickets start at $20