One Guy From The Gym

The other day, I was musing about the fact that I never see anyone from the gym, but I forgot about EJ. EJ lives up the street from me. He used to come to Loyola Park on a regular basis, but over the past couple of years, he hadn't been in. But whenever I see him on the street, he asks about what's going on at the boxing gym.

EJ has a wife and a teenaged daughter. They live in what I thought was a condo building; it's actually a co-op. There's not many co-ops in the neighborhood. In light of the gentrification (which seems to have slowed a little due to the economy and various neighborhood problems), I don't think that co-ops are encouraged much. I don't know why. They seem to be a better alternative to the high costs of condominiums.

Last night was the season ender of ESPN's "Friday Night Fights". Unfortunately, due to money disputes between the sports cable outlet and boxing promoters, the program no longer runs all year long. The next season won't start until January. It's a shame -- boxing is one of the few sports that don't operate on seasons, like baseball and football does. Doesn't make sense it has to be regulated like that on ESPN.

The program had been celebrating its ten years on the air by having people vote on the best fights and boxers. Emmanuel Augustus (formerly Burton) was named "the most memorable fighter", and it was a good choice. The guy showboats like a big dog, and is always entertaining to watch. A clip was shown of him fighting someone -- it might have been "Irish" Micky Ward -- and Augustus did a cool sequence of slips to get away from the punches. If only I could move that fast.

I also wish I had Ann Wolfe's job. She's a three-time world championship boxer. She had one of the boxers she trains in a match last night. Like I predicted, the 10 round fight would not go the distance. Her fighter stopped his opponent early in the match. Ms. Wolfe said that she doesn't just want to coach one man to a world championship, but several men to world championships. She comes off as very tough, very determined and very serious. I saved a You Tube clip where she knocks the living hell out of one of her opponents. It was a beautiful punch.