Boxing At The Baseball Field

Last night, a group of young men who are planning to compete against young men in Ireland, showed off their boxing skills last night. It was a fundraiser to help drum up money to help pay their way there. The boxing show was held at Thillens Stadium, which is a baseball field favored by various Little League teams. A ring was set up in the middle of one of the baseball diamonds.

I ran into JJ there. A Park District coach was telling JJ that he doesn't need a conditioning coach. JJ told me that he no longer goes to see Jerome for conditioning; the commute to Elgin is too far. However, JJ thinks he needs someone to motivate him to do his conditioning. The Park District coach disagreed. "Man, you need a strength coach to work your muscles. How old are you? Twenty-two? You can motivate yourself to do your own conditioning!"

The fights were good, particularly one that involved Tracy Jr., who is trained by his dad. I hadn't seen him in awhile, and it looked as if he had gained more muscle. His opponent was showboating a little too much. Tracy Jr. answered him with a flurry of combinations.

Today, I had to run some errands. On the way back, I passed Hamlin Park. I ducked inside to use the washroom, and noticed the boxing gym was open. Coach Bill was there, and about three guys were working out. Bill has been coaching at Hamlin for 35 years. "Don't you spar up at Loyola Park?" he asked me. I told him I did, and he said a couple of women usually come in on Saturdays. "You could come in and get some sparring in with them," Bill told me. I thanked him and told him I would stop in next week.