Fourteen Bouts

Instead of judging fights at Harrison Park's boxing show, I worked the gloves table instead.  I followed the lead of the guys who were already at the table when I arrived.  The gloves and the headgear had to be wiped down after each fighter returned them after their bouts. 

Fourteen fights were done.  That was the biggest number of fights I had seen at a show in a long time.  Most of the bouts were slugfests. One girl received a bloody nose during one of the bouts.  One heavyweight appeared to try and wrestle the other one down to the canvas during another bout.  There were several knockdowns throughout the evening, but no knockouts. 

Too bad Juan -- from my gym -- couldn't attend.  He had to attend a party for an older brother of his who is going away to college.  Juan probably would have gotten a fight.  There was a long line of people trying to get matched up.  If Jaylin hadn't pulled a recent disappearing act, he may have been able to fight, too.  I'm just now learning that Jaylin has been missing for the past couple of weeks because he went on vacation. 

I was talking at length with Keith who spent five years in the amateur ranks, then 17 years as a professional boxer.  He said that most people who take up the sport don't want to run, but it is very important for stamina.  I do include running as part of the training I give, but people only do a couple of rounds of it within the gym.  It's seldom practical to have people run on the track behind the field house especially once the weather cools and the clocks are turned back.  The youth classes are only an hour.  Some kids are always rolling into class late and then dragging to get anything done.  I'm going to ask the youths to do running when they are outside of class.  I know it's a long shot to expect most of the kids to do extra exercise when they're not in the gym.  But something has to be done.

Shifty received an award for 30 years of service being a referee during the show.  He was surprised by that.  It was nice that he was recognized for his dedication. 

Hustling At Harrison

I had reminded Henry and David's dad about the boxing show at Harrison Park some time ago.  Unfortunately, the boys were no-shows, and there were kids there with whom they could have had a fight.  Having La Follette's gym being shut prematurely due to window installation plus the fact that we're now on a break until the fall session begins has made it difficult to keep in touch with people about the ongoing boxing shows.  I was judging fights again as I had no fighters present.

I noticed there is construction going on at Harrison Park as well.  I felt their pain.  There was a good turnout for the boxing show, however.  There were 12 fights instead of the usual ten, but the action went quickly.  The fights took place in a basketball gym inside the field house.  Usually, that show is held on the outside, but the construction I saw may have been the cause for the change in location. 

During one of the earlier fights of the evening, I thought both boys did a great job.  But one boy did a little bit more than the other one, so he won the fight.  The boy who didn't win took his trophy and no sooner than he stepped out of the ring, the boy was blubbering.  I always feel bad when I see that.  Sometimes when I see kids crying because they lost, I feel like crying with them.  I looked for that boy later to give him some encouragement but he must have left the park quickly.

Solomon, who fights out of Loyola Park, won his fight against a boy from Garfield Park, which was no easy feat.  The fighter from Garfield Park won the first round against Solomon, popping him with several punches.  During the next two rounds, Solomon carefully watched the other guy and picked his shots.

While sitting at one of the judges' tables, I imagined what it would have been like if my late younger sister was sitting next to me.  I've mentioned before that while she liked the ideas of beating on people, she wasn't crazy about me being involved in the sport.  She might have enjoyed watching the action close up like that, however.  Then I imagined my late mother sitting next to me at the table.  She wasn't supportive of me fighting.  Ma probably would have criticized everything that went on during the show, despite the fact that she had an appreciation for the sport. 

Rain Holds Off At Seward Park

It was predicted that there was a 30% chance of rain today.  Fortunately, no rain came down, so the boxing show at Seward Park went on as planned.

There were seven fights.  A lot of kids showed up later to weigh-in most likely due to heavy traffic.  Some streets were closed to accommodate the upcoming Lollapolloza music fest.  A Chicago Cubs game was going on, and part of Lake Shore Drive had been shut down due to a protest.  Henry and David were there early and weighed-in; both of them got fights.

Unfortunately, neither of the boys won their matches.  Henry was up against a kid from Ogden Park.  As usual, Coach Kenny was barking orders to his fighter.  It's funny how Kenny does that without being animated like most of the other coaches.  It's the way he says things and the tone of his voice as he sits stationary at ringside. 

David probably could have won his fight against a kid from Portage Park.  The other kid was heavier and slower.  Like his brother Henry, David wasn't aggressive enough and kept waiting on the other person to throw a punch first.  But I was glad that both boys were able to get fights.

Damaris was a no-show.  She wasn't in the gym the day before which wasn't a good look.  I'm seriously considering not allowing her to fight for the rest of the session.  Damaris keeps telling Sahia and I that she wants to fight, then she backs out of shows at the last minute.  I can't keep going through ups and downs with that girl. 

Alan was at the show, and he told me he plans to go to Sheridan Park's show, which is next week.  I'm going to skip that one and Ogden Park's show as well to give Henry and David some extra training time before Harrison Park's show. 

Boxing Lifer

James was hyped and ready for a fight at Harrison Park, but there was no match for him.  I was relieved when I was able to match Donovan with a 12-year-old who fights out of that park.

Before the show began, an honorary ten count was given in the memory of Sean Curtin, who passed on last week.

There were twelve fights scheduled at the show instead of the usual ten fights.  Donovan's fight was number six.  My fighter was knocked down in the first round.  When Donovan got knocked down again, I was worried that Tommy (who was the referee) would stop the match.  Donovan made it through to the end of the fight, but the outcome was not in his favor.

Several people congratulated Donovan for battling on.  A few of the coaches pointed out to me that Donovan did a good job but needed to work on his balance.  I also noticed that Donovan was backing up too often when he should have been pushing forward.  All of these things we will be working on when we get back to the gym.

I saw Joe, another coach whom I hadn't seen in a long, long time.  "I heard you were coaching," he smiled as he gave me a kiss on the forehead.  "Hillari, you are a lifer now!  This sport is in you!".  He's right.

Ring Rust Is Real

I decided to have Donovan and James do something different today.  "Miss Hillari, why do you have headgear on?" James asked.  "I'm going to spar one round with you, then one round with Donovan.  Then you two will spar together," I answered.

My shoulder is feeling better and so are my knees, so I figured I'd get back into sparring.  I learned quickly that ring rust is real.  It had been weeks since I last sparred.  Donovan came at me with three and four-punch combinations.  He hits very hard, and I didn't tell him to slow down.  I found myself knocked against the ropes.

My goal with James was to keep him in the middle of the ring.  James seems to depend on the ropes and the corners too much for support.  Every time James would start backing up for the ropes and corners, I would lure him away from them.

I should have cooled it there, but then Ariel arrived for the teen class.  We sparred for a couple of rounds.  That girl caught me up against the ropes and let loose with continuous punches.  I tried to slip out on either side, but she had me pinned in.  She has heavy hands.  Finally, I had to grab her arms to slow her down.

Jermaine, a tall kid who was in the boxing class back in 2014, is back in the neighborhood.  He and a couple of his buddies want to sign up for the class.  I hope he sticks with it this time.  Jermaine had a good presence in the ring from what I remember.

Tomorrow is the boxing show at Harrison Park.  Donovan is going to go, and to my surprise, James said he wanted to try and get a fight there, too.

Late Summer and Sean

John gets in one on Ro during their sparring session at Loyola Park in this photo.

Unfortunately, I have to begin with some sad news.  Sean Curtin passed on several days ago.  He was the author of two books about Chicago boxing -- Chicago Boxing and Chicago Amateur Boxing.  Sean boxed while in the military, and he worked as the boxing commissioner for the State of Illinois for 15 years.  He also served in boxing as a judge, a time keeper, and a referee.  Sean and I became friendly over the past ten years or so.  He often was the referee at the Chicago Park District boxing shows.  He always greeted me warmly when he saw me.  Sean was a good guy, and he will be missed.

A staff member at LaFollette pointed out something about James that I had failed to notice.  James is pigeon-toed.  That would explain the boy's odd gait when he runs around the gym to do his warm up.  It doesn't stop him from wanting to get into that ring to spar.  James recently told me that he loves to spar.

However, James does not make good use of the ring area, and I'm at a loss as to how to get him to utilize it better.  He and Donovan sparred yesterday, and James kept sliding along the ropes and stopping in the corners.  I showed him out to turn or punch his way out of those situations.  But Donovan is taller and has a longer reach.  "Grab Donovan's arms to slow him down!" I told James, but he replied that he couldn't reach out to do that.  I took him aside afterward to show him again.  We're really going to have to work on that.

Meanwhile, Donovan's parents are really eager to have their son fight in a boxing show.  I'm trying to pre-match him with a kid from Ogden Park whom Kenny coaches, if Kenny is going to the Harrison Park show next week.  If that is not possible, I know that a lot of kids show up to Harrison.  Hopefully, Donovan will be able to get a fight with someone.

My left shoulder is no longer constantly hurting.  Stretching it and working with light hand weights did the trick.  My knees have felt better too since I started taking a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar in a cup of cold water with a packet of Stevia daily.  I've gone back to exercising in the gym, usually alongside the 12 and under class.

Jakie surprised me again by showing up today to the gym.  He admitted "I have to work on my stamina,"  and I agreed.  It's not too late for Jakie to appear in another boxing show, but he's got to show up more often to train.  I didn't know that he had to attend summer school, which is why Jakie wasn't in much.  I reminded him that he needs to sign up for the fall boxing class beginning next week.

I was going to shut down the gym for a couple of weeks once the summer session ends next week.  It has to remain open for people to practice because the boxing shows are still going on.  I don't want Donovan (nor the other kids, for that matter) having to lay off of training for all that time.  He starts school next week, and that's going to have an impact on how much he can train.  If I can get him into one boxing show before September is out, that will make me very happy.

Let Down At Harrison Park

Both Rocky and Kishaun called me at the field house, assuring me that they were going to be at Harrison Park for a boxing show.  "Please get there by 5:30 PM,"  I advised them.  I showed up at 5:00 PM.  Many fighters showed up in hopes of getting a fight.  There a long line for the weigh-in.  But after the last two fighters showed up around 6:25 PM to get weighed in, Tommy shut the scale down so the coaches could get about the business of making matches.  Rocky and Kishaun never showed up.

Of course, I was ticked off.  Kishaun could have had a match because of the wealth of boys who showed up looking for fights.  But then, Kishaun hadn't been in the gym for two days, and he might have re-thought taking a fight because of missed training time.  However, both Rocky and Kishaun have to think about the fact that I closed the whole gym down.  That meant that no one was able to train today, including the adults who have to pay for the boxing class.  I don't have an official park district volunteer for whom the staff will feel comfortable to open up the gym for in the event that I'm away at a boxing show with other fighters.

Also, both Rocky and Kishaun would have got to see some very good fights at the show. The fighters were serious about winning, and some very hard blows were thrown.  Most of the fights went the distance; only a couple of them were stopped.

I saw Joe, a trainer who I hadn't seen for a long time.  I received a warm greeting both from him and Sean, a referee.  "Gentleman" Gerald and Shifty were the other two referees.  Ernest, Rodney, Fermin, Mike, and Jeff rounded out the coaches who attended.

Fortunately, the night wasn't a total loss, because John from Loyola Park was able to get a fight.  I helped Alan in the corner with him.

John didn't win, but he put up a good fight.  I told Alan that I was bringing fighters to his and Barry's boxing show next month.  But whether Kishaun and any of the other kids choose to show up remains to be seen.

Upcoming Shows

"Ralph is a good fighter," Alan said.  "Too bad he's leaving tomorrow."  It was Ralph's (wearing the blue hoodie in the photo) last day at Loyola Park.  He's flying home to attend college, where he will major in international economics and law.  Alan wished he could have gotten more fights for him.

I learned there will be a show fight somewhere on Ravenswood, but I don't know if there will be any slots for younger fighters.  I'm planning to take some of my fighters to Harrison Park later this week for another Chicago Park District boxing show.  Kishaun is up for it.

His cousin Derrick needs to control his temper, however.  Last week, Kishaun got the better of a sparring session between him and Derrick.  Despite Rocky, Derrick Sr., and myself telling Derrick to keep his emotions out of it, the boy stormed out of the gym afterwards.

The summer session is now officially over as of last week, and I'm looking forward to fall.  I want to take my fighters to the upcoming boxing shows at Loyola Park, Simons Park, and Humboldt Park.  I'm very pleased that summer camp is done, so I don't have to deal with that set of kids vandalizing my gym, at least until next year.

West Side Rumble

I packed my boxing gear to take to Harrison Park Thursday evening, but I knew there wouldn't be a match for me.  Alan, Kenny, Colonel, Ursula, Renee, and Uvee (a friend of Ursula and Renee) were standing in the back of the gym at that field house before the matches took place.  Alan pointed out a female fighter who was dressed and ready nearby.  "There you go," he told me.  "She looks like she's no more than fourteen years old!" I exclaimed.  "But she's your height," Alan grinned.

That boxing show was also the second one I attended where the singer who did the National Anthem mangled it.  They knew all the words.  The problem was staying on key.  I felt bad for them when I heard the widespread snickering in the crowd, especially when she tried to hit the high notes.  "That was no comparison to you, Hillari," Alan said, referring to the times I sang the song before Loyola's boxing shows.

The best bout of the night was between two young women.  Alan and Kenny pointed the taller woman out to me as she warmed up before the fight.  "Check out how she throws punches," they told me.  She was working those pads like a job.  I was impressed.  When the bell rang to open the first round, she dashed on her opponent with a fierceness.  There were body blows galore.  But in the second round, her opponent -- who was shorter and appeared to be heavier -- got revenge.  The shorter woman popped the taller woman in the face with a right.  The referee gave the taller woman an eight count.  They resumed their pummeling of each other, but the shorter woman bopped her opponent in the face with jabs six or seven times in a row.  The crowd was hyped up, cheering and clapping their approval.  The taller woman ended up receiving another eight count.  The women continued their war until the bell ended the last round, and the shorter woman won.  I believe she was fighting for Hamlin Park.

Kenny almost got a fight, but the matchmakers decided the guy was too young for Kenny to get in the ring with.  That guy ended up winning his match against an opponent who did not follow the "be first" rule and allowed the guy to get the drop on him.  Oscar did not show up in time, so he missed out on getting a fight when the weigh-in period ended.  

Kenny, Colonel, and Alan left early, but the rest of us stayed to the end.  Then we went to eat at Kopi Cafe, a place that I've passed by for years, but had never been inside.  It was a cool place, and the Mexican hot chocolate I had was delicious. 

Sister Sparring

I was on my way to the gym, when I saw two of my neighbors, Eric and Michael.  They walked down to the field house with me, but Michael didn't want to go inside.  Eric was curious about the gym, so he came in.  "So this is your spot," he said.  I introduced him to Alan, who gave him some curious looks.  Later, the coach asked, "Is that guy a little wacky?"  "Yeah, but in a good way," I answered.  I told him that Eric is a bodybuilder who is always giving me free passes to XSport Gym, where he trains.  "He looks like he lifts weights," Alan commented.  Eric walked into the field house with no shoes on, and his shirt off.

Amy sparred for the first time Wednesday night with her sister Sarah.  I got some of the action on video, but unfortunately, the battery in my camera went out.  I cursed to myself when I couldn't find any batteries in my gym bag, but here is what I got:

Amy told me that her arms got very tired after awhile, and that she turned away from her sister perhaps a little too much.  I told her that she'd get used to holding her arms up after awhile.

I sparred with Sarah afterwards, and we had several good exchanges.  I mainly kept going for the body (despite Alan constantly telling me to go for her head and use my hooks), and Sarah mostly aimed for my head.  I pinned her arms to slow down the onslaught of punches; Alan called "Break!" several times during the three rounds we did.  The both of us were worn down at the end of the sparring session.  As Sarah and I stepped out of the ring, Professor -- who was going in the ring with Jacob -- commented, "I think a fight broke out!" 

Sarah and I were worn out.  She was sitting in a corner, and I was sitting in front of the lockers for a few rounds in order to regain strength.  Alan told Sarah that he doesn't give instructions to her while she's sparring because he knows she can't hear it through the headgear and other noise in the room.  Sarah is hearing-impaired, and she wears hearing aids.  "I was wondering if you were giving Hillari instructions," she said to him.  "All the time, but Hillari listens to me sometimes, and sometimes she doesn't," he said, which is true.  Alan told Sarah that she has a good height advantage over me. 

Ray took on Oscar first in sparring, then Jesus.  Oscar was floating jabs towards Ray that connected a majority of the time.  But Jesus acted as if he was nervous about hitting Ray.  Ray did not return punches, but encouraged Jesus to practice punches on him.  "Hit me hard.  I can take it!" he told Jesus. 

There was an injury that I didn't see first hand.  Professor took a hard hit to his mid-section from Jacob during the time they sparred.  By the time I turned around -- I was on one of the heavy bags -- Professor was down on one knee, trying to catch his breath.  "You can shake that off," Ray said.  "Beautiful punch.  It was perfect," Alan pointed out.  Professor was okay after a few moments. 

Jacob could have had a fight at Harrison Park tomorrow, but unfortunately, he has to work late.  Alan had one lined up for him.  As of right now, Kenny and Ray plan to fight at that boxing tournament if they can get matches.  Alan told me to bring my gear, but there's a big possibility that I won't get a fight.  I don't remember there being any female fighters at Harrison, but some may show up from other field houses.