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.

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.