Photo Courtesy of SnapLocally.com
It has been reported by multiple sources that Jason Litzau (23, 2) will face Daniel Gonzalez (9, 21). Daniel’s record may be a little lopsided, but most of those losses did go the distance. Should be a good return fight for Jason. This card also features the highly anticipated fight between Allen Litzau and Wilton Hilario.
Bear
Duluth didn’t let a little snow storm ruin the fun. The Garden was again packed with enthusiastic fight fans and they were not disappointed. Due to circumstance to be explained at a later date, the show was a public workout with the fans deciding the winner of each bout. Duluth fans deserve a big pat on the back for the sportsmanship they showed. My scoring lined up with theirs on virtually every bout. Brunette’s Gym left with two crowd supported wins over Horton’s gym fighters. While on the subject of Brunette’s Gym, we should mention that both they and the Golden Lakes Brainerd club braved very bad weather to make it to this event. I think I can speak for Duluth in thanking them for making the trip.
Along with one of the best amateur shows I have ever witnessed, we were treated to the announcement that Zach “Jungleboy” Walters would be returning to the ring in Duluth on April 18. Cant wait to see the MAN back in the ring.
Below is a run down of the crowds picks for winners. All is unofficial as this event was a public workout. Crowd fav is in bold.
Evan Wrazidlo vs Cole Hatcher (Golden Lakes Brainerd)
Max Fadeyev vs Jeff Porter (Golden Lakes Brainerd)
Zach Overfors vs Riley Rinas
Matt Mchgregor vs Zach Carey
Mark Pogerlskin vs Brad Heroff (Brunette’s Gym)
Cole Wrazidlo vs Dawson Wrazidlo - The battle of the bros did not disappoint.
Winston Anderson vs Trever Marman
Mike Monchamp vs Jay Lee (Brunette’s Gym)
Jorey Olson vs Al Sands - Chuck Horton proclaimed this to be the best heavyweight amateur fight he has ever witnessed. I can see how that would be the case, it was the best one I have seen. Both of these teammates went after each other from start to finish. The big shots just kept coming, when the bell rang there was heavy hitting until the bell sounded again. What a fight!
Our hats off to Grandmas, the competitors, coaches, and Horton’s Gyms for yet another great show.
Todd
I decided to take a trip down to Horton’s gym one day before their amateurs were to have a public workout at Grandma’s Sports Garden in Duluth MN. One of the things I have noticed at past amateur boxing events was the great camaraderie visible between the fighters. Sometimes the word team gets lost among boxing fans, but to me it sure seems like a ton of teamwork goes into being a part of amateur boxing. This brings me back to my trip over to Horton’s to watch the final day before fightnight, as these young men prepare to showcase their skills.
I got to Horton’s at about 3:30 in the afternoon. I brought along workout gear to get a feel for what these guys were doing in prep for their bouts. At about 3:37, soaked with sweat, I decide its time to do my job, and take in what these guys were doing. There were guys jumping ropes, some shadow boxing, others hitting the heavy bags and hand pads. All of this is going on under the watchful eyes of several coaches including Gary Eyer.
Let me not forget to mention, the Pros were working out alongside these boxing hopefuls. I took particular interest in a couple of the younger athletes in the gym. There were two of them working on one of the heavy bags near me. To their good fortune, pros, Zach Walters and Andy Kolle, were finishing up their workouts, doing many rounds on the jump ropes. While doing things with the rope that would certainly cause me to be tied in a knot on the floor, Zach and Andy were giving these young men instruction on how to properly hit the bag and use movement. How cool that must be for these fellas. I continued to watch all of the guys doing their workouts for a while and then asked Gary and Chuck Horton when they would be setting up the ring at Grandmas. Turns out, after these guys were done going through their boxing workout they were off to grab a bite to eat at the Sports Garden, then set up the ring.
Now, if you haven’t watched a ring being put together, you would not guess the amount of teamwork that goes into getting it up and ready for action. I really want to mention, as boxers and coaches alike were taking the ring out of the trailer and sorting the pieces, there was no complaining. This sort of teamwork followed all the way through until the final rope was tightened and the corner pads put on.
To me, this is teamwork at its best. These guys workout together almost every day. They work to bring out the best in every fighter in the gym. This team attitude is no doubt built through the hard work and dedication one must have to be a boxer at any level. The great part for me as a boxing fan was to see how this hard work and teamwork translated to hard work and teamwork in a whole different avenue. They seemed to use the same ethic in working as a team to bring in and set up their working surface for the following night. Very cool stuff.
I asked a few of the amateurs about boxing at Horton’s gym. Here is what they had to say.
M…. “I want to ask you guys what its like working out at Horton’s gym?”
Jorey Olson….“The gym is very much a team, we push each other, whether by example or showing each other new stuff. You do get competitive in the gym but we push each other forward. One guy may be going crazy, working harder, and that just makes you want to work out that much harder yourself.
M…. “Do the professionals give pointers?”
Jorey Olson…. ” Yeah, all of the time. They have cleaned up my bad habits a lot.”
Rodney Rinas…. “Like Jorey said, its nice to have the pros there, they really help you when you’re messing up.”
M…. “Whats your favorite part about working out at Horton’s?”
Mike Monchamp…. “We got great coaches, really good pros. Everybody works together, you train hard and you are pretty much going to win your fight, you train harder than everyone else and you win.”
M…. “How long have you been boxing at Horton’s?”
Zach Cary…. “I have been there for a little over a month, I also was working out there this past summer.”
Winston Anderson….“Ive been boxing for about a year now. Its been a good experience at Horton’s. The concentration and their style and everything is really good, they teach you how to stay dedicated, stay fit and do what you got to do.”
M…. “Have you noticed if boxing has helped other aspects of your life?”
Winston Anderson….“It’s definitely got me calmer. It makes me think more. I think about decisions I may not want to make.”
Al Sands…. “Ive been boxing at Horton’s for just over a year now.”
M…. “What got you started in boxing?”
Al Sands…. “Zach Walters came over to my house and showed a highlight film and he asked me to come and check out the gym. I went in there the next Monday and have been there ever since.”
M…. “What boxers do you look up to?”
Al Sands…. “All of boxing is still kind of new to me. The only boxer Ive looked up to or even looked to as motivation is Zach Walters.”
I also caught up to the Amateur Coach Gary Eyer.
M…. “Could you tell me a little about coaching the amateurs at Horton’s gym?”
Gary Eyer….“That’s a big question.”
M…. “Tell me about the teamwork, like setting up the ring before the fights.”
Gary Eyer…. “This is like a tradition. Setting the ring up the day of the fight or the day before is tradition. Ive been doing it since I was 15.”
M…. “How long have you been coaching?”
Gary Eyer…. “Just recently. But I was always the person that if a new guy came in, they were with me. And its been that way for a long long time and I like it. Its fun too.”
There will be much more from Gary in the next few weeks. We will be talking to him about his big fight on the undercard of “Andy Kolle vs Anthony Bonsante”.
Many of these same guys will be testing their skills against each other in tonight’s event, but mark my words, when the fights are through and these guys are back at the gym, the team will be working to continue to make everyone better boxers as well as people.
Todd
“I’m fairly certain Todd was winded after changing clothes, 7 minutes is probably stretching it for him.” Bear
From Seconds Out Promotions site. Check it out here.
MMA
Marcus Levessuer (11-2) -VS- Travis perzynski (18-3) State Lightweight MMA Championship
Brandon Zemke (1-1) -VS- Kris Blesi (Pro Debut)
Boxing
Joey Abell (22-4) -VS- TBA
Rapheal Butler (34-8) -VS- TBA
Cornelius Lock (18-3) TBA
Willshaun Boxley (5-0) -VS- Thomas Snow (10-1)
all bouts subject to change
From Joey Abell’s site. Check it out here.
March 21, 2009
THE BRAWL IN ST PAUL
St. Paul Armory- St. Paul, MN
Joey was to avenge one of his losses at ‘The Brawl in St. Paul’ on March 21st but was unable to reach a deal with the lucky puncher. ICE will fight at the Armory if a suitable opponent can be signed.
Be sure to check out Al Sands and the rest of the amateur boxers as they again put their skills to the test.
Bear
Courtesy Walters Photography, all rights reserved
I was going to put out a detailed fight recap, but Laura Zink wrote a great recap for the Duluth News Tribune. I am not even remotely close to the wordsmith Laura is, and she gave us permission to use her work. See Report from the Duluth News Tribune below.
from Duluth News Tribune, by Laura Zink
(BUFFALO, N.Y. — After suffering a cut in his mouth, Zach “Jungle Boy” Walters’ fight against two-time WBA world champion Byron “Slama From ‘Bama” Mitchell was called by Walters’ corner after the sixth round on Friday night. The TKO victory makes Mitchell the new NABA-U.S. light heavyweight titleholder.
Near the end of the first and third rounds, Walters stunned Mitchell. A left hook sent Mitchell stumbling back in round 1, while a midcombination right hook did similar damage in round 3. Both times, Walters had Mitchell hurt, but the bell rang before he could capitalize on the damage. By midfight, both fighters were bloody — Mitchell from the nose and Walters from the mouth.
In the last three rounds, Mitchell gained momentum. He landed painful body shots, stiff jabs and powerful left hooks. Each jab shot a spray of blood from Walters’ mouth as the cut worsened. Near the end of the sixth round, Mitchell landed a right hook, which flung Walters back into the ropes. The last three rounds and the damage from the cut caused Walters’ corner to throw in the towel.
“There was a turning point where the corner thought I was taking too much,” Walters said. “They saw the blood and they called the fight. Of course, my corner has my best interests in mind.”
Both fighters came to this fight hoping for a rankings boost that would put them in world contention. Walters (23-4 overall), who lost his No. 12 world ranking after a late-round upset by Shawn Hammack last August, said Friday’s loss won’t deter him from pressing on.
“We are going to make a long career out of it,” said 28-year-old Walters. “You haven’t seen the last of me.”
For Mitchell, 35, after a four-year layoff initially stemming from complications with his contract from Don King Productions, the win meant one final shot at regaining world title status. After the bout was called, Mitchell (27-4-1) gained that opportunity, and also gained a lot of respect for Walters.
“There was lots up there that I give him credit for,” Mitchell said, “He’s a good kid, and I told him he needs to stay with it. He’s a lot better than I gave him credit for. Strong guy. Strong, tough, strong will.”
“I did my best,” Walters said. “Mitchell said if I don’t keep boxing that he’d find me and beat me up with a stick, so I guess that means I’ve got to stick with it. I did the best I could. I trained as hard as I’ve ever trained for any fight.”)
Straight from the Zach Walters Newsletter.
(You may have heard already, but the fight in Buffalo, NY didn’t go
the way I had hoped. I was stopped after the sixth round due to
exessive bleeding in my mouth and the verdict was that I’d swallowed
too much blood. Chuck and the ring doctor made the call. At first I
was frustrated with the call, but after the event passed I have come
to accept it. My corner has always had my well being in mind and they
could see I was paying a high price to continue fighting.
That being said, it was a great fight. The first round was my best as
I caught Mitchell with a left hook as the round came to a close. I
tried to capitalize on the moment, but the round ran out. The next
round was good too, but I could see Mitchell was gaining momentum.
There were a hand full of fans that made the trip out from Minnesota
and it was great to have them in the crowd. They cheered loudly and
others in the croud began to get behind my underdog efforts as well.
It was cool see the support I got for my efforts to overthrow the
two-time world champ. It was a good feeling to be so far away from
home and still have voices in the crowd cheering me on. Mitchell had
a stalking style of relentless pressure. I was continuously on the
move blocking, ducking, and dodging as many of his shots as I could.
All the while doing my best to land my own punches in between. In the
sixth round, Mitchell got me with some pretty good bombs and was
working to finish me off. I kept fighting back, using all the tactics
I new. At the end of the round I was caught by a big shot that
staggered me backward into the ropes where I was rulled as knocked
down. This was my roughest round of the fight and it would become the
last. I could play the game of thinking what if I went out one more
round, what if Chuck hadn’t called the fight, what if this, or that.
But I won’t. Thinking like that would frustrate me.
After the fight I talked with Mitchell who told me to keep on boxing.
He said if I chose to hang up my gloves after this fight he’d come to
Minnesotaand beat me with a stick. He told me he was impressed with
my toughness and determination and that he was surprised I was as
good as I was. He said some of the shots he hit me with he’d used to
knock out heavywieghts in the gym. He gave me his contact information
and said he’d be willing to help me out if I ever needed it. Nice guy,
huh.
Anyway, I wish Mitchell the best in his boxing future and hope he
gets back up to the world title like he hopes to. As for me, I will
take my experience and build on it to become better. I have already
talked to my team about some options and they agree with my ideas so
far. In no way am I done boxing. The way I see it, I am learning how
to fight in the upper tier of boxing. It’s a rough game up there and
I am learning what it takes to keep up at that level. My next fight
is not on the books yet, but I know I will be back in the ring soon
enough.
God bless.
Zach
I attached a good article I found on the web at EastSideboxing .com.
Here it is:
Byron Mitchell Stops A Game Zach Walters After Six Rounds
21.02.09 - by James Slater - Last night, in Buffalo, New York,
former world champion Byron Mitchell won himself the NABA
light-heavyweight title with an exciting TKO win over a very game
Zach “Jungle Boy” Walters. The fight was stopped upon recommendation
of both Walters’ corner-men and the ringside doctor, who deemed the
cuts inside the 28-year-old’s mouth to be too bad for him to
continue..
At the time of the stoppage Mitchell was ahead on all three judges’
cards, by margins of 59-54, 58-55,58-55. For the 35-year-old Mitchell
the win may well have got him back in line for another run at a major
world title. “The Slama from ‘Bama” improved to 27-4-1(20), while
Walters, from Duluth, fell to 23-4(18).
The fight was a good one to watch, and the fans at The Convention
Centre in Buffalo enjoyed the action. Both men came to fight, and
though he was a heavy favourite coming in Mitchell had to earn his
wages. Walters got through with some power shots in the early going
and earned the former champ’s respect. The tough underdog kept
coming, forcing the action with his fans chanting his nickname as
they cheered him on.
Mitchell got on top in a big way in the 6th round, as he landed some
hard shots that sent Walters into the ropes. Credited with a
knockdown, Mitchell was only seconds away from a victory. Though
Walters would more than likely have carried on had he been allowed to
have, his corner did the right thing. Swallowing his own blood, the
younger man would have been at risk had he been allowed out for more.
Afterwards, in a scene reminiscent of what happened after the great
Bernard Hopkins beat Kelly Pavlik last year, Mitchell urged the man
he’d just beaten not to hang up his gloves - saying he would come and
find Walters and beat him with a stick if he did call it a day.
Clearly, the fighter known as “Jungle Boy” had more than earned
Mitchell’s admiration.
Now having won two light-heavyweight bouts in a row in a comeback
that began in November of last year (after having taken a year out
after his loss to Richard Hall), the always exciting Mitchell is
hoping he will be given another chance to become a world champion.
The man who was the first fighter to ever put the great Joe Calzaghe
on the deck likely needs another win or two under his
belt <http://hortonsgym.com/l>
, before he can look at challenging one of the current belt holders
at 175-pounds.
At age 35, and after almost thirteen years as a pro (only 32 bouts
though, due to inactive spells), Byron Mitchell has plenty of fight
left in him. )
Courtesy Walters Photography, all rights reserved
Zach Walters proves again why I love this sport and him as a boxer and person. Class, class, class. I will give a detailed report on the evenings fights when I return to Duluth tomorrow, but I want to share some final thoughts on last nights event.
After an incredible 6 rounds of action Zach’s corner called the fight due to cuts in Zach’s mouth. He was swallowing large amounts of blood and it was effecting his stomach as well as throat. I’m sure if Zach would have had his way at that moment the fight would have gone on, but Chuck Horton, showing the great care he has for his fighters was not about to risk his understudies health. I would like to commend Chuck for taking action in support of Walters. There will always be more fights and more opportunities to climb the ranks, but those chances can only come if you are in good health.
I was able to talk with Zach after the fight and you will be happy to know his moral was high. His cuts in his mouth should heal in a few weeks and he will be good as new. Zach was already taking lessons learned from fighting a two time world champion only hours after the fight. This is the character that his fans have become so accustom to. Zach isn’t going anywhere, in fact, after the fight Byron told Zach he would come and find him and beat him with a stick if Zach were to hang up the gloves. I believe Byron meant every word of it. After the fight he told me he could not believe how strong and determined Walters was. The great part is, this is what I saw and everyone in the convention center saw. Zach came into the ring feeling great, coming off of a great training camp and looking to leave a winner. You know what, he did. Life doesn’t always work out as we plan it, but guys like Zach cant help but come away better for whatever experience is put in front of them.
I think of this fight sort of as Rocky 4. Walters came out east with all the odds stacked against him. The people in the crowd and others reporting on the event didn’t give him a chance. But as the rounds kept coming people were changing. I could see it in Byron, after he tasted some serious power in first, his respect for Walters just kept growing as the fight wore on. Fans started chanting “Jungle”, the intensity and drive that Zach was showing in this greatest of challenges was not lost on those in the crowd or in the ring. In life you don’t have to wear a belt to be a champion, I think Zach showed that in this most recent endeavor.
Please check back for a full fight report, I apologize for not being able to get it up while in Buffalo.
Todd
