Big Event

The club is going to have a show at the DeMotte American Legion on September 14th. Jimmy has put together a very diverse and interesting card. In addition to featuring some of our current fighters, the show will also have some of our past Golden Gloves champions as well as several prominent members of the community making their amateur fighting debuts. Should be a great night of action and entertainment. Tickets are only ten dollars and will be going on sale soon.

Also, starting August 12th the hours of operation will change on Monday and Thursday evenings. The new hours will be 5:30 - 7:00, rather than 5:00 - 7:00 as it has been in the past. Saturday morning hours will remain the same.

Still Going Strong

Lots of activity since last I updated things here. As always at this time of year, we're preparing for the upcoming Golden Gloves Tournament in Indy. We've got seventeen fighters scheduled for this year - our biggest group ever. We've got lots of new fighters and some of our veterans heading back down. We should put on a pretty good showing. Everyone is training hard.

We have a remodeling project currently underway. We're opening up a couple of walls to make it easier to monitor everyone's activities and give us a little more room, We've been having some good turnouts lately. A little extra room will be nice.

We've got a fundraiser scheduled for March 11th to help with our Golden Gloves expenses. With seventeen fighters entered, there will be a lot of trips to Indy. Stop by and check out the action that evening. We're also looking to fund the purchase of a newer van for the club. Like most boxing clubs catering to amateur boxers, there's never enough money for all the things we'd like but we've been blessed with some great supporters. Thanks to all of you for all you do. The coaches and the fighters really appreciate it.

As always, if you're looking for up to date info on the club, you can check out Demotte Boxing Club on Facebook.

Update

It's been awhile since I've updated the blog here. A few days after writing the last post I suffered a mild heart attack. For a guy who exercised like a fiend and watched his diet, it came as quite a shock to myself and many others. I underwent emergency angioplasty and had a couple of stents installed. I retired from my teaching position after being released from the doctor and I'm back at the gym a couple of days a week. I've made some changes to my lifestyle and I'm feeling better than I have for a couple of years. Thanks to everyone who helped out in my absence and for all the get well wishes.

Things have been going well at the gym and Jonah, who was featured in the last post, just won again at the Silver Gloves along with three more of our fighters. They are now preparing to fight in Michigan in January.

We've got several new people coming to the gym as well as our core group who've been with us for awhile. It's a fine collection of athletes big and small, young and old, male and female. It looks like we'll have a good group to take to the Golden Gloves this year. We'll be picking up the intensity of the training for them starting with the new year.

I'll see if I can't keep things here with the blog a little more current in the upcoming new year as well as fill you in on some of the events of the past summer.

Merry Christmas to all of you from all of us at the Demotte Boxing Club.

Jonah

We've got our first state champ for the year - Jonah. He fought really well with the referee stopping the contest after three standing eight counts. We've had two other fighters in the tourney so far this year. Jesse won his first amateur bout and will be fighting next week again. Tim lost a tough 3-2 decision. Matt will be fighting next week also. 

Recap

Jimmy lost to Eric Draper by decision Friday night. It was a shame he couldn't have gone out on a high note but  that's the boxing game for you. The Cyber Boxing Zone has a nice write up about him and his career. He went out like he came in, as Gentleman Jimmy Holmes. All of us here at the gym are very proud of him and what he has done for the local boxing scene. He'll still be here at the gym using his experience to train our fighters, of course.

We've had two fighters in the Golden Gloves so far. Jesse won handily in his amateur debut and Tim lost a 3-2 decision. Jonah fights this week.

Jimmy's Last Fight

Jimmy Holmes has his last professional boxing match tonight at the Radisson in Merrillville, Indiana. He's been fighting either amateur or professional for 17 years and it's time to hang up the gloves. He's looking for his 20th win tonight against 3 losses. All of us here at the club wish Coach Jimmy all the best tonight and in the future.

We're Still Here

I haven't posted for almost a year but the club is alive and well. Seems like everyone goes to Facebook now for info so I haven't been posting. I checked out the stats the other day and we still get some traffic here, so I figured I'd post a little something.

We've got guys going to the Gloves this year and we're having a little fundraiser this evening. Coach Jimmy is scheduled to fight on March 30th and then he'll be retiring from the pro ranks. It's been a great time and you might want to get a ticket for the Rumble at the Radisson to see his last bout. Call the gym for ticket info.

Jimmy and I went to the Bare Knuckle Boxing Hall fo Fame this last September and spent a week training at the same place John L.Sullivan trained for the last bare knuckle championship fight. Lots of fun and the people of Belfast, New York treated us like royalty. We're going back in July.

That's it for now but I'll try and throw a little something up in the future a little more often. 

Roberto and Coach Mengel after Roberto's Golden Gloves fight.

We're back on our regular Monday, Thursday, Saturday schedule now that the Golden Gloves is over. Coach Jimmy is training hard for his upcoming fight and we have several fighters who hope to be fighting in Terre Haute soon.

The National Golden Gloves tourney starts this week in Indy. It's your chance to see the best amateur fighters in the country close to home.

The weather is finally starting to look like Spring. Time to get outside and do some roadwork. There are lots of 5K runs in our area. Pick one and start training. If you're only going to do one thing besides what you do here in the gym, it should be running. All that it requires is a good pair of shoes and you're all set. Mix up some distance and sprint training and it'll improve your boxing game as well as your overall conditioning. It helps keep the weight down as well.

Roberto

Roberto made the web site for the Indy paper: http://photos.indystar.com/galleries/12530?odyssey=mod|lateststories. Photos 21 &22.

He fought a good fight but lost the decision. His opponent was taller and quicker. He would stick and move and Roberto would give chase. Roberto had him figured out by the third round as was able to corner him and land some good shots but it was too little, too late.

The Gloves was a little bit disappointing this year. We didn't have near the competitors or near the results that we've had in the past. That's an issue that needs to be addressed for the club to continue. The economy certainly has played a part but we need to start actively recruiting it appears to keep things moving forward. The numbers at the Golden Gloves were down this year, so it's not just here, but . . . .

The Nationals are going to be in Indy at the end of the month. If you're looking to see some top-notch boxing action, this will be the place to be. I've been to the Nationals a couple of times and the action is always great. We might be putting a group outing together. Let us know if you're interested.

Congratulations and thanks to everyone who participated this year in the Gloves. Keep up the good work.

Golden Gloves Tonight

Roberto fights tonight in the Golden Gloves for the championship. He's ready - looking real tough in fact. Biscuit fought last week and lost a tough decision.

We've been batting .500 since the club started but we'll be a little shy of that this year. Several of our better fighters either moved away, entered the Army or just quit showing up. That's always a problem with a small club. It's hard to keep guys in the gym. They graduate, get jobs, start families or just reach their goal and move on to other things. We've had some real good fighters come through the club and we've got several in the pipeline right now. One of the fighters I worked with before the club started is planning on coming back in. It'll be nice to have him around again - he's a title holder as well.

Coach Jimmy is back in training again. He's scheduled to fight May 20th. I'll update you as soon as I get a few more details.

Fight Recap

Photo From Here:

The fundraiser Friday night went extremely well. We had quite a few of the young fighters on the card and they all looked pretty good considering that this was their first outing. Tim and Roberto sparred in the main event and they both looked really good, providing the crowd with some great action. Both of these guys are getting to be excellent fighters. Tim wore "The Cage" for the bout - I think this was the first time he's fought on one of the shows that he didn't end up bleeding.

There was also a "Professional" wrestling match between Coach Jimmy and "Peaches" Grady. I'm not sure how it all came about but it was pretty entertaining. I don't think we should make it a regular part of the show but if you were there, I'm sure you'll remember it.

In addition to the great boxing action we also did a Ten Count for the recently departed Charles Wheet. Charles won a Golden Gloves title our first year we participated as a club. Rest in Peace, "Chuckles".

Thanks to all our sponsors and a big thank you, as always, goes to our excellent announcer, Chris Guzman.

Friday Night Fights

We'll be having an in-house show this Friday. We've got nine bouts scheduled including a special bout featuring Jimmy and "Peaches". Doors open at 6:00, fights start at 7:00. Tickets are $8.00. Come out and support all of our fighters.

Steve "The Biscuit" is fighting tomorrow night at Indianapolis in the Golden Gloves and Roberto fights next week.

Golden Gloves 2011

Matt with the Win!

Jonah Landing the Big Left

Photos by Surly

The Golden Gloves tourney is fast drawing to a close. There are two more weeks and we have two fighters still in the tourney, one each on the next two Thursdays. We haven't been quite as successful this year as we have been the previous two years nor have we as many fighters entered. We do have quality fighters entered and that's what counts.

I missed the first night of action when Tim "The Bleeder" fought due to being out of town. By all accounts, however, it was a good fight with Tim rocking his opponent several times. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough and they stopped the fight in the third round. Tim's a tough boy and he just keeps getting better, so I look for some big things from him in the future. He needs to work a little on his defense yet but he'll be something once he sharpens up just a little more.

This week we took three fighters down but only one fought. Doug experienced a growth spurt and took himself out of contention by being a couple of pounds over. No ones fault here. Doug just grew about three inches since he signed up! Usually you don't have such a long lead time between signing up and fighting but with the Gloves there was about six weeks that elapsed. All part of growing up.

Matt got a walkover win in his division. He really wanted to fight but unless the other guy was pretty spectacular, Matt would have won anyway. He's a hard worker and is extremely fit. He's always outworking most of the other guys. Couple that work ethic up with good solid skills, and that's a tough combination to beat. Congratulations Matt!

Jonah lost a very close decision against a real slick looking opponent. His opponent came out with a couple of nice right uppercuts that caught Jonah by surprise. Me too, as far as that goes. I've never seen anyone at that level throw an uppercut as nicely as that. Plus, he either set it up with the left or followed it with the left. He won the first round easily. The second round was very close with Jonah gaining control and staying away from the uppercut a little bit better. Jonah was solidly in control the third round and won that one by at least the same margin as his opponent did the first one. The judges awarded the decision to the other young man but after the fight the referee told Jonah that if he had pressed the kid a little more in the second round he would have won the fight and he complimented Jonah on his abilities. Nice to hear that from the man in charge.

We have an in-house show this coming Friday night, April 8th. Show starts at 7:00 and tickets are on sale now. Come out and see some really good amateur boxing.

More Photos

There are some more fight photos from the Patriot Center posted here. Some good shots of our Jimmy landing his big right hand and that long range hook.

Patriot Center Update

You can hear the last two rounds of Jimmy's fight here. Not a lot of blow by blow coverage but some interesting commentary.

We've got the fight schedule for the Golden Gloves. No fights this week but "Tim the Bleeder" is scheduled the following week. The rest of you guys have a couple of weeks to work yet. Hit it hard and bring home the gold!

Jimmy vs Jimmy

A couple of tough guys, here.

Talking shop after the fight.

The Callahan corner crew with Jimmy

Lean, mean, fighting machine at 158 lbs.

Our own Gentleman Jimmy Holmes fought Saturday night at the Patriot Center In Fairfax, Virginia, losing a 10 round decision to his opponent Jimmy Lange. From a fan's standpoint it was a barnburner. Lots of action by both fighters in just about every round. Jimmy Lange took round six off to recover from the action of the first five rounds and then came right back for the next four. The judges had it scored a unanimous 97 - 92 Lange but many thought the fight was much closer. Holmes had a point taken away from him in one of the early rounds that cost him a round, without that, it could have been a draw easily enough.

Regardless of the scoring, Jimmy fought extremely well in his first ten rounder against a world ranked fighter. We're all extremely proud of his performance but now it's time to focus on the Golden Gloves for the next few weeks.

Let's get out there and do your roadwork, people. You can't be a fighter without that cardio training.

Weigh-In

Coach Jimmy just got back from his weigh-in. 158 pounds - same as his opponent. Looks to be a good match up. Both guys about the same size, age, style, and are both hard hitters. Let's hope our Jimmy brings home a win!

Heading to Virginia

Jimmy and Coach Mengel are taking off this morning for Jimmy's upcoming fight on Saturday night. Should be a nice little vacation until Saturday night's showdown - then it's going to be all business. Regardless of the outcome, Jimmy has been training hard and is finally getting his big chance. Let's all wish him luck.

The gym will be open tonight and every Wednesday rather than Thursday until the Golden Gloves tourney is over, don't forget. Coaches Ernie and Ron will be running the show, so you'll all be in good hands. Those of you who will be fighting in the Gloves need to be out doing your roadwork on the off days.

I'm sorry to report one of our past champions, Charles Wheet, passed away over the weekend. Rest in peace "Chuckles".

Upcoming Events

Coach Jimmy is only a week away from his big fight in Virginia against Jimmy Lange. Our Jimmy was feeling a little under the weather the last few days but should be in the pink for his scheduled 10 rounder on March 12th. The line up for the card is posted at his opponent's website Jimmy Lange Boxing. Looks like a really good night of fights.

The Golden Gloves starts next Thursday but fortunately, none of our fighters are scheduled that first night. Jimmy will be back in town to take the boys down but Coach Mengel will have to miss a couple of nights. The boys will be in good hands anyway and hopefully Jimmy will be in high spirits coming off his win against Jimmy Lange.

We've had lots of good sparring the last few weeks and seen a lot of improvement from our young guys. The weather will soon be breaking and everyone will be able to get outside and get some roadwork in. Everyone needs to put in the miles and do the wind sprints. Plus it'll just be nice to get outside in the fresh air and the warmer temperatures.

We'll be putting on an in house show soon. Check back for the date and also check out Demotte Boxing Club on Facebook for the latest news. Don't forget the schedule change due to the Golden Gloves - we'll be open on Wednesdays instead of Thursdays while the tournament runs in Indy.

Schedule Change

The Golden Gloves Tournament begins March 10, which is a Thursday night. It will continue for the next five weeks. While the Golden Gloves Tournament is going on, the gym will be open on Wednesday, rather than Thursday at our regular 5-7 time slot.

We've got eight fighters lined up for this year and we should put on a pretty good performance. A couple of the fighters have really improved, both skills and conditioning wise, since last year. I'm hoping to maintain our .500 average from the last two years. More would be better, of course, but all the other clubs are hoping for the same thing as well.

Coach Jimmy is just two weeks away from his big fight in Virginia and is looking real sharp. His conditioning and weight are both right where he wants them. Should be a good fight.