My grandfather boxed during WWII, while in the army. If you ever asked him if he was any good, he would always just laugh and shake him head. Despite this, he loved to scrap.

Before his death, he was my favorite person in the world. As a young boy, he taught me how to fight. Showed me the fundamentals of boxing. Stance, guard, movement, and basic punches. At the time I was unathletic and genuinely uninterested in fighting. He was a good man, and now, years later I find myself striving to do things that would have made him proud.

He died in 2001. Shortly after that, I found myself watching my first bout on TV. It was a real back and forth battle that ended in a knockout. I knew right then and there, that I wanted to fight. I remembered him showing me the basics in his old living room so many years before. And I knew that he would have loved it if I had boxed; if anything would have made him proud, it would be that.

At the time, I was in terrible shape. Kind of fat, and completely unaccustomed to excercise in any way, shape, or form. I knew that I would have to start slow. I trained myself for about three years. I collected every fight I could, from the classics to the contemporaries. I watched legends and no-bodies, and learned whatever I could from all of it. What to do, what not to do. First I bought a jump-rope, then I bought a heavy-bag, then a rhythm-bag, and finally a double-ended bag. I started running. All the while experimenting with different things: Weight-lifting, pylometrics, body-strength excercises, kung-fu (!!). I got in pretty good shape. My reflexes improved, and so did my confidence.

So...I decided I wanted to train the right way. I had a few dissatisfactory expereinces at different gyms (poor coaches who treated new students like dirt, brash boxers who looked at everybody who walked through the door like an opponent).

I started to think that it was hopeless. That the world of boxing was something other than what I had imagined. Then I met my former coach. He had been a fighter down in Mexico with his brothers, trained by their father. After moving to the states he abandoned the sport for the sake of his new family. When he discovered that I was interested in boxing, he took an immediate interest. He was my coach for about eight months. Having been a fighter, and having only one student, he showed me some of the things that you don't learn in the gym. The little tricks that only come by way of actually fighting (how to effectively use your shoulders and elbows, how to spin guys, trap their arm, etc...). However, there was definitely something lacking in the experience. Being the only student, i had no sparring partners, not even a ring to spar in.

So then, I found Hamlin Park. Now that is where I call home. The coach Bill Heglin is a great guy, very knowledgable of how to rear young fighters. He's responsible for training David Diaz (one of the current lightweight champs), and has brought several crops of boxers to the Olympics. The overall atmosphere is amazing. Every fighter there is looking to help everyone else develop. The park district (of Chicago, at least) is an amazing one. They have a terrific program, and I would have to recomend anyone interested in boxing to look into local park districts for a proper starting point.

And that's where I am right now. Training, training, and training. My goal is to fight and place in a Golden Gloves tournament. So far, I have no interest in the professionals. But one day I would like to become a coach. That is my top goal, to learn enough, experience enough, that I can help create a world champion.