Flooding Leaves Gary P.A.L. Amateur Fighters Without A Gym
| October 22, 2008 - (Merrillville, IN) The Gary PAL has offered a refuge for youth of the City of Gary for nearly thirty years. Opening its doors daily Coach John Taylor has created an outreach that has continued to grasp the interest of the children in the City.
  (Pictured Above directly after the floods the Gary P.A.L. Gym was surrounded by a lake of water much like it’s neighbor Indiana University Northwest.)Nearly a month has passed and for many the historical flooding of September can still be felt. Though the waters have receded and the streets have dried some still remain displaced. The hard rains had affected the whole region and closed down roads and schools. Indiana University Northwest Gary Campus was one of the campuses most greatly affected by the flooding having numerous campus structures damaged.   (Coach John Taylor instructs kids from the Gary P.A.L. Amateur Program now training at the One In A Million Gym)
“Octavius said bring the kids in immediately after he heard about the flooding and the damage to our gym. And we have been here at the One In A Million Gym ever since.” Taylor said. “This has been a true blessing because if we hadn’t had a place to train I would have lost all of our kids. Once they lose interest, they are gone and back to the streets, fortunately the kids love it here at One In A Million, saying how it is the nicest boxing gym they have ever seen. Also, Octavius has assured me that he will have a meeting with Mayor Clay (referring to the Mayor of Gary) discussing if the City will be able to assist me & the children in returning back to our home gym. It makes me happy to know we can continue such a rich tradition of keeping the kids off the streets, and helping create more World Champions.”   (Coach Taylor oversees a youth sparring session) (Coach Taylor displays proper form for one of his boxers)With the damage too extensive to fix and with the children of the Gary P.A.L. left homeless One In A Million Boxing CEO Octavius James welcomed in Coach Taylor and his kids with open arms immediately after hearing of the flooding at the Gary P.A.L. “Being from the City of Gary and seeing what a significant role John Taylor has been in helping the youth of the City, there was no hesitation on our part to give Coach Taylor and the Gary P.A.L. amateurs a place to train for as long as they need. Many amateurs, now fighting Professionally for One In A Million Boxing have come from the Gary P.A.L. including past & present fighters, from Angel Manfredy, Derrick “Superman” Findley, NABC Female Lightweight Champion “Merciless” Mary McGee along with many others.”Visit us online at: www.oneinamillionboxing.comFor more information Contact: info@OneInAMillionBoxing.com # # #
|
By David Surgick
Mario Serrano
Mario Serrano
In only his third professional fight, he was put in with Aguilar (Whiting, IN) who used to headline events for OIAM as recently as two years ago. The speed, accuracy, and power of Waite (Chicago, IL) were the deciding factor in this fight, as Aguilar’s chin and tenacity saved him from a knockout at the hands of the younger fighter. Waite pivots at the waist so very well, and slips and slides around like he’s been doing it for a long career already. With a red, swollen left eye, Aguilar tries to rally in the last few seconds of the sixth round, but the damage had already been done. Waite’s constant attack amounted to “money in the bank” on the scorecards, which consisted of 59-55 and 60-54 (twice), all for Waite.
But in the third round, the real fight broke out. Nash decided he didn’t want to be a punching bag anymore, and broke loose with some hard shots to the head and body of his own. Ochoa wins the round, barely, due to his increased accuracy, but Nash stays right in his face. The fourth looks much like the third, but all of a sudden, Ochoa’s pressure gets to Nash, who turns and stops defending himself, and with a flying mouthpiece, prompts Referee Spivey to halt the bout at 1:38 of round 4.
The tension around this one was pretty thick. Being the rematch of a draw that aired on ESPN2 a couple months back, this is clearly one that both combatants need to win. They were both in limbo, needing closure from each other before either could move forward.
consisting of an intense body attack. Walker even staggered Echols late in the second, and the style of Walker, who drops his head and bores forward, seems to really bother Echols. Echols was staggered twice in the fourth by left hooks, which was landing more frequently as the fight continued. Walker was warned for the head contact, but the major damage is coming from the 
Chicago native’s gloves. In the fifth round came the only knockdown of the fight, from a short inside right hand by Echols that sent Walker to one knee. The referee rules it a slip, but it restores the energy levels of Echols, who owns the majority of the sixth round with his accurate jab and overhand right hand. Walker took back the momentum of the fight in the sixth and seventh with his strong body attack and right hand to the head. Walker made his statement with a strong, if not dominant performance. 76-76, 78-74, and 77-75 majority decision for Walker.
the shot in the fifth. It was all timing. My footwork was a bit lackadaisical. He can’t take my shots, and I proved it. The win wasn’t (exactly) what I wanted, but I’ll take it. Bring ‘em all on.” Walker could be a big player in the middleweight division, but his height won’t help much, since he often gives up three to five inches to his opponents. His work ethic, though, is second to none. I’m sure that it will be rewarded with a high-profile fight, especially after this performance over Echols.
Effective feinting and powerful bodywork punctuated the early rounds for Agnew (Chicago, IL) as he drilled his attack all over the body of the game Smith (Oklahoma City, OK). While Smith’s willingness to stand and trade with Agnew is impressive, Agnew is clearly the more polished of the two. Against a lesser opponent, Smith would definitely be the tougher man in the ring, but tonight, it was Agnew’s show. My only concern with the Chicago native is that he tends to stalk for two minutes per round, then turn it on full blast for the final minute. Against Smith, he was able to get away with it, but against a more formidable opponent, it may give him problems. On this night, however, it was good enough for a majority decision after six. 58-56, 59-55, and 57-57.
The reason he was so challenging for Diaz to beat is because he is such a long fighter, both of arms and legs. He lunges towards Gonzalez (Milwaukee, WI) with his long forward stance and has some early success at landing on his opponent’s chin. Gonzalez had more success at landing his power shots on Montano in the later rounds, and by the end of the fourth is totally outworking and outlanding Montano, who simply doesn’t seem to have many answers for the two-handed attack waged by Gonzalez.
