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If you have ever wanted to know what it takes to be a fighter just go to any amateur show at a local high school or I.U.E hall and the kids there will show you. They don’t yet have the skills of a champion but they do have the will, heart and determination. What does it take to be a fighter? The easy answers are that a fighter needs to train hard, have good stamina and have the ability to take a punch, but it goes deeper than that. One must have the desire, the want, the need and the self belief, not just the hope to succeed. Every kid on those amateur cards from nine years old to twenty, from novice to open senior, all perform like champions.
Not that all the bouts are pretty, because the truth is that some of the less experienced matchups can be down right ugly, but the heart is there. The truth is that if all of our current professional fighters put forth as much effort as the kids, every show would be PPV material.
Once a kid reaches that certain level of success and the age where he can actually decide if this is what he wants to do with his life, its time to first
give him a reality lesson. He/She needs to know that the chances of becoming a world champion are slim. There are thousands of fighters out there who have or had the same dream. They all had the ability to take a punch, they all had good stamina and they all trained hard but the vast majority failed to reach the top.
It is that gold strap that every fighter is striving for, but only the elite few ever reach the pinnacle. With this in mind, if the fighter is not discouraged then it’s time to chase the dream. I’m going to introduce you to a young man who is about to do this very thing. He is going to chase his dream starting early next year when makes his debut as a pro. He knows the odds and he is willing to take his chance
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I have known the young man in question, Marcus Williams, for a little over a year now. Marcus is a nineteen year old amateur fighter from Albany, NY who has about sixty five bouts on record. Along with this, he claims a national title and earlier this year brought home a Gold Medal in the 178 lb division at the Empire State Games. Marcus is a quiet, polite kid who speaks in a low tone and seems almost shy at times. In the gym he is all business from the start of his workout to the end. He serves as a role model for the younger, less experienced fighters and is always willing to lend a hand when needed or offer any kind of advice to someone needing some pointers.
Even the guys who are older than Marcus and are chasing their dream get occasional advice from the young man if he’s asked. Some days Marcus will spar with four or five of his fellow stablemates in a row, letting them have full offense and giving them the chance to perfect their punch at a moving target, as he has proven to not be the easiest guy to hit.
Whether his stablemates are twenty pounds lighter or twenty pounds heavier, Marcus lets them practice their footwork and gives them the opportunity to make mistakes without paying the price. Add this to his regular daily workouts of twenty rounds and his own sparring sessions performed seven days a week. Plus, he works as a sparring partner for several area pros when they are in training and even has been a sparring partner for Raymond Joval just to gain experience. He is definitely on the right track for a young man about to turn pro in just a few months.
With a schedule this busy, Marcus still manages to get up early every morning before the sun rises and the city awakens in order to get in five miles of road work before his busy day begins. Aside form his boxing regimen, the average day for Marcus consists of helping out his mother and siblings by working a full time job as well as attending classes at the local community college where he’s determined to earn a degree and still find time for a personal life.
There are politicians who have less hectic schedules, yet the focus on what’s ahead for Marcus never gets pushed aside. Everything is planned out step by step. I asked him one day not long after I first met him if he was ready to turn pro. His response to me was “I just want to get done with school first and get that diploma. Then I’ll sit down and I’ll be ready ”
“Kittles” is what the fighters at the local gym call head coach Vincent Kittle, who has been with Marcus during most of the young man’s boxing journey; about six or so years. Vince and Marcus have developed a strong bond that shows when they are training. Kittles, a former all-Marine Boxing Champion, works at a local junior high school and runs a self funded gym in the heart of the city that currently has about thirty members.
Vince has a solid reputation as being a guy who genuinely cares for his fighter and always does what’s best for them. Vince started his program as a way to help prevent drug use and gang memberships, both of which have been on the rise in the area over the last few years. He learned his craft from one of the best, Matt Baranski, who Kittle still turns to for advice to this day. When asked about what he hopes for the futures of his fighters, Vince puts things into perspective in a way that keeps things real but doesn’t discourage his fighters. “I always want what’s best for my guys,” he’ll say. “I want them to know that values and education come first, then you chase the dream.”
When sitting down and discussing Marcus’ future, there is an orchestrated plan. “Everything will be done in stages.” Vince says. “So, there is room for adjustment along the way if necessary. First I want him to finish school this way he has an education to fall back on. Many guys make the mistake of not getting an education, then when boxing doesn’t work out as planned there is nothing to fall back on. With an education you can always get a good job. Meanwhile we can keep getting the experience we need by fighting often and working with pros. Then, after Marcus turns pro, we will start out fighting locally and the more successful we become, the more we will branch out from home. This way we can see where we are as we go along.”
The number one thing that they both agree on is “If we haven’t made significant progress by time Marcus is twenty six, then we will hang up the gloves.” If Marcus is not ranked in the top ten by the time he is twenty six, Vince says, and making a comfortable living by then, he will go to Plan B, which is to fall back on his education. He isn’t going to end up as one of those guys who spends his career as a professional opponent. When asked what he honestly thinks of his fighter’s chances of going all the way, Vince just replies. “When it happens for him it is going to happen big! He works too hard for it not to happen that way. Maybe not in the ring, but this kid is going to do something with himself. The goal is set in the ring but,”…Vince pauses for a second, “Boxing is a funny business. There are no guarantees, no pensions if you get hurt, nothing to assure a steady future for you and your family. It goes fight by fight. This is why I keep stressing education and values enough I can’t say it to many times.”
If there were more people like Vince Kittle in the sport then the prospects of fighters during and after their careers in the ring would be greatly
improved.
What the future holds for Marcus Williams, only time will tell. As mentioned before, he is only one of thousands out there with the same dream of becoming a world champion but already, he carries himself like a champion. He has the work ethic of a champion and the demeanor of a champion, even though he hasn’t made his pro debut yet.
With someone like Kittles in his corner. Marcus’ chances of realizing his dreams greatly improve. I wish him nothing but success in his quest in and out of the ring. Hopefully the old expression, “good things happen to good people ,” will hold true for this young man.
In every high school gym, lodge hall or boys and girls club across the country that holds an amateur boxing event, there is a Marcus Williams. In every one of them, there is a future world champion and pound for pound great. These kids give it their all in their first or fiftieth bout as if they were heading the biggest pay per view of the year. In five years time, I hope to open up a Ring Magazine and see the name Marcus Williams in their ratings. If all goes according to plan, the word “Champion” may even be next to it. Five years from now, you may read an article by yours truly that starts out…..” I remember sitting in a local gym….”
