Published: October 10, 2008 09:47 am      

Boxers get ready

Duncan to host boxing meet

DUNCAN — Are you ready to rumble?

Because this weekend, the Stephens County Fair & Expo Center sure will be.

Duncan will host its first amateur boxing competition this Saturday, featuring athletes from all over the area, including several from Texas. Event director and the coach of several local amateur boxers, Michael Stroud, said he expects between 20 and 22 fighters to compete — something he hasn’t ever seen in Duncan.

“This is the first of its kind,” Stroud said. “I’ve lived here since I was 7- years-old and I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Stroud said boxing in the area is continuing to grow in popularity, and that it’s a great program for kids to get into. With the consant digitialization kids are programmed into, Stroud said he thinks the experience is invaluable.

“It’s all Nintendos and movies these days,” he said. “It can really open a lot of doors and a new experiences.”

Beyond the TV and computer screens, Stroud said boxing is a good way for younger people to express themselves physically, taking out their aggression in a positive manner. Increasing rates of crime often come from a lack of structure, along with time of inactivity after school, Stroud said.

“With youth crime going on,” he said. “it’s something kids can turn to and be proud of themselves for doing.”

On Saturday, fighters will weigh in from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., with their physicals coming shortly after. The matches will start at 6 p.m.

In addition to the sport being such a great outlet for teenagers and young aduts in Duncan, it’s also a positive for the community, Stoud said, bringing in revenue for the city and people to an area they otherwise never would have come.

“I think it’s beautiful here,” he said. “And people will be staying the night, touring the city, spending money and seeing what it has to offer.

People will hopefully come and think, ‘Hey, I really liked that place’, and hopefully they’ll want to come back,” Stroud said.

On the dockett for Saturday are two Oklahoma state champions and another heralded fighter from Oklahoma City — one of the most exciting fighters Stroud said he’s seen in a long time.

Bo Gibbs, or “Lil’ Bo,” as he’s known, has an overwhleming winning record, nearing 30 wins and only four or five losses. Stroud said the best part about Gibbs and the other fighters is that their styles are all different, serving for what should be an exciting evening.

“The most exciting thing is how they fight,” Stroud said. “They all have quick hands and can make you miss if you’re not careful.”

Gibbs is an excellent fighter, always fighting opponents in the weight class above him, holding his own from bell to bell.

“The whole thing is unique for Duncan,” he said. “The boxers carry themselves really well, they aren’t arrogant or anything like that and just enhance the community’s image.”

The younger fighters are often times the most intriguing to watch, as they use more technique in their fighting — instead of just pummeling eachother as the older fighters tend to do. Nonetheless, Stroud said he has already seen a strong interest in the event. Many of the tickets already sold have gone to people 40 and older.

The event will be a chance for fighters to compete with a different set of judges, in an arena that Stroud said will be welcoming for spectators to sit and watch.

“Most of the time events are held in high school type settings,” he said. “Hopefully they’ll come and be able to say, ‘Man, that was comfortable’.”

Tickets are for sale at the door, and each match will last 3 rounds at two minutes apiece. The younger fighters will be held to one minute and 30 second per round.