Back in the Ring

I had a match three weeks ago. It was the first time in the last year and a half that we successfully found an opponent for me to fight. It is so difficult to find matches for me and so I was thrilled to have the opportunity to get into the ring again, on my home turf. It was, as always, an exciting day of bouts at Uppercut Gym in NE Minneapolis. 

My opponent was St. Paul native, Nicole Carl. She and I have worked together before. I helped her prepare for a match a few month ago. She was gracious enough to come in last minute, as my original opponent backed out. She was a formidable match - much taller and incredibly strong. I was able to use my footwork and strong left hand to wear her down. The fight was stopped late in the third round and I won by RSC. )In amateur boxing, RSC stands for Referee Stopped Contest) I was able to overpower her and the referee stepped in after giving her a standing 8-count to call the fight. It was an exciting win and I was overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from friends and family. There are very few things more powerful than hearing your name cheered from a crowd of fans. I was heart-warmed  by that support throughout the entire afternoon and evening.

I am working on another post about boxing. In particular, why I box. Stay tuned on that. And in the mean time, enjoy the pics! I also posted video of the match. Let me know if you have questions on anything in the video, i.e. referee calls, rules, etc! 

Middle left: My amazing coach, Alfonso Vazquez, encouraging me in the corner. Bottom left: Good sportsmanship Bottom right: And the winner is...!