Tinker boxers gearing up for annual smoker

Published April 18, 2008
By John E. Banks
Tinker Public Affairs

TINKER AIR FORCE BASE -- Tinker Air Force Base will hold its annual Boxing Smoker at 7 p.m. May 2 at the Gerrity Fitness and Sports Center.
   Boxers must be Active Duty and complete a waiver and hazardous duty release prior to boxing. All personnel with access to Tinker AFB are welcome to attend the event. In year's past, the smoker has been the most attended sporting event that Tinker has to offer. Last year, nearly 900 fans packed the Gerrity Fitness and Sports Center for the action-packed and fun-filled event.
   Eleven bouts are scheduled for this year's event. The format for the bouts will be three 3-minute rounds and five judges will be ringside to score the bout.
   Two boxing clubs -- the Tinker Boxing Club and the Sims Boxing Crew -- will be vying for the top prize.
   Both clubs have four boxers in their stables and participate in local and regional boxing competitions. These competitions provide a means for their skills to be honed at the highest level. Additionally, it provides for the opportunity to be selected for the All-Air Force Boxing training camp.
   James Barber and Theodore Morse are two of several fighters who will represent the Tinker Boxing Club. Barber, fresh off victories at the All-Air Force training camp, is confident that he will be able to stand tall in the ring.
   "I was able to win both fights in my weight class; however, the boxing coach for the USAF team thought I was not completely ready to fight at the next level," Barber said. "I will continue to train and next year I will be definitely ready for the Armed Forces Championships."
   Lavell Sims, head coach of the Sims Boxing Crew said his club has been training for about eight months.
   "I think our performance will be reflective of our training efforts," he said. Sims brings a wealth of experience as a boxer and boxing coach to his crew. His style is to make sure his fighters are ready to fight physically and mentally.
   The training regiment of the Sims Boxing Crew includes roadwork, 3 to 8 miles of running per week, sparring sessions that include five rounds of shadow boxing per day and a host of aerobic and anaerobic training.
   "If nothing else, my fighters will be physically ready to go," said Sims. Admission to the boxing smoker is free.
   For more information, call Steve Thomasson at the Gerrity Fitness and Sports Center at 734-3651.
   "Our team has been training all year long," Barber said. "The boxing competitions we have participated in past several months have prepared us to shine at the smoker."