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Tinker Airmen to compete in area boxing competition

  • Published
  • By Darren D. Heusel
  • 72nd Air Base Wing Public Affairs
TINKER AIR FORCE BASE --  Watch out Oklahoma City-area pugilists! Two Tinker Airmen plan to showcase their boxing talents in a local competition on Saturday and they don't intend to leave empty-handed.

Staff Sgt. Richard Mora, a hydraulics specialist with the 552nd Equipment Maintenance Squadron, and Airman 1st Class James Carr, a travel support technician with the 72nd Comptroller Squadron, will be pitted against other amateur fighters from the area by weight and experience.

But, according to Sgt. Mora, "it doesn't really matter who shows up.

"All I know is I'm going to be wearing a gold medal around my neck when it's all over," said Sgt. Mora, who along with Airman Carr, will put their bravado to the test on the 7 p.m. fight card at the Oklahoma Country Western Museum Hall of Fame, located at 3925 S.E. 29th Street in Del City.

Sgt. Mora has been an icon in Tinker boxing circles for several years, while Airman Carr's career is just getting started. But while the two Airmen undoubtedly have taken different roads to get where they are today, they have one thing in common -- the will to succeed.

"They both have a lot of potential," said Tech. Sgt. Gordon Hodges, a 72nd CPTS member and former boxer himself, who volunteers his time to coach the Airmen. "As far as I'm concerned, the sky is the limit for both of them.

"I used to fight a lot as a kid but my father said, 'Uh, eh, we're not having any of that.' So, he took me to the gym and I just fell in love with the sport from that point on," added Sgt. Hodges, who was an assistant coach for the 1988-89 Air Force team that had four boxers qualify for the Olympic trials, three of whom were ranked in the Top 10 in the United States at the time.

It is that same love for the sport that inspires Sgt. Mora, 25, of San Diego, and Airman Carr, 21, of Newark, N.J.

Sgt. Mora has been boxing for about four years now. His workouts started off just as a summer thing "to get ready for the ladies." After that, he said he "got persuaded" to fight in a smoker here.

"I won my fight and after that it was an adrenaline rush," Sgt. Mora said. "The feeling of a gold medal around your neck is the best feeling ever."

Since then, Sgt. Mora has fought about 18 amateur fights, winning all but five. His expertise has also taken him to Pretoria, South Africa in 2005 to compete in the Armed Forces Championships as the only Air Force representative in the competition.

Sgt. Mora lost his bout on points to a member of the Morocco boxing team, but he said the competition was a good experience.

"He just had more experience than me and he just out-pointed me," he said. "It was a whole new level of fighting."

As for his upcoming bout, Sgt. Mora said it couldn't be coming at a better time, as he just re-enlisted for four more years and is scheduled to leave Tinker for a permanent change of station to Korea next week.

"It's a great sport for me," he said. "I haven't fought since January of last year, so I'm looking forward to getting back in the ring."

Sgt. Mora said he plans to make the Air Force a career and, as long as he stays in, no matter where he goes, "I'm going to keep fighting."

Airman Carr, meanwhile, started boxing about six months ago and is about to step into the ring for the first time this weekend. He was supposed to fight in a smoker last year, but an ankle injury kept him out of the ring.

During that smoker, a friend of his didn't fare too well. So, Airman Carr decided to spend the last several months training before he takes his first venture into the ring.

"The training's been good," said Airman Carr, who runs at least two miles every day and goes through a rigorous workout with Sgt. Mora five days a week at the Tinker Fitness Annex.

"I have a little more discipline these days and I'm starting to get a little more serious about the sport, especially with my first fight coming up," Airman Carr added.

From an experience standpoint, Airman Carr said training for a fight is unlike anything he's ever done.

"I took karate as a kid, but that doesn't even compare to this," he said. "It's been tough, but I see myself sticking with it in order to reap some of the rewards."

It is that stick-to-itiveness that has Sgt. Hodges believing that both of his fighters will do well this weekend and beyond.

"The biggest thing in boxing is to make sure you've got the right people working with you and to have dedication," Sgt. Hodges said. "They've proven they have the dedication just by being out here."