OXON HILL, Md. — It’s a special kid who can take a right uppercut to the chin and come back for more. In an era when the soccer fields are full of kids, some are stepping into the ring.
Fifteen of these young people are being mentored by championship boxer Gary Russell Jr. of Capitol Heights, Maryland.
The boys looked small but purposeful in their headgear and boxing gloves. But when they stepped into the ring at the Oxon Hill Boys and Girls Club Saturday afternoon, they were all business — hands up guarding their heads, dancing on the balls of their feet to avoid the jab, lunging forward to connect with a right or left.
“I’m here to get the win and put on a good performance for the Gary Russell family,” said Muhammad Means, 11. “I’ve had 19 fights, 13 wins, seven losses, and I train every day,” said the 90-pound sixth-grader.
Means traveled from Philadelphia for the Saturday competition of boys 11 to 17.
“The kids on my team are from all over the United States. They’re from Texas, from California, from Atlanta, kids from everywhere,” said Gary Russell Jr., Word Boxing Council World Featherweight Champion.
Russell Jr. is financing the amateur boxers, paying their way to advance their careers.
“I want to help their parents out, and I want to help these kids. We want to keep them active, keep them off the streets,” Russell Jr. said.
Four of the six Russell brothers, all named Gary, are boxers. Their dad Gary Russell Sr. said boxing builds character, and with his kids, he said it’s what they do, but it does not define them.
What about the risk of head injury, taking repeated blows in the ring?
“There’s more injury, head trauma in football and even basketball than boxing,” Russell Sr. said.
One of the Russell brothers, Gary Antuanne Russell, was a member of the 2016 U.S. Olympic team in Rio. He lost his match in a controversial split decision.
At 20 years old, he is in a position to advise the younger boxers.
“I would tell them to hit the books hard, because I don’t want them to be viewed as just jocks,” said Gary Antuanne.
The other boxing Russells are Gary Antonio Russell, pro super bantamweight, and Gary Allan Russell, boxer and assistant coach.
Two-by-two, the boys step into the ring. The bell rings and the fists fly. It is not every kid who can take a punch, and though some look small, they all possess a steely resolve.
“When you get in the ring, make sure you stay comfortable, don’t think of losing in your head, just think of winning because if you think you’re going to lose, you’re going to lose. If you think you’re going to win, you’ll win,” said Muhammad, who says he trains four to five hours a day at the Rock Solid Gym in Philadelphia.
