In The Ring At In The House!
Would you want to step into the ring with him? Hampton’s Jacob Moore moved his junior boxing record to 4-0 with a win at the Moton Community Center’s Boxing in the House event on Saturday. Photos by Jason Norman
9th Dimension coach Marvin McCoy’s instructions worked Saturday; Mikail Richardson (right) won in age 13-14 competition.
It's the epitome of a boxing atmosphere.
In the ring, the fighters toss punches, back each other into the ropes and fight their way out, blast opponents to the head, only to quickly find themselves right back on the defensive.
In the stands, the crowds cheer and shout advice (impromptu choruses of "Hit 'im again!" and "Move out! MOVE OUT!" break out at the most opportune of times).
And in a corner of Newport News' Moton Community Center's Boxing in the House event on Saturday evening, a DJ keeps time with the glove-to-glove action. His music beats go almost in tune with the punches. Songs like "Can't Touch This" and "Thriller" carry on the intensity of the event, and grab the spirit of the sport of boxing; it's as though it's almost been humanized, a spectator that no one can see, sitting nearby in the bleachers.
At nearly six feet and about 200 pounds, Shamadre Chambers probably isn't used to being the "little guy." But that's the case tonight - the Hampton High student's taking on Jacob Moore, who's got him by about six inches and probably about 100 pounds. It's a David vs. Goliath night, and Chambers is the underdog.
"The bigger they are, the harder they fall," quips Chambers, going for his first win in four fights. "I've watched boxing all my life, and I wanted to do it myself."
On the other side of the gym, Moore swaggers through a few jab drills with his coach and sparring partners, jiving in tune with the tunes nearby. It's obvious that self-confidence isn't a problem here.
"I'm about to be 4-0!" predicts Moore, 16, a Moton "hometown" hero. "I'm looking forward to the fight tonight, so I can work on my strengths. I work my weight to my advantage in my fights; I know how to shift it and work it."
Nearby, his teammate Edward Whitaker (proving that Sweetpea wasn't the only jab-thrower from Hampton Roads with that last name!), does some sparring of his own, and it's something to see - if only that were possible.
He appears to throw a jab. But as his hand moves forward, it seems to disappear. There's the loud noise of it hitting his trainer's gloves, and suddenly his hand's back at his side.
But no one sees it in the process.
"My speed is nasty out there," says the Menchville High graduate. "I've been running around since I was a boy. I skated for about 16 years."
He's going to need a bit more than speed to come out on top tonight; Taloa Meofaauo knows that people get hit and hurt in boxing - and he can't wait for his turn at it.
"I love pain!" vows Meofaauo, who, while 27, has been strapping on the gloves for less than a year. "I can take hits and give hits, and I move around."
The show's about to begin, and just as with the cinema, the first sight is a preview of coming attractions. In this case, it's a preview of potential future heavyweight headliners, as local Tyquan Harris takes on Mikail Richardson of Richmond's 9th Dimension in a 13-14 bout.
It is a war from the start. Back and forth, the two blast combinations into each other like they've been doing this stuff for decades. Harris is swinging at high speed, while Richardson's landing fewer punches that do much more damage.
It's as if no one's feeling anything. Richardson lands a hard looping left to the side of Harris' headgear, and Harris' knees appear to buckle. Nanoseconds later, he's right back in Richardson's face, pounding away at his midsection like a gauntlet on fast forward. At this age, rounds are only 90 seconds each, but it's the longest few minutes of either boy's life.
But all too soon - for the fans, not the fighters - the bell rings, and the two remember something that their older counterparts sometimes don't: the thing called sportsmanship. They high-five (or high-glove), and each goes to meet the opposing coaches. Each one bows to the ringside judges. Back in the center, there's another handshake, and the judges, who have the most unenvious of jobs in bouts like this, turn in their results.
By a definite razor-thin verdict, the decision goes to Richardson. Harris congratulates him again, and the two pose together for pictures.
"If I didn't win, I still would have wished (Harris) the best of luck," says Richardson afterward. "I got tired in the last 30 seconds of every round. I was thinking about trying to be the best and keeping my head up."
As the incredibly appropriate "Mama Said Knock You Out" blares from the music boxes, the bouts continue. Fighters on their way up to the level of Mayweather, de la Hoya, and Pacqiano take some early steps toward the journey, and already find obstacles in their way - all but one fight goes the three-round distance tonight.
Whitaker hits Moefaauo with enough punches to blast a hole through the Great Wall of China, and Moefaauo, true to his earlier word, smiles in Whitaker's face through every punch and even two standing-eight counts. Just as Whitaker's about to pull out the kitchen sink, the bell sounds to end. He's taken a convincing victory, but hardly an easy one.
As the night's heavyweight bout gets ready to rumble, an inadvertent - but hopefully accurate -- preview leaps from the speakers: "The Champ Is Here."
As Moore and Chambers stare each other down (actually, Chambers is staring far upward), it appears to be a mismatch. Moore might feel the same way, as he takes it to Chambers with jabs.
Suddenly, Chambers is backing him into the corner, and Moore wraps him up. The two head across the ring, up and down the ropes. Moore's hitting harder, but Chambers is hitting more, and no one's giving an inch. The ring action's starting to resemble an old Japanese movie, as Godzilla, King Kong, Mothra, and whoever else was mutated into a colossus by a nuclear blast go to war.
Moore opens the second round by knocking Chambers back into the corner, only to have Chambers turn the tables again. Moore fights his way out with jabs, and Chambers dances backward. Both fighters land a few more, and as the round ends, there's a look on Chambers' face that's silently saying, "You are NOT putting me down tonight!"
Early in the third round, Chambers has Moore back in the corner, but Moore lands a hard right. In the center, he sweeps by with another, and Chambers stumbles, landing in a pushup position and getting a standing eight-count.
But it's not over. Seconds later, Chambers chases Moore up the ropes, and knocks out Moore's mouthpiece, forcing a few seconds of timeout. Moore backs him up against the ropes, and Chambers lands a hard right to the head. Moore wraps him up again, and the final bell rings.
In a storybook, Hollywood ending, Chambers would probably win. But Moore's knockdown appears to make the main difference, and the decision goes his way.
Back in the seats, both fighters know they've been through a six-minute war.
"He got me pretty good," Moore admits, celebrating with his teammates. "I'm feeling good, just a little tired."
Chambers knows that his first win will arrive someday.
"It's tough in the ring," he says. "Tonight was just like any other fight. I have to step my game up. I'm going to keep fighting; it's all love, and I love what I do.
