PRINCE FREDERICK, Md. – A sanctioned USA Boxing event and Truth Bible Church partnered up to bring the Calvert County community skilled boxers to the forefront. Truth Bible Church head pastor Chad Laird said he was presented with the idea of hosting the event and agreed as long as it was kept modest and he could share the gospel at the start and pray for the event.
Laird prayed for the event and laid out the plan of salvation and read from his bible the exact way for one to accept the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The audience was in tune with what Laird was sharing.
Laird, who was an Infantry Officer in the Army and now lead pastor for 15 years said he certainly knows freedom is not free.
“It’s sad but I think people make assumptions about who Jesus is based on people’s poor representation of who He is,” Laird said. “True Christianity is about representing Christ accurately to a lost and dying world. God has given spiritual gifts to build up the body. Truth Bible Church is a non-denominal church. A good church helps you learn the word and live the word and of course love.
“The 500 people here today may never walk through the doors of a church but we want them to know that we’re about the community and we want to meet the needs of our community [in a Godly way].”
Coach John Richardson said the combination of exceptional boxers and the enthusiastic audience contributed to the overall success of Southern Maryland SMOKE 9.
“As always the event was well-organized and hosted in a pleasant venue, creating a professional boxing atmosphere that resonated with attendees,” Richardson said.
“Coach Daryl [Hinmon] and I share sentiments regarding the knowledge and skill demonstrated by Knowledge Boxing fighters. Their performances were commendable, and it’s gratifying to see their dedication and hard work pay off.”
Richardson said they extend appreciation to all that participated, including DJ Keys, the sanctioned judges, photographer, food vendors Boston Dawgs, and special guest ‘Chop Chop’ Corley, a professional fighter that traveled the world to fight on some of the most competitive stages. Corley is approachable and always welcomes a photo and signature.
Born and raised in Calvert County, Knowledge Boxing’s own Isaiah Buck said his future is to also become a professional boxer, world champion, and to build his own legacy. He showed it in his battle against Damion Williams [Overcomers Gym]. Buck showed out in the first and third rounds.
“First boxing show in Calvert; I feel like my coaches and I made history and there is more to come,” Buck said.
“I had a lot of nerves going into a fight in my own county but I didn’t let that get to me because I train hard every time I step foot in my gym. I knew if I performed like I do in my gym every day I was going to walk away with the win.”
“It’s an iterative process, so me and my team will just keep putting in the work until we reach the goals. I feel like my performance was good but there is always room to improve. In the gym, we constantly work on footwork, improving my jab and just becoming a better overall boxer every day.”
David McGee [Knowledge Boxing] said he’s been training super hard day in and day out.
“I felt amazing going into the fight,” he said. “There would be days where I was so sore and I wanted to stay in bed, but I pushed through in training and it showed in the fight. The work helped me earn the victory.”
McGee said his inspiration comes from his coaches and family who make sure he’s accountable for getting into the gym.
“My opponent had a lot of heart pushing through round three,” McGee said of [Carlos Cruz, Woodbridge]. “He showed a lot of resilience and he never gave up. I appreciate the challenge he presented and the opportunity to show my skills and perform.”
Hinmon said first and foremost he wanted to thank Calvert County for showing up.
“It was our pleasure to present live boxing in the county and we look forward to coming back,” he said. “Our guys performed very well; starting with Erza Smith in the opener, who took the fight on two days’ notice. We were impressed with his poise, especially fighting for the first time in front of such a large crowd.”
Hinmon said McGee did an excellent job.
“This performance was night and day compared to his last performance,” Hinmon said. “He is an outstanding and very conscientious young man and it’s my and coach John’s pleasure to coach him. That was just his third fight, so his future is very bright.”
Hinmon continued saying, “ ‘Savage’ Isaiah Buck did an excellent job as well. He didn’t know it at the time, but his opponent had more than double the experience, but it didn’t matter. We didn’t mind competing against a more experienced boxer because we know as long as he does what we see him do in the gym day in and day out, he can compete with the best.”
“He represented our gym motto…Pride in Preparation, Honor in Battle. He is also an outstanding young man and we look forward to our growth as a team.”
“We’d like to publicly thank Pastor Chad Laird and the Truth Bible Church for hosting us and all our wonderful Sponsors for providing all the kids the opportunity to compete in front of their family and friends.”
Live boxing with resume back at The Rex in Leonardtown on June 8. Visit www.knowledgeboxingcenter.com for the most current information.
Contact our news desk at news@thebaynet.com
Boxing for Jesus!
It was such an awesome event! Pastor Laird gave the true Gospel of Christ to hundreds of people in the community and surrounding area. Those kids boxing were incredible and it was an awesome way to reach the community. Awesome job Knowledge Boxing!
Thank you!