PRINCE FREDERICK, Md. — Sanction holder, owner and head coach of Knowledge Boxing Center Daryl Hinmon once again brought plenty of action inside the dome last weekend in Calvert County.
Truth Bible Church, its Solomons Island Road campus, opened its doors to the public for 14 bouts of live amateur boxing, first starting with a sparring exhibition and ending with the fight of the night between D’Lante Briscoe and Christian Portillo.
There are times when the fans don’t agree with the judges, but the results stand. Portillo defeated Briscoe, who now has 22 fights under his belt.
Briscoe said that there really isn’t a difference between a win or loss.
“It’s just to remain humble, win or lose,” he said. “Listen to my coaches and go back and study film to see what I can improve on and correct some errors.”
United States Olympic Championship boxer (1988) Ray “Merciless” Mercer came out to support the boxers and gave Briscoe some advice.
“He told me not to let the final decision bother me nor get to my head,” Briscoe said. “He felt that our fight was the fight of the night.”
Hinmon and his assistant coaches always open their doors to boxing legends.
“We work hard to shed light on our boxing legends,” Hinmon said. “They deserve the recognition and each one of them has many years of experience where they have run many miles, thrown hundreds of thousands of punches and perspired gallons of sweat to gain their invaluable experience, and that needs to be passed on.”
Hinmon said they take pride in serving as a bridge between retired legends such as Mercer, Keith Holmes and Chop Chop Corley and the amateurs in the sport today.
“Mr. Mercer openly shared his knowledge with them [the fighters], which is absolutely invaluable not only as young boxers, but as young men,” Hinmon said. “He’s an Army veteran, and I often hear him encouraging the guys to look at the military as a career path as well. He is truly a gentleman, a true American and my friend, and we look forward to bringing him back to Southern Maryland soon.”
Boxers will once again bring the SMOKE back to Leonardtown at The Rex. SMOKE 18 will take place on Oct. 4 with the doors opening at 2 p.m. The venue sells out quickly, so be sure to get your tickets early. You can purchase them at www.knowledgeboxingcenter.com.
Hinmon received a phone call from London from Daniel “Dynamite” Dubois’ former trainer wanting to participate on the SMOKE 18 card. Dubois, former world heavyweight champion, defeated every opponent he faced.
“If all goes well, we will have some international guests in town,” Hinmon said. “We look forward to giving them a hearty Southern Maryland welcome, but if they end up matched with one of our guys, we also look forward to doing battle with them in the ring.”
October is also Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and Knowledge Boxing Center will have pink T-shirts on sale with part of those proceeds going toward cancer research studies.
Knowledge Boxing Center picked up a couple victories at Truth Bible, one being from Steve Remetz, an electrician by trade who had the support of his father at ringside cheering him on.
Remetz said it’s always a great feeling getting into the ring.
“I’m very thankful that my dad was able to be there to support me and my mom as well tuning in on the live stream,” Remetz said. “She doesn’t like to see me get punched live and would rather see it on the TV, but I’m grateful for the support nonetheless. I’m glad to have them in my corner.”
In preparation for the fight, Remetz said it was important to keep his hands up to block and avoid his opponent’s hooks and counter after.
“I feel like using my jab and cutting the ring off won me this fight as I kept it out in his face and kept him on the ropes,” Remetz said. “It allowed me to control the pace of the fight and control the distance between me and my opponent, which kept me comfortable to land more shots.”
Remetz said all in all it was a great fight for him, and he’s thankful for the opportunity.
“It did work out for me blocking his hooks, but at times I could have been faster on the counters, which is something I need to continue working on in the gym,” he said. “I’m thankful for my coaches giving me the fighting opportunity. I had to listen to them and apply what they told me. I stuck to our game plan and it got the job done. There’s always more work to do in the gym, and that is my focus for now until the next fight.”
“You’re Going to Be All Right”: Words From a World Champ to an Amateur
Gabriel Guy, an engineer at PAX River, showed his skills in his second amateur matchup. Guy is known for being one of the hardest workers in the gym, according to Hinmon.
“In addition to his superb work ethic, he’s also highly intelligent, which are the perfect ingredients for a successful boxer,” Hinmon said.
Guy received advice from Mercer after his bout. Guy defeated John Lopez of Annapolis Boxing.
“After his fight, Ray [Mercer] was giving him tips and critiquing his stance,” Hinmon said. “I smiled inside when Ray was talking because his comments were applicable to an open class boxer. After Mr. Mercer finished, I let him know this was only Gabe’s second fight, and his eyebrows went up. Then he tapped Gabe on the chest and said, ‘You’re going to be all right.’ I thought that was one of the best compliments we could have received from a man of Mr. Mercer’s experience.”
Great Mills senior Yasir Ruffin came out blazing in his matchup against Luis Carrana.
Ruffin set the pace in round one, earning a knockdown.
“His opponent was very tough and made improvements in the second round,” Hinmon said. “After we got Yasir settled down, he began to box and use sharp counters to outland his very game opponent.”
Although Ruffin left it all in the ring, he did not earn the win in the judges’ view.
“We felt Yasir did more than enough to get the nod from the judges, but boxing judging is super subjective to those sitting around the ring,” Hinmon added. “We were satisfied with his performance pending some small adjustments on managing the pace. To be honest, Yasir has a bright future in anything he sets his mind to conquer. We’re looking forward to his next performance on Oct. 4.”
Ruffin is also on the Hornets’ wrestling team and has hopes of a scholarship as he has excelled in the sport.
Knowledge Boxing Center, as always, thanks its community and sponsors for the collective effort it takes to put on a live event such as SMOKE 17, where young boxers across the country can travel and grow in their respective sport. It’s a skill set that takes dedication and teamwork, and Hinmon said he’s grateful for the team he has around him and the insight the community has to appreciate their abilities and see the boxers grow into the professional rankings.
For information on joining the gym or taking lessons, visit www.knowledgeboxingcenter.com.
USA Boxing and its trained referees and qualified doctors sit ringside. If you’re interested in becoming an official, visit www.usaboxing.org. A SafeSport course will need to be completed online.
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