Kenny Weldon's World Class Boxing Gym

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Kenny Weldon

President--World Class Boxing Gym

Common Sense--By Kenny Weldon

Editor's Note: The following column first appeared on this website In August of 2005

Ring Generalship

         One of the most important techniques in boxing is ring generalship. What is ring generalship? It is the ability of a boxer to control what is going on in a fight. For instance, there is an exchange of punches, one boxer pulls out and the other steps forward and lands the last punch of the exchange. Although the boxer who pulled out first may have landed three punches to his opponent's one, he was hit with the last punch of the exchange, and in the eyes of the judges may have lost the round. Some boxers have a great ability to do this, along with an uncanny ability to win close fights. One boxer gets hit with a hard right hand, he counters with an average left hook, makes a turn and comes back with a left jab that misses, but backs his opponent up while becoming the aggressor. So he probably won that exchange in the eye of the judges. Former world featherweight champion Willy Pep once won a round on all three judges' cards without throwing a punch, but controlling the entire round with feints and turns.

      Ring generalship is very important in amateur bouts, especially when judges are not as experienced as they are in the pros. I once had an amateur boxer by the name of Smiley Gomez. Women had just begun officiating boxing. Smiley was a real cute kid, left-handed and as slick as pig slobber. He at one time had a 69 fight winning streak, while boxing all around the country in major tournaments. Smiley would come into the ring looking like an orphan. He would wink at the women judges and bow to the men. After each round he would make eye contact with each of the women judges. He would purposely throw long aggressive combinations while on the men judges' side of the ring. He won outstanding overall boxer at the Ohio State Fair Tournament, California Big Bear Tournament, The Louisiana State Fair Tournament, The Turkey Day Tournament at Little Rock, Arkansas and The Gulf States Championships at Biloxi, Mississippi. All in one year. He was just fourteen years old! More than this, Smiley was excellent at landing the last punch in exchanges he had with his opponents. He seemed to always be the aggressor, where in truth he was a counter puncher. He never showed off in the ring. He was all business. He was, in his short career, the definition of ring generalship. What happened to him? When he was 16, a longshoreman from Sweden fed his little sister rat poison in a drink, killing her while at the same time ending Smiley Gomez's boxing career. It took his 16-year-old sister two weeks to die in agony. One month after her death Smiley waited for the Swede to show up again at a bar on McCarty drive, then put a bullet in the Swede's brain. Smiley is now doing life without parole in the federal pen. His career was tragically cut short just as surely as if he had been poisoned himself. Smiley was poisoned by his need for vengeance. How good a boxer was Smiley Gomez? As good as I have ever seen. He defined ring generalship with his boxing career.....   

God bless,    

          KENNY WELDON--713-298-6442

    You can reach Kenny Weldon by email at galenaparkboxingacademy@hotmail.com
 

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