Fight Night 2014 at The Corvallis Boxing Club

Corvallis, Oregon.

Quaint, quiet, and winter gray; it is a small, conservative farming community, with a small college school. Corvallis is educated and peaceful. Boxing in this tiny, college-town community, came to a church on January 11th.

Boxing at a church? Sounds like a Rodney Dangerfield punchline, doesn't it? It is not.

On a two-lane stretch of highway, just north of town, the New Life Community Church sits among rolling foothills and fir trees, a perfect place to have hosted boxing on January 11th, 2014. The church has its own boxing team, and this was its inaugural event. Fight Night 2014 wasn't as full as other recent amateur boxing cards, but it was exciting as any in recent memory.

A six fight card, a video presentation, varied vendors, appearances by local law enforcement, VIPs from the boxing world, a multi-prize raffle, and a talk by Head Coach Dan Dunn, were the highlights for this typically stormy, Pacific Northwest Saturday.

The boxing team is coached by Dan Dunn, no stranger to the fight game himself. Dunn first laced up gloves in high school, and then again as an Army boxer. Later, Dunn studied martial arts, Muay Thai kickboxing, and even practiced Brazilian Jui-Jitsu with Ralf Gracie. Dunn, to say the least, has been around the ring.

Dunn is half of a coaching duo. Former United States Olympics qualifier, George 'TNT' Evans, is the other half of the team's coaching prowess. Evans started boxing in 1965, and by the early 1980s, Evans had established himself as a force in the ring. An alternate on the 1980 USA Olympic Team, Evans turned pro shortly after America boycotted the Moscow Olympics.

Evans' experience, almost 500 total fights, was a welcome sight for Dunn. "He(Evans) is the pulse in the gym," Dunn says, "it(Corvallis Boxing) wouldn't be the same without George."

Although friends for many years, Dunn and Evans connected in the early days of The Corvallis Boxing Club, just a year ago. Dunn had met with church personnel and had done a few workshops. Evans ventured in, and here we are today. The gym operated out of, and still does, a small pole barn on the church grounds. Dunn and Evans, alongside Oregon State University(OSU) student, and Corvallis Boxing Club President, Caleb Lau, would have the boxing club well known in this sprawling farmland community within months.

The gym has about 40 members and continues to grow. It has memberships to USA Boxing available, as well as a free Corvallis Boxing Club, gym "trial membership," to see if the sweet science is for you.

The club exists in a church atmosphere, and being that boxing has a certain grittiness, Dunn thinks it's a great fit, saying, "We want to get out in the community and be mentors, motivators, and leaders...we want to help any way we can."

Fight Night 2014 had almost a dozen vendors, including the National Guard, Corvallis Police, G3 Sports, Downing's World Gym, Timberhill Athletic Club, and HOPE radio. Food and beverages were plenty, and a raffle had multiple prizes for the crowd. X-box video games, local business gift certificates, and club apparel, made up the prize pool. Attendance was around 400.

USA Boxing had a role, as veteran referee Ken Miller was the "third man in the ring," for the six-fight card. Dr. John Denker, a regular volunteer at these events, handled the prefight physicals, as well as being the ringside medical doctor. Rory Baarstad donated his time, and handled USA Boxing registration and inspections. Without these folks, and many other unmentioned, these amateur boxers would have a tough go of it. A beautiful venue, with extraordinary staff, is worth gold, so to speak. And for young boxers, it's a winning situation.

VIPs that attended included Bill Meatz, former Olympic Boxing coach and President of USA Boxing; Corvallis Chief of Police Jon Sassaman, pro fighter Derrick Samuels, and amateur world champion, Akayla Devereaux.

Clubs that attended were Victory Gym, from Albany, Shamrock Boxing Club, Valor Boxing out of Eugene, West Portland Boxing, and Knott Street from Portland, among others, also took part in Fight Night 2014.

The 2014 Corvallis Boxing Club Fight Night card:

Bout 1 - 190 pounds  -   Red Corner: Abraham Martin - Valor Boxing(W)
                                      Blue Corner: Jose Altamirano - Corvallis Boxing Club

Bout 2 - 135 pounds -    Red Corner: Issac Wentmore - Victory Gym(W)
                                      Blue Corner: Blu Miggett   -   Knott Street Boxing

Bout 3 - 150 lbs.       -    Red Corner: Marsilino Reyes - Shamrock Boxing(W)
                                      Blue Corner: Caleb Lau  -  Corvallis Boxing Club

Bout 4 - 201+            -    Red Corner: David Olah - Victory Gym(W)
                                      Blue Corner: Jason Smith - West Eugene Boxing

Bout 5 - 154 lbs.       -    Red Corner: Salvador Reyes - Shamrock Boxing(W)
                                  -   Blue Corner: Craig Halaas  -  Corvallis Boxing Club

Main Event   -    165 pounds             Red Corner:       Omar Murillo     -      Corvallis Boxing Club(W)
                                                          Blue Corner:       Zack Colton       -       Victory Gym

Six bouts were on the card, and three fights highlighted the evening, as the main event was a powerful match-up, with local boxer Omar Murillo winning a close decision. All six fights were competitive and exciting, with two seeing stoppages. For a smallish fight card, it delivered some punch. "We plan to do this again in March," said Dunn.

Boxing has come to the Willamette Valley in Corvallis, Oregon. And after a successful first year, culminating in a well-rounded event, Dunn is ready for growth. And not just in the boxers or the gym.

"Seeing these college students grow, you can't help but learn about yourself. There's an old saying in boxing: 'It's me versus me.' It's all about personal growth," Dunn told me.

After watching boxing, in a beautiful church out on Highway 99, I am convinced. Personal growth is indeed a staple of this boxing club.

The Corvallis Boxing Club is on Facebook, as is USA Boxing, and most of the boxing clubs involved, are also on Facebook. To help support local youth, and collegiate students, contact Dan Dunn, George Evans, or New Life Community Church.

Credits provided by Dan Dunn:

Team Event Staff Leaders: Keeley Cummings (Event Coordinator), Christian Coursey (Security), Riley Rinker (Admission and Tickets) and Coach George Evans (match maker), Scott Marcin (Video Production), Ron Borst (Photographer), Jacob Cummings (DJ)

Church Staff: Pastor Katy Weber (marketing), Pastor Dale Butler (MC), Pastor Andrew Sullivan (Snack Bar), Worship leader Dan Ryker (Band), Tim Palmer (Lights), Connor Whitmore (Sound)

Event Doctors Name: John Denker, MD

Event Chief Official and Referee: Ken Miller (Referee) and Rory Baarstad (State Registrar)

Vendors: G3 Sports; Downings World Gym; Timber Hill Athletic Club; Complete Nutrition; HOPE Radio; National Guard; Police Cadets

VIP’s that Attended: Chief Jon Sassaman (Corvallis Chief of Police) , Bill Meatz (Former Olympic Boxing Coach and President of USA Boxing) 

And Featuring: Steve Riley (LCC Church Member) Derrick Samuels (NABA US Junior Welterweight Champion), Akayla Devereaux (2013 Ringside Amateur World Champion), Ethan Stanley (2014 Regional Silver Gloves Champion)

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