Exclusive Report & Pics From The Rock!

In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, there were some “jolly green giants” aplenty inside the ropes at last night’s All-American Heavyweights (AAH) boxing event held at The Rock in Southern California.

Four amateur bouts sanctioned by USA Boxing featured warriors from The Rock, All-American Heavyweights and Broadway Boxing.

These super heavyweight “Rock Stars” from the AAH program have a unique pedigree amongst this elite group of boxers. They are some of the top athletes in the nation–but in sports other than the sweet science. Many of the sluggers were star football players or basketball players before ever lacing up the gloves.

It’s an usual idea but one that is gaining steam. And it may not be such a far-fetched idea after all. The AAH pugilists have various examples in their field such as Baltimore Ravens’ Tommy Zbikowski and Notre Dame’s Mike Lee, who are both currently fighting pro. Heisman Trophy winner, NFL star and now MMA fighter Herschel Walker is just another example for these crossover athletes.

Now it’s time for the AAH team to shine. And if this state-of-the art program works, look for a resurgence of top U.S. heavies in the future. On Thursday night, there was one high-profile heavyweight who has been a big supporter early on. The “Real Deal” himself, multiple World Champion Evander Holyfield, was in attendance.

Trainer/Promoter/Coordinator/Manager Extraordinaire Prentiss Byrd took me over to meet the champ, who will be fighting Brian Nielsen on May 7 in Copenhagen. Painted on the wall above the granite-chinned legend was the phrase, “Victory Belongs To Those Most Persevering.” Apropos of this adage, Evander, at age 48, gives the younger generation a lot of inspiration; an image of the superstar is even painted on the walls of the spacious gym. A “Holy” wall indeed in the brightly-lit gym.

But The Rock is no ordinary gym. Taking a tour of the facility, I took quickly stock of their two large boxing rings, a full-scale gym area, a physical therapy room, a conference room, a video screening venue, a trophy wing and even a church altar set up in the enormous building. Lining the walls are boldly-painted murals along with inspiring messages from both the Bible and action heroes in the sports world.

The AAH league of coaches offer elite training under the tutelage of former fighters Simon Brown, Henry Tillman, John Bray, Tommy Brooks and Flip Johnson, among others. Coach Steve Jenkins was one of the original trainers at The Rock and he continues to marvel at the success of the massive youth center.

Visiting Houston Coach Kenny Weldon also raves about the gym, the AAH team, and especially about CEO Michael King. The Texas trainer is working with Sergei “The White Wolf” Liakhovich, who will be fighting next month. The duo has been training alongside the AAH heavyweights and also the new amateur team, the Los Angeles Matadors. Weldon, who has also been in the corner with Holyfield, tells me, “Michael King has uplifted the sport and is really doing a fantastic thing in helping out young boxers. What he’s done here is incredible!”

What he’s done and what the AAH camp continues to do is offer young athletes an opportunity to attain success in boxing, whether it be amateur, Olympic or pro. In the best conditions possible, the power punchers seem like they’re already living the dream. But while these lucky guys may have a private chef and laundry service for their workout gear, they also have to put in the work at the gym to survive as they strive for the top.

The program encourages growth, skill and competition under a strict code of ethics in gym conduct. On the wall I notice several signs reminding all the competitors of the “no alcohol, no drug, no profanity, no bad attitude” policy along with spiritual messages for all to heed.

The boxers, in their early 20s, are all humble polite gentleman, a testament to the house rules and etiquette they’ve adhered to with honor. But once in the ring, it’s “beast mode” for the hard-hitting boxers. With almost 500 pounds between them, the towering gladiators go back and forth in tough battles that challenge these elites. No walkovers for these top young men; the AAH mission statement reads, “Building champions for a new era of boxing.” The atmosphere is conducive to building a strong family of fighters in a support system that hopes to bring forth many champions.

Last night, I spoke with two fresh faces in the league. One is a brand new rookie to the team; the other is the veteran in the camp.

“Rookie” Jonnie Rice is from South Carolina and has relocated to SoCal. “I’ve been here three weeks now and I’ve already dropped 15 pounds,” the basketball and football star said. “I’ve learned a lot here! I’ve been advancing fast and I hope to fighting in a couple of months.”

He’s still in the “green shirt” division. Rice explained the ranking system within their gym. “We wear different colors in skill level,” he told me. “There’s green, bronze, silver, gold and then the ‘pro’ shirts.”

Dominic Breazeale has earned his spot at the top of the ranks. While chatting with AAH founder/CEO Michael King, he introduces me to Breazeale, one of the standouts in the youth center. Originally from Pasadena, Breazeale has been at The Rock for three years now. The lanky fighter was a quarterback from the University of Northern Colorado who is now enjoying success as a prizefighter in King’s stable.

“In the beginning people probably thought he was crazy,” the nearly 6′ 6″ boxer admits with a laugh. “But the transition between the sports has been great. And Mr. King has been great; I love what he’s doing here.” Breazeale has 20 victories so far and won his division in the advancing Golden Gloves tournament last week.

I ask Dominic, the veteran of three years, how many teammates he currently has. “We have 18 amateurs and two pros, Lionel David and Natu Visinia.” Pro fighter Enrique Lobatos comes by to chat with our group and he, too is in awe of the program. He said he would’ve loved to have been part of the AAH but was “too short.”

There is strict criteria if you wanna play with the “big boys.” The requirements include a height of at least 6′ 3″ and a scale minimum of at least 210 pounds in this boxing academy for the elite. That’s a lot of thunder in the ring.

King is proud of all the heavyweights but he is even more proud of the fact that besides being talented athletes “they are all college graduates too!” Encouraging both education and physical skills, the friendly businessman also shows me one of the messages painted on the wall: Five Ways a Child Grows: Physically, Spiritually, Mentally, Emotionally and Socially.

At The Rock, these solid heavyweights will no doubt become “five-point players” in the game, under the guidance of King and his Hall of Fame team of trainers in The Rock’s star-studded “King-dom.”

As the final bell rang, many boxers and guests stayed in the building to chat and catchup in this uniquely positive environment, which is sometimes hard to find in this bloodsport.

When the evening wound down, the volunteers began stacking up the chairs and I recognized a familiar face pitching in to pick up trash and put away chairs too. I saw U.S. Olympian and Gold Medalist Henry Tillman in the corner during the boxing show; now after the event was over he was already thinking ahead–and sticking to the work ethic The Rock has become known for: Humble and Hard Working. As he went about his business, Tillman said with a smile, “I’ve got to keep our gym clean; we gotta get ready for tomorrow morning!”

Business as usual for this special league of athletes.

The All-American Heavyweights will continue to “Fight the Good Fight” as they battle their way toward victory.

Fight results:
Terrell Augustine vs. David Bookman: Augustine wins after two rounds; Bookman kept in his corner.
Shannarick Martinez vs. Chris Campa: Campa wins after referee stops the bout in the second stanza.
Cashton Young vs. Edwin Alvarez: Alvarez the winner in unanimous decision.
George Faavae vs. Malanga D’Hue: Faavae the victor hearing judges scores.

Photos by Michele Chong