NOLA Fighters in Crescent City
The City of New Orleans has been in the world’s spotlight of late especially after Sunday’s Super Bowl XLVII held in Louisiana’s Mercedes-Benz Superdome and TODAY’S official celebration of 2013 Mardi Gras (“Fat Tuesday”) before Lent begins.
But while the “Crescent City” is known for its food, music and Southern hospitality, there’s also a lesser-known boxing scene in town first stemming from the 1800s when John L. Sullivan squared off against Gentleman Jim Corbett. But these days, boxing seems to have been put on the back burner with visitors more interested in Bourbon Street and beads.
In my new piece about the local fight scene, here’s a tale of two pugs living and training in Nawlins–one a young amateur, the other a veteran pro. One remains steadfast and hopeful that boxing will lead to bigger things, the other a bit wiser after turning pro–and turning to other ventures outside of boxing.
I recently caught up with the two fighters living and training in NOLA, my favorite city and my adopted “hometown.”
Gerald “Ace” Gordon is an amateur middleweight training out of the Freret Street Boxing Gym. The famed gym hold its action-packed “Friday Night Fights” where local fans can watch the burgeoning champs polish their skills in the four corners.
I first met the slugger while in New Orleans enjoying the legendary Po’boys and Gumbo at Mother’s Restaurant on Poydras. The restaurant became even more famous during the recent Super Bowl festivities when Beyonce and Jay-Z stopped by for a meal. The eatery is known for it’s “World’s Best Baked Ham” and I always go to Mother’s whenever I’m in town.
During my last visit, I noticed a large tattoo on one of the workers pulling out the fresh-cooked hams to serve to the long line of patrons. On his arm was some colorful ink with a large pair of boxing gloves so my companion (a boxing coach) and I struck up a conversation with this fight aficionado. He turned out to be amateur champ Gerald Gordon, better known as “Ace” (short for 
“Four Aces” and his love of playing cards). He told us he has been boxing since he was a little boy.
“I’ve been boxing since I was 8,” the fighter mentions. He has trained at the Center Court Boxing Club in Atlanta, Georgia and also Fortune Gym in Los Angeles.
He’s had 24 fights and balances training and work like many young boxers do. He remains optimistic about his training.
“Training is perfect in Louisiana; we have a good fight scene here,” Ace tells me. “We work hard; we have good gyms here.”
Gordon currently trains at the Freret Street Boxing Gym with with gym owner and head trainer Mike Tata. Freret Street is known for their highly-anticipated fight cards.
“Boxing is good here,” Gerald nods. “We have a lot of great gyms. And Freret Street does lot of promotions and has amateur fight nights too.”
Besides the popular Freret Street there’s also the Crescent City Gym.
The gyms in New Orleans offer a way off the streets for the young men and women especially in the Lower Ninth Ward that was really hit hard by Hurricane Katrina back in August 2005.
They have been rebuilding ever since, true warriors in the face of catastrophe.
Most fighters are forced to divide their time between full-time jobs and training at the gym. Ace has been working at Mother’s for about a year and a half.
“Muhammad Ali is my idol,” he explains during a break in his shift. While he took up boxing as a kid, he continues to be passionate about boxing. Freret has several amateur boxers and MMA fighters that work out at the new O.C. Haley location. At Mother’s Restaurant, there are photos of boxers lined the brick walls as customers line up outside, waiting patiently to order Jambalaya, red beans and rice or Crawfish Étouffée.
In a city that suffered severe economic damage from Katrina, the boxer is grateful to have a solid job. Gordon also mentions a co-worker, an “elder statesmen” of the sweet science. Joe Hughes works the counter at Mother’s and was also a fighter in his youth. “Joe talks to us and encourages me to continue,” Ace nods.
“What are your best skills?” I ask the amateur boxer.
“My hook and my uppercut!” comes the reply.
While Ace and boxers living in New Orleans fight off the many distractions and temptations of the booze-fueled Bourbon Street, they continue to train, looking to book fights in and around Louisiana. And that’s not always an easy feat.
In recent years, there haven’t been many cable broadcasts or PPV showdowns that could shine the spotlight on the city, damaged and beleaguered after the “Storm” hit in 2005.
Oldtimers can recall seeing the Muhammad Ali and Leon Spinks title fight back in 1978 in which over 63,000 fans packed the Superdome; there was also the famed Sugar Ray Leonard vs. Robert Duran battle in 1980. And local face Mackie Shilstone got a lot of publicity when he helped train ageless champ Bernard Hopkins. But lately there really hasn’t been much boxing revenue pouring into the state. On one bright note, the new boxing movie “Grudge Match” (starring Sylvester Stallone and Robert De Niro) is currently filming in town.
As for prizefighters, Willie Pastrano, Clifford “The Black Rhino” Etienne and Tiffany Junot (who upset of Mia St. John for the WBC Female Light Middleweight Championship in November 2012) are just a few of the names that made rare headlines in recent decades.
Pro fighter Elliott “Brown Bomber” Forman is a fellow boxer and friend of Junot’s.
The middleweight who has had nine pro bouts says NOLA still has a long way to go as a bustling fight town. Boxing remains a “grassroots” movement for many of the kids and teens hoping to become champions.
Elliott doesn’t mince words when giving his opinion on how the fight scene can improve in Louisiana. He was born and raised in New Orleans, briefly relocating and training in Brooklyn after the Hurricane Katrina inflicted her damage, littering the city with debris and mayhem.
“Boxing is in a real tough spot here,” Forman comments as we catch up before he heads out to the yearly Zulu Ball. “The city has so much going on that boxing’s fallen through the cracks. But there’s room to grow–we need more amateur boxing and a better pro circuit here.”
Forman trains out of Crescent City Boxing Gym where he says Al Smith has been a great ambassador to the sport.
But NOLA boxing needs more help. “You put your heart, sweat, blood and tears into it,” Elliott explains, “only to see past champs not getting anything out of it and having to hold mitts for boxers…or seeing young boxers having to wash dishes in the French Quarter and then going to fight at night.”
So the “Brown Bomber” has found other ways to achieve success. Elliott Forman is not only a pro fighter, he is also a competitive golfer and a thriving restauranteur, owning several popular dining establishments in the Big Easy and beyond.
“Who says there’s a limit to what I can achieve as a pugilist?” he says, hoping to be a role model for kids and teens growing up tough. “I’ve been fortunate to find success in other things.”
He admits he’s at a crossroads in his career.
While he will always love boxing, the path to glory seems harder to find for boxers in and around New Orleans.
Will boxing rebound in the Big Easy?
The town is tough. Many say boxing will always remain in the city it just needs more support.
For now, a very HAPPY FAT TUESDAY to all.
“Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler”–Let the Good Times Roll!
Photo by Michele Chong/ Additional photos courtesy of Team Forman