BILLINGS — They’ll throw the jab, the uppercut, and maybe the roundhouse. They’ll duck and dodge.
And they’ll do it well, which is why five Billings boxers recently returned from Independence, Mo., as the latest National Silver Gloves champions. Training at the Billings Elite Amateur Boxing Club, the champs proudly showcased their title belts — some appearing bigger than the boxers themselves.
Andre Limberhand claimed his second national championship, and he warns that opponents play mind games — even at the slight weight of 75 pounds.
“I was scared for a second because he kept glaring at me. Then I got in the ring and he kept doing that,” said Limberhand about his experience in the ring.
And how’d that work out for the intimidator?
“The first round, I gave him an eight count. The second round I dropped him. The third round I gave him another eight count and then dropped him again,” he said.
Game over.
Adriel Bear Don't Walk, now 11, also claimed her second title, though she admitted uncertainty about the judges' scoring.
“At first I thought it was split, but once they said unanimous, I was surprised,” she said.
And how did she celebrate?
“I jumped in the air really high and my hands are in the air … both of them,” she added with a smile.
Taliyah Rodriguez, a national champ who has also won gold at the Junior Olympics, describes the club as a second family.
“Yeah, I ended up losing my grandma that same month. Then I ended up coming back and working on myself more,” Rodriguez shared.
She admits a noticeable difference.
“Oh, a lot. I was looking at pictures from just two years ago and I feel way better,” she said.
Nine-year-old Knightyn Hamlet takes his mentors' words to heart.
“My coaches said, the work that you put in here is the work you’re going to put in when you’re fighting,” he explained.
Here’s what inspired his title win.
“Gotta do it for the people that I love, the people there to support me. I did it for my mom … my grandma in Heaven,” Hamlet said.
Fiyness Bell is the club’s fifth national champion boxing at 176-plus pounds. His finals match was uncontested. Elijah Tsosie won his quarterfinal match but dropped a decision in the semifinals, as did Cruze Rodarte. Helena’s Anthony Espino lost by decision in the quarterfinals as well.
Coach Stewart Strever leads this disciplined group of at-risk kids. Some have lost both parents; others have lost their grandparents. Having once been in their shoes, Strever feels immense pride in their success.
“It gets your heart, it’s happy, it’s everything. It’s every positive emotion you could fill all at once,” Strever concluded.
