thedrifter
01-30-07, 10:25 AM
Fight Night: Troops duke out war zone stress
By Michelle Tan - staff writer
Posted : Monday Jan 29, 2007 22:29:42 EST
Jan. 26, CAMP RAMADI, Iraq – What do fighting men (and women) do when they have free time? Do even more fighting, of course.
On Friday, just as they had done for the past three Fridays, more than 300 soldiers, Marines and sailors crammed into the Morale, Welfare and Recreation center here to watch their fellow service members duke it out in the boxing ring.
It was time for Fight Night, and this past Friday, the finale of the month-long event, the fighters were aiming for the right to be called champions of the Ready First Combat Team Smoker. (You know, smoke a cigar and watch a fight?)
Fight Night began at 8:35 p.m. on Jan. 26 with the playing of the national anthem. That’s a sure way to silence a rowdy crowd of men in uniform, who snapped to attention as the anthem filled the hall.
As thick cigar and cigarette smoke wafted to the ceiling and formed a hazy cloud above the dimly lit ring, 26 fighters in 13 fights drew energy from the crowd’s boisterous cheers to punch, jab and dance their way around their opponents.
Some fighters were more skilled than others, but they all fought until they couldn’t anymore, determined to stay in the fight as long as their referee, Sgt. 1st Class Alexander RoaRamos, a former pro boxer, would let them.
Army Col. Sean MacFarland, commander of 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division, directed his S-1 shop to organize the fights.
The idea was to “increase the warrior spirit of the soldiers, sailors and Marines in the brigade, and it gives them a break from combat activities,” said Army Maj. William Ashmore, the brigade S-1.
“It gives them something to look forward to,” he said. “A lot of the guys have never boxed before, but it shows a lot of courage to step in the ring.”
Each fight is broken into three 90-second rounds, unless someone succeeds in knocking out his opponent, something the crowd, stacked on bleachers and standing in rows at least four or five people deep, greatly appreciates.
Even MacFarland isn’t safe from the fights. The colonel, who has a ringside seat, recently was sprayed with blood from a fighter’s broken nose.
The broken nose and a dislocated shoulder were the most serious injuries sustained during four weeks of fighting, and medics are stationed throughout the arena in case their expertise is needed, Ashmore said.
Army Spc. Alector Tavares, a tanker with Alpha Company, 2-37th Armor, won his fight, the 12th fight of the night, by knocking out Marine Lance Cpl. Terrence Blakey in the third round.
Blakey, who regained consciousness shortly after hitting the floor, was carried out in a stretcher. The medics planned to monitor him overnight, but he was expected to be just fine, Ashmore said.
“He was good,” Tavares said about Blakey. “He was moving me back, he’s a good fighter.”
But Tavares has boxed for almost three years, and he’s a coach on the Army’s Knights Boxing Team.
The win felt good, Tavares said, as he admired the medal hanging from his neck.
“This is the best thing to win, to leave Iraq with something,” he said.
A total of 58 service members have stepped into the ring in the past month, and on Friday, 26 got the chance to fight. Half of them had won previous fights, and they were the ones gunning for the prize, a medal from Ready First Combat Team.
The fighters don’t go easy on each other, but there’s a whole lot of camaraderie and even a touch of inter-service rivalry. On this Friday, soldiers outnumbered the other services in the audience, and they roared “Army! Army! Army!” to push the soldier in the ring to victory.
To ensure fairness, the tournament has three judges, one each from the Army, Marine Corps and Air Force.
Marine Lance Cpl. Derrell Ferguson has no formal training in boxing, but he beat Navy Construction Electrician 3rd Class Johnathan Berry in the fifth fight of the night.
“I’m a little guy, I’m only 150 pounds and 5 [feet], 4 [inches], and a lot of people think little guys don’t have the heart to throw down in the ring or in a fight,” Ferguson said. “I want to show that little guys can throw down, too.”
Ferguson, a field radio operator with Fox Battery, 2nd Marine Division, 11th Marines, said Fight Night is a nice way to escape the rigors of combat.
“We get out there in town and do what we’ve got to do, but this gets everyone together,” he said. “Everyone gets together and shows who’s the best.”
Fight Night Champions
Army Sgt. Keeon Britton
Army Sgt. Domenico Carbone
Marine Cpl. Alex Dhue
Army Spc. Tino Rubio
Army Spc. Alector Tavares
Marine Sgt. Justin Watson
Ellie
By Michelle Tan - staff writer
Posted : Monday Jan 29, 2007 22:29:42 EST
Jan. 26, CAMP RAMADI, Iraq – What do fighting men (and women) do when they have free time? Do even more fighting, of course.
On Friday, just as they had done for the past three Fridays, more than 300 soldiers, Marines and sailors crammed into the Morale, Welfare and Recreation center here to watch their fellow service members duke it out in the boxing ring.
It was time for Fight Night, and this past Friday, the finale of the month-long event, the fighters were aiming for the right to be called champions of the Ready First Combat Team Smoker. (You know, smoke a cigar and watch a fight?)
Fight Night began at 8:35 p.m. on Jan. 26 with the playing of the national anthem. That’s a sure way to silence a rowdy crowd of men in uniform, who snapped to attention as the anthem filled the hall.
As thick cigar and cigarette smoke wafted to the ceiling and formed a hazy cloud above the dimly lit ring, 26 fighters in 13 fights drew energy from the crowd’s boisterous cheers to punch, jab and dance their way around their opponents.
Some fighters were more skilled than others, but they all fought until they couldn’t anymore, determined to stay in the fight as long as their referee, Sgt. 1st Class Alexander RoaRamos, a former pro boxer, would let them.
Army Col. Sean MacFarland, commander of 1st Brigade, 1st Armored Division, directed his S-1 shop to organize the fights.
The idea was to “increase the warrior spirit of the soldiers, sailors and Marines in the brigade, and it gives them a break from combat activities,” said Army Maj. William Ashmore, the brigade S-1.
“It gives them something to look forward to,” he said. “A lot of the guys have never boxed before, but it shows a lot of courage to step in the ring.”
Each fight is broken into three 90-second rounds, unless someone succeeds in knocking out his opponent, something the crowd, stacked on bleachers and standing in rows at least four or five people deep, greatly appreciates.
Even MacFarland isn’t safe from the fights. The colonel, who has a ringside seat, recently was sprayed with blood from a fighter’s broken nose.
The broken nose and a dislocated shoulder were the most serious injuries sustained during four weeks of fighting, and medics are stationed throughout the arena in case their expertise is needed, Ashmore said.
Army Spc. Alector Tavares, a tanker with Alpha Company, 2-37th Armor, won his fight, the 12th fight of the night, by knocking out Marine Lance Cpl. Terrence Blakey in the third round.
Blakey, who regained consciousness shortly after hitting the floor, was carried out in a stretcher. The medics planned to monitor him overnight, but he was expected to be just fine, Ashmore said.
“He was good,” Tavares said about Blakey. “He was moving me back, he’s a good fighter.”
But Tavares has boxed for almost three years, and he’s a coach on the Army’s Knights Boxing Team.
The win felt good, Tavares said, as he admired the medal hanging from his neck.
“This is the best thing to win, to leave Iraq with something,” he said.
A total of 58 service members have stepped into the ring in the past month, and on Friday, 26 got the chance to fight. Half of them had won previous fights, and they were the ones gunning for the prize, a medal from Ready First Combat Team.
The fighters don’t go easy on each other, but there’s a whole lot of camaraderie and even a touch of inter-service rivalry. On this Friday, soldiers outnumbered the other services in the audience, and they roared “Army! Army! Army!” to push the soldier in the ring to victory.
To ensure fairness, the tournament has three judges, one each from the Army, Marine Corps and Air Force.
Marine Lance Cpl. Derrell Ferguson has no formal training in boxing, but he beat Navy Construction Electrician 3rd Class Johnathan Berry in the fifth fight of the night.
“I’m a little guy, I’m only 150 pounds and 5 [feet], 4 [inches], and a lot of people think little guys don’t have the heart to throw down in the ring or in a fight,” Ferguson said. “I want to show that little guys can throw down, too.”
Ferguson, a field radio operator with Fox Battery, 2nd Marine Division, 11th Marines, said Fight Night is a nice way to escape the rigors of combat.
“We get out there in town and do what we’ve got to do, but this gets everyone together,” he said. “Everyone gets together and shows who’s the best.”
Fight Night Champions
Army Sgt. Keeon Britton
Army Sgt. Domenico Carbone
Marine Cpl. Alex Dhue
Army Spc. Tino Rubio
Army Spc. Alector Tavares
Marine Sgt. Justin Watson
Ellie