Features Reporter
Photos by Jordan Hoyle
Although the room wasn’t billowing with smoke, spectators and fighters poured into Brownson Arena Wednesday evening, Feb. 12, for CMU Rodeo Team’s first ever boxing smoker.
In boxing’s earlier years, fights took place in small areas with large crowds. Many of the spectators smoked while watching the fights, causing the room to become engulfed in smoke, hence the term “boxing smoker.”
Through the darkness blanketing the audience, energy permeated the room as one sole light beamed down on the boxing ring. Miguel Navarro, general manager and head boxing coach for the 8th Street Gym, took the floor to announce an evening loaded with 13 action-packed battles, each with three, one-minute rounds.
The boxing smoker was aimed at raising funds for the CMU Rodeo Team in preparation for its upcoming rodeo April 11 and 12 at the Mesa County Fairgrounds.
Tickets were priced at $5 for students, $10 for general admission and $20 for reserved seating.
Fighters were matched up based on height, weight and skill levels. Four fights out of the thirteen ended in technical knock outs. One fight in particular between Ce’rra Carsten and Megan McKee, both Rodeo Team members, ended in a TKO 47 seconds into round one, the fastest knockout of the night.
During the second fight of the night, Ricky Trinidad, a junior, and Turmour Battle, a senior, fought for more than just bragging rights. For the two friends and teammates, it was a brawl to see who will wear the #1 jersey this coming season of football. Battle started out wearing #1 this year, but upon getting hurt midway through the season, Trinidad took over.
“Ricky and I are good friends and pretty evenly matched as far as conditioning,” Battle said. “Being that we’re friends outside the ring, we’re going to keep it clean inside, but we’re also going to give the fans what they want to see.”
After three intense, one-minute rounds of stumbling, hard hitting and “oohs” and “ahs” from the crowd, a winner was (un)decided: it was a draw.
“I thought I won because I landed more power punches,” Trinidad said. “It’s a draw, so I guess the jersey stays with me now.”
Haillie Taylor, a sophomore on the rodeo team, also competed in the boxing smoker and won. She felt she had the best fight of the night, and her friends agreed.
Taylor is responsible for bringing the boxing smoker to CMU after participating in several at the College of Southern Idaho, which has been holding successful boxing smokers for 37 years, according to Taylor. Upon telling Rodeo Team coach, Jimmy Allen, about the Idaho boxing smokers, he called the head coach at CSI, who gladly sent over all the necessary information.
Both Taylor and Allen felt the event went really well overall and were both excited for next year.
“That was worse than doing a workout,” Trinidad said. “I’m not even this tired after football. I would definitely fight again next year but have to be in better boxing shape.”
jhoyle@mavs.coloradomesa.edu
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