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ANOTHER DAY IN CLASS
By Ray Kilgore
June 10th, 2010

Boxing and education are twins. The goal of a fighter is to win, gain respect, and earn some money along the way, provided he is willing to learn from his mistakes.

Although what happened to Caleb Truax (14-0-1, 9 KOs) in his last outing against Phil "The Drill" Williams (11-3-1, 10 KOs) is not technically classified as a setback, the draw outcome was considered a mistake and something Truax's trainer, Ron Lyke, doesn't want to see happen again anytime soon.

Lyke, born and raised in Northeast Minneapolis, doesn't think fight fans are being impacted by the heavy promotion of Truax as Minnesota's next star.

"He [has] talent to get into the top ten. It's a matter of improving and showing that extra something. I think [he has] good qualities."

As with most young fighters, Truax isn't a top ten fighter, but that isn't because he lacks top-ten skills, and that's why Lyke wants to avoid a reoccurring bad habit from Truax.

"Caleb is going to have to step up to the plate like I know he can. He didn't fight the fight [for Williams] he was suppose to."

Lyke, known for his ability to offer honest appraisal of his fighters, maintains Truax beat Williams, but he thinks Truax made the bout closer than necessary.

"He showed Phil a little too much respect and when he had chances, he didn't follow up."

So, as Truax looks to rebound Friday night, when he faces Antwun Echols at the Saint Paul Armory in Saint Paul, Lyke says the focus has been on reminding Truax to respect his opponent only after the fight.

"He has had good sparring and is physically and mentally ready for battle," says Lyke, who understands the danger Echols brings, even at his advanced age of 38.

Echols has been known for his punching ability. He's knocked out 28 of 32 foes and has been in the ring with world class fighters. But with 12 defeats, including a TKO loss to Phil Williams in 2009, and four draws, questions remain about how much he has left.

Echols, a native of Davenport, Iowa, lost three of his last four fights, and it took the full six rounds for him to knock out an opponent with a no win record and nine losses this past March. He has also been marred by problems outside the ring.

Still, team Truax is taking the aging fighter seriously, mostly because they hope to use Echols as a stepping stone for better things.

"After this big fight, we may take a tune-up and look for a name opponent," says Lyke. "The goal is to try and put Caleb and Joey [Abell, a popular heavyweight in MN] on the same card now that Joey has agreed to a three-fight deal with Seconds Out Promotions," he added, referring to the company that manages Truax.

There's big talk and great plans from team Truax, and if things go as expected, it all starts on Friday, June 11th

Other exciting bouts that will be featured are Jon "The Ironman" Schmidt (9-1, 6 KOs) Vs Josh Crouch (6-1), Charles Meier (4-1) Vs Corey Rodriguez (4-1), Ismail Muwendo (5-0) Vs Juan Baltierrez (2-2-2), Vincente Alfaro (2-0) Vs Jake Backus (0-1), Hector Orozco (2-5) Vs Danny Figueroa (3-0)

All fights and fighters are subject to change.

Tickets, reasonably priced at $25.00 (general admission), $55.00 (VIP Table seating). Tickets are available online at www.ticketweb.com or charge by phone at 612-807-5547.

Doors open at 7:00 PM and first bout at 8:00 PM. For more information, go to www.soboxing.com.

CONTACT
Tony Grygelko, CEO/President, Seconds Out Promotions, 612-282-4869, tony@soboxing.com

 

 

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