HOME | PAST RESULTS | INTERVIEWS | FIGHTERS | CONTACT | AMATEUR PAGE

WITH NEW START, WALTERS LOOKS
TO TAKE BOXING TO A NEW LEVEL
11.17.11
Photos and Story By Ray Kilgore
Part 2

 

"Zach almost lost everything, but he has stayed on track because he believes in himself and in a God who loves him,” his mother, Sharyn, told Star Tribune writer Rachel Blount in 2006.

If Walters ever needed his faith, it was after his retirement. “I struggled to keep up with bills and maintain my pride in self,” Walters said. “My whole identity was jacked up. I felt like I was crawling, learning how to walk again.” At one point, Walters wrestled with the possibility of doing what his heart told him he shouldn’t. “I have thought about a ‘farewell fight,’” he said. “I got a few calls for short notice fights with pretty nice paydays in early 2010. These were tough to turn down, 'cause I needed the money.”

But Walters not only needed money; he had to rebuild a life outside of his identity as a professional fighter, so he turned his attention to becoming a businessman, taking a job as an independent insurance agent with Great Lakes Insurance Agency. But boxing always lurked in the background. “I knew all along it was only a matter of time,” said Walters’ wife, Shannon. “We are very close and we talk about hopes, thoughts, ideas all the time with each other. I knew he was either going to train, open a gym, or do both.”

While Shannon’s gut feeling was correct, Walters hadn’t expected the move to creep up so fast. “I had initially planned to stay out of the gym for a whole year, then get back into boxing in some regard,” he said. “I didn’t know what that day would look like, but I knew I wanted to be involved somehow. About four months had gone by, and I felt a void of sorts. I stopped into [Walters' former trainer's] Horton’s Gym and asked Chuck if I could help out some with training. I got involved as a trainer, then helped ref some public workouts our boxers had, then Chuck suggested I get licensed so I could corner the boxers at shows. I agreed.”

While many sports figures have talked about believing in a cause but showed little follow-through, Walters has remained consistent in his conviction about giving back to youth in general, especially those who are most at-risk, and when Walters’ friend needed help, it opened the door for Walters.

“I started helping Gary Eyer [a current professional fighter] with matching boxers for our amateur shows,” said Walters. “Gary had a big boxing match on the plate and asked if I’d take on more of the amateur boxing responsibilities. I agreed,” he said. “Training the boxers and being a part of their young careers was a lot of fun. I have a lot to give as a trainer, and running the amateur program was very fun.”

Today Walters owns a gym called “Jungle Boy Boxing Club,” a place that is allowing him to give boxing some of what it gave to him. Much like his early experiences in the United States, Walters was able to take the building, which was on the brink of destruction, and transform it into a place where the number of members is outgrowing the space.

“[Duluth] Mayor Don Ness, who donated the building so that Walters could start the program, showed a lot to me when he stuck his neck out to help with the boxing program,” said Walters. “Chuck Horton had wanted to gain a partnership with the city for quite some time and made a lot of waves trying to make it happen.”

The gym is a 501-C3 nonprofit organization. And while Walters’ emphasis is on boxing, he also strives for a much bigger goal. “We see being a boxer not so much as something a person does; it’s a way of life,” said Walters. “I explain to my boxers that it’s important to have a foundation outside the gym that supports a stable life. School, friends, work, family, living healthy, avoiding drugs and crime... It’s all part of being a boxer. If things outside the gym are in disarray, it’s hard to focus on being a champion. How much more can a boxer charge toward his goals when life is in order outside the gym? I tell my boxers I have goal bigger than just teaching them to box well. I mean it.”

Throughout history, there have been many professional boxers who retired from the sport and became trainers but failed at the job. For Walters, this isn’t something he concerns himself with. “I don’t feel pressure to bring my boxers to success,” he said. “If they listen and fight through the frustrating learning curve, I’m confident they will do just fine. What is more important is where they go after boxing. A boxing career is but a short time in the span of life,” he said. “I want them to have fun with boxing and learn life lessons that they can take with [them] to be successful after. If a boxer remains teachable, I have a lot to teach. I learned a great deal from my years with Chuck.”

But 13-year-old Teddy Bedouin said his confidence has skyrocketed since being under the guidance of Walters. “Zach is a good trainer and makes you look better than you are [as a fighter],” said Bedouin who fights at the 115-pound division. “The way he trains me, it makes me look like I have five fights although I only have two.” Trevor Marmon has known Walters for over nine years, and while the two men have been able to relate to each other outside of the ring, for Marmon, seeing Walters grow as a trainer has been rewarding. “It’s great for Minnesota and Duluth what Zach is doing for the kids,” said the 29-year-old Marmon who has over 40 amateur bouts. “It’s [the gym] a safe haven for kids who want to stay out of trouble and it’s a great opportunity for Zach.”

While Horton may have given Walters the guidance he needed as boxer, and Walters has returned the favor to Bedouin and Marmon, it’s Walters’ life as a husband that has helped to ground the boxer in the realities of what’s most important. “He is a wonderful supporter, partner and friend,” said Shannon, who is set to have the couple’s first child early next year. “I honestly do not know what I would do without him. We have been together, 'dating,' since 2004…He always keeps me going, because he is so busy! He is the opposite of lazy. I always tell him, 'Don’t you ever just sit and chill?'”

Shannon maintains that the couple's partnership thrives because of what Walters brings to it. “He makes things happen and doesn’t just wait for them to fall in his lap,” she said. “We have so much fun together and honestly support each other through everything life hands us.” To prove her love, Shannon entered Walters into RedBook Magazine’s 2012 Hottest Husbands contest (cast your vote for Walters at www.redbookmag.com), where Walters has become one of 25 finalists.

Walters started his life in an unusual way, growing up among very special people halfway around the world. Coming from Madagascar to the United States, discovering the world of boxing, he has overcome a lot in his life. And with a new focus, soon-to-be fatherhood, businesses, a supportive circle, and a focus on one of the thing he loves the most—being involved in boxing--Walters couldn’t ask for more. “It’s a goal of mine to be successful as a trainer. I’d like to help lay the foundation for boxers to go much further with boxing than I ever did. That would be the coolest.” And what would be better than bringing Minnesota boxing fans along for the ride?

The final part of this series concludes with a ringside recap of Walters’ card on Nov. 17th in Duluth.

 

 

If you are interested in Sports Betting, odds, and expert picks, please check out the site links below!!

Sports Betting Champ
Doc's Sports Blog
Sports Betting Strategy
Sports Handicapping Experts
Sports Book Rules