Armed Forces Boxing Archive

Pentagon Channel

By MC2 Elliott Fabrizio

Full episodes of The Pentagon Channel’s 2011 Armed Forces Boxing Championship are available on demand and for download on TPC’s Armed Forces Boxing Page.

The Pentagon Channel captured all the action from this year’s tournament down at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas. The video above is last year’s profile package from the Navy‘s Antonel Cruz-Padilla who is fighting in the 165lb. weight class.

“I want to be a champion; I want to call myself champion,” said Cruz-Padilla. “You have to pace yourself, do the right thing at the right time and eventually you can make it happen.”  

You can meet the rest of the Navy’s 2011 boxing team on this VBlog.

Profile packages like this run prior to each fight to introduce the competitors. To see Cruz-Padilla and other military boxers fight it out for the gold, make sure to check out our series and subscribe to the Armed Forces Boxing podcast.

Pentagon Channel

By MC2 Elliott Fabrizio

Full episodes of The Pentagon Channel’s 2011 Armed Forces Boxing Championship are available on demand and for download on TPC’s Armed Forces Boxing Page.

The Pentagon Channel captured all the action from this year’s tournament down at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas. The video above is a profile package for the Marines’ Damarias Russell who fought in the 165lb. weight class.

Russell is a intelligence analyst from Minneapolis, Minn. with 3 years of boxing experience.

“I want to be an olympian and, hopefully one day, a world champion,” said Russell. “I’m going to take it one day at a time.”   

Profile packages and soundbites like this run prior to each fight to introduce the competitors. To see Russell and other military boxers fight it out for the gold, make sure to check out our series and subscribe to the Armed Forces Boxing podcast.

Pentagon Channel

By MC2 Elliott Fabrizio

Full episodes of The Pentagon Channel’s 2011 Armed Forces Boxing Championship are available on demand and for download on TPC’s Armed Forces Boxing Page.

The Pentagon Channel captured all the action from this year’s tournament down at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas. The video above is a profile package on the Army‘s Zacchaeus Hardrick who fought in the 165lb. weight class.

Hardrick is an Army combat medic from Atlanda, Ga. with 11 years of boxing experience.

“I try to stay pretty in the ring, keep my hands fast and keep my movement good, so I won’t get touched,” said Hardrick. “I have an ’07 and ’08 title here for military boxing. I’m trying to, hopefully, get my title back.”  

Profile packages and soundbites like this run prior to each fight to introduce the competitors. To see Hardrick and other military boxers fight it out for the gold, make sure to check out our series and subscribe to the Armed Forces Boxing podcast.

Pentagon Channel

Full episodes of The Pentagon Channel’s 2011 Armed Forces Boxing Championship are available on demand and for download on TPC’s Armed Forces Boxing Page.

Above is the Air Force’s James Beck, fighting in the 152lb. weight class. To find out more about him read this story by Air Force Staff Sgt. J. Paul Croxon: 

A pair of marks on Staff Sgt. James Beck’s neck tells the interwoven stories of his biggest challenge and greatest strength. One, a two-inch tracheotomy scar, is a permanent reminder of the tumor that almost cost him his career and the sport he loves. The other, a tattoo, indicates the foundation of his recovery and determination to realize his dreams.

Sergeant Beck’s two passions, the Air Force and boxing, are as entwined as the marks on his neck. His commitment to each journey gave him the resolve to battle a tumor and self doubt and come back more dangerous in the ring.
Read the rest of this entry »

Pentagon Channel

Full episodes of The Pentagon Channel’s 2011 Armed Forces Boxing Championship are available on demand and for download on TPC’s Armed Forces Boxing Page.

Above is the the Navy‘s Tory Browning who is fighting in the 152lb weight class. Find out more about him in this story by MC3 Josh Horton:

Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Handling) Airman Troy Browning, of USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) Air Department’s V-3 Division, became the first George H.W. Bush Sailor to be selected for the All-Navy Boxing Team.

Browning began boxing in the urban community of Willingboro, N.J., at the age of 16. His father, already a professional in the sport, taught Browning virtually everything he knew about what is sometimes referred to as the “Sweet Science of Bruising.”

Browning recollects the early morning training sessions his father would prepare for him every morning before school.

“He would wake me up at 5 a.m. and we’d run three miles. We’d sprint up hills and I’d have a wheel tied to my feet, so I would have to crawl with my hands to build arm strength,” said Browning.

Afterwards, Browning would attend school and then make the drive to Philadelphia to continue his training in the ring, where he would spar with his father and anyone else who was available.

Browning continued his training off and on for several years and even participated in several Golden Gloves events, however it wasn’t until he enlisted in the Navy that his boxing career began to take shape.
Read the rest of this entry »

Pentagon Channel

By MC2 Elliott Fabrizio

Full episodes of The Pentagon Channel’s 2011 Armed Forces Boxing Championship are available on demand and for download on TPC’s Armed Forces Boxing Page.

The Pentagon Channel captured all the action from this year’s tournament down at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas. The video above is a profile package on the Army‘s Samuel Vasquez who fought in the 152lb. weight class.

Vasquez is an Army cavalry scout from Monessen, Penn. with 15 years of boxing experience.

“My weaknesses? I can’t say that I have any–not that I know so far,” said Vasquez. “If I have one, I work on it until I don’t have it anymore.”  

Profile packages and soundbites like this run prior to each fight to introduce the competitors. To see Vasquez and other military boxers fight it out for the gold, make sure to check out our series and subscribe to the Armed Forces Boxing podcast.

Pentagon Channel

By MC2 Elliott Fabrizio

Full episodes of The Pentagon Channel’s 2011 Armed Forces Boxing Championship are available on demand and for download on TPC’s Armed Forces Boxing Page.

The Pentagon Channel captured all the action from this year’s tournament down at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas. The video above is a profile package for the Marines’ Joel Bolden who fought in the 152lb. weight class.

Bolden is a radio operator from Orlando, Fla. with 1 year of boxing experience.

“I’ve played football, basketball–everything–but I’ve never had to work so hard before; when you’re in the ring it’s just you and him,” said Bolden.  

Profile packages and soundbites like this run prior to each fight to introduce the competitors. To see Bolden and other military boxers fight it out for the gold, make sure to check out our series and subscribe to the Armed Forces Boxing podcast.

Pentagon Channel

By MC2 Elliott Fabrizio

Full episodes of The Pentagon Channel’s 2011 Armed Forces Boxing Championship are available on demand and for download on TPC’s Armed Forces Boxing Page.

The Pentagon Channel captured all the action from this year’s tournament down at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas.

The video above is the entrance of civilian Benjamin Whitaker who fought a non-championship exhibition bout in the 154lb. weight class.

Due to the operational needs of the military, there isn’t always a military boxer from each service represented in every weight class. This was the case in the 154lb. weight class, and Air Force Champion Daniel Logan was unopposed by the other services.

In order to give Logan the opportunity for a fight in the tournament and some valubale experience, the South Texas Association Boxing Club volunteered Benjamin Whitaker for an exhibition bout.

To see Whitaker’s bout and the tournament’s military boxers fight it out for the gold, make sure to check out our series and subscribe to the Armed Forces Boxing podcast.

Pentagon Channel

By MC2 Elliott Fabrizio

Full episodes of The Pentagon Channel’s 2011 Armed Forces Boxing Championship are available on demand and for download on TPC’s Armed Forces Boxing Page.

The Pentagon Channel captured all the action from this year’s tournament down at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas. The video above is a profile package on the Air Force’s Daniel Logan  who fought a non-championship exhibition bout in the 154lb. weight class.

Logan is a cyber transport technician from Java, Va. with 1.5 years of boxing experience.

Logan (left)

Pentagon Channel

By MC2 Elliott Fabrizio

Full episodes of The Pentagon Channel’s 2011 Armed Forces Boxing Championship are available on demand and for download on TPC’s Armed Forces Boxing Page.

The Pentagon Channel captured all the action from this year’s tournament down at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas. The video above is a profile package on the Army‘s Dustin Lara  who fought in the 141lb. weight class.

Lara is a Army combat medic from Long Beach, Calif. with six years of boxing experience.

“I’m proud to be here and proud to represent all the rest of my brothers in the military,” said Lara. “The Army sports program is great because it gives Soldiers all over the world the chance to exhibit whatever skills they had prior to joining the military or skills they developed while they’re in the military.”  

Profile packages and soundbites like this run prior to each fight to introduce the competitors. To see Lara and other military boxers fight it out for the gold, make sure to check out our series and subscribe to the Armed Forces Boxing podcast.