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By DAVE DOMESCIK | Staff Writer

PELHAM – The Yellowhammer Boxing Classic, a boxing event that features some of the most prominent amateur fighters in the Southeast, is set to take place at the Pelham Civic Complex and Ice Arena on Saturday, March 1.

“Don’t miss the hard-hitting matchups from all ages, intense rivalries and electric atmosphere as top fighters from several clubs step into the ring to put on a show,” read a statement from Champions Boxing, the presenters of the event.

Champions Boxing is a local boxing gym based in Pelham that trains fighters of all ages and weight classes in the sport. The Yellowhammer Boxing Classic, now in its second year, is an event designed to grow the sport of boxing in Alabama and beyond.

Akash Chand, the owner and president of Champions Boxing, gave more background on the event’s inception.

“When we opened Champions Boxing, our goal was to get Alabama boxing on the map,” Chand said. “We wanted people to know that if you wanted to become a good boxer or a pro boxer… you had to come through Alabama.”

Chand added that the event also fills a void in shows throughout the state.

“The event is really a showcase of a lot of these fighters because there’s a lack of shows in Alabama,” Chand said. “They have to travel to Tennessee, Georgia, Mississippi and wherever else to go get fights. That could get expensive. What we want to do is get all these events together and… showcase Alabama (boxing).”

With the event being in only its second year, Chand is excited to see the fan interest for the Yellowhammer Boxing Classic already reaching its peak.

“There’s been a lot of interest, even on social media people just reaching out from the photos and videos (we post),” Chand said. “A lot of people have followed some of our boxers from the first time we had (the classic) to now. It’s really piqued their interest to see how much they’ve improved.”

Jake Guercio, the vice president of Champions Boxing, added that roughly 25 bouts are scheduled for this year’s classic.

“25 bouts is about the maximum for a day that we want to do and do it right,” Guercio said. “We’ll have several Champions boxers on the match.”

Fighters participating in the classic include Juan Valdez, Giovanni Falcone, Isaac Ornelas and Kolby Wright. While these fighters are not yet household names, Chand recognizes that the biggest fighters of all time started small at events like the Yellowhammer Boxing Classic.

“These are tomorrow’s superstars,” Chand said. “People like Deontay Wilder, Oscar De La Hoya, ‘Sugar’ Shane Mosley and Mike Tyson… a lot of these fighters groomed themselves in shows like this.”

The event will primarily feature Olympic-style amateur boxing, and Guercio added that the event is a stepping stone towards reaching the Olympic stage.

“This is a USA Boxing (sanctioned event),” Guercio said. “Hopefully one day you will see some of these young men in the Olympics… that’s our goal and that’s where we want to take them.”

Every boxer’s journey to glory, from Ali to Tyson, Bivol to Golovkin, starts small. The next generation of boxing is set to lace up the gloves on Saturday, March 1.

For more information on the event, visit Pelhamalabama.gov/Calendar.aspx?EID=10971.