Yates Trains His Way To Toledo
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
After three months of training, Dillon Yates, a 12-year-old boxer from North Manchester, will hit the road to Toledo today. He will put on 8-ounce gloves, head gear, a groin protector and a mouth guard and step into the squared circle to participate in the championship round of the Toledo Golden Gloves competition at 7 p.m. tonight
Yates, a sixth-grader from North Manchester, will face off against Toledo's James Coleman in the 95-pound weight class in an Olympic-style bout. The pair will box in three three-minute rounds to decide the winner.
When Yates showed an interest in boxing, his father, Jeff Yates, contacted Rick Rivera about being Dillon's trainer and got the ball rolling. Jeff is a member of a class Rivera teaches at Hill's Tae Kwan Do in Pierceton.
"It's my duty as a boxer and as a coach," said Rivera. "Boxing has been good to me, and it's my duty to pass it on."
Rivera is licensed by the United States Amateur Boxing Federation and has been boxing since he was 17. Yates had to go through a licensing process in order to qualify to box as well.
"I have been boxing my entire adult life," said Rivera, who is now 36. "I started when I was 17 and I stopped competing when I was 32. I continue to work out and do personal training and cardio workouts."
In order to prepare for the competition, Yates and Rivera have been training for several months.
"We work on the proper training skills," said Rivera. "We work on fundamentals as well as the proper defense, how to throw and land punches."
Rivera also stresses that this competition is much different from the controversial Toughman Competition.
"This is far different from the Toughman competition," said Rivera. "The boxers are trained by skilled, licensed coaches. The boxers must be licensed as well. The referees in the ring watch the boxers in the ring carefully. They will stop the match if they feel it's necessary. The coaches can also stop the match if they feel their boxer is overmatched."
While coaching, Rivera continues to teach classes at Hill's Tae Kwan Do. He has classes at 6 p.m. on Thursdays and encourages people all ages and skill levels to give it a try.
"I encourage everyone to work at their own level," said Rivera. "We do calisthenics working the abs and legs, and then work on boxing fundamentals like leaning and punching."
Rivera's classes are $35 for a 10-session card. He encourages those interested to participate in a class and then make a decision about joining the class.
"We encourage everyone to try it out for free to see if they like it," said Rivera. "Everyone is welcome to come work at their on pace. We welcome all shapes and sizes."
For more information, contact Rivera at 267-2461 or visit www.amateur-boxing.com. [[In-content Ad]]
After three months of training, Dillon Yates, a 12-year-old boxer from North Manchester, will hit the road to Toledo today. He will put on 8-ounce gloves, head gear, a groin protector and a mouth guard and step into the squared circle to participate in the championship round of the Toledo Golden Gloves competition at 7 p.m. tonight
Yates, a sixth-grader from North Manchester, will face off against Toledo's James Coleman in the 95-pound weight class in an Olympic-style bout. The pair will box in three three-minute rounds to decide the winner.
When Yates showed an interest in boxing, his father, Jeff Yates, contacted Rick Rivera about being Dillon's trainer and got the ball rolling. Jeff is a member of a class Rivera teaches at Hill's Tae Kwan Do in Pierceton.
"It's my duty as a boxer and as a coach," said Rivera. "Boxing has been good to me, and it's my duty to pass it on."
Rivera is licensed by the United States Amateur Boxing Federation and has been boxing since he was 17. Yates had to go through a licensing process in order to qualify to box as well.
"I have been boxing my entire adult life," said Rivera, who is now 36. "I started when I was 17 and I stopped competing when I was 32. I continue to work out and do personal training and cardio workouts."
In order to prepare for the competition, Yates and Rivera have been training for several months.
"We work on the proper training skills," said Rivera. "We work on fundamentals as well as the proper defense, how to throw and land punches."
Rivera also stresses that this competition is much different from the controversial Toughman Competition.
"This is far different from the Toughman competition," said Rivera. "The boxers are trained by skilled, licensed coaches. The boxers must be licensed as well. The referees in the ring watch the boxers in the ring carefully. They will stop the match if they feel it's necessary. The coaches can also stop the match if they feel their boxer is overmatched."
While coaching, Rivera continues to teach classes at Hill's Tae Kwan Do. He has classes at 6 p.m. on Thursdays and encourages people all ages and skill levels to give it a try.
"I encourage everyone to work at their own level," said Rivera. "We do calisthenics working the abs and legs, and then work on boxing fundamentals like leaning and punching."
Rivera's classes are $35 for a 10-session card. He encourages those interested to participate in a class and then make a decision about joining the class.
"We encourage everyone to try it out for free to see if they like it," said Rivera. "Everyone is welcome to come work at their on pace. We welcome all shapes and sizes."
For more information, contact Rivera at 267-2461 or visit www.amateur-boxing.com. [[In-content Ad]]