Freeman was born in Dayton and lived there until moving to Centerville at the age of 13. Before graduating from Centerville High School in 2008, he played football and hosted his own radio show on the school’s station as part of the CHS broadcast management program. He attended Sinclair Community College and began working full time at Pet Supplies Plus and Subway. He also is studying techniques to participate in the WWE Wrestling League competitions held in West Carrollton.
“A friend of mine told me about boxing training,” said Freeman, who took the friend’s advice and trained with Steve “Tiny” Heckman for 4 ½ months in Dayton.
“He’s an ex-Marine. He had me run for cardio, lift weights and learn to box.”
In December, Freeman began training about three hours a day, four to five days a week with John Drake at Drake’s Downtown Gym in Dayton. In January, he paid $50 and entered The Toughman Contest.
“They give you handwraps, mouth guards, head gear, 16-ounce boxing gloves and a groin protector,” said Freeman, who was one of 40 contestants competing Jan. 21. “You can’t have competed in any professional fights and no more than five amateur fights. Each fight has three, one-minute rounds.”
Freeman only had one fight during the first night preliminary round, which resulted in his competitor being knocked out during the second round. Freeman then moved on to compete in two fights the second night during the final round.
“I felt I was prepared, but I was nervous when I got into the ring,” said Freeman, who had sparred, but never with head gear and a mouth guard prior to The Toughman Contest. “There are instructors in the corners of the ring to give you water and stop any bleeding. Once I got out there, it was just boxing basically. In the first fight, I had to fight a bouncer from Maryland. He was a really nice guy, but he didn’t have the cardio and was really winded after the first round.”
Following a winning decision after the third round, Freeman advanced to his second fight, which he won with a knockout during the first round. His parents, brothers Patrick and Nicholas, and other relatives cheered for him in the audience.
He is now eligible to compete for a $50,000 prize in Las Vegas in The Toughman Contest national circuit to be held later this year.
Contact this columnist at (937) 432-9054 or jjbaer@aol.com.
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