Saturday, January 24, 2009
Gator club may need new home
Jeff Gilbert
Gilbert is the sports editor for The Roanoke Times
Recent columns
The Gator Boxing Club in Roanoke is looking for a new home, but Maynard Quesenberry hopes it doesn't come to that.
Gator is subletting space in the Roanoke-Salem Plaza from a church for $350 a month, but the church is ending its lease at the end of the month. That move will raise Gator's rent to $1,000. The club has signed a two-month lease, and Quesenberry, one of the club's trainers, said that Dr. Ali Hijasi, who works out at Gator, has agreed to pay half the rent.
But when April comes, Gator will need either more income or a new place for no more than $500 a month. Quesenberry hopes for more income, which might come through bingo fundraising that the club plans to begin in February.
"It's a nice location and it's a good gym and a lot of people are coming in to work out," Quesenberry said. "It's not just guys that want to fight -- it's people that want to work out."
Mark Harrison is director of the club, but he said he has left the task to finding a new location to Quesenberry and he is confident something will work out.
"We're nonprofit so we've always had help," Harrison said. "Hopefully somebody can help us out."
Gator Boxing trainer headed to USA clinic
Quesenberry, who trains amateur and professional boxers at Gator, will have an all-expenses paid trip to Colorado Springs, Colo., in late March. USA Boxing is flying him in for a clinic that will give him level 3 certification.
At level 3, Quesenberry will be certified to work as a trainer internationally. If a USA Boxing team goes to a tournament outside the country, he could be asked to be part of the coaching staff and work with elite boxers.
"I would eventually like to get on some of the international trips," Quesenberry said.
"I think I have something to offer.
"It's something I've been trying to do for several years."
Sigmon to fight at Staunton Armory
Scott "Cujo" Sigmon of Bedford will fight on a pro-am card Jan. 31 at the Staunton Armory. Sigmon, who won a bout at the Salem Civic Center in August, will fight Alex Dill of Virginia Beach in a six-round light heavyweight bout.
Sigmon (3-1) followed his victory in Salem over Daniel Shull with a decision over Billy Johnson (3-3) in September at the Sportsplex in Millersville, Md. Dill, 32, is 5-5 but last fought in 2003.
"He's older and more experienced, so that's dangerous," Sigmon said. "He says he took time off to fine tune himself. We'll have to be the judge of that on Jan. 31."
Sigmon is a Staunton River High School graduate and a personal trainer at the Jamerson YMCA in Forest. He started boxing five years ago and turned pro last year after winning two state golden gloves titles and compiling a 10-2 amateur record.
Sigmon said super middleweight is his natural division, but he's only fought once at that weight. So another move up to light heavyweight to fight Dill doesn't concern him.
"Dill looks like a bodybuilder, but it's my job to show that this is boxing, not bodybuilding," Sigmon said, "and that boxing shows the measure of a man on the inside not the measure of a man on the outside. And I'll show everybody that after a few rounds.
"It's a six-round fight, but I'll stop him before that. I don't want to predict what round and put that pressure on myself, but he will not answer the bell for sixth round."
Sigmon, who trains under Bruce Frank at the Staunton Boxing Club, said he wants to move on from this fight to take on Toris Brewer (14-2) of South Carolina in either Charlottesville or Lynchburg on March 7. It would be Brewer's first fight outside of the Carolinas.
Also fighting on the card in Staunton will be cruiserweight Juan Carlos Robles (10-2) of Waynesboro against Ed Gutierrez (15-6) of Oakland, Calif. Gutierrez's most recent outing was a 10-round loss to Matt Godfrey (18-1), the third-ranked cruiserweight in the world.
George Rivera (9-3) of Charlottesville will face Rodney Green (6-5) of Wilson, N.C., in a junior middleweight bout.
