Eyes On The Olympics

[WASHINGTON POST]  A FIGHTER ONCE AIMED TOWARD JAIL NOW HAS EYES ON THE OLYMPICS

17 year old boxer Jerry Odom is punching his way to the 2012 Olympics, which is far from the jail cell he was once aimed towards.  He says he began fighting at the young age of 8 in Justice Court apartments in Northeast Washington, DC.  His first fight was against two boys that were both 3 years older.  He fought dirty and ruthlessly, but won in the end.

He is still an unrestrained fighting power that is known as “TNT” to family and friends.  Fortunately, today he is no longer the problem child that got kicked out of school almost every school year.  At age 14, he stood in a D.C. courtroom in front of a judge that was tired of seeing him (it was his third time there) and was ready to send him to juvenile detention.  To prevent him from going to detention or going home and getting in more trouble, his uncle Kenneth Williams decided to take him to live with him in his quiet Bowie neighborhood away from the troubles of the city.  Although not totally accepting of the move, Jerry knew “I had to get out of trouble, get out of that environment…I was hard. In the neighborhood I was in, that’s how you had to be. You couldn’t be no sucker.”

Jerry decided to start boxing because he thought he might like it and it could be a good way to release anger and tension.  His uncle signed him up to work with Bernard Roach, the best boxing trainer in the area, at his No Xcuse gym in Capitol Heights.

After training with Roach for several hours daily over the past three years, the 6-foot-1, 178 pound boxer has made quite a name for himself.  He has a 30-3 amateur record and will compete at the USA Boxing National Championships in a few weeks in Colorado Springs, along with fellow No Xcuse boxer D’Mitrius Ballard.  This is the country’s premier amateur boxing tournament and a win here will put them both one step closer to the 2012 Olympics.

Reflecting back on how far Jerry has come and the opportunities ahead of him, his uncle Kenneth told him “the success is to reach back and help another person.  And if you don’t do that, it’s for nothing. It’s null and void. You understand that? The success is not for you.”

Jerry agrees and now knows that anything is possible as his dreams of the spotlight are becoming true.  He now has goals that are actually obtainable, such as graduating from Flowers High School and going to college for engineering.  No matter the outcome from the boxing championships, Jerry has already won!

Read this Washington Post article to learn about this street fighter turned Olympics-bound boxer.



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