Boxing for Dollars: Jack Nichols Event Supports Saratoga Youth Boxing

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Boxers donned their gloves on Friday, Jan. 27 at the Holiday Inn in memory of their late coach and mentor, Jack Nichols. In attendance at the meet, which hosted 10 bouts (matches), were boxers from the Saratoga, Schenectady, Catskill and Hudson areas. The room in which the fights took place was crowded with over 200 people in the audience. Money from ticket sales went to the Saratoga Youth Boxing Association. Ranging in ages from 15 to 23, fighters took to the ring in pairs to see who had the edge. Each match consisted of three 2-minute rounds. Fighters won by delivering more accurate blows than competitors, or by hitting them until they lost composure, in which case the referee ended the round. “This will be the fifth year since my father’s passing and the fifth year we’ve hosted the event,” said Mike Nichols. After taking over his father’s gym on Weible Avenue, Nichols puts on the event to raise money for expenses and commemorate his father. In boxing, matches are important, said Nichols. “If you matchup two kids that really aren’t equally ready, someone ends up getting clobbered,” he said. “You can’t put a kid with no fights in there with a kid who has three, it’s too much.” As a result of the matchings, only one Saratoga boxer fought Friday, and it was 15-year-old Cody Farr from Mechanicville High School. Having never fought before and with only 6 months of training, it was plain to see the young guy was tense before getting in the ring. Farr lost, but not without dishing out some tough blows to his competitor, Alfredo Padillo from Schenectady. Having put out a number of professional boxers in his time, the Jack Nichols name is one that won’t soon be forgotten. In attendance were Gary Wilcox, dubbed “The Whip” in his professional boxing days, and Tyrone Southside Jackson. After going pro, Wilcox left Nichols and the gym, but Jackson never did. In fact, Jackson remains an integral part of the Youth Boxing Association where he now works as a coach and trainer. Talking about Mike Nichol’s father, Jackson said, “He was a really great guy. When things were tough, he noticed, got you in the gym, and had you work it out.” So the spirit of Jack Nichols lives on through the people he touched, and the kids couldn’t be happier, because they’re working with the best. For more information, visit the club at 30 Weible Avenue in Saratoga Springs.