Fight night: 4-H Fair allows aspiring boxers to step into the ring

Andy Knight, The Herald Bulletin, Anderson, Ind.
·2 min read

Jul. 25—ALEXANDRIA — Frank Osagiede admitted to having a slight case of nerves a few minutes before his first sanctioned USA Amateur Boxing match at Beulah Park.

The butterflies went away quickly, however.

"This is what I do. I love boxing," said Osagiede, a 19-year-old former high school football star from Missouri City, Texas, who trains at Mo Better Boxing Studio in Houston. "It's a big thing for me, but it's basically what I do."

For Osagiede and 29 other fighters, Saturday evening's card was a chance to get some valuable match experience against live competition in front of an enthusiastic crowd.

"I appreciate the work," said Joe Williams, 14, of Benton Harbor, Michigan. "It's helping me get better in my career and everything."

The boxing event is the brainchild of Randy Hobbs, the Madison County 4-H Fair's entertainment coordinator. Faced with a growing number of vendors choosing to leave the fair early each year, the Kiwanis board tasked Hobbs with adding something different to the fair's calendar.

Rather than booking additional bands or other traditional fair entertainment, Hobbs spoke with a friend in charge of booking USA Amateur Boxing events at several venues in Indiana, Michigan and Ohio. After filing for the appropriate permits, renting a ring and covering the cost of a ringside physician, the Kiwanis hosted its first night of boxing at the fair eight years ago. Since then, they've drawn aspiring fighters from Chicago, Detroit, St. Louis and other major cities.

"The very first year it was on a Friday night, which didn't really work too well because there's a lot of inner city kids involved with boxing, and in order for their families to be here, they have to be here on a weekend," Hobbs said. "The bottom line is, we've always had a good crowd."

Those crowds usually include many who might normally spend their entertainment dollars elsewhere. But in part because of boxers from training centers in Indianapolis, Saturday's event drew dozens of spectators from outside Madison County.

"We've got people from all walks of life that will come out and just the same as they'll come watch young people compete at a football game or a baseball game, they come out to watch them fight," Hobbs said. "They love it. It's a good thing."

Follow Andy Knight on Twitter @Andrew_J_Knight, or call 765-640-4809.