TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) - Jay Deas understands the value of a passionate hobby.
The Tuscaloosa native-turned-boxing trainer has seen it firsthand.
A little over a decade ago, Deas met a 20-year-old who walked into his gym looking for a boxing trainer. A few years later, that tall, physical young man, Deontay Wilder, became the World Boxing Council’s heavyweight boxing champion.
Could the next big thing in boxing be here in Decatur?
“You never know,” Deas said. “That person could be right here.”
Deas, who still is Wilder’s trainer, visited Decatur this month to work with young local boxers in the Decatur Youth Services boxing program at the Carrie Matthews Center.
“We reached out and asked if Jay would come talk to our kids, and work with them a little bit, and he said, ’Yes,’ ” Decatur Youth Services boxing instructor Dale Townsend said.
“This was a great opportunity for our kids. There were a lot of lessons, both in boxing instruction and inspirational instruction.”
Even though Wilder is the first WBC heavyweight champion from Alabama, Deas also is a bit of inspirational story. He is an Alabama native who followed his dream, even though many believed it was a long shot.
Deas grew up as a boxing fan. That stems from the career of older brother, Tommy.
When Deas was in elementary school, his older brother was a print journalist who covered boxing. Deas was fascinated by the sport and wanted to be involved, but he did not have the physical attributes to be a heavyweight fighter.
That, however, did not keep Deas from chasing his dream.
In the early 2000s, Deas and his brother started Skyy Boxing, which is a training facility in Tuscaloosa. After Deas’ brother was promoted to sports editor at the Tuscaloosa News, the younger sibling took over the primary duties at the facility. A few months later, Wilder showed up at the gym looking for a full-time trainer.
“Before I went to work with my brother, I was working in the media at the TV station in Panama City, Florida,” he said. “But my real passion was boxing. That’s what I wanted to do. It’s funny how life has a way of working out.”
In the boxing world, Wilder has been a major success, and Deas still works as his sparring partner.
Deas passed along some of the lessons he has learned.
“There are a lot of valuable lessons you can learn from this sport,” Deas said. “To be successful, it requires discipline and work ethic. Those are things you can use in anything you do in life.”
Townsend agreed.
“If you set your mind to something, you can accomplish anything,” he said. “Success stems from hard work. If you apply yourself, good things happen. Plus, being part of a sport that requires hard work and discipline prepares you for just about anything else you do in life. Successful people work hard at anything they do.”
Townsend knows this from personal experience.
While growing up in the area, he was part of local boxing program. Even though he did not have what it takes to fight at the professional level, he applied the lessons he learned from the sport in his career as a Limestone County sheriff’s deputy.
Townsend also passed some of those lessons down to his son, Chadarius, who was an all-state football player at Tanner High and now plays wide receiver at Alabama.
“It’s important for young people to be involved in something positive - something that teaches the values you need to be successful in life,” Townsend said. “In this world, the sky is the limit, if you apply yourself. You see success stories all the time. That’s a message we want our kids here to understand, even if they don’t learn anything else. If you apply yourself, good things usually happen.”
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Information from: The Decatur Daily, http://www.decaturdaily.com/decaturdaily/index.shtml
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