El Mundo Sports

ESPN’s Friday Night Fights made it’s way to Austin, TX, for its 10^th Anniversary celebration on Friday, September 5th. Local hero James “Mandingo” Kirkland was on hand to fight Ricardo Cortes in the main event. Kirkland’s trainer, Ann Wolfe, made her rounds, shaking hands with the crowd. ESPN cameras followed her every move, not letting her breathe even for a second. ESPN ringside announcers, Teddy Atlas and Brian Kinney, were seen chatting with the crowd and taking pictures to please their fans.

The electricity in the air would make a patient with a bad heart lose consciences. The hair on my arms stood up and it gave me the chills. That’s the moment I knew this was going to be a special experience. With the crowd chanting “Mandingo. Mandingo,” his rap music erupted and everyone leapt to their feet. Kirkland came out wearing his trademark black trunks and nasty snarl that would scare even the bravest of men.

From the second the bell rang, it was apparent Kirkland didn’t want the fight to last. Landing combo after combo, Cortes’ face was swelling within the first two minutes. Things went from bad to worse in the 2^nd round as Kirkland landed several punches to the swollen face of Cortes, eventually knocking him down.

Kirkland, along with the crowd, sensed the end was near. With Cortes returning to his feet, and the referee signaling the fighters to continue, Kirkland literally jumped across the ring and attacked his dazed opponent. Cortes lasted another 30 seconds before the referee probably saved him a trip to the hospital.

It was over, and so was Ricardo Cortes’ thought of an upset.

I caught up with Kirkland after the fight, and he seemed happy but not satisfied. On his performance Kirkland replied, “I did fairly well. But not enough body shots.”

ESPN’s Brian Kenny had a similar comment when I asked him what he thought of Kirkland’s performance. “He can’t fight like that (against the best),” Kenny replied. “But, he’s special.”

Kirkland is sure to get a title fight soon as he has ripped his way through every opponent he has come in contact with. “I’m pretty close to that #1,” says Kirkland after taking out his latest foe with ease.

And after Friday night, the world knows it too.

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The words of former women’s champion Ann Wolfe echo in the small gym in East Austin, which houses a small boxing ring and just enough space to rest for a few minutes after an aerobic workout. There are no locker rooms for fighters. No showers or message tables. There is only hope for a brighter future.

“It’s good for the community,” Wolfe told me while sitting outside the ring. “We get all kinds of people here. You saw us workout earlier and saw the teachers we have in class. I want everyone to feel like they can come here. But sometimes, all people need is a place to stay. I’m trying to reach the drug dealers in the East to the doctors in the West.”

Ann Wolfe runs her gym with pride and a big heart. She was once a proud champion and held 8 titles in 4 different weight classes. Wolfe was so good that Layla Ali backed out of the opportunity to fight her. “Layla didn’t want to fight me,” Wolfe proclaimed. “She wouldn’t have lasted 2 rounds with me.” That’s a lot of confidence coming from a woman of 37 years. Something tells me she’s probably right though. “If they wanted me to fight at 154 (pounds), I would. 160, I would. Didn’t matter because I was better than all of them.”

Wolfe is full of confidence, but she wasn’t always this way. She grew up on dangerous streets, similar to the ones in East Austin, and knows all too well how difficult it can be to make it. In her early twenties, a mother of two, Ann had no place to go and no real opportunities in front of her. When I asked her about her beginning in boxing, she replied by saying, “I was poor, and I thought if I could make money punching people, then why not?”

But boxing isn’t the only thing that Wolfe is good at. She has become a good motivator and source of inspirations and is using her talents to train up and coming fighters. One of those talents is a guy from Austin named James Kirkland. I asked Ann why she decided to train James. “He’s the only fighter I’ve been around that’s like me,” Wolfe said. “Put it this way, I’ve been hit by a lot of fighters in my life. When James was 15, he hit me harder than I’ve ever been hit. He can change the face of the Junior Middleweight class. He has so much power. I always tell him that he has to show it (in the ring).”

Strong words from a strong woman. When I asked her about James’ ability as a boxer, Wolfe was not hesitant in her admiration for the young fighter. “When we spar, we close the doors and turn up the heat to 105 degrees. There was once a guy who weighed 200 pounds and had 20 fights under his belt. He didn’t last 2 rounds with James.” On her thoughts of James chances to win a championship, Wolfe replied, “I just bought a new house. If James keeps training hard, I’ll put it up that he wins the championship.”

Even if James doesn’t get his shot, Wolfe is doing something good for the community. “I don’t profit from the gym,” Wolfe exclaimed. “It’s not for me. It gives people a place to come. You’d be surprise at how many people have slept in the ring.”

Ann Wolfe’s story is that of survival. She came from nothing, and yet Wolfe is still trying to give back to those in similar situations she endured as a youngster. If Kirkland does indeed win the championship one day, Ann Wolfe’s gym will profit dramatically from it. Who knows, maybe she can buy a bigger ring to house more of those in need.

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