By By Tony Krausz / assistant sports editor
October 14, 2004
After about a year inside the squared circle, Tyler Ricks stepped out of the ring a champion.
The Northeast Lauderdale student won the Magnolia State Golden Glove championship in the intermediate division 90-pound weight class on Oct. 2 in Pearl. The tournament included boxers from Mississippi, Tennessee, Alabama and Louisiana.
The 13-year-old pugilist started boxing about a year ago under the tutelage of Larry Kern, who is the owner/proprietor of Camp Kern a 20-acre, state-of-the-art training camp.
Ricks is undersized for a boxer. He stands at 4-foot-10 and weighs in at 87 pounds, but he more than makes up for his size with his determination in the ring.
Ricks' heart and endurance was put to its biggest test over the weekend of Oct. 2-3.
The young boxer fought on back-to-back days for the first time in his career at Pearl. After winning the Golden Gloves on Oct. 2, Ricks stepped into the ring for a second bout the following day.
Ricks lost the decision, but he said fighting a second bout the day after his first one was a good experience.
Ricks has qualified for the regional Golden Gloves tournament, which will be held early next year, in Little Rock, Ark. If he wins in Arkansas, Ricks will qualify for the national tournament in the spring of 2005.