Fighting For A Dream; A Sailor's Journey with the U.S. Navy Boxing Team

FORT WORTH, Texas (NNS) -- A motivated Sailor assigned to Fleet and Industrial Supply Center detachment at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, continues to represent the U.S. Navy in the boxing ring.

At a young age, Yeoman 3rd Class J'von Wallace loved boxing but found himself getting shuffled into the wrong crowd.

After talking with a local Navy recruiter, Wallace discovered the All-Navy Boxing Team. On Sept. 5, 2003, the recruiter helped him get a little closer to his dream by enlisting Wallace in the Navy.

His first assignment brought him to Atsugi, Japan. He stayed in shape by wrestling to lift the heavy aircraft chains as a plane captain aboard the aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk (CV63).

Wallace later bid on a set of orders that brought him to Texas, with the Jacksonville, Florida-based Fleet and Industrial Supply Center detachment at Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth. He works as a post office supervisor, but on his off time he continued to focus on conditioning at local gyms like Fort Worth's Sycamore Recreation Center.

"I had to work my way in by keeping up with my training, staying in shape, working and keeping my passbook up," said Wallace, now a registered U.S. Amateur Boxer. "Most of the matches were open amateur, but a few tournaments were more semi-pro."

His first match stateside was Stephenville, Texas' Sigma Chi Fight Night. He lost, but was still motivated. Back on base, Wallace's new supervisor, Chief Storekeeper (SW/AW) Renee A. Reed, had just checked aboard and wanted to get to know her crew a little better.

"He seemed raw, unknown and unpolished somehow," said Reed. "He was trying to make fights at the local gym and dreamed of maybe making it to the Golden Gloves."
I had just seen the Navy Boxing Team on exhibition in Port Hueneme, Calif., while stationed there."

"I made some calls to a few chiefs and got the Navy Boxing coach on the phone."

Reed said the coach, Kevin Ludwig, sounded very excited over the phone to hear about Wallace. Reed approached her command with the idea of their little-known star athlete representing the Navy in the upcoming Navy Box Off back in Port Hueneme. The command whole-heartedly agreed and made arrangements for his shipmates to fill in at the busy base post office while Wallace scheduled to be away.

"All in all, everyone here took turns to help out at the post office," said Reed, who admits that even she and another chief came by to sort mail a few times. "They have been true shipmates to help out so that one of their own could pursue a dream. That makes them all champions in my book."

After his completion of the boxing team's package and a Navy physical, Wallace's soon found himself on a plane headed for Oxnard Naval Base, Ventura County, Calif., to train with the Navy Boxing Team.

"It was a great experience," Wallace said. "You get to meet a lot of people, learn a lot of new exercises. I felt like I was in the best shape of my life. I was able to do things I never thought I could do."

Originally, the boxing team numbered 13 Sailors, but a few early injuries had whittled it down to seven men and three women. Kevin Ludwig was the team's trainer.

With less than five weeks from the Navy Box Off in Port Hueneme, there wasn't much time to stand idle. All he required from the group was to continue to work out, stay in shape and train hard. The boxers could either continue to represent the Navy by winning their upcoming match or go home.

Reed said, "I'll never forget the next time I spoke to his coach, Kevin. I felt proud! He told me that he had never seen a fighter who appreciated the opportunity to box more than [Wallace]. I was happy that someone took a chance on this kid and saw his determination."

As a super heavyweight at 226 pounds, Wallace could be matched with anyone from 201 to 320 pounds. At Port Hueneme, Wallace eventually advanced to the next level –the Armed Forces Championship, held at Marine Corps Base Camp LeJeune, N.C.

Excitement spread as word got back to his shipmates in Fort Worth.

"I had people calling me asking how Wallace was doing," Reed said. I tried to keep everyone updated as much as possible. We were just hoping for the best."

Wallace's experience with the Armed Forces Championships began Feb. 4, with a fight with Lance Cpl. Jouse Torres.

By the end of round two, Wallace was down two points. he remembered what Ludwig had stressed about keeping a positive attitude even when you're down. In the fourth, he continued to apply pressure until the Torees went down, netting Wallace a silver medal.

Wallace said of his opponent, "He was a good fighter, and being the only Sailor in the Marines' backyard, I had to keep up the pressure."

With another win under his belt, Wallace was poised to be in the final fight in the championship. Winning this match would bring him a gold medal and the chance to fight in the coming international competition, the World Military Games held in Baku, Azerbaijani. Win or lose, he had already qualified for the national competition held in Colorado Springs, Colo., in March.

His opponent was Army Sgt. Andrew Sheppard, the number four ranked super-heavyweight fighter in the country.

"When I saw him I thought, 'oh, that's a big guy,' and I told myself, 'don't be nervous…don't be nervous. Just go in there and fight your fight,'" said Wallace.

In the third round, the referee called the match on Wallace's second knockdown to the mat. He had been bested, but his attitude remained intact.

"Losing to the fourth ranked fighter in the U.S., who's in the Olympic trials, really isn't all that bad. I had a lot of respect for the guy," he said.

"Win, lose or draw, I'm glad I came out with a silver medal," said Wallace. "A lot of people weren't expecting that out of the Navy, especially in the super-heavyweight division."

Now back in Fort Worth, Wallace continues to train and fight. Recently, he attended Fort Worth's Golden Gloves competition and won the regional title. Once again, he represented the Navy at the National's in Colorado, but lost to civilian, Savon Tol.

Reed said, "We are very proud of YN3 Wallace, he has worked very hard. He has and will continue to have the support of his shipmates and his chain of command."

For more news from Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, visit www.navy.mil/local/nasjrbfw/.