Meet The Iron Man - by Tim Hocking

This week I wanted to provide the second of three pieces on the solid undercard talent for November 17th’s “Capital Punishment” at Myth in Maplewood, MN. Let’s take a look at the fighter of note, Blaine, MN’s Jon “The Iron Man” Schmidt.

Jon “Iron Man” Schmidt, a super middleweight, will face off on November 17th against Jason Medina from Moline, IL, a veteran of 12 professional fights.

“Iron Man”, (3-1, 3 KOs) earns his moniker from a tireless work ethic in and outside the gym. Jon attributes his physical fitness and punching power as two of his greatest strengths, and his fitness will surely pay dividends when he graduates to 6, 8 and 10 round bouts. Outside of the ring, Jon recently completed the Twin Cities Marathon, which he says was “fun, but (tough)”.

Schmidt’s father was a fighter and that is how Jon came to know Ron Lyke and his Anoka-Coon Rapids gym so well. “When I got in trouble with the law, my Dad dragged me in to see Ron to get my (stuff) straight,” Schmidt told SO Promotions. “I’ve been with Ron ever since, about 7 years now.”

Schmidt, 27, says his amateur career consisted of about 40 fights in which he maintained a near .500 record. “I started out my amateur career with a lot of wins and knockouts of fighters with similar experience,” Schmidt said. “But when I had to begin fighting guys with more experience I lost close decisions, but I learned a lot.”

“Experience is priceless,” Schmidt continued. “I had a few fights with (regarded Minnesota amateur) Cerresso that were real close and with Joe Davis and Phil Williams, all good fights that provided me a lot of valuable experience.”

Schmidt, 6’1”, says he is comfortable at his current weight, but may move down to the middleweight limit of 160lbs down the road. His biggest goal in the fight game is to see, “how far the hard work and great people he has surrounded himself with can take him in the sport.”

“Iron Man” suffered his first defeat in June of this year – on the undercard of “The Brawl in St. Paul", Matt Vanda versus Kenny Kost – a razor thin four round unanimous decision loss to Maplewood's respected pugilist Bobby Kliewer.

It was a very close fight that many ringside observers were split on. “At best, it was a draw,” Schmidt said. “I think his odd style was messing me up. I’m interested in a rematch, but maybe a little further in my career. For now, I’ll just worry about who they put in front of me.”

Whoever Seconds Out Promotions puts in front of Schmidt better be ready for a strong, all action fighter who can scrap and is ready to prove at “Capital Punishment” that he is someone to be considered in the Upper Midwest around 168lbs.

You won’t want to miss out when Jon “The Iron Man” Schmidt steps between the ropes on November 17th, eager to prove his work ethic thus far has paid off. Another fantastic reason to get your tickets for “Capital Punishment” before it’s too late!

"Behind The Brawl" - CAPITAL PUNISHMENT!

Seconds Out Promotions continues to provide new and inovative ways to promote events here in the Upper Midwest, continuing to pursue the goal to be the premier promoter in the entire Midwest.

Check out the latest edition of "Behind The Brawl" Vanda vs Kolle, "Capital Punishment" on the Seconds Out Promotions Myspace page at http://www.myspace.com/soboxing

In the first episode, we get a look at the training regimine of Matt "The Predator" Vanda and are introduced to Vanda's opponent on November 17th, Andy "Kaos" Kolle. This is the first in a series directed and produced by Michael Wilson.

You'll love it, come check it out now!

Star In The Making - Willshaun Boxley - by Tim Hocking

The main event of Nov 17th’s “Capital Punishment”, Vanda versus Kolle is no doubt worth the price of admission. 2,500 fans would turn out for this fight if it were the only bout of the night and held at the St. Paul Harding High School gymnasium. It will definitely be that good.

But the undercard this night could be equally as exciting. Over the next three weeks, I’d like to briefly profile three of the undercard fighters: Jon Schimdt, Phil Williams and Willshaun Boxley.

I’d like to start this week with a few words about 26 year old Willshaun Boxley from Minneapolis, MN. Willshaun, 5’5”, makes his professional debut on November 17th at featherweight after a sterling amateur career that included 3 upper Midwest Golden Gloves titles and the 2007 USA four state tournament championship.

There were even bigger opportunities available this year for Boxley but financial challenges forced him to bypass those options and turn professional.

“I was supposed compete in the nationals in Colorado Springs for a chance to compete in the Olympic box office which leads to the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China,” Boxley told SO Boxing. “But I didn’t have enough funds to get there and back, and that has been the biggest problem for me this year, my finances. This has been the worst year of my life.”

Boxley, a talented amateur fighter inside the ring, has no doubt hardened outside the ring as well as he has persevered through some difficult life experiences on his way to his professional debut on November 17th.

“I had to move back in with my mom, but she got really sick and she moved up north to live with my sister,” Boxley said. “I ended up staying house to house with friends and sometimes I even had to sleep in my car. There was a time this summer when I had no where to sleep but my car for a whole month. Now I have finally started to grow. And since I am turning pro I feel that I finally have a better chance at redemption.”

“I am in great shape, and I have been working out with some of the best people,” Boxley continued. “I feel good about working out. I haven't worked out with this much effort in about three years!”

Along with his amateur pedigree and determination through his life challenges, Boxley hopes to demonstrate at “Capital Punishment” some of his greatest strengths between the ropes.

Boxley possesses tremendous hand and foot speed, solid counterpunching ability, and power in both hands that would stun a middleweight. An exciting skill set for upper Midwest fight fans to come out and witness first hand next month at Myth in Maplewood. Currently, Boxley is scheduled to face off against another fighter making his professional debut, Nick Arellano from Davenport, Iowa.

Although Boxley is just getting started in the professional game, he has lofty goals and aspirations that he wants to achieve.

“I want to make a great impact on everyone in Minnesota,” Boxley told SO Boxing. “I want to fill the stadium one day! I want to be remembered. I get a thrill out of putting on a great show for fans. When I get out the ring I want to see a smile on everyone's face. I have had a thrill every day since I was a kid, back in Detroit. I had to fight every bully in school and I made everyone around me wonder how a kid so little could beat someone so big! I feel I’m going to be something great, because I have a hunger to achieve and I want more than just money, I want happiness.”

The thrill on November 17th for upper Midwest fight fans will be to have the opportunity to witness the professional debut of a talented featherweight who has grown as a man and no doubt brings star potential to the ring.

Willshaun Boxley will be an exciting addition to “Capital Punishment’ November 17th at Myth, so don’t miss your chance to get tickets today to see Willshaun for yourself!

Vanda-Kolle...Capital Punishment - By Jake Wegner

Who said Minnesota is against the Death Penalty? On November 17th at Myth in Maplewood, MN; two leading middleweights will attempt to extinguish the other in the Main Event of Seconds Out Promotions "Capital Punishment". Matt "The Predator" Vanda 37-4 (21 ko's) will lock horns with one of the fastest-rising prospects in the Middleweight division--Andy "Kaos" Kolle 15-1 (12 ko's). Let's size it up.

Vanda, a boxer-puncher with vastly more experience than his younger adversary; is looking to squash the hopes and dreams of the southpaw slugger from Fergus Falls. With veteran trainer Ron Lyke is in his corner, many are expecting to see the Vanda of old, who threw lighting-quick 6 & 7 punch combinations to the head and trunk of his opponents. The one who made us hyper-ventilate with excitement in his past fights with Troy Lowry and Yory Boy Campas. He's been pining for a rematch with Minnesota Middleweight champion, Tony Bonsante and a win over Kolle gets him one fight closer. With Vanda you can expect fast hands, a rock-solid chin, and a heart borrowed from Rocky Balboa. He'll need all of it against the brash power-punching Kolle, and he'll need to use it at the right moments--that will be Ron Lyke's job. In the past we have seen that Matt is a slow-starter, and this could be a factor, since Kolle is the just opposite.

Andy Kolle goes by the moniker of "Kaos," and so far it has been fitting. In his 16 fights, he's lost just once, that being to Olympian Andre Ward. As for the rest of them, less than a handful have even made it out of the first 3 rounds. With Kolle comes youth, size, reach, and numbing power. And just as Vanda has an expert strategist in his corner in Lyke, so does Kolle in Chuck Horton who also trains Light-Heavyweight contender Zach "Jungle Boy" Walters. The knock on the southpaw slugger has always been his weak oppositon, something Vanda and Lyke have pointed out as well. Can Kolle still cause "Kaos" when he's chasing an angry cheetah, rather than a wounded gazelle? On November 17th we'll know the answer.

Final Analysis: With both fighters having chins of granite, the odds say that the fight goes the distance in what probably will end up being a very bloody fight with a few fouls mixed in for good measure. There is genuine dislike between the fighters--that's a fact. Vanda has handled southaws reasonably well throughout his career. But can he handle one that is almost 5 inches taller than him and hits like a mule? If Vanda is still around after Kolle has exhausted himself throwing his heavy artillery in the early rounds, will Kolle still have enough stamina left to weather the constant forward-pressing attack, and high-punch output of Vanda in the later rounds? Can Kolle goad Vanda into getting into a war with him, or does Matt make it a match of attrition, making Kolle have to box and not brawl? And what happens if the young Kolle connects with his Sunday punch and Vanda is still there? Will he have enough other resources to win? Can Vanda even get inside of Kolle's superior reach to be able to go to work on his foe? You can't give a whipping, if you can't reach the target. Tickets are limited, so don't wait to get yours. There are some interesting questions that remain to be answered. And they will be answered. Will you be there to see it? Or will someone else have to tell you about it?

Lyke's Gym Update - By Jim Maurine

Everyone at Lyke's is either gearing up for the Nov 17th show at Myth, or getting ready for the next couple of Amatuer shows. Matt Vanda, Caleb Truax, Jon Schmidt and Wilshaun Boxley have been sparring and working out together the last couple of weeks and even Tony G has jumped in the ring for a few rounds!

Brad Laffin is also training hard, trying to jump start his career as a heavyweight once again. Our amatuer fighters have been getting tons of work with each other as well as with the pro's. It's great to see our pro fighters giving back by working with the amatuers. This week we're going to take their training up another notch and push all of our fighters harder, "conditioning is key" and all our fighters will be in great condition for their upcoming fights.

Welcome! By Tony Grygelko

Welcome to Soboxing.com blog. This blog will be an online extension of Seconds Out Promotions commitment to “STRENGTHENING THE FIGHT COMMUNITY WORLDWIDE”! We hope this blog will be a vital part of Soboxing.com's multi-media extension and will allow us to have a stronger communication outlet to our fans and participants worldwide. Additionally, this blog will provide a strong resource to the fight community about a vast majority of topics to include: future Boxing/MMA events; fighter information; training tips; Lyke's gymupdate/news/etc.; prognostication/reflection/opinions on SO Boxing events and talents.

On November 17th, Minnesota will yet again be treated to an another exciting boxing event. The main event will feature two of Minnesota's premier middleweight talents in Matt "The Predator" Vanda against Andy "Kaos" Kolle. Also featured will be Caleb "Golden" Truax, Phil "The Drill" Williams, "Ironman" Jon Schmidt and much, much more. "Capital Punishment" will be the first of many talent rich events that Seconds Out Promotions is committed to promote at "Myth" in Maplewood. We at Seconds Out Promotions are focused on creating a premier fight venue and re-establishing Minnesota and the Mid-west as a stage of top tier talent.