Local boxers focused on qualifying events
Fulghum, Fuchs keep hope alive as they head to Colorado for training
USA Boxing team members, including Darius Fulgham of Houston and Ginny Fuchs of Kemah, still face an uncertain road toward Tokyo as they begin a training camp in Colorado Springs, Colo.
Boxers are scheduled to compete in late February in Sofia, Bulgaria, followed a week later by a tournament in Valencia, Spain.
Also still to come is the regional qualifying event scheduled this spring in Argentina, where boxers will qualify their spots for Tokyo, followed by a lastchance qualifying event in Paris at a date to be determined.
Adding to the off-kilter nature of the pandemic year, the Colorado Springs camp is being held at a former Macy’s store that was converted into gym space for boxers and firing ranges for USA Shooting after the Olympic Training Center was closed because of COVID-19 restrictions.
Even that oddity, however, pales to the situation that Fuchs faced last year when she faced a possible suspension when she tested positive for a banned substance.
She eventually was cleared when investigators determined that the presence of the banned substance was the result of unprotected sex with her boyfriend.
“It was a unique situation,” she said. “I had to hand over my phone and be open about my personal life.
“It’s kind of weird. The quarantine actually helped me because it put everything on hold. I wouldn’t have been able to compete until the case was closed and the no-fault finding.
“If anything, I'm glad that I can help other athletes know there’s another possible way of getting cross-contaminated with banned substances and that we need to go further with being careful.”
Fuchs said the Olympic team held several training camps during the pandemic, most recently in December in Chula Vista, Calif. In Houston, she continues daily training with Derwin Richards at Baby Bull Boxing in the Heights and strength and conditioning work with trainer Evans Tobler at Fit2Live in Southside Place.
“It’s a waiting game,” she said. “I’ve had moments where the unknown sets in and people talking about the possibility that the Olympics might not happen.
“I’ve had thoughts about al the work I’ve been doing for 11 years going down the drain, but those thoughts are not as powerful as the positive thoughts. I believe the Olympics will happen, and I’ve had an extra year to get better at my craft. I feel good. I feel sharp.”
Fulgham, who hopes to compete in the men’s heavyweight division in Tokyo, continues to train at O Athletik in the Heights and said that he has settled into a routine of sorts as the pandemic continues.
“I’ve gotten used to it, but it’s still a hassle, especially mentally,” he said.
Fulgham shares a house with friends, including a former nursing school classmate from Prairie View A&M, and keeps in touch with classmates that have traveled across the country for jobs in COVID-19 hot spots.
While Fulgham plans to turn pro after the Olympics, presuming he is able to qualify at the Argentina event, he said he will return to nursing when his career ends.
“I will step back and put the stethoscope back on,” he said.
Despite the mental strains of the pandemic, Fulgham said this has been a time of learning and discipline that he hopes will stand him in good stead in all walks of life.
“I’ve learned about myself and things I need to work on,” he said. “I’ve started meditating and writing, not about things that are specific to boxing, just about being more introspective and disciplined.”