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Warning: Colvin's Power Can
Make You Flip Out
It was one of those moments in boxing that makes every
highlight reel and blooper show in the country.
Undefeated (6-0, 5 KOs) middleweight Kurtiss (pronounced
Kur-teese, not Curtis) Colvin was having a highly
entertaining scrap with Long Beach, California's Cleven Ishe
at the Morongo Casino Resort & Spa, in Cabazon, California,
and live on ESPN Friday Night Fights, last July 22 when he
knocked Ishe down with a looping right hand.
What made the moment a favorite on YouTube and a staple of
every sport show's highlights that week was Ishe's reaction
to the punch: he did a Popeye-style backward somersault from
the force of the blow.
To his credit, Ishe got up, but a couple punches later, he
was rescued by referee Lou Moret at 1:24.
"It was my first time on TV, so I had to make a statement,"
laughs 25-year-old Colvin of the unforgettable knockdown. "I
train for the best possible outcome in all my fights and
that's what that was. My trainer, Frank Tate, told me in all
his years, he never saw a knockdown like that. I said 'you
have now and there's more to come.'"
Before turning pro in 2009, Colvin was 45-5 as an amateur
and on the USA National Team. He won the State Golden
Gloves, and was ranked number one in Texas and number three
in the country.
"I ran track for a long time and one day I ran for seven
miles and came across this boxing gym and I went in,"
recounts Colvin of his introduction to boxing. "I was mad at
the world, so I started to hit the bag and must have looked
bad because some guys were laughing. (Female boxing legend)
Anne Wolfe came in and asked me why I was hitting the bag
like that. She told me to hit it as fast as I can and I hit
it very, very fast. She said do it again and I did. She said
I had talent. I stopped doing track and have been boxing
ever since."
Now training at Hanks' Gym in Houston (where he moved from
his native Austin), Colvin has already won over some
impressive believers. His promoter is one of the game's
best, Gary Shaw of Gary Shaw Productions. He is managed by
Blanco Sports Management and trained by former world
champion and Olympic Gold Medalist Frank Tate. Strength and
conditioning coach Forrest Washington rounds out the team.
"Kurtiss is the nicest guy in the world, but he turns so
mean in the ring," says Shaw of his young prospect. "His
style has been described as sugar and hot sauce because he
can be slick, but he also has a lot of power. He's a born
entertainer with a ton of personality and I foresee big
things in his future."
Greg Kopel of Blanco says seeing Colvin fight for the first
time, he knew he had tremendous potential. "We saw him as an
amateur and were blown away. You could see his fierce
desire. It stood out. Kurtiss has a personality and style of
fighting that step off the page."
Tate has some strong words about his fighter's destiny. "You
get Kurtiss in a championship fight I guarantee he will
deliver. He wants it so bad it's all he talks about. He pays
the price. I don't know too many boxers who will do forty
rounds in one session. This kid will go in there and do
forty rounds with thirty second rests."
Tate also says Colvins unique fighting style will prove
advantageous as he moves up the ladder.
"Kurtiss is the kind of fighter that does his own thing
because he's in his in own world. He can be relaxed
sometimes and sometimes he goes all out. It's hard to really
describe him, which is good because it'll be hard for people
to figure him out. We'll work on something but the day of
the fight he'll do something totally different, but it works
for him, so I leave it alone."
Colvin says he knows his animated demeanor in the ring can
be mistaken for cockiness. "When I box, I have so much fun.
A lot of people see it as cocky, but I'm really just having
fun. I train so hard in the gym and give it my all and
sometimes I hate those days of training, but when I fight,
that's the fun part of it. That's when I have fun and
showcase my talent."
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