By Jose Hernandez
OSWEGO – A young boxing prodigy is making waves in the Oswego community. 9-year-old King “Of the Ring” Cook already has 4 amateur fights despite still being in elementary school.
Cook is a finalist in the Silver Gloves competition, which is like the Golden Gloves but for younger fighters aged 8 -16. “Silver Gloves was my second fight, when I was in that fight, at first I felt nervous, but when I got into the second round, I started to feel good about it, and ended up winning it,” said Cook. “In my next fight I’m going to start using more strategy. I’m hoping to do better with my breathing.” Cook just wanted to try out boxing to see how it was, and when he did his coaches were nice and he liked it a lot. He liked how he felt when he started and decided to keep going with it.
Cook was born on July 28th, 2014. Cook and his family live in Oswego NY, where Cook attends school. Cook does well in school, and he also plays the xylophone, where he plays in school concerts, and he has a concert in May. Cook has had 4 fights total, and his first fight was a local fight at OBC athletics event “The Throw Down in O-Town” where he was a winner. He has 2 wins and 2 losses and has been fighting much more experienced boxers due to his higher skill level than most kids his age.
Cook’s parents, Lexy Torello and Dequan Cook, believe in their son a great deal. “He’s good at all the sports he plays, it sparked an interest, we started, and he’s loved it since” said Torello. “I kinda wanted to see how he would do in boxing, because he just finished basketball season, which he’s phenomenal at, so I think it was just the next thing that was available that would keep him active, and we just moved forward with it. Boxing is currently the only sport he does now, it’s a full 100% commitment. He’s in the gym every day after school.
It is rare for someone so young to get such praise from his community, in and out of the gym. His teammates love having him around, and Torello speaks on how he frequently gets recognized due to his boxing prowess. At ‘The Throw-Down in O-Town,’ kids and adults alike were running up to him to congratulate him, and Torello says it even happens outside of events when they are around town. “A lot of people are behind him and supporting him, including his coach, Derrick Falcetti, who is phenomenal, I think he’s gonna go somewhere with it. I see something there,” said Torello.
Most boxers who turn professional tend to start around Cook’s age and are usually directed toward the sport by family. This is not true in Cook’s case. His mother and father have no prior experience in boxing. His own personal drive and want to box is why he is boxing competitively currently. Although Cook is gaining experience, his mother still can’t help but worry about her son when he’s fighting.
“Anxious, nervous, I couldn’t even tell you all the feelings I feel, it’s pretty intense,” said Torello. It’s hard to imagine any mother would not feel some form of nervousness when their son is fighting. “I worry when he gets in the ring,” said Dequan Cook, “he’s still a work in progress, but I think he’s on the right track.” Dequan fully believes that his son will make the right decisions and go pro one day.
Jorge “Tito” Delgado and Andre Mendez, both boxers themselves, are the leaders of the OBC Athletics youth club. “I think he’ll be pro, or ready to turn pro by the time he’s 18,” said Delgado. Most states have an age restriction that doesn’t allow boxers to engage in a professional fight until they are 18, but they also allow kids to begin fighting in amateur fights as young as 8 years old. “I kind wish I started that young,” said Delgado, “he’s gonna take the world by storm.”
Mendez has been in the program since he was Cook’s age and has now taken the role of trainer, while still training to become a pro. “The youth program is where I started. It’s nice seeing kids younger than me coming in around the same age that I was when I came in, and getting to train them,” said Mendez. “The other coaches help, but it’s mainly me and Coach Tito. It’s great seeing King fight because it makes us feel like the classes are working.”
“It feels amazing to be a coach for the youth program now, it’s what I always wanted to do. Since I started boxing, I wanted to be like Coach Falcetti and help kids out that are like how I was, and show them that anything is possible,” said Mendez. While Mendez is proud of his work as a coach, his main goal is to win a Golden Gloves title and become a professional boxer.
“We really didn’t even have to coach him in his first fight, we just gave him water between rounds, and he knew what he had to do,” said Delgado. Cook seems to be naturally gifted at boxing, taking to it a lot better than people could possibly expect from a 9-year-old. It all stems from joining the OBC Athletics youth club.
“I like coaching the youth, I like giving them a place to come and be able to express themselves, build up team leadership skills,” said Delgado. Cook is already a leader in the gym, constantly pushing his teammates, and even coaches, to give their 100% in their training. Through pushing his teammates further, he is also pushing himself further, making himself and his teammates better fighters, as well as better people.
“I think King is a dog, he is mean, he’s smart, he’s light on his feet, and his hands are crisp. When he goes into the ring, he is trying to hurt feelings,” said Delgado. “He’s number 1 motivator, if he sees anyone slacking, adult or kid, he’s the first one to call them out.” Delgado himself has been pushed to try harder by Cook, which is something one may not expect from a 9-year-old. “Being called out by a 9-year-old kinda puts a little fire under you,” laughed Delgado.
The youth club has around 12-16 other kids that Cook can interact and train with. Other than Cook, there are 4 other kids that are training to become boxers, including Delgado’s 7-year-old son. Having other kids his age with the same dream can only benefit Cook, as having peers around your age is integral to people in their pursuit of success. Cook is currently the only one old enough to compete.
“With boxing, starting young gives you a routine, discipline, leadership skills, and I think it builds character. You really know what your made of when you’re doing exercises that you want to quit, but keep going,” said Delgado. Coaches Delgado and Mendez aren’t shy about being willing to push their kids in the club, and truly believe that it will make them better boxers. The kids sometimes go through drills and exercises that some adults in the adult classes can’t handle, and don’t show any signs of quitting.
“When you start young, you can start building your style, you watch and train with the older guys. Sid, who passed away, was the guy who got me here and I looked up to him in the gym, I watched him train and he pushed me, so seeing King and the other kids looking up to me is amazing,” said Mendez.
“King’s been in the program before I came, it’s cool to be a part of his journey now,” said Delgado. “I get nervous when I see Cook in the ring fighting, I get nervous when I see anyone from the gym fighting. I get butterflies, shakiness, but once I hear the ‘ding-ding-ding’ I feel less nervous. I start seeing the things I’m teaching him in the ring, and I feel so proud,” said Delgado.
King “Of the Ring” Cook’s next fight will be in May. He plans to have as many amateur fights as he possibly can, with the goal of becoming a professional by the time he turns 18.
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