orts
tough Jab
Scott
Buchzeiger is
getting his
exercise in the
boxing ring.
STEVE STEIN
Photos by Glenn Triest
SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS
A
punch caught Scott
Buchzeiger right in
the gut. Another
landed squarely on
his chin. Dazed, he wavered
and almost went down to the
mat.
Luckily, those were imag-
inary blows. But Buchzeiger
was hurting nonetheless af-
ter what he thought would
be his boxing debut.
A 14-bout program was
supposed to be held Oct. 24
at the Jewish Community
Center in West Bloomfield.
Amateur fighters like
Buchzeiger, from Jackie
Kallen's new
Galaxy Boxing
Team, were on the
card and promoters
were hoping sever-
al hundred fans
would be on hand.
But because of
scheduling snafus
with opponents,
only two bouts were
held. No fans were
asked to pay the
$10 admission price
and many didn't
stay for the two
matches.
Buchzeiger, who
had trained night
and day for nearly
two months for his
bout, didn't get a
chance to fight and
he was devastated.
"I was de-
pressed," the 21-
year-old Farming-
ton Hills resident
admitted. "I didn't
want to box any-
more. But I went to
the gym on Monday
and got right back
to work. Now, I feel
that what hap-
pened is no big
deal. It's over and
done with."
Buchzeiger re-
turned to his train-
ing routine at
Kallen's Galaxy
Boxing Gym in
Redford to prepare
for a scheduled appearance
in the ninth annual Motor
City Diamond Gloves tour-
nament two weeks ago at the
Northwest Activities Center
in Detroit (the former JCC).
This time, he actually got
a chance to fight. Competing
in the 125-pound division,
the 5-foot-7 Buchzeiger
stopped his opponent in the
opening minute of the first
round.
The TKO not only gave
him a 1-0 record but also the
weight class championship
and his first boxing trophy.
Buchzeiger is tentatively
slated to return to the ring
Dec. 16 during a card at the
Ultimate Sports Bar in Pon-
tiac.
Buchzeiger's father, Leon,
admittedly not a very objec-
tive observer, was extreme-
ly pleased with his son's
opening-night performance.
"He hit the guy with so
many punches so quickly
that they had to stop the
fight," Leon said. "A fellow
who trains professional fight-
ers was there in the crowd
and he said he didn't realize
how hard Scott hit with his
right hand."
And how did Scott feel
about his long-awaited de-
but? The 1989 North Farm-
ington High School graduate
was happy about both the
victory and the opportunity
to test his skills against
someone other than a spar-
ring partner.
"I felt really nervous before
the match, but once I got into
the ring, I was confident that
I knew what I had to do to
win," Scott said.
"I guess I'd give myself a B
grade in that fight. That's
what my coach, Greg Owens,
gave me, too. I didn't have
any head movement, but I
thought I slipped the other
guy's punches well and I hit
him with a lot of power.
"I want to thank Jackie
Kallen, James Toney, my
coach, my mom (Linda), my
dad, and my little brother
(Greg, 17) for their encour-
agement. Without them, I
couldn't have kept going af-
ter what happened in Octo-
ber."
Toney, the IBF mid-
dleweight champion, is man-
aged by Kallen and he also
trains in the Galaxy gym.
Scott Buchzeiger and Toney
have become friends and
Toney is Buchzeiger's boxing
inspiration. Buchzeiger has
accompanied Toney on a cou-
ple of his fights and he's run
with him during training.
"James (Toney) is like part
of our family," Buchzeiger
said. "He wants what's best
for me. He's called me to get
me out of bed so I can start
training.
"He's the kind of guy who'll
do anything for a friend. If I
called him now and said I
had to go to the hospital be-
cause I was sick, he'd drive
down from Ann Arbor and
take me there."
Buchzeiger credits his in-
volvement with kick boxing
(he had a 1-1 record in his
brief career in that sport) and
then boxing during the past
three years for turning his
life around.
He admits he "hated"
school, he was getting into
fights, and there were other
problems as well.
Frankly, there's no time
now for him to get into trou-
ble. Not with training six
days a week in the Galaxy
gym (Sunday is a day for
bowling in the B'nai B'rith
League) and running 3.5-4
miles every day.
Needless to say, Leon
Buchzeiger is glad to see his
son headed in the right di-
rection.
"Jackie treats her boxers
like they were her own kids,"
he said. "She and her train-
ers work very hard to build
their boxers' confidence and
self-esteem. Plus, the guys
are always prepared.
"In my opinion, Jackie
Kallen is the most honest
person in the boxing indus-