The gym, owned and operated by local pro boxer Eddie Morris, hosted the special fundraiser on Saturday to help raise money for the Travis Ramsey Scholarship Fund, as well as raise funds for new equipment for the youth members of the gym.
Ramsey was a 15-year old freshman at East Paulding High School when he passed away a little over a year ago after an accidental overdose of a non-prescription drug.
A big boxing fan, Ramsey favorite pugilist was Muhammad Ali, which he would often quote, saying “I am the greatest”.
Since his passing, friends who train at Douglasville Boxing Club, as well as the club itself try to honor his memory by teaching others to “put down the drugs, and pick up the gloves.”
The fundraiser featured four “showcase” fights, games, food, raffles, and provided youth motivation through special speakers.
The event opened with a brief introduction to the cause by Eddie, and his wife, Taurus Morris, who put the fundraiser together along with family members in attendance, Tammie Cuice (aunt) and Scarlet Scogland (cousin).
After the introductions, a brief video of Ramsey was shown, depicting him in a playful, boxing match at home.
The exhibitions matches kicked off with Antonio Pattion taking on Kordero Faulkner. No winners were named in any of the fights and both competitors hands were raised in victory afterward. Also competing were Corey Coleman, Matthew Eddie, Eddie Leija, Reed Smith, and Logan Albertson.
Between each match, raffles were given out and a game called “Punches for Travis” was played which put three competitors facing each other in a contest of who could throw the most punches in a single minute. The best performance of the day came from Brian Reynolds, who was the clubs first trainee. Reynolds threw more than 200 shots in the allotted minute.
After the fights and games, Morris, along with Ramsey’s family pastor Steven Flockheart, of New Season’s Church in Hiram, talked to the crowd.
“The message was simple,” Morris said. “We talked about drugs, alcohol, and hanging out with the wrong crowd. We tried to teach how the choices you make now can effect your life for the better or worse. Then we tried to talk to them about what they can do to prevent the bad choices that could send someone down the wrong road.”
Members of the family wrapped up the event with brief comments, and thanked the crowd from coming out.
If anyone would like to donate to the Travis Ramsey Scholarship Fund, or to help the kids get equipment at the Douglasville Boxing gym, call 404-702-7359, or email douglasvilleboxing@yahoo.com.
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