LITTLE ROCK — One hour before his 152-pound title bout in the Mid-South Golden Gloves championship, Pine Bluff’s Donald Griffin juked to the beat pouring from his white headphones.
“You learn to listen to your music and get in your own zone,” Griffin said. “Once you’re there, you picture yourself in the ring with everything else working.”
On Saturday, against Donald Ward of Memphis, Griffin combined deft footwork with methodical shots to Ward’s body to earn his fifth consecutive regional title at the North Little Rock Community Center, punching a ticket to the national Golden Gloves tournament next month in Mesquite, Nev.
It wasn’t easy, but Griffin said it never is. “It’s always going to be a challenge, all the way from state through regionals,” Griffin said. “You know people are going to be after you. But you’re ready and understand. They’re here to represent themselves and their state, too.”
It helps to remain calm, Griffin has learned, an approach encouraged by Clifton Owens, Griffin’s trainer and coach.
“When I first met him, he was always lunging,” Owens said. “He wanted to take the fight to everybody, and he couldn’t sit down in his seat. He’d burn so much energy before a fight and his mom used to come to me and say, ‘Why’s my boy burning out in the second round?’”
Griffin maintained his poise Saturday, content to jab his opponent early. Griffin didn’t land his first head shot until 40 seconds remained in the first round.
“Just stay out of range,” Griffin said of his strategy. “We knew he was a brawler, so we just had to move and a mix [combos] up when we had to.”
Griffin ended the first round with a five-punch flurry to back Ward up against the ropes, landing a cross as the round ended.
“You punch, get on offense, find a rhythm, shift the shoulders,” Owens said. “It’s offense into defense, just like with basketball players. You can’t always be on the attack all the time. There’s some back and forth. You try to teach him to be responsible and aggressive.”
The message to Griffin between rounds was simple: Pace yourself.
“There’s a lot of noise in the background that can get in your head and get you offkey,” Owens said. “But when you’re in the ring, find your own rhythm and just have fun with it.”
Griffin made a more concerted effort to pin Ward against the ropes in the second round, closing the space between them to score with clean blows to the ribs.
Ward tried to force the issue in the third round, but Griffin was in control.
“Close to the end, you can tell he was winded,” Griffin said. “Our body shots started getting to him. I just tried to take it to him hard, work him back into the corner. I even took advantage of his helmet twisting.”
And when the official raised his hand aloft, Griffin’s mind was already thinking ahead to nationals, where he was defeated in the second round of the tournament last year by eventual champion Arturo Trujillo of Pennsylvania.
So was Owens.
“We’re going to be on the medicine ball and hitting the bleachers,” Owens said. “We’re going to do a lot of cardio. He’s a body puncher, so I’m going to have him ripping on the bag.”
In defeat, Ward kept his humor. He came up behind Griffin, applied a loose headlock and threatened him, albeit jokingly.
“If you don’t take someone out at nationals, I’m snapping this,” Ward said, motioning to Griffin’s neck.
“I won’t let you down,” Griffin said.
Mid-South Golden Gloves
Saturday’s results from the championship bouts in the open division of the Mid-South Golden Gloves tournament held at the North Little Rock Community Center: 108 Steve Cross, West Tennessee, unopposed 123 Quincy Means, Arkansas, dec. Luis Rosales, Louisiana 132 Quantavious Green, Louisiana, dec. Eduardo Aguilar, Middle Tennessee 141 Nicholas Felix, Louisiana, dec. Breion Houston, Middle Tennessee 152 Donald Griffin, Arkansas, dec. Donald Ward, Memphis 165 Anthony Campbell, West Tennessee, dec. Kalvin Henderson, Arkansas 178 Ryan Riley, Arkansas, unopposed 201 Marlon Williams, Louisiana, dec. Rodney Wilson, West Tennessee 201+ Jonathan Guidry, Louisiana, dec. Preston Lewis, Arkansas
Sports, Pages 31 on 03/25/2012