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From: Biniam Tekle (biniamt@dehai.org)
Date: Sat Mar 12 2011 - 10:38:28 EST
http://www.mlive.com/boxing/index.ssf/2011/03/meron_tewelde_eager_for_second.html
Meron
Tewelde eager for second chance at West Michigan Golden Gloves title Published:
Thursday, March 10, 2011, 1:00 PM
By Jeff Chaney | The Grand Rapids Press
When Meron "Rudy" Tewelde was growing up, his sport of choice relied a lot
on his feet.
His sport as an adult? All hands.
Tewelde, who was born in Eritrea in east Africa and moved to the United
States when he was 5 in 1988, loved soccer as a child and played it until he
was a 10th grader at Rockford High School.
As an adult, he picked up boxing three years ago. With it, he has found an
athletic outlet.
"Boxing was something to be competitive in," Tewelde said. "There are not
many opportunities to be competitive at age 27, and I liked this sport as
soon as I started."
Tewelde will be taking part in his second West Michigan Golden Gloves
Championships, which begin Saturday at the Grand Valley National Guard
Armory in Wyoming.
Last year he was runner-up in the 123-pound novice weight class at both the
West Michigan and Michigan State Golden Gloves Championships. He lost to
Michigan Golden Gloves Association teammate Defrim Beqiri.
"I wasn’t frustrated I lost last year, just disappointed," Tewelde said.
"But I guess there is nobody else I would have liked to lose to than him."
Tewelde, whose father Tewelde Bahta boxed when he was younger, may have his
shot this year, as Beqiri plans to move up to the Open class.
"My conditioning and technique are better this year," Tewelde said. "My
confidence is a lot better, too. I’m ready."
MGGA trainer Dennis Shimmell is impressed that Tewelde has stuck with the
sport at his age.
"He has a losing record, yet he is here training," Shimmell said. "And he
didn’t know that Defrim would remain a Novice or move up to Open, but he
wants to move up to Open this year. With all the uncertainty, Rudy entered
the tournament, and I love that attitude."
And, at his age.
"You will see this with guys in their late 20s and 30s get into the sport,"
Shimmell said. "It’s tough, and you will see guys succeed at the national
level at their age, but that doesn’t happen often."
Tewelde doesn’t think of his age when he’s in the ring.
"When I first got into boxing, it was actually really calming for me,"
Tewelde said. "When somebody is trying to hit you, you don’t think about
anything else. It makes you focus on what you are doing, and not what’s
going on. I like that about the sport."
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