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closeSimon reaches promised land in squared circle
Puyallup fighter captures Junior Olympics heavyweight crown
Shaun Scott
Garret Simon reached the pinnacle of the amateur boxing ranks, capturing the gold medal at the 2008 Junior Olympics National Championships in Marquette, Mich.
The 6-foot, 5-inch, 201-pound 16-year-old Puyallup native knocked out Michael Stillabower from Indiana with a straight right hand in the third round of the heavyweight championship match on June 20.
Simon’s coach, Ken Smith of the Summit Boxing Club, said it was the biggest win of Simon’s career thus far. Smith has coached Simon in the ring for the past nine years.
“Garret won against last year’s national champion,” Smith said. “We believed 100-percent going in that Garret was definitely going to beat him. Garret totally dominated. It wasn’t even close. Once Garret landed that straight right hand, he (Stillabower) was done.”
The emotions couldn’t be hidden by Simon after his victory.
“I just wanted to scream,” Simon said. “I just ran to my coach as fast as I could. It felt great. It was amazing. That win is for everybody who supports me. Everybody.”
Simon currently boasts a 39-5 overall record in the amateur ranks. Smith said he hasn’t seen anyone who can compete with Simon in the ring right now.
“I can’t find anyone in the amateur rankings that can contend with him right now,” Smith said. “They can stand in there with him, but they can’t contend.”
Smith said his best strength in the ring lies in his ability to finish off opponents with one of the oldest deadly punches in boxing.
“I know he likes to throw his hooks but I like his uppercut,” Smith said. “He’s a well-rounded fighter.”
Outside of the ring, Simon leads a vastly different lifestyle than the stereotypical hardened boxer.
“He’s very quiet and is a soft spoken kid,” Smith said. “One of the nice guys. He’s never been in a street fight and doesn’t get in trouble outside of the ring ever. He actually could be more aggressive inside the ring if he wanted to. I’ve been trying to bring that out of him. Once he gets that mean streak, it will be something else.”
In just 15 months, Simon plans on turning professional on his 18th birthday on October 2, 2009.
Currently, Simon spends two hours a day, six days a week in the gym. He knows he will have to step that up when he hits the professional ranks.
“As a boxer, you have to push yourself every day and keep getting better and better,” Simon said. “You have to keep climbing that ladder. When you’re on a ladder you’re either going up the ladder or down the ladder because you’re never staying in the same spot. I just have to keep climbing that ladder all the way to the top.”