Beamon to compete for U.S. Boxing Union title
By Joey Pitchford
Published in News on July 14, 2016 1:46 PM
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News-Argus/CASEY MOZINGO
Dewayne Beamon shadowboxes in the ring at Retro Fitness in Raleigh Tuesday night.
Goldsboro-born boxer Dewayne Beamon has his eye on championship gold.
Beamon, who already holds the 118-pound belt in the Universal Boxing Federation (UBF) promotion, will vie for the United States Boxing Union title against Gabriel Braxton Saturday at the Masonic Temple in Norfolk, Va. Sporting an undefeated record of 5-0 with three knockouts, Beamon enters the contest on the strength of a title-winning technical knockout over Rudolph Hedge in May.
On Tuesday, Beamon held his final practice session before the fight at Retro Fitness in Raleigh, where he trains. He arrived wearing a bit of a long face.
Beamon started practice in the ring by himself. Like a musician running through scales, he shadowboxed his way through a series of two and three-punch combinations that he intended to work on while sparring.
After a particular right hook-right uppercut sequence, Beamon's head coach Dave Hawkins, with Hit Hard Boxing, called him over to watch a video on Hawkins' phone. It was an old clip of a young Mike Tyson throwing the same combination.
Hawkins said that watching footage of the greats was a big part of his teaching strategy.
Soon, it was time to spar. Beamon was joined by Matt Jenkins, an amateur boxer who Beamon said was one of his most consistent partners. After taking a round to ease in, Beamon began letting loose with three and four-punch volleys as Hawkins called out specific instructions.
Small orders came from Hawkins which helped keep Beamon's mind on the more subtle details of fighting occasionally neglected in the heat of battle. "Keep that free hand up," or "pop, pop and rip," directions delivered as the fighters stepped back after engaging each other.
The relationship between Beamon and Hawkins has been instrumental in Beamon's success. Beamon has been training with Hit Hard boxing for two years, and Hawkins said he has seen marked improvement from Beamon in that time.
"When we first saw him fight as an amateur, he was beating guys on pure athleticism," Hawkins said. "I just thought, if we ever get the chance to train that guy, he'll be a world champion."
Always a dynamic power-puncher, Hawkins' teachings have been designed to channel Beamon's athleticism through sharp offensive and defensive technique. By maintaining good technical discipline, a fighter can use their energy as efficiently as possible and maintain their pace late into a fight.
This was evident in Beamon's fight against Hedge, when a short hook to the body badly hurt Hedge and lead to the stoppage in the ninth of ten rounds.
Jenkins, Beamon's training partner, has felt Beamon's improvement about as directly as anyone can. He said that Beamon's intensity in training is a benefit to him and the rest of the team.
"He brings it, he makes you better," Jenkins said. "You either bring it too, or you get beat on. So you decide which one you want."
Ahead of his second title shot in as many fights, Beamon reflected on the road he took to get where he is now. Although he is fairly new to the professional scene, Beamon ran up an amateur record of 48-2 before making the jump.
"I was fighting every weekend, every other weekend, sometimes two times a weekend. I'm used to fighting all the time," he said. "I'm always training like I've got a fight, even if I don't have a fight date."
Now, Beamon plans to fight once a month until the end of the year. He hopes to bring his fans along for the ride.
"I want to thank everyone who supported me," he said. "I would only go as far as my fans will let me."