Mickey Sims is no stranger to the boxing ring, having trained professional, provincial and amateur boxers for 27 years. This time however, he will enter the ring as a contender at the four-day Masters Ringside World Champion Boxing Tournament starting today in Kansas City.
Sims, 58, is making a bid for the title of Senior Masters Middleweight World Champion. He’ll have to win all his bouts to achieve that — if he loses a fight, he’s out.
After female professional boxer Peggy Maerz moved to Salmon Arm to train under Sims, he decided he might as well train himself for the competition in Kansas City. After her fight in Red Deer in May, Maerz helped Sims get ready for Kansas City.
A year of preparation and four months of intensive training later, Sims is looking good and is excited about the tournament.
“I’m in the best shape I’ve been in for a long time, I had to lose 30 pounds.” he says “and I’m not afraid to step into the ring with any middleweight. All the hard work and the mental preparation is done, now it’s time to step up and put it to the test.”
When asked about the risk of injury Sims responds, “this is amateur boxing, not professional, so protective head gear is worn by all the athletes. There are probably fewer injuries in boxing than any other sport if you look at the stats. They’re really concerned about the safety factor.”
It’s not about the punching power he says, “it’s about scoring points, the same way they do in the Olympics.”
There is also special equipment for masters level boxing – the headgear is thicker, the gloves are heavier. Boxers also have one-minute rounds instead of three-minutes.
Sims acknowledges the support he’s had from friends, family and business associates who have assisted him in his preparation and also contributed financially toward his trip to Kansas City.
“There’s a big championship belt at the end of this rainbow,” he says with a smile.