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Dylan Crockett is shown after winning the 'King of the Ring' championship fight in Lynn, Massachusetts on April 23. PHOTO BY ERIN YOUNG |
By Matt Pascarella
Windham’s
Dylan Crockett began boxing when he was 10 and now at age 14, he has
accomplished so much in those four years. He’s won the Northern New England
Junior Golden Gloves, New England Silver Gloves twice and New England Junior
Olympics three times while boxing in multiple tournaments in and out of New
England.
Crockett recently won his second “King
of the Ring” championship on April 23 in Massachusetts after winning his first “King
of the Ring” title in 2019.
This recent “King of the Ring” championship
featured boxers from Puerto Rico, Canada, Mexico and the United States. Over
300 people registered for this tournament.
“I was so proud of that kid,” said
coach Glenn Cugno of Cugno Boxing in Lewiston. “I love watching him bring what
we do in the gym, out in front of the crowd.”
Crockett’s interest in boxing stemmed
from his grandfather, Peter Conley, who was a boxer while serving in the U.S. Marine
Corps.
Conley went to the Lady of the Lake
Camp at Sabbathday Lake in New Gloucester in the early 1950s. There was an
outdoor ring where campers had bouts every night.
He continued boxing up to when he
enlisted in the Marine Corps at 17. On the ships there were “smokers,” or opportunities
for inter-service boxing.
After Vietnam in 1968, Conley was
stationed in Wisconsin as a Marine recruiter. During that time, he was involved
with the Eau Claire Boxing Club and fought throughout Wisconsin and Minnesota
in the Golden Gloves tournaments. Conley won the title of Golden Gloves
champion in 1968.
Conley
said he is very impressed with Crockett’s hard work, dedication and
perseverance and tells Crockett that he is the “Man in the Arena,” which is
reflected in the poem by Theodore Roosevelt.
“I
am beyond humbled, and I am proud that he is participating in an activity that
I consider a great sport,” said Conley.
In
2018 Crockett was introduced to the Cugno Boxing Club where he was instantly
enamored by the community and ‘hard work beats talent’ mentality promoted
there.
“Once
I got to the gym, I realized that it is a very hard-working sport that I wanted
to be a part of,” said Crockett.
Cugno described Crockett as someone
with a real passion for the sport. If the two work on something at the gym,
Crockett tries to perfect it at home before their next session and he’s always thinking and asking Cugno who he should
be watching online and how he can perfect his body shot.
The young boxer wants to get better
every day and even during COVID, Cugno and Crockett did ZOOM workouts.
Crockett has always been one of the
younger kids in the gym, but that has only motivated him. It’s the dedicated consistency
over time that creates advancement. Crockett has stayed consistent and
continues to put in the work, even on days he cannot make it to the gym.
“He’s a really athletic, gifted kid,”
said Cugno. “He picks up stuff really easy, he took to boxing really easy. His
road to all of it started the day he walked in the gym.”
Cugno has dedicated much of his time
helping Crockett succeed. Crockett said Cugno’s extra time and being prepared
helps prevent poor performance.
He has driven Crockett to different
gyms for extra sparing. Cugno supports all his fighters and Crockett considers
himself lucky to be able to learn from him.
“Glenn
has given me a lot of his attention and has always supported me through my
career,” said Crockett. “He motivates me to be a better fighter and a
better person because I see first-hand how his dedication brings me
confidence. Glenn has taught me everything I know, and I couldn't do it
without him.”
During this second “King of the Ring”
victory, Crockett had already beaten his opponent before, but the opponent
really pressured him and expected Crockett would fight in a similar style to
their first fight.
Cugno said Crockett can adapt to pretty
much anything, so it was great for him to watch Crockett change up his style on
the fly to get the win.
According to Cugno, Crockett is a
confident kid with a high ring IQ. Crockett works a lot in the gym with bigger
kids, because he’s too skilled for kids his own age and size.
He’s even spared with pros and done
well, and Cugno said he’s an elusive kid who prides himself on defense as well
as having a good offense.
If he keeps working the way he works, Cugno
says Crockett has a really bright future in boxing; he’d be No. 1 in the
country in amateurs.
Crockett
plans to keep working hard in the gym and at home. He also plans to fight in
more tournaments and work toward any opportunities Cugno gives him.
“It
really does feel good knowing that hard work does pay off with a lot of
dedication. I remember being the only kid at school having to eat healthy
foods and now that commitment was worth it,” said Crockett. <