Bo Gibbs isn’t like most fathers-to-be.
As
he and his wife, Julie, count down the days until the arrival of their
first child, Gibbs will continue doing what he does best: inflict as
much pain as possible upon opponents. Gibbs is the headliner of a
six-fight pro boxing card on Saturday at the Cox Convention Center.
There’d be no better way to give himself an early Father’s Day gift than by running his professional record to 6-0. Gibbs, a super middleweight fighting out of Carney, will take on Willie Bryant of Conway, Ark.
Father’s
Day is the day after the fight, and the Gibbs are scheduled to welcome
Bo Jr., into the world on June 20. There’s a chance the little one’s
arrival could be moved up a couple of days.
“She’s ready to pop,” Gibbs said.
“She’s
thinking about going in a week early. This makes me think about all the
responsibilities I’ll have in taking care of my family. I’m looking
forward to that more than anything.”
Gibbs is 5-0 with three knockouts as a pro, but had a long and suc-cessful career as an
amateur. He won the National Golden Gloves Championship, Regional Golden
Gloves and Oklahoma State Junior Olympic Championship titles and was a
two-time Silver Gloves Champion.
In
2010, Gibbs added a USA Heartland Championship trophy to his
collection. His amateur career spanned from ages 14 to 21, and he’s
currently 23.
All in the family
Gibbs is
the son of a preacher man. His father, who also goes by “Bo,” is pastor
at the First Assembly of God in Carney and is the boxer’s coach. Father
and son operate Xtreme Fitness and Nutrition in Noble.
When
there’s not a fight in the immediate future, Bo Gibbs’ walking-around
weight grows to about 190 pounds. By the time a weigh-in comes around,
he aims for 168.
“I
usually watch what I eat for four weeks before a fight and start working
in the gym,” Gibbs said. “It comes off just by working out. My weight
was as high as 215 in high school.”
The elder Gibbs was a boxer and all five of the Gibbs children — including two girls — have fought.
“When I boxed, Bo and his brothers watched and decided they wanted to go into amateur boxing, too,” the pastor said.
Bo
Gibbs is a full-time boxer today. Signed through CatBox Entertainment,
he said he’d like to fight up to eight times per year and move up the
ladder as he goes.
“I
just want to get better for each fight, and I eventually want to fight
for a world title,” Gibbs said. That won’t come anytime soon, but he
said he’s willing to take the steps needed. His fight against Bryant is
for a vacant regional title.
There’s a big difference between amateur and professional levels, Gibbs said.
“Amateur
boxing is at a real fast pace; you don’t have to throw with bad
intentions,” he said. “You score when you hit. There’s more strategy in
pros. It’s more of a chess match.”
This article appears in Jun 6-12, 2012.