New name, location, but intent remains same
Wylie Boxing Club still trains young fighters
By Greg Ford
Sports Editor
gford@wylienews.com
The name has changed as has the location.
However, the goal remains the same: teaching folks how to box.
What was once the Ballard Street Boxing Gym is now the Wylie Boxing Club, and no longer is it headquartered on Ballard Street but rather in a warehouse setting off Kristen Lane. The move was recently made by owner and operator Wes Linsley, who desired to have a location that offered a better opportunity for expansion.
“Obviously, it looks more like a gym and there is even talk (about expanding), and in the future we can (possibly) knock down the walls,” he said.
With this new change also comes additional training, specifically in the areas of wrestling and mixed martial arts.
That’s being offered by Wylie resident Todd Pokett, a two-time state wrestling champ in Iowa.
“As far as wrestling, we’re starting at square one, starting on your basics,” Pokett said.
As for MMA, he added, “It’s beginner stuff, keeping your hands up and your head down. There are so many different factors to it: the ground game, hip control. It’s really, really important to make sure you are in control of your body, instead of going in there and just flailing around.”
It was almost by sheer luck that Linsley met Pokett.
“I was training kids at the house, he was walking the dogs, and one of my kids’ parents knew him, and he introduced us,” Linsley said.
He added, “I just talked about wanting to come up and teach, and he seemed really interested.”
Currently, he said, plans call for Pokett to teach about three days a week.
“MMA is huge right now,” Pokett said. “It’s bigger than anything out there right now, boxing included.”
