sports

If you live relatively close and/or aren’t afraid of a mere super snow storm then I’m happy to offer up 5 pairs of tickets to Saturday’s game at the Verizon Center courtesy of DC Lottery. I have to send over your names by noon on Friday. So leave a comment if you wanna go to the game and I’ll announce the winners by 11am in order to have your names emailed to me by noon. And I’ve been told that Villanova is getting to DC early Friday so no matter how much snow comes down the game is on. Thanks again to DC Lottery for providing the tickets.

Photo by PoPville flickr user Matt.Dunn (unaffiliated team)

This was a great email to receive from Clark Ray (a candidate for DC Council at large seat). He writes:

“One of my proudest moments at DPR was to negotiate DPR’s Charter into the Pop Warner Football League. It gave our young athletes the chance to show off their abilities on a National level. Today I congratulate the DC Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) youth football team from Watkins Recreation Center, the Hornets, who became the first team in DPR history to win the coveted Pop Warner Division I Pee Wee National Football Championships. The Hornets defeated the Florida City Razorbacks from Miami, Florida with a final score of 22-8 at Disney’s Wide World of Sports in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. I hope this championship is the first of many more to follow.

All the people of the City should be proud of these young people who represented us well and came home winners!”

Congrats to the Hornets. DC represent!

Alexander ‘The Great” Johnson is pictured at the Sugar Ray Leonard Gym in Palmer Park, Maryland a week before his September 26th fight.

Dallas Lillich is a freelance photographer based in Washington, DC.

It’s September 26th, the night of Alexander “The Great” Johnson’s seventh fight as a professional boxer (see part one and part two), and he couldn’t be any more relaxed. With his record at 6-0, including 3 knock outs, he’s in peak physical condition, which probably goes a long way in explaining his composure: he’s supine on a sofa, his fingers laced behind his head, nodding gently to the tunes in his headphones.

Al’s trainer Zeke tapes up his hands in the locker room before his fight at the George Mason Patriot Center.

It occurs to me that he may be more comfortable in the ring than anywhere else. This is, after all, the guy whose favorite tattoo reads “Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.” But he’s not in the ring yet.

The locker room at the Patriot Center at George Mason University has a cautious, almost sacrosanct air to it. Few words are exchanged. As the fight draws near, it becomes charged with an energy stirred by the silence. Al’s trainer Zeke tapes up his hands and runs him through some exercises as his manager, Diana, makes sure everything runs smoothly. The third fight in the line-up ends early with a first round knock out; Al’s fight is up next.

Al’s team walks out to the ring at the Patriot Center to the tune of ‘Run This Town’ off the new Jay-Z album.

Zeke rounds up the team and walks with Al through the backstage maze and out of the tunnel. ‘Run This Town’ from the new Jay-Z album thumps as Al enters the ring. It’s show time. He does a few stretches, listens to Zeke’s advice, and knocks gloves with his opponent. Then it’s on.

Al stretches in the ring moments before his seventh fight. His trainer Zeke is pictured top left.

It soon becomes clear that Al is spending more of his time on offense than his opponent, the tenacious Francois Ambang. Notorious for fighting hard until the bitter end, Ambang is nevertheless against the ropes with Al more often than he’d like to be. The fight begins to resemble a game of cat-and-mouse with Al playing the role of predator. Still, Ambang persists, and the outcome has its moments of ambiguity.

Al gets his opponent Francois “The African Warrior” Ambang against the ropes.

At last, after four rounds, Johnson and Ambang retire to their corners. The judgment is swift: Alexander “The Great” Johnson wins by unanimous decision. His record is 7-0, and he’s finally talking again.

Alexander ‘The Great’ Johnson beats Francois Ambang by unanimous decision after four rounds.

I ask him how it feels to be undefeated. “You’ve got to have something to prove in this game,” he responds. “My trainer is outstanding. So is my manager. I’ve come far.”

Indeed, this native son of northeast DC has come a long way from his ambivalent youth to his position as a father and title fighter-in-waiting.

Al gives a shout out to his fans at the Patriot Center in Fairfax, Virginia.

Asked about next steps, he says, “I’ve got to get my name out there now.” He pauses as a grin envelops his face. “I’ve got to put some butts in those seats!”

Alexander “The Great” Johnson’s next fight is tomorrow Saturday, October 24th at the Washington Convention Center; 801 Mount Vernon Pl NW, DC; 202-249-3000; TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE AT THE DOOR www.dcconvention.com It’s being promoted by Babie Girl Productions as Fright Night; www.babiegirlproduction.net/ Contact Johnson through his manager, Diana Hall at [email protected]

The Watkins Elementary Hornets run laps during practice. Al Johnson’s older son, Ariel, plays running back and cornerback for the school, located in Southeast Washington, DC.

Dallas Lillich is a freelance photographer based in Washington, DC.

Boxing is a full-time job compounded with part-time work for local fighter Alexander “The Great” Johnson (see part one), and the discipline it demands has had a transformative effect on his life outside the ring.

“For a long time I didn’t get the discipline act of boxing,” he explains. “I just knew how to use my hands.”

“I fought every day coming home from elementary school. I was a troubled kid. Losing my brother and my cousin…those were hard times on me and my family. I was about eight back then. Same age as my son down there.”

He nods at his older son, Ariel, on the field of Cardozo High School. He plays running back and cornerback for the Watkins Elementary Hornets.

Ariel is coached by his father, Al Johnson, during a break at Watkins Elementary School.

“My brother, may he rest in peace, was the one who got me into boxing. I didn’t know how to channel the pain I felt into anything else. Since then I’ve seen a lot. I’ve done a lot. Growing up as a black kid between ’81 and now in DC—what alternative do you have but to accept, adapt and try to conquer your environment?”

Asked if boxing is his way of fighting against the past, he responds, “It’s not so much a reaction as a progression. When I was in those days…it was like I was always fighting my way out. Walking down the street, somehow I’m just throwing my hands—and I’m nowhere near a gym. Now I’m in the gym. Now I’m fighting my way into becoming a world champion.”

It’s a testament to the people behind a sport with a long history in the DC area—people like Al’s trainer Zeke and his manager Diana Hall. Whereas Al’s family life once propelled him into a cycle of aggression—one that imperiled his future by bringing past pain perpetually into the present—the art of boxing has empowered him to reorganize his feelings into a positive force working to secure his family’s future. The ‘discipline act’ of boxing has transformed him from a victim into a success, from a boy into a man.

Al watches the Hornets practice while playing with his younger son, also named Al.

“My maturity level has grown beyond me,” he says while bobbing his younger son on his knee.

“Now my family is my motivation.”

Al walks down the field at Cardozo High School to congratulate the Hornets after their game against the Titans.

Alexander “The Great” Johnson’s next fight is on Saturday, October 24th at the Washington Convention Center; 801 Mount Vernon Pl NW, DC; 202-249-3000; www.dcconvention.com It’s being promoted by Babie Girl Productions as Fright Night; www.babiegirlproduction.net/ Contact Johnson through his manager, Diana Hall at [email protected]

More photos after the jump. (more…)

Dallas Lillich is a freelance photographer based in Washington, DC.

Al Johnson is a professional boxer who grew up in Washington, DC. Known as “Alexander the Great,” he fights in the light heavyweight division. His record after two years in the pros stands at 7-0 with 3 knockouts. He trains at Sugar Ray Leonard Gym in Palmer Park, Maryland.

His last fight took place on September 26th at the Patriot Center in Fairfax, Virginia. He is pictured here in the weeks leading up to the event, during which he trained five hours a day, five to six times a week. Staying in shape for the ring presents a number of challenges.

“Boxing is a full-time job,” he explains. “Between rope work, eating right and getting enough rest, you have to be tough on yourself. You’ve got to have discipline about it.”

Al enters the ring for training. His trainer Zeke (red shirt) stands by as a portrait of Sugar Ray Leonard hovers in the background.

He attributes a share of his perseverance to his team, which includes his manager, Diana Hall, and his trainer who goes by Zeke. With his operatic harangues and constant critiques, Zeke plays the role of taskmaster, which sometimes leads to tension between the two men. Asked about their relationship, Al concedes, “I’ve got a great trainer. We have our ups and downs, but it’s mostly because I get to the point where I’m so anxious to fight that I’m barking at anything.”

Al lands an uppercut against his opponent in the ring.

Al can regularly be seen working the door at The Wonderland Ballroom and Looking Glass Lounge where he supplements his income to support his family—another challenge he faces with his characteristic aplomb.

Al Johnson celebrates after a good round.

His next fight is on Saturday, October 24th at the Washington Convention Center.

More photos after the jump (more…)