Youngsters get a taste of action in the ring Posted by the Asbury Park Press on 01/12/06 BY JOHN BUSH STAFF WRITER Shawn Darling of Gladiator Boxing in the Forked River section of Lacey knows what it's like to step into the ring for the first time in actual competition. That's why Darling has plenty of respect for four of his young boxers who competed last month in the New Jersey Silver Gloves Tournament at the Joe Grier Boxing Academy in Paterson. "They all did a great job," Darling said. "They all put a lot of hard work in here. They were confident, they were looking forward to it. I would never push any kid into competition. They said they wanted to do it, and I look for the tournaments, I look for the fights, and I put them in if I think they're ready.  "It just takes so much courage for anybody to box. It's definitely one of the hardest sports ever. I think wrestling's a great sport too, but boxing's a little more physical." Three of Darling's boxers were victorious - brothers Lex and Steve Knapp of Lanoka Harbor, 139 pounds and 80 pounds respectively, both won their matches, while Mike Smith, 12, of Forked River won by default at 106 pounds. Jon Maddux, 15, of Lanoka Harbor finished in second place.  All matches consisted of three one-minute rounds.  For Lex, 12, a sixth-grader at Mill Pond School in Lanoka Harbor, and Steve, 11, a fifth-grader at Mill Pond, it was their first fights. "It felt really good," Lex said. "I was a little nervous at first, but then I felt better. I just used the basics that I've learned here: keep the hands up, throw a lot of punches, straight punches, quick, fast."  "It's great, because it was my first match ever and I won it," Steve said. "You're nervous until you get in the ring, and then, once you're boxing, it's just like any other tournament, sparring in the ring here. "I felt I could pick it up even more when they rang the bell for (the final) 10 seconds. That's when it gets most intense, when it's the last 10 seconds." Lex and Steve have trained at Gladiator Boxing for nearly a year, initially to stay in condition for their various other activities such as football, wrestling and baseball. "Coming here has kept me in shape," Lex said. "It's built up my strength, my aggression, my self-esteem." Smith, a sixth-grader at Mill Pond, did not get a chance to fight after his opponent failed to show up. "It's the easiest fight I ever had," Smith said. "I was looking forward to it, working all week and everything." "I'm really proud of all of them," Darling said. "Lex, Steve and Mike have all been with me for about seven, eight months. They've all come a long way, they were brand new when they first started." Darling also was pleased with Maddux, a relative newcomer to the sport. Maddux lost in a split decision. "Jon was only in this gym for two months, but he came here previously with one month experience," Darling said. "He came along really fast. One judge had it two rounds for the other kid and one round for Jon. And then on the one judge's card, it was only a matter of three punches. So if Jon would have landed four more punches on the one judge's card, he would have won the split decision, it was that close. That shows you how much potential he has." Now that his boxers have gotten a taste of action in the ring, Darling will look to further their development in the upcoming months. "Almost everybody in here who wants to compete, they're all really concentrating on the Junior Olympic tournament in March," Darling said. "It's around the equivalent as the Silver Gloves. We're trying to get them all to fight, first, a regular club fight in February over in Trenton, at Goss and Goss (Boxing Club). As long as it all goes to plan, they're all looking for the big tournament in March."