Winslow boy hooked on the boxing ring
For one 11-year-old, confidence and hard work have become a one-two punch.
Dylan Price, of Winslow Township, is currently ranked third in the nation among his weight and age class, according to his father, Dave.
For five years, Dylan played organized football, but wasn’t excelling as much as he hoped due to his size.
“He had to play with 105-pound kids when he weighed 56 pounds,” said Price, a former boxer himself. “We thought it was time to find something new to do.”
Given his father’s experience in the sport, Dylan — sometimes called “Lil Dave” — focused his attention on the ring.
“I’d always go to fights with my dad and see all the fighters,” said the boy. “After that, I fell in love with it.”
After only two years fighting, Dylan has racked up several national titles.
In 2008, the young pugilist was named the Philadelphia City Recreation Center Champion among the 10- and 11-year-old, 60-pound class.
He became the Silver Gloves Regional Champion in Cincinnati earlier this year and finished with a bronze medal in the national event.
This summer, Dylan was named the Jr. Golden Gloves Regional Champion and placed bronze in nationals in Nevada, followed by a gold medal win at the Ringside National Tournament in Kansas City, Mo.
Next month, the young boxer will travel to Texas to participate in the National Police Athletic League Boxing Tournament.
Despite the physicality of boxing, Price doesn’t worry about his son’s safety.
“The first thing they do in the gym — prior to even throwing a punch — is teach defense,” he said. “I feel better for his safety with boxing than I did with football, because he’ll always go against someone his own age and weight.”
Dylan trains five days a week, putting in work before school and two hours in the evening.
“I’m up running in the morning, and in the afternoon, I’m at the gym,” the Winslow Elementary School student said. “I work the free bag for five or six rounds, do some sparring, jump roping, sit-ups, pull-ups…”
Dylan trains at the Shepherd Recreation Center under Mitchell Allen, a former professional fighter for whom the center’s gym is named.
“He has been instrumental in Dylan’s development,” Price, who also worked under Allen, said. “He’s been training fighters for over 50 years.”
Dylan feels that boxing has helped grow his confidence.
“It keeps pushing me to another level and helping me set goals for myself,” he said. His father agrees.
“[Dylan] definitely had a winning attitude in football, but maybe one of his friends was always the star; his size just wouldn’t allow it,” he explained. “In an individual sport as boxing, you get recognized, and that’s given him the confidence to keep going.”
And Dylan recently earned the recognition of a boxing superstar in Las Vegas: Professional trainer Floyd Mayweather Sr. invited the boy to come back this week and work one-on-one with him.
The sport also has helped instill discipline in the boy, said his father.
“He had been getting in some scuffles and things like that, but this has given him an understanding of how to fight, and there haven’t been any incidents outside of the gym since,” he said.
Price, who began boxing at 13, says he’s proud to see his son follow in his footsteps, but was slightly surprised when he discovered Dylan’s knack for the sport.
“In whatever he did, the coaches always said he had the biggest heart they’ve ever seen; I knew his heart would carry him in this, but wasn’t sure as far as his talent,” he said. “Now, though, he’s like a fish in water with boxing gloves.”
When asked whom he admires, Dylan declines to answer.
“I try to make myself a role model for other people,” he says. “Boxing isn’t easy — it takes a lot of work and dedication — but if you train hard, the fight’s easy.”
For five years, Dylan played organized football, but wasn’t excelling as much as he hoped due to his size.
“He had to play with 105-pound kids when he weighed 56 pounds,” said Price, a former boxer himself. “We thought it was time to find something new to do.”
Given his father’s experience in the sport, Dylan — sometimes called “Lil Dave” — focused his attention on the ring.
“I’d always go to fights with my dad and see all the fighters,” said the boy. “After that, I fell in love with it.”
After only two years fighting, Dylan has racked up several national titles.
In 2008, the young pugilist was named the Philadelphia City Recreation Center Champion among the 10- and 11-year-old, 60-pound class.
He became the Silver Gloves Regional Champion in Cincinnati earlier this year and finished with a bronze medal in the national event.
This summer, Dylan was named the Jr. Golden Gloves Regional Champion and placed bronze in nationals in Nevada, followed by a gold medal win at the Ringside National Tournament in Kansas City, Mo.
Next month, the young boxer will travel to Texas to participate in the National Police Athletic League Boxing Tournament.
Despite the physicality of boxing, Price doesn’t worry about his son’s safety.
“The first thing they do in the gym — prior to even throwing a punch — is teach defense,” he said. “I feel better for his safety with boxing than I did with football, because he’ll always go against someone his own age and weight.”
Dylan trains five days a week, putting in work before school and two hours in the evening.
“I’m up running in the morning, and in the afternoon, I’m at the gym,” the Winslow Elementary School student said. “I work the free bag for five or six rounds, do some sparring, jump roping, sit-ups, pull-ups…”
Dylan trains at the Shepherd Recreation Center under Mitchell Allen, a former professional fighter for whom the center’s gym is named.
“He has been instrumental in Dylan’s development,” Price, who also worked under Allen, said. “He’s been training fighters for over 50 years.”
Dylan feels that boxing has helped grow his confidence.
“It keeps pushing me to another level and helping me set goals for myself,” he said. His father agrees.
“[Dylan] definitely had a winning attitude in football, but maybe one of his friends was always the star; his size just wouldn’t allow it,” he explained. “In an individual sport as boxing, you get recognized, and that’s given him the confidence to keep going.”
And Dylan recently earned the recognition of a boxing superstar in Las Vegas: Professional trainer Floyd Mayweather Sr. invited the boy to come back this week and work one-on-one with him.
The sport also has helped instill discipline in the boy, said his father.
“He had been getting in some scuffles and things like that, but this has given him an understanding of how to fight, and there haven’t been any incidents outside of the gym since,” he said.
Price, who began boxing at 13, says he’s proud to see his son follow in his footsteps, but was slightly surprised when he discovered Dylan’s knack for the sport.
“In whatever he did, the coaches always said he had the biggest heart they’ve ever seen; I knew his heart would carry him in this, but wasn’t sure as far as his talent,” he said. “Now, though, he’s like a fish in water with boxing gloves.”
When asked whom he admires, Dylan declines to answer.
“I try to make myself a role model for other people,” he says. “Boxing isn’t easy — it takes a lot of work and dedication — but if you train hard, the fight’s easy.”
