EL PASO, Texas (Aug. 11, 2014) -- Circling each other, closer and closer the two boxers shadow the other's moves, looking for an opening; a weakness to exploit. It's a dance these two know well, because a single man has choreographed it and taught it to them. And at the Wolves Den gym in El Paso, Texas, Sgt. 1st Class Emerson J. Hazzard Jr. teaches boxing from a Soldier's point of view.
In the hot and humid environment of the Wolves Den gym, Hazzard, a Master Resiliency Trainer assigned to the 32nd Air and Missile Defense Command, leads his students through a thoroughly sweat-inducing warm up routine designed to get their blood flowing and focus their minds on the training he has in store for them.
"Like Army Physical Readiness Training, this gets you in the right mindset," Hazzard, a 47-year-old native of South Carolina said, looking over his students. "If you're not focused on the goal, how can you expect to achieve it?"
Hazzard's second in command, Ron Balden, a 63-year-old retired Master Sgt. and Golden Glove champion, blows the ever present whistle in his mouth and all movement from the students stops, and their attention turns to the two men they respectfully call "Coach."
"Get some water and put on your gloves," Balden said, looking around the circle of sweating and panting students. "Now we practice sparring in the ring."
While the students, at least half of which are Soldiers assigned to Fort Bliss, make a bee-line for one of the two water fountains in the gym, Balden smiles and reminisces about meeting Hazzard.
"Hazzard had won some competitions for 2nd Brigade, 1st Armored Division," Balden said. "I like teaching as well, so I introduced myself and asked if I could help. This class is the result of that."
The students, satiated by generous mouthfuls of water, make their way to the ring, which is bound by red, white and blue vinyl covered ropes. Balden gets there first and, with a bark in his voice from his former Army days, tells them to hustle up.
Balden begins running the students through sparring drills while Hazzard makes his way to the ring and hangs on the ropes, watching his students with pride.
Hazzard said he had a teacher who was proud of him as well. His father, Emerson J. Hazzard Sr., an Airman who served in the Vietnam War, and, thanks to the Republic of Korea soldiers who served with him, brought back a love of martial arts home to his son.
"From the time I started walking, my father trained me in martial arts and boxing. When I was a baby, my father would sit me on his lap and watch boxing matches on TV, and he would hold my hands and guide me through the combinations."
Hazzard then steps into the ring, correcting stances and positions, showing students how to land hits that will bring an opponent down, or at the very least, slow them down or even stun them.
Balden, who himself was taught by 1984 Olympic Boxing Coach Kenny Adams, said he mainly teaches the boxing while Hazzard handles the mixed martial arts and sparring.
While watching Hazzard teach the students the finer points of jabbing an opponent, Balden, a native of Williamsburg, Virginia said "I enjoy working with Emerson. He puts a lot of passion into his teaching style. His students look up to him; you've got to respect that."
With another blast from the whistle, the students are offered a chance to spar for the last 20 minutes of their hour and a half workout.
Hazzard steps into the ring with Staff Sgt. Mark Landa, a cadre member at the Warrior Transition Unit, and the ever-present timer chimes out the beginning of the three minute match.
Blow for blow, Hazzard avoids some hits, while taking others gracefully; Landa gives as much as he's getting. They circle and size up one another, looking for that moment when they can land a valuable hit, that one hit that will stagger their opponent and bring them down.
The 30-second warning goes off and the fighters stop dancing around each other and really start to go at it, trying to get in those last crucial blows that will bring them one of victory.
In the end, as the match concludes, Hazzard and Landa, sweating and panting exit the ring together, smiling. They are teacher and student, learning from one another not just about boxing, but about life.
"Fighting in the ring is not just about knocking the other guy out or getting points for hits," Hazzard said, wiping his brow with a gloved hand. "It's about survival and life. How you live your life inside the ring is just as important as how you live it outside the ring. What matters is if you're proud of that life."
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