Tweet
By Ryan ********
From a stint in jail to turning his life around with boxing, Konard Harris has faced more than most to get to the Daily News Golden Gloves.
Though the 25-year-old, from Nassau County, Long Island has only fought in seven amateur bouts, he's been through it all. He's been knocked down. He's administered knockdowns. He's received standing eight counts - he's dished them out as well.
And outside of the ring, it's been no different.
Harris served two years behind bars at Mohawk Corrections Facility in Rome, New York on a drug conviction, and looked destined to be heading down a slippery slope. While inside, he thought there was no future for him.
"It's not pleasant in there so I had to keep my mind focused," said Harris. "God gave me the power to come back home to better things. I see life totally different now."
When Harris was released in 2009, he reacquainted himself with his childhood love for boxing through trainer Joe Higgins. Within a year, he won the Long Island Championships.
On Friday night, it was his chance to hand out the standing eights as he dominated Edwin Om (D'Awesome BC), a 22-year-old student at Montclair State University in a 152 pound novice match at Brooklyn's St. Bernard School Hall.
He scored two counts in the second and two more in the third round to force a halt to the bout at the 53 second mark.
"I felt really good in there," said Harris, who earned the PC Richard Fighter of the Night Award. "I knew I was stronger than him and took advantage - in a good way."
Now competing in his second Daily News Golden Gloves, Harris wants to make the most of his final year of eligibility in the novice class. He's aiming to win the Gloves and springboard to a professional career and even recently competed in a bout for the filming of the FX series Lights Out.
When he isn't delivering blows, he's delivering paper goods for a company in Long Island and during the summer. Harris also volunteers at Northeast Park in Freeport, assisting kids in a basketball league. He hopes to attend college and study guidance counseling - after all, he said, he has a world of experience to pass on to lost kids.
"I can definitely tell these kids that anything is possible," he said. "Just look at me."
From a stint in jail to turning his life around with boxing, Konard Harris has faced more than most to get to the Daily News Golden Gloves.
Though the 25-year-old, from Nassau County, Long Island has only fought in seven amateur bouts, he's been through it all. He's been knocked down. He's administered knockdowns. He's received standing eight counts - he's dished them out as well.
And outside of the ring, it's been no different.
Harris served two years behind bars at Mohawk Corrections Facility in Rome, New York on a drug conviction, and looked destined to be heading down a slippery slope. While inside, he thought there was no future for him.
"It's not pleasant in there so I had to keep my mind focused," said Harris. "God gave me the power to come back home to better things. I see life totally different now."
When Harris was released in 2009, he reacquainted himself with his childhood love for boxing through trainer Joe Higgins. Within a year, he won the Long Island Championships.
On Friday night, it was his chance to hand out the standing eights as he dominated Edwin Om (D'Awesome BC), a 22-year-old student at Montclair State University in a 152 pound novice match at Brooklyn's St. Bernard School Hall.
He scored two counts in the second and two more in the third round to force a halt to the bout at the 53 second mark.
"I felt really good in there," said Harris, who earned the PC Richard Fighter of the Night Award. "I knew I was stronger than him and took advantage - in a good way."
Now competing in his second Daily News Golden Gloves, Harris wants to make the most of his final year of eligibility in the novice class. He's aiming to win the Gloves and springboard to a professional career and even recently competed in a bout for the filming of the FX series Lights Out.
When he isn't delivering blows, he's delivering paper goods for a company in Long Island and during the summer. Harris also volunteers at Northeast Park in Freeport, assisting kids in a basketball league. He hopes to attend college and study guidance counseling - after all, he said, he has a world of experience to pass on to lost kids.
"I can definitely tell these kids that anything is possible," he said. "Just look at me."
Comment