Arctic Reservist Boxes in Local Fight Night

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Rhiannon Willard
  • 477th Fighter Group Public Affairs
ANCHORAGE, Alaska --  Staff Sgt. Jorge "The Hellion" Mendoza, 477th Force Support Squadron, competed in his debut fight at the Anchorage Thursday Night at the Fights event on March 12.

Sgt. Mendoza, 44, last boxed when he was stationed in Panama in 1998 while on active duty. While in Panama he had the opportunity to train with a member and coach of the Air Force Boxing team.

After moving to Alaska, 2 months ago, Mendoza decided to sign up for the Thursday Night at the Fights, not knowing where that might take him. He took a couple weeks to run and box in the Elmendorf Fitness Center and just two days before the fight he discovered Daniel's Boxing School in Anchorage.

Sgt. Mendoza was set to fight a 19 year old opponent.  After fighting three 1 min 30 sec rounds and with the support of his co-workers and family in the audience, Mendoza won unanimously by decision.

This father of two was named "Fighter of the Night" by the event coordinators and was given a trophy along with his $150 in winnings.

"I'm thinking about signing up to fight again in about 2 weeks," said Mendoza. "I will be training at the boxing gym to fine tune my skills."

Anyone can sign up for Thursday Night Fights by calling Jerry at 344-4155 or 764-4624.

The 477 FSS is assigned to the 477th Fighter Group. The 477 FG is a Classic Associate Air Force Reserve unit responsible for recruiting, training, developing and retaining unrivaled Citizen Airmen.