Local boxer teams up with ex-Holyfield corner man
What was the highlight for local boxer Jimmy Lange during five weeks of training in Arapahoe, N.C.?
“Every Sunday, we had a field trip to Wal-Mart,” said Lange. “We didn’t really do anything but walk around, killing time. But it was our break from boxing, so we really looked forward to it.”
Lange (29-3-2) thought he knew how to get ready for a match. But that was before he took on trainer Don Turner. In preparing for Saturday’s junior middleweight fight with journeyman Frank Houghtaling (19-15-5), Lange went through the most Spartan regimen of his career.
“It was boxing 24/7,” said Lange, 33, of Great Falls. “No phone, no Internet. There was a TV, but it had a continuous loop of boxing. I’ve never been through a camp like that — everything structured, all your time planned out.”
After an amicable parting of ways with longtime trainer Buddy McGirt, Lange signed on with Turner, best known for prepping Evander Holyfield for his legendary defeats of Mike Tyson.
Lange hated Turner’s camp. And loved it. This will be just his second match in 24 months following a devastating shoulder injury. But the O’Connell graduate believes camp has left him in the best physical and mental condition of his career.
“I’m not going to lose to anybody,” said Lange. “This is the healthiest I’ve been in a long time. I’m prepared like never before. I’m on my march to reach the goal that was set for me when I started boxing when I was 6 years old.”
Houghtaling, 35, should present little impediment in the featured match at George Mason University’s Patriot Center. The 5-foot-8 Albany, N.Y, resident has lost his last six fights, his last win coming in 2005.
Houghtaling is a replacement for Ryan “Dangerous” Davis (20-8-2), who backed out on his date with Lange in March. Admitting that he’d never heard of Lange before signing for the fight, Houghtaling takes a minimalist approach in his preparations.
“I don’t know much about any of my opponents,” said Houghtaling. “I train for the best and I hope I get the worst.”
Houghtaling, employed full-time by the New York Thruway Authority, has a colorful resume. He grew up in Catskill, N.Y., learning the sport along with Tyson under legendary trainer Cus D’Amato.
Two years ago, Houghtaling and several members of his family were accused of insurance fraud and staging auto accidents. But in the longest trial in Albany County history (11 weeks), they were acquitted of more than 100 charges.
Houghtaling is using his new lease on life by pursuing a Masters Degree at Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary with hopes of becoming an Army chaplain.
“I want to be the ‘Punching Preacher,’” said Houghtaling.
