By MICHAEL BOYLAN

Sports Editor

It is a tight knit group that gathers at Mike Gaddy's house every week. They work out, lift weights and spar in a boxing ring. They are training for the Golden Glove fights, and they are training to win.

Gaddy has built a small gym and a ring into his garage. It may not be a world class facility and there may be some antique cars in the middle of being restored, but it has everything the young fighters need to train and most of all, it has Gaddy.

Mike Gaddy used to be a boxer, working out at the War Memorial Boys Club with fighters like Evander Holyfield. Gaddy knows the tricks of the trade and is happy to share his knowledge with those who wish to have it. He starts the students off with the basics, building their confidence levels up and then the more advanced lessons come in.

"The most important thing I teach is conditioning," says Gaddy. "These guys won't be fighting forever, but I hope that when they stop getting in the ring, they still hit the weights and they keep running." Gaddy teaches this lesson by continuing to work out and run with the guys and he hasn't fought in years. "It shows them that if I can still do it, so can they."

He is a very successful teacher. One of his students, Tom Mindar, a 29 year old police officer in Fayetteville, won his first fight, the state championship, in the Novice Super Heavyweight Division of the Golden Gloves tournament. Mindar is 6'7 and 241 pounds. He had always had an interest in boxing and finds that it is a good way to stay fit. Mindar continues to work out and train because the Georgia Games are coming up in July and he wants to win more fights.

Another fighter that has learned a great deal from Gaddy is Tom Nguyen. Tom is 5'9 and 200 pounds. He is a graduate from Georgia State University, and was a wrestler in High School. He was looking for an outlet and decided to try boxing. Tom has been boxing for four years and when he went with the group to the Golden Gloves championships, he entered the open division instead of the novice division. The open division has more experienced fighters in it and Tom was matched up with the third ranked amateur in the country, Terry Owens, an Olympic hopeful. Tom did not have the type of experience that Owens did, but he still fought him to an extremely close decision. "If I had had the judges from the last Holyfield fight," says Tom, "I would have won."

Gaddy's garage is like an open house. The boys can come over when they like and they know where the key is. He only asks that they respect and help each other, which it is clear that they do. They have each taken many positive things from their experiences boxing, mostly self-discipline and sportsmanship. "Plus," adds Tom Nguyen, "Chicks dig fighters and it also isn't so bad to know how to protect yourself."

Gaddy shines as a teacher and a mentor. He is able to bring out what is needed from each fighter. They have put their blood, sweat and tears into the ring and are all completely willing to go the distance. "I've had kids coming through here for years," says Gaddy. "Most of them do not become fighters, but it's a good place to work out and they aren't on the street." There aren't a lot of places like this in the area, the closest one is in Doraville. Gaddy is right though, "it doesn't take anything fancy to make some positive strides in your own backyard."

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