H e a r t o f a C h a m p i o n

By Chris Chmielewski Foster Focus Editor

How do you define a champion? How do you pinpoint that quality that turns a hard worker into a contender? What drives an athlete to perform years beyond what’s expected of them? What makes a champion?

There’s the scoreboard That’s one way to do it Wins and losses? You could go that route How do you calculate heart? How do you account for fortitude? Does skill trump heart? What system do you use to determine how many times a person might get up after being knocked down?

Fact is you can’t. You couldn’t predict that Rudy Rudinger would get himself tossed around Notre Dame’s practice field week after week You couldn’t look at Spud Webb or even a high school freshman Michael Jordan and determine they would become NBA stars. No one saw Doug Flutie coming. A long haired, waif of a man named Randy Johnson wouldn’t strike you as the most feared pitcher in the world when you first met him A champion knows their worth; validation lies in the completion of the task.

Completion of the task is a skillset that Rob Garris of Mount Vernon, New York has perfected.

It was back in 1985 when the future looked brighter than it ever had for the young pugilist. He had spent the better part of his life in foster care. At 20 years old Garris looked the part of contender He was fighting well during the year ’s New York Golden Gloves tournament Alas, a chipped bone in his nose would put a stop to his surge. He would go on to get married, have three kids, start a foundation for foster youth and open his own barbershop called Mackadocious and became a pillar of the community His dreams of competing professionally all but dashed, he lived a happy life. But a champion is never really content without having proved their worth

In 2012, Garris, 27 years removed from his time in the ring as an amateur, set out to do what had eluded him nearly three decades ago; fight his first pro fight After a string of exhibition fights, he did just that on December 8, 2012 when he stepped in to the ring against Abdellah Smith at the Resorts World Casino in Queens, NY. The spirited bout made Garris the oldest boxer to ever fight professionally

Dubbed the “Children’s Champion”, Garris’ value to the world reaches far beyond the ring The foundation he founded, Throwaway Kids Foundation, runs the gamut of helpful services for the local foster youth From family finding to mentoring to the more emotionally draining task of ensuring headstones are purchased for youth who perish in care His heart is with foster care and the kids who occupy the system and his barbershop has become the heart of the community

Mackadocious is a staple of the New Rochelle landscape Athletes, entertainers and rappers have all passed through the doors on Webster Avenue The shop not only gives Garris the ability to practice his trade but also engrains him in the neighborhood He likes interacting with the neighborhood kids and customers who have been coming back for years He learns about the lives He hears their hopes, their problems, the ups and downs of life in the busiest city in the country and their achievements when life goes their way They are as much a part of Garris’ life as he is a part of theirs

I met Rob a couple years back and was instantly impressed with his demeanor For a boxer, he’s really polite and easy going He’s got a subdued attitude, quite a shift from the ferocious hook thrower he becomes when he the gloves on Boxing wasn’t the first thing he told me about himself The Throwaway Kids Foundation was the first bit of information he shared about himself with me He’s proud He should be, not everyone comes back to foster care to help the kids that are presently in the system He wants to help As much as he wanted a belt, Garris wants to make a difference in the life of today’s foster kids

As I got to know him, I found his love of foster youth was only eclipsed by his love of family. A look at his Facebook wall shows family from all over showering him with messages of appreciation and affection So it was with a heavy heart that Rob Garris announced he would in fact be fighting again at age 50 but this time the fight would be dedicated to his son, Dimek, who was lost after battling cancer in 2015

Saddened by the loss of his son but excited for his return to the ring, I reached out to Rob to share both my sympathy for Dimek and enthusiasm for his upcoming fight He was, as was to be expected, solemn and still in mourning. Yet despite his grief he trained He trained And then he trained some more I have no understanding of losing a child but I watched in awe as he fought through the pain to regain his ring form

As the fight neared I began to wonder what would drive him to get back to fighting at age 50, who was this guy George Forman? (He met Foreman just before that first pro fight The former champ encouraged him to shatter any age record out there ) “I want to show the kids they can do anything There are no excuses. Age, where you grew up, you can overcome any of these things,” says Garris

The fight was set for September 12th at the Mount Vernon Boys and Girls Club. I geared up to sit ringside to watch the sweet science in person. Much to my dismay, I was hit with a stomach bug that had the force of a Tyson body shot Out of commission, I would have to settle for first-hand accounts and the fight tape

The opponent was again Abdellah Smith, the same Smith who faced off with Garris in his first pro bout. The air was thick with the tension and the emotions still surrounding the loss of Dimek. Garris came out in a fury. Combinations of jobs and powerful hooks bombarded Smith, his best defense proving futile. The emotionally charged Garris spent the first two rounds trading flurries of punches for several sequences with Smith who attempted to match the intensity. The body shots began to wear on Smith midway through the second as he made his way back to a concerned corner

The start of the third round found the crowd at a fevered pitch. They had risen with every blow Screamed at every feigned jab Bellowed with every landed tag to the body. They were ready for a knockout and Garris would deliver A minute into the round Garris connected with a jab to the face, hook to the body combination that rattle the ribs of Smith. Smith returned with a combo of his own only to be met by a fierce jab followed quickly with a devastating hook to the head sending him to the canvas

As the referee began the ten count, relief began to fill Garris’ face The realization of a victory seemed insignificant next to honoring his son’s life He looked skyward while his victory was announced to the crowd, most of which were beginning to flood the ring Hands raised, surrounded by family and friends, Garris had seen another task to completion, the mark of a true champion.

The fight will never end for Garris It may not be in the ring where he can use his powerful punching style, but the force with which those punches are thrown will still be felt via the passion he approaches life with He’ll fight on for the foster youth who can’t fight for themselves. He’ll fight to remain a fixture of his community He’ll fight to make sure his shop is always there for those who need it. He’ll fight to be sure Dimek’s memory lives on He’ll fight to ensure that the Throwaway Kids Foundation has an impact. He’ll fight on with the heart of a champion He won’t look back at what could have been He’s done all he set out to do. After all, a champion knows their worth; validation lies in the completion of the task