‘Mama said, ‘Knock You Out’

Golden Meadow boxers ready to go ‘Brawlin’

By KEYON K. JEFF

Fists, feet and elbows will be flying as local boxers and mixed martial arts fights headline the “Brawlin’ in N’awlins” card this Saturday night at the Pontchartrain Center in Kenner.

In the main event, Golden Meadow-trained boxer Zane “The Train” Marks (16-3, 9 KOs) will battle Covington boxer Will “Kid Fire” McIntyre (39-4, 14 KOs) for the vacant International Boxing Association Light Heavyweight Championship belt.

“I want to be world champion, and he’s standing in the way,” said Marks, 23, who has knocked out six opponents in the first minute of the bout.

Marks, who usually fights as a middleweight, is giving up 2 ? inches and 17 pounds to McIntyre.

“I’m going to be really aggressive, control the tempo, put a lot of pressure on him and see how he holds up,” said McIntyre, 32.

Both fighters bring impressive résumés to the title bout.

As an amateur, McIntyre was a Junior Olympic (1991), Silver Gloves (’92) and Golden Gloves (’93) champion. In 2000, he won the NABA Super Middleweight title in a 12-round decision.

Marks, born and raised in Scotland, was the British and Scottish National Boxing Champion before moving to the United States and won the Junior Olympic title in 2002. Last year, he lost by unanimous decision to Cleveland Corder in a bout for the IBC and NBA Middleweight titles.

Marks claims McIntyre made the match a “personal vendetta” at the pre-fight press conference.

“He said I was the little man and he was going to hurt me,” he asserted. “So my game plan is ‘balls to the wall.’ I’m going to stand in front of him and see if he can. I can hold my own with anybody.”

The possibly of becoming world champion excites Marks, but it is not his only goal.

“My main goal is to be the most exciting fighter to come out of my country,” he said. “I have yet to be in a boring fight.”

On the MMA side, Golden Meadow native Courtney “Wild Beast” Pollard (1-1) will step in the cage with Brandon “Babybean” Esch, son of super heavyweight boxer Eric “Butterbean” Esch.

“Fighting Butterbean’s son, that would intimidate most people, but that does nothing for me,” said Pollard, 27, who trains at Theriot’s Extreme Fitness in Galliano.

He has been doing MMA training for less than 18 months and fighting since February. He won his first fight by TKO in 16 seconds, but loss his last match in April by submission.

“I’m coming back with vengeance on this one,” he said.

Being a newcomer to the sport, Pollard finds the experience of cage fighting awesome and overwhelming on the senses.

“To be locked in a cage with one man and everything around you disappears, and there’s just you and your opponent in front of your face, that’s a rush,” he said. “Your job is to beat him before he beats you.”

Pollard hopes to use his MMA as a way to escape a rough childhood and bad decisions he has made in the past.

“I always was a fighter; now I found a legal way to do it without getting jumped or going to prison,” he said. “I went from the arrest reports to the front page of the (newspaper).”

Other locals on the four boxing and four MMA match card will include Randy Billiot from Pointe-Aux-Chenes, Chalmette native Gary “Southern Pride” Bergeron (8-2) fighting Miguel Alfaro (4-2), and Franklinton native Nick “Downtown” Brown in his pro debut against Bobby O’Bannon (2-0).

The first bout starts at 7:30 p.m. Seats are still available through TicketMaster and local ticket outlets.

The card is a promotion of The Fight Guys LLC.

Zane “The Train” Marks, a Golden Meadow-trained boxer, will face Covington boxer Will “Kid Fire” McIntyre for the International Boxing Association Light Heavyweight Championship belt Saturday in Kenner. * Photo courtesy of THE FIGHT GUYS LLC