On any given day, a man with the dream of becoming the next Olympic boxing champion can be found at a gym in Madison, pounding away on punching bags or practicing his footwork for hours on end.
Chicago native Chris Ousley fought in the Olympic trials qualifier in June, earning him a spot at the trials for the 2016 Olympics.
Only six other men from Ousley’s weight class made the cut to fight at the Olympic trials.
Ousley has always wanted to be a professional athlete, and his childhood passion for sports allowed him the opportunity to dabble in boxing, despite early aspirations of becoming a football player.
Ousley first felt drawn to boxing during a trip to Las Vegas when he saw professional boxers displayed on signs. He remembers seeing posters of Floyd Mayweather Jr., who was scheduled for an upcoming fight in the area, and feeling a sense of awe.
“I saw the posters in Vegas for the first time and I thought, ‘I want to be on those posters, I want to do this,’” Ousley said. “It gave me an actual visual on what opportunities I had available to me.”
For the last four years, Ousley developed his dedication for the sport of boxing and made training his highest priority. He currently trains seven or eight hours per day at Ford’s Gym in Madison.
Ousley readily joked about the small size of Madison’s boxing community.
“I actually really am the boxing scene in Madison,” Ousley said.
After receiving a degree in business at the University of Dubuque in Iowa, Ousley decided to return to Madison because of his dedication to boxing. His decision was based on the proximity to boxing coach Bob Lynch.
Ousley said he chose Lynch because of his focus on boxing as a sport, rather than a capital driven approach.
“He was probably the most upfront and honest guy I’ve ever met in boxing,” Ousley said. “It’s a business, so there are a lot of guys that just want to make money. Coach Bob never steered me in the wrong direction.”
Lynch, the well-known coach of World Champion boxer Eric Morel, continues to coach Ousley alongside former professional boxer Andrea Nelson.
Though Ousley is currently focusing all of his efforts on improving his boxing skills, he said taking the time to complete his business degree has been beneficial in the world of professional athletics.
“Some boxers, when they hear someone say they can give them money, they just immediately jump on it because they came from nothing,” Ousley said. “But I have an education. I know business.”
With the Olympic trials scheduled for December, Ousley has been continuing to prepare for the six-match tournament. The top two boxers from that tournament will be selected for the Olympic team.
Ousley said his biggest challenge stems from his late introduction to boxing. He has been working to gain experience by training with other experienced boxers.
Between now and December, he hopes to focus on improving his technique and traveling to train with other nationally ranked boxers to achieve his goal of making the Olympic team.
“Coach Bob always tells me, ‘the Olympics are the most important thing you can do right now,’” Ousley said. “My team isn’t really focusing on money right now. In boxing, they can take the money away from you, but they can’t take away your title as an Olympian.”
