Sports
Lacey Gym Trainer Wins Boxing Match On ESPN
Chris 'Sandman' Thomas defeated his opponent in a knockout. It took only 47 seconds.
ATLANTIC CITY, NJ — It didn't take long for Chris "Sandman" Thomas to make a point in the boxing ring. Thomas defeated his opponent by knockout in only 47 seconds Saturday at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.
Thomas fights out of Beachwood and is an instructor at Lacey's Gladiator Gym. His match was one of several televised on ESPN.
The boxer faced Samir Barbosa in the super middleweight class, making quick work of the Brazilian.
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"If it didn’t happen there, it was going to happen in the next 30 seconds," Thomas said in a post-match interview with ESPN.
Thomas has been named the New Jersey Middleweight and United States Boxing Federation light heavyweight champion.
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Gladiator Gym (120 N Main St., Forked River) specializes in boxing and kickboxing. The gym is affiliated with USA Boxing, the national governing body for Olympic-style amateur boxing.
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