[Previous entry: "Oliver-Lopez: Sudden Lightening at the Roxy"] [Main Index] [Next entry: "Weights From Chicago"]
05/08/2008 Archived Entry: "Dr. Stoxen Hosts Chicago Weigh-Ins and Much More at Team Doctors!"
Dr. Stoxen Hosts Chicago Weigh-Ins and Much More at Team Doctors!
By Juan C. Ayllon
Dr. Stoxen (left) with Miguel Hernandez at the weigh-in (Tom Barnes photo)
CHICAGO—He’d just hosted the weigh-ins for Friday night’s fights at his sparkling and newly expanded, 4,000 square-foot Team Doctors Treatment and Training Center of Champions. “Macho” Miguel Hernandez and his heavily muscled opponent, “Superman” Derrick Findley, led a lineup of fighters, with boxing commission officers, doctors, the promoter Dominic Pesoli, and other guests paying rapt attention and milling about the new digs. It had been a hit.
Now, half an hour later, Dr. James Stoxen, DC was dropping off Ron, his painter, in an especially dangerous section of Chicago’s South Shore neighborhood by 71st and Yates.
“It’s a nasty, nasty place,” said Stoxen. “You know how they’ve got those blue lights and cameras? They’re all over the place here, and there’s cops everywhere! My painter said that someone had shot a woman in the face. I don’t want to be here; I want to get out fast!”
Fielding my call on his cell phone in one hand and the steering wheel in the other, Dr. Stoxen unwittingly shared a microcosm of his world—and perhaps the intrigue he shares with fighters—always moving and setting goals, with a strong affinity for largesse, excellence, danger and excitement.
He’s a chiropractor, an author, and a keynote speaker at international medical conferences, who in addition to servicing his run-of-the-mill clients, has worked with over 100 concert tours and A-list entertainers. Yet, Stoxen especially enjoys working with boxers. In fact, he counts World Boxing Council Lightweight Champion David Diaz and “Macho” Miguel Hernandez among the clients with whom he’s worked.
And now at 9:30 at night, Stoxen is driving through the mean streets, talking with me on his cell phone about Miguel Hernandez, his involvement with boxing, his work and his expanding facilities.
On the weigh-ins:
It was smooth. The commission came in and we had a very spacious area, a big auditorium-like space, to conduct the weigh-ins. It went off without a hitch.
It was a great job with the [Illinois] boxing commission. They’re a very polished group of men and women. They’re very good people.
On Miguel Hernandez:
He came in like five pounds overweight tonight. He was about 168 pounds. The other fighter was 160.
The situation is hard. Miguel has three jobs: He’s an auxiliary police for Cicero, full-time with the railroad, [and a boxer].
When we had him before, he was just a professional fighter. He would come in and train three days a week. This time, because of his difficult and odd hours, he mentioned that he was happy to just get to the boxing gym. Before, it was easier.
We understand that and support him any way we can, even if it’s just moral support.
We’ve been very close with him for many years. We helped him lose weight for the Golden Gloves in 2002 or 2003.
I have a lot of respect for him. He’s a good man.
On Stoxen’s role in Friday’s fights in Cicero:
Mainly, we’re sponsoring the weigh-in this time...[and] we’re profiling our brand new wing of our center. We’ve been building a new boxing strength and conditioning and sports nutrition center.
It’s a boxing strength and conditioning support center for trainers. We don’t handle the boxing training; we do sports specific training for all sports. One of our specialties is boxing. We assist specific boxers strength, speed, balance, conditioning, agility, stamina, and springiness to their step.
On his involvement with fighters:
I’ve worked with Miguel Hernandez, obviously, and David Diaz in the past.
Dr. James Stoxen (right) and former Ultimate Fighting Championships Heavyweight Champion Andrei Arlovski (Juan C. Ayllon photo)
I’ve also worked with “Fearless” Fernando Hernandez, “Speedy” Gonzalez, Rudy Cisneros, Luciano Perez, [Former UFC Heavyweight Champion] Andrei Arlovski, and some female fighters (but not recently).
On lecturing and concert work:
I’ve been hired to work on over 100 concert tours and worked with top performing artists...[and] lectured around the world to over 30,000 doctors in the last three or four years. I spoke at international medical conferences on the bio-mechanics of sports, the study of movements—mostly improving performance—and specialized cases, difficult cases, such as chronic arthritis, back problems, [and] fibro mialgia. I’ve also lectured on diet and nutrition.
On the new facilities:
First of all, many champs came out of my old facility. It had only what was necessary, not a lot of bodybuilding fluff.
Now, the gym has doubled in size, with better design, higher ceilings, good air supply, and around 70 posters signed by fighters we’ve trained. Dominic Pesoli said we have some fight posters he doesn’t have. They’re inspirational, and stir up interesting memories of working very closely with athletes. There are stories behind them.
* * *
Hey, with Dr. Stoxen, there will always be great stories.
Team Doctors Treatment and Training Center of Champions is located at 6332 S. Pulaski, Chicago, IL 60629. (773) 735-5200.
