28-year-old Dayshon Smith was nicknamed “Superfreak” for his power and reach in the ring. Many believed he had a shot at being the #1 boxer in the country. Smith was a champion amateur boxer who lived on Congress Avenue and trained for years at Ring One in the Hill. Ring One has a storied history in the Elm City, going back more than 20 years. Chad Dawson trained there, among many others. Interestingly, Dawson is the one who gifted Smith with his nickname.
He was shot and killed amid gunfire in the Hill Saturday night after a large party turned deadly, leaving five others hospitalized.
NHPD Chief Reyes said that the crowd had dispersed by the time the officers arrived. Perhaps if the force did not remain understaffed and wasn't a recent recipient of a staggering budget cut by newly-minted Mayor Justin Elicker this would not have been the case. And they found “an expansive crime scene that extended well beyond the original location of 173 Rosette into parts of other surrounding streets.”
Ring One was born in the 1990's with the goal of getting kids off the streets to learn the art of boxing, and keep them out of trouble. It is - and was - a fantastic idea, and a facility that has housed many with promise. It is up to all of us to see to it that these doors stay open and, what's more, when one such boxer shows that promise we champion them and cheer on their ascent.
Smith won the first 22 matches he fought in, a near unheard-of winning streak in the sport.