Fighting or boxing in prison is not usually positive, but on Thursday, Feb. 9, it will be as Rayburn Correctional Center is hosting the 19th annual Terry Wood Memorial Boxing Extravaganza.
“Our boxing team trains for this match year round and they are as excited and fired up as I’ve ever seen them,” Rayburn’s recreational director and boxing team coach Damon Smith said.
The Terry Wood Memorial “King of Hearts” event is the beginning of the Louisiana Inmate Boxing Association season. This event features boxers from five different correctional facilities, including Louisiana State Penitentiary (Angola), Dixon Correctional Institute, Raymond Laborde Correctional Center and Elayn Hunt Correctional Center. They box in nine different weight divisions and the event was formerly known as “The Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre.”
The event is named after Terry Wood, a corrections captain who worked at Rayburn Correctional Center and traveled worldwide as a professional boxing referee until his death in the late 1990s.
The action gets under way at 6:30 p.m. and the gates will open at 4:30 p.m. to allow everyone the opportunity to enjoy the festive atmosphere featuring music performed by the offender band.
Smith said allowing people to come in so early also gives them the opportunity to get some incredible deals on the offender-made hobby craft items. Belts, wallets, purses, jewelry boxes, clocks, are just a few of the items that are available.
The admission price is $5 and proceeds go to Relay for Life.
Gates close at 7:30 p.m.
Refreshments will be sold throughout.
Rayburn Correctional Center is a smoke-free facility. Also, no electronic recording devices are permitted. Cellphones and cameras are not allowed at RCC.