From Press Row: Carla Peay
Meet Dusty Harrison: Future Star in the Ring
Dusty Harrison walked around the boxing ring at the Pikesville Armory, a bundle of nervous energy. He helped out the other boxers from Old School Gym in Clinton where he trains almost daily, clearly wishing his turn in the ring would come. It didn’t, not on this cool September evening of Beltway boxing. Dusty came prepared, but once his opponent realized Dusty has had 151 fights, the opponent backed out.
It’s worth mentioning here that Dusty Harrison is 13-years-old.
“I had my first fight when I was eight, but I started training years before that. My dad was a boxer, so he automatically helped me get interested in it,” said Dusty, whose favorite boxer is Felix Trinidad.
“I like a lot about the sport of boxing. We get to travel and meet a lot of people. I’ve been to Puerto Rico, New York, Tennessee, Georgia, a lot of places,” said Dusty, whose deceptively thin 95 pound frame belies his strength. He estimates his record at 130-20.
I first saw Dusty Harrison fight at an amateur competition at Sugar Ray Leonard’s Gym in Palmer Park this past summer. Given his experience, his skill level and command in the ring came as no surprise. But there was something else about the young boxer that was truly captivating. He had poise. He had maturity. He had presence.
“I’m trying to go to the Olympics in 2012. Then I want to turn pro at about 150 pounds and win in that weight class. I can see myself as an Olympic Champion and a World Champion someday.”
It’s safe to say that no one would dare start a fight with 8th grader Dusty, who attends Benjamin Stoddert Middle School in Temple Hills. Not only could Dusty drop the offender with a single efficient punch, he’d then help the kid up and shake his hand. After a victory in August in a Pro-Am show at Rosecroft Raceway, Dusty offered his defeated opponent his championship belt.
“I already have a lot of belts,” the classy young man said, not a hint of arrogance in his voice. “From being in the ring so much, it [the confidence] just comes naturally. I feel good in the ring. I don’t get nervous at all anymore.”
Dusty’s father, Buddy Harrison, started boxing at the age of 14, but doesn’t begin to compare his career with the future he sees for his son.
“I had 28 fights. Nothing like what Dusty is doing. We had a heavy bag in the living room, something I bought at Toys R Us when he was two-years-old. He started throwing punches. At first, I just wanted him to be able to take care of himself. I had no idea that it would turn into this. I had no idea he would be this good,” Buddy Harrison said.
Dusty’s National Championships include the Silver Gloves and the Junior Golden Gloves.
“I believe he’ll be on the Olympic team in 2012. There are a lot of very talented young boxers in this area and Dusty is right at the head of that class,” said Gary “Digital” Williams, who authors the “Boxing Along the Beltway” Web site, and has covered local boxing for 20 years.
Both in and out of the ring, Dusty Harrison carries himself with a wise-beyond-his-years manner, and a style and humility that befits the world class athlete he will soon be.
Carla Peay is the assistant sports editor for The Washington Informer, a feature writer and columnist for the Black Athlete Sports Network, and the author of the novel “Just Another Sunday.” She can be reached at ckpeay@yahoo.com.