Dominique Crowder visits Poughkeepsie boxing gym where it started, title belt in tow
Dominique Crowder sometimes came up with excuses he hoped would convince his dad to allow him to skip sessions, the way a kid might if fearful of a school bully.
His circumstances weren’t all that different, either.
Because those sparring sessions were more like beatdowns, with Crowder overmatched and overpowered. He was a novice then, a teenager still learning to box, and his opponent showed little mercy.
“When he first started, we heard the coaches were high on him, but we wanted to vet him and see if he was really built for it,” said Andrew Jones, his old sparring partner. “There were days after our sessions when I thought he wouldn’t come back.”
There were days he didn’t want to. With his confidence shaken, and his ego as bruised as his body, Crowder wondered if the sport was for him.
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“Andrew always got the better of me," Crowder admitted recently, shaking his head as he spoke. "I’d ask my dad, ‘Can I go every other day instead?’ But he kept bringing me and told me to stick to it.”
For him, the APJ Boxing Club in Poughkeepsie became a literal school of hard knocks.
Some of those memories rushed back to him when he entered the facility Wednesday evening, greeted by a throng of old friends and new fans, excited to celebrate his success.
“I’d come into this gym just a few years ago and only a few people knew who I was,” the 29-year-old said. “It’s amazing to see this now. I used to pray for times like this.”
And things like the championship belt that folks were eager to take pictures of.
Crowder took a significant step in his ascent, capturing the World Boxing Association International bantamweight title earlier this month. "Dimes" is undefeated in his professional career and has elevated his profile this year, even befriending superstar Gervonta Davis, a fellow Baltimore native.
The victory lap included a return to Poughkeepsie and a stop at the gym that birthed his boxing career. This time, he was welcomed as a conquering hero. Among the gifts was a congratulatory certificate presented by Stacey Bottoms, who is deputy district director to State Senator Rob Rolison and a member of the APJ club.
Crowder posed for photos, signed autographs, caught up with old pals and chatted with folks who popped in to see a newly-minted champion with local ties.
The event was organized by Kariym Patterson, owner of the gym and Crowder’s first trainer. Among those in attendance were the APJ coaches and club members who knew him as skinny newcomer a decade ago.
“I’m incredibly happy for him, and it’s hard to put into words what this means,” said Ty Stokes, a Poughkeepsie-based boxer who trained alongside Crowder early on. “To hold a piece of the WBA title is amazing. What he’s doing motivates me, and hopefully it motivates some kids around here to aspire to something great.”
As discouraging as those sparring sessions were initially, Crowder’s father didn’t allow him to quit, and his confidence eventually was buoyed by the belief that Patterson and coach Kelvin Mitchell had in him. With his reach at 6-foot-1, along with natural athleticism and quickness, Patterson insisted Crowder could be successful.
“They told me I had a lot of potential, even when it didn’t look like it,” Crowder said. “Coach Mitch said, ‘Trust me. Just put in the work and watch how things change.’”
He got serious about his conditioning, pushed himself to master the fundamentals and develop some advanced techniques, and learned as many of the nuances as he could. There were 5 a.m. workouts with Stokes, and even some Sunday morning practices when those two were the only ones in the gym.
The first change Crowder noticed was those bouts with Jones no longer being so lopsided.
“No matter how badly he got beaten up, he kept coming back and getting better,” Jones said. “Pretty soon, he was better than me. It got to the point where his elevation in skill just blew past us.”
Crowder became a professional in 2019 after a successful amateur run that included two New York Golden Gloves titles and triumphs in three national tournaments.
He trains now with coaches Mark Breland and Jose Guzman, whom he credits for teaching him “the Puerto Rican boxing style,” which he said has deepened his repertoire.
“There’s something in him that drives him,” Jones said. “He fought for free for a long time, so it’s probably not money. It might not even be trophies. He just wants to be great. He’s an amazing fighter, and I know that firsthand.“
Crowder on Aug. 5 defeated Kenny Demecillo of the Philippines in a unanimous decision for the international bantamweight title, improving his professional record to 16-0. He won decisively on each of the judges’ scorecards and, while being announced the victor, he thought, “We’re here!”
“I was excited, but not surprised, because I knew the work I’d put in,” Crowder said. “I believe in that; that effort is gonna get rewarded eventually.”
The belt is a token of what he has accomplished to this point, he said, but it’s also “a piece to the puzzle” and a reminder of how much more there is to gain. Crowder hopes to challenge Takuma Inoue, a Japanese standout who holds the WBA bantamweight crown.
“I need more hardware,” he said. “There’s more belts out there and I need them.”
Dominique was raised by his mom, Nicole Crowder, in Baltimore, but admittedly became wayward as a teen. His parents feared him continuing toward a troubled path, so he relocated to Hyde Park to live with his dad. Craig Harris believed his son could flourish in a quieter environment and with his influence. Plus, boxing lessons might instill some discipline.
“He was right,” Crowder said with a smile. “I’m grateful for that. I’m glad things worked out the way they did.”
Crowder has again made Maryland his home, moving back two years ago and buying a house. There, he said, his life is “100% different” than it used to be. It feels “surreal” when he is recognized in public and strangers offer congratulations to the hometown kid on the rise.
Still, he said, Poughkeepsie and Hyde Park are hometowns, too.
“This is where it started for me,” he said. “Things started to turn around when I got up here and got involved with this gym. So, this community (will) always be a part of me and I’ll always have love for these people.”
Stephen Haynes: shaynes@poughkeepsiejournal.com; 845-437-4826; Twitter: @StephenHaynes4
This article originally appeared on Poughkeepsie Journal: Boxing: Crowder returns to Poughkeepsie, celebrates bantamweight title
