There seems to come a time in every child’s life when they challenge their parents or guardians whishes by attempting to toss up the age old “why do I have to when you never did/tried” excuse statement. While this is usually a child’s harmless attempt to manipulate their parents’ inner guilt in order to get out of something, not to their liking. Most adults dread this statement. When Luke Vaughn faced this stand off he took the challenge head on.

Fort Worth native Luke Vaughn made his professional boxing debut at the Dallas Coliseum on Tuesday night. When asked why he decided to try boxing at age 39 his answer was simple, “my children”. He explained how as a father of a girl and two boys he has always found that the most impactful life lessons taught were the ones where he led by example. During a discussion with his seven and fourteen year old boys about the importance of not giving up on your dream, he was met with, “you never tried boxing which was your childhood dream so why do we have to go after our dreams?” After hours of deep reflection he returned home after work a couple of days later and let his children know that they were right and that he would give it a shot.

With no previous amateur or professional experience Mr. Vaughn spent the last few months training to make his professional debut. After a spirited first round, the constant blows to the body started to wear on him and led to him being floored by his much taller opponent Chad Johnson, twice in the second round. In what was a competitive bout had now turned one sided and seemed all but over. The pro Texas crowd had stopped cheering for the Fort Worth man and spatters of “get” em Oklahoma” could now be heard. Luke exploded with a looping overhand right to start the 3rd but seemed to succumb to straight left/counter right hook combinations. The fourth started as the last round had ended but the crowd began to cheer for the Texas man once again as he mounted a final moment rally until the bell sounded to end the fight.

In the end it was the Oklahoma fighter who took home the decision. It would appear to the casual observer that the night wasn’t worth the trouble, as Luke didn’t receive the glory, took home a small purse, and a black eye for his troubles. When asked if it was worth it he decisively answered yes. With a tone of certainty he said, “I look forward to getting into better shape and improving my technique, I will be back and look way better, I promise you”. Some could say this journey was a painful way to get a message across. Be assured that his children are proud of his effort and learned another age-old life lesson: the importance of picking your self up off of the ground when life knocks you down, figuratively and literally speaking. [02/12/10]