Liberty High School boxer is working toward Olympic dreams
During the 2012 Olympic Games, Tim Lee would drag himself out of bed at 4 a.m. - sometimes even 3 a.m. - to watch the U.S. boxing team fight in London.
Lee, a 16-year-old Henderson resident who attends Liberty High School, has been boxing for almost five years.
"Boxing is my heart," he said. "I eat, sleep and live it."
Watching the Games, Lee knew his heart was only leading him to one place: the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
"I can't wait," Lee said. "I'm ready to be there."
If anyone would have asked Lee about 10 years ago which sport he'd be dedicated to, he would have answered football.
"That's all I wanted to play," he said.
His grandfather, however, knew he had a knack for boxing, even at a young age.
"I was 7 or 8 and my grandfather would always hold his hands out and have me punch them," Lee said. "He said I had potential. Even though I was little, he could feel my punches had power."
But Lee never took it seriously until his father signed him up for boxing lessons when he was 12.
"I hated it and never took it seriously," Lee said. "I just wanted to play football."
Even from the get-go, his first coach, Jeff Mayweather, knew he had potential.
"He made a lot of progress and came a long way," Mayweather said.
It was after the first fight Lee won that he realized how much he liked the sport.
"I saw the rewards from my work," he said.
Not all fights went his way in the beginning.
"I lost my second fight," Lee said. "I am glad, though. Nobody goes undefeated when they are an amateur fighter. I think it was a great experience."
Lee now fights in the welterweight division and has a record of 124-5.
His life started to revolve around boxing.
"I'm married to it," he said. "I think about it 24/7."
His schedule takes him from school to the gym to work. Lee trains at the Mayweather Boxing Club in Spring Valley.
"If I have to work after school, I'll train after work," Lee said. "I have a bag in my backyard I hit or I'll go for a run."
Every punch he throws, session he trains and fight he wins gets him a step closer to the Olympics, he believes.
"When it comes down to it, though, it doesn't matter how many wins or losses you have," Lee said. "It's about who wants the gold more."
But he will still take whatever wins he can obtain along the way.
In 2013, Lee hopes to compete in the USA Boxing National Championships. But the win he said matters the most is the boxing championship in 2015.
"That's the one that can send you to the 2016 Olympics," Lee said.
Already, he has intensified his training.
"I'm going to be running at Mount Charleston," Lee said. "I'm eating way better and making sure I get the right nutrition. I'm very dedicated."
His training also keeps him from peer pressure at school, he added.
"You just have to stay focused," he said. "People try to pressure you to smoke or party, but I'm sticking to the game plan."
During Christmas break, Lee had the chance to train with one of his boxing icons, Zab Judah, who has four world titles in the welterweight and junior-welterweight divisions.
"It was probably some of the best sparring I've ever had in my life," he said. "I learned so much. I hope it opened me up to his training camp."
His coaches, past and present, can see that Lee's drive will get him far.
"Tim is an aggressive and fearless fighter and a quick learner," said Dwight Yarde, his current trainer. "I see him easily being in the 2016 Olympics."
Thinking beyond the 2016 Olympics, Lee wants to be a boxing promoter.
As much as he wants to be a champion in the ring, he really wants to be an advocate for the community.
"I just want to be a helpful person and give back to the community," Lee said. "I want to be their champion."
Contact Henderson/Anthem View reporter Michael Lyle at mlyle@viewnews.com or 702-387-5201.
