LAKE PLACID — In less than two weeks, three area boxers — Ryan Gallagher and Aaron Hesseltine, of Saranac Lake, as well as Marcus Marti of Lake Placid — will fight for the first-time at the Arbor Hill Community Center in Albany.
It’ll be a culmination of their “rigorous” training over the past few weeks, which has been led by Greg Landon.
Landon does training sessions on Mondays and Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m. and on Saturdays at 10:30 a.m. at the ADK Boxing and Fitness. There is also youth boxing at 4 p.m. on the Monday and Wednesdays, and at 10:30 a.m. on Saturdays.
IRON SHARPENS IRON
The gym is located inside the Placid Pond Plaza at 2049 Saranac Ave in Lake Placid, above the Mini Euromart.
Along with Landon’s help, all three boxers admit that try to support each other when possible.
“Iron sharpens iron,” Hesseltine said.
Hesseltine, who plans on fighting in the middle weight division, isn’t necessarily nervous about fighting, considering he doesn’t have an opponent yet. But that’s his only concern. He’s ready to fight.
“That’s a little stressful, so hopefully it will all work out,” he said. “But we’re feeling good. It’s been a long journey. It’s been fun and we’ve been grinding pretty hard.”
Hesseltine has been training with Landon for the past two years, particularly because he loves the grind, especially now that they are in “Hell Week,” a training week where boxers are expected to attend at least five classes.
“Which is pretty brutal,” he said. “We’ve all been coming five or six days a week pretty much, so it’s been pretty intensive, because each session is about an hour, or an hour and a half. We try to go down to Ring of Hope (Boxing Club) in Schenectady to spar some guys down there, and they kind of put us through hell. It’s really good to be able to work with them. We’re just all giving it our all, and we’re hoping for the best.”
For Hesseltine, this will be the second time he’s attempted to enter the ring. In March he planned on fighting in Latham, however while warming up, a fight broke out in the audience and the event was canceled.
“I’m really looking to be able to redeem that,” he said. “I’m just hoping that I actually get to the ring this time.”
‘I FEEL PREPARED’
When his first fight fell through, he stepped away from boxing for bit to train for Ironman Lake Placid, which he ultimately finished in July in 13 hours, 9 minutes, 19 seconds. Stamina along with being a southpaw — a stance where the right foot and hands are forward, often used by left-handed fighters — will be his biggest strength.
“I’ve got a pretty good reach too,” Hesseltine said. “I’ve just got to out-endurance them.”
Marti, who will fight in the heavy weight division, said he’s excited to throw himself into an environment he’s never been in before.
“I used to box as a kid, but never anything like this,” he said. “It’s definitely nerve-racking, but Greg is a great coach. He’s preparing us as much as he can. I feel prepared and I have these guys as support.”
For Marti, who grew up in the Bronx but moved to the area after graduating from Paul Smith’s College in 2020, he believes it’s important to put himself in uncomfortable situations.
“I knew doing this and throwing myself in a fight right away would make me extremely uncomfortable,” he said. “Going through that doubt, and coming out of that doubt, and getting those questions about myself and answering why just makes me stronger.”
SIX MINUTES OF GLORY
The past couple of weeks, he sometimes starts his training at 6 a.m. Marti has been preparing for this fight for six weeks, and said it has been rigorous.
“It’s been intense, but obviously for six minutes of glory,” he said. “That’s what it’s for.”
Marti hopes that his strong mindset during intense situations will help him in the ring.
“Just having that thought process of pushing further and not give up, take a knee or quit,” he said.
Gallagher said it’s a lot more training than one would expect, and it’s been an unexpected journey for him into the ring. He’s known Landon’s wife, Aleacia, for a long time and only met Greg not that long ago.
“I did not expect to be doing a fight a couple of months later,” he said. “It’s quite the experience. Greg does an awesome job. I feel like I’m fighting a pro. He’s throwing everything at us.”
Gallagher originally had no intentions of fighting another opponent.
“I just kind of wanted to learn how to box,” he said. “But me and Greg agreed that I would do some work for him, and he would teach me how to box. I thought it was a fair trade.”
That was until Landon approached him about an upcoming fight.
“I didn’t feel pressured to say yes, but it was kind of like ‘Why not? What’s my reason to say no to doing it?’” he said. “I couldn’t really find a reason why I couldn’t want to.”
Gallagher plans on fighting in the welter weight division, the lightest division amongst the three boxers. But he hopes that being on the smaller side will help him out.
“I’m just small and quick,” Gallagher said. “Get inside, pop back out quick.”