Photo/BRIAN LOCKHART READY TO RUMBLE: From left, Travis Rydall, Jamie Ferris, Scott Kindred-Barnes, Max Rizzi, and John Grose, have been training for their shot at the Ringside World Championships in Kansas City, Missouri.The five local fighters train at Big Tyme Fitness in Orangeville. Over seven hundred boxers will take part in the event that will feature 53 fights in seven rings daily until the last man standing in each weight category will claim the title. Three minutes doesn’t seem like a lot of time, but in the ring that’s a full round of punishment if things aren’t going your way.

Five local boxers will test their skills this week at the Ringside World Boxing Championships held at the KCI Expo Center in Kansas City, Missouri. J amie Ferris and Scott Kindred-Barnes will compete in the light-heavyweight division.

Travis Rydall will mix it up with the heavyweights.

Max Rizzi is entered as a welterweight, and John Grose will represent the club in the featherweight division.

Over 700 fighters from several countries will square off in a round-robin style elimination tournament that leaves only one boxer from each fight eligible to advance.

To stay alive in the tournament you’ve got to win - one loss and you’re out.

The finals will be held this Saturday with the winner in each weight category claiming the title.

The local fighters all train at Big Tyme Fitness in Orangeville. Three boxers from the gym have come back with titles in previous years.

“The most you can have is five fights,” said trainer and light-heavyweight contender Jamie Ferris of the tournament. “In amateur boxing you can’t fight more than once a day.”

Ranging in age from 15 to 39, the boxers were handpicked by club owner and head trainer Bryon Mackie.

The training consists of “lots of jogging, eating healthy, lots of bag work, and sparring non stop.”

“It’s an open tournament. This is the biggest boxing tournament in the world,” Ferris explained. “Bryon decides who is ready to go. He’s sending our five guys that he thinks can come home with a belt.”

Each fight will be three rounds using ten ounce gloves and competition head gear and will be scored on a point system by three judges.

To get through the elimination process in five days, the arena has been set up with seven rings and will hold around 53 fights per day heading into the final.

To say the competition will be tough is probably understating what the winners will have to go through to claim a title.

“You’ve got to dig down deep after fighting five times in one week,” Ferris said of going to the final. “Most guys fight once every two to three months. Your conditioning has to be bang on. The other guys’ in the same boat, he’s had fights as well, you’re both there. A lot of it is just a lot of heart.”

A lot of heart and some fast jabs.

The clubs attending will be sending their best and the competition is expected to be first rate with some highly trained fighters on the canvas. “The more road work you put in the better, and the more ring work you put in the better. All five of our guys are on right now, looking good, and everyone is ready to go. Everyone wants to get there and fight right now.”