Mark Itell wants to have at least one professional fight, a boxing match that will prove he's battled—and beaten—Father Time, among others.
He's 45, living in Northwest Indiana, toiling in the amateur ranks, and just hoping to get a shot, somewhere, somehow. He's been an amateur for 20 years.
'When I started, I just thought [ boxing ] was a sport that you went in there and just started pounding each other, but there's an art to it,' Itell said. 'I started enjoying it enough that I got up enough nerve so that, at 40, I hired professional trainers. Then, at 43, I went to Kansas City for the Ringside World Championships and fought my first real fight. I lost, but it was an incredible experience.'
His official record stands at 0-1, but he is 5-3-1 in exhibition fights.
'I just love the sport, and it's not as violent as people think,' Itell said. 'People often ask if it hurts, and it doesn't, really. It doesn't hurt when you get hit because you learn how to take a punch and not let it hurt.'
Itell's first official amateur fight was about three years ago in Los Angeles. 'I didn't do very well, but the experience was great,' he said.
Itell now trains six days a week, usually for three hours a day. He's 5'9', weighs 170 pounds and battles in the light-heavyweight division.
'I just feel like I'm at that point in my life where I feel like I can do it,' said Itell, which is scheduled to return to Kansas City Aug. 5-9 for the Ringside World Championships at the KCIU Expo Center, which is expected to draw more than 1,000 boxers of all different age- and competitive-groups.
Itell competes in the master's division, for those ages 35 and over.
'Basically, I'm trying to have as many fights as I can, so I can get better and better, to impress someone that I can do this [ on a professional level ] ,' said Itell, who is single, gay and claims Oscar de la Hoya as his favorite all-time boxer.
'I just have a deep passion for the sport. I just love the fact that it's challenging, that it's not easy. There's so much to the sport—the offense, the defense, the cardio, the conditioning, etc.'
Itell also is a veteran Chicago-area softball player, with 20-plus years experience on the fields.
'Just because someone is a boxer, you can't just assume he or she is a violent person. That isn't always the case. There are so many nice, friendly guys,' who also are boxers, Itell said. 'I have a lot of people out there rooting for me, supporting me. They want me to fight; they want me to succeed.'
Himself included, and hopefully on the pro circuit someone, even if it's just for one day.
Mark Itell will fight Sat., July 12, at the Aragon, 1106 W. Lawrence. See www.jabbboxing.com/events.html or call 312-733-5222.