BARBERTON: It is late afternoon in a chilly Barberton basement and N’yteeyah Sherman is trying to put dents in her father.
Whap-Whap WHAP! Whap-Whap WHAP!
If Michael Sherman ever had a spare tire around his waist, N’yteeyah surely punctured it long ago.
Whap-Whap WHAP! Whap-Whap WHAP!
This goes on for two minutes before the buzz of a timer signals the end of the onslaught. Although his hands, chest and sides are protected by padding, it isn’t enough to keep Michael, 40, from mouthing a drawn-out “Ouch” as he walks away.
N’yteeyah, 19, paces the basement, waiting for the timer to buzz again, sweat dripping from her chin.
It’s been like this most days for the past 10 years for N’yteeyah Sherman. The hours spent training with her father in their makeshift basement gym have paid off in the form of national success and a 17-1 amateur record. Now, though, she is trying to do something that has never been done before: Qualify for the Olympics as a female boxer.
Starting today in Spokane, Wash., Sherman, a 2010 Barberton High School graduate, will be one of 24 women competing in three weight classes (112, 132 and 165 pounds) at the first U.S. Olympic Team Trials for women’s boxing. She fights at 132 pounds.
The three winners will represent the United States at the World Championships in China this May. A top-eight finish there will assure competitors a spot in the inaugural Olympic women’s boxing event this summer in London. Those outside the top eight must hope to be selected by a committee for one of the final four spots.
“As soon as I started boxing, I knew the Olympics were for me,” Sherman said. “I would always ask my dad what age I needed to be to qualify. When I found out they were going to have women’s boxing in 2012, I was really happy.”
Sherman has come far in the past year.
In February, she earned a spot in the National Championships by beating the only other fighter in her weight class at a regional qualifier in Kentucky. At nationals in June, her only loss came in the semifinals against five-time national champion Queen Underwood. The top-four finish earned her a berth in this week’s trials.
In October, she won the National Police Athletic League (PAL) Championships in Toledo. At that point, Sherman was officially on the national radar. She was even selected for a pre-Olympic European tour in November.
“People are just amazed at her skill level,” said Michael Sherman, who was an amateur boxer. “People can’t believe it. My goal is to make sure my daughter is the best female boxer anybody ever saw. I truly believe she can be that.”
Initially, he didn’t want his daughter following him into the ring. But by the time N’yteeyah was 9, she had seen her father fight and train enough to fall in love with the sport. After much begging, Michael finally gave in. It didn’t take long for him to see the talent and determination in his daughter.
When it was announced in 2009 that women’s boxing would be an event at the 2012 Games, she finally had a target.
“The first time she won a belt,” said Michael Sherman, “I could have died a happy man right there. But for her to make the Olympics. … ”
He believes his daughter’s heart is her best attribute in the ring, but her reach has to be a close second. is 6 feet tall, which is tall for a female boxer. None of the other fighters at this week’s trials is taller than 5-9. Two are 5-5, including Underwood.
The loss to Underwood last summer lingers for Sherman. Underwood, a 27-year-old from Seattle, entered the bout as the four-time defending national champ and bronze medalist at the 2010 World Championships. Sherman, though, battled Underwood to a 23-all tie after four rounds.
“It was a huge controversy,” Sherman said. “Everyone knew I had won the fight. It was tied, so they went to total punch count. I know I threw more punches.”
But the punch count tiebreaker went in Underwood’s favor, 116-96.
“That night she called me to tell me what had happened,” Michael Sherman said. “She was crying. It broke my heart.”
He has had to miss some of her biggest fights. Part of that is because his job as a nursing assistant doesn’t offer a lot of time off.
“And I don’t get on planes,” he said.
Fortunately, he has made enough friends in boxing to always find a fill-in for his daughter’s corner. This week it will be Nate Jones of Floyd Mayweather’s camp.
When it comes to the fighters, though, N’yteeyah Sherman will have a lot of familiarity this week. Of the seven other women at 132 pounds, she has fought five of them, beating all but Underwood.
Thanks to that, confidence is not a problem this week for Sherman.
Or for the man who has suffered her punches the most.
“If my daughter fights the way I trained her, she can’t be beat,” Michael Sherman said. “I know this for a fact. If the judges give her a fair shot, I know she will win the tournament.”