Photo | Paul Adkins
Chapmanville boxing pro Daniel Hensley speaks to the crowd and Toughman boxing promoter Jerry Thomas after Saturday night’s bout where he announced his retirement.
Daniel Hensley made one last triumphant return to the ring on Saturday night at the Coal Area Toughman boxing event at Logan High School’s Willie Akers Arena.
Hensley, the Chapmanville pro boxer, made it a good one as he won in a TKO at the 2:25 mark of the second round in a cruiserweight bout over Orion Bolds of Canton, Ohio.
Hensley, 38, then announced his retirement from boxing in front of his hometown fans of more than 2,000 to the chant of “Daniel, Daniel, Daniel.”
Hensley is the “Rocky Marciano” if you will, of local boxing as he finished his pro career with an undefeated 8-0 record.
He had made a comeback back in June during a pro boxing card in Logan when he recorded a four-round decision over Gonzales Jones, another Ohio pro. Hensley began his pro boxing career in the late 1990s and retired in 2000. The bout over the summer was the first time Hensley had boxed in a professional match in 12 years.
Hensley didn’t need four rounds on Saturday night as he pummeled Bolds with a series of hard rights and pinpoint left jabs which sent his opponent to the canvas three times for standing eight counts.
After the bout, Hensley thanked his fans, his family, his trainer and Toughman promoter Jerry Thomas for allowing him to box one last time.
“I felt real good tonight,” Hensley said after Saturday night’s win. “I had a good trainer, Micahel Ocasio. He came all the way from New York and stayed with me for three straight weeks and helped me along with Warren Browning. I thank him for helping me. I’m 38 years old and it takes a lot away from the family to do this, so this is it. This is going to be the last one for me.”
Hensley, nicknamed “The Fighting Coal Miner,” knocked Bolds down in the first round with a hard left to the head.
He then send Bolds to the canvas again in the second round for another standing eight count.
After another incidental bump that put Bolds down again, Hensley then knocked Bolds down yet again to get the TKO.
Hensley said he wants to stay in boxing and hopes to open a new training gym in Chapmanville. His son, Daniel Hensley Jr., has also been active in recent years in youth boxing and fought on the amateur card back in June in Logan. Hensley has also been a boxing trainer and has helped out at the Coal Area Toughman event over the years with the Toughman boxers.
“I want to open a gym in Chapmanville,” he said. “I want to train a lot of kids that want to box. The trainer from New York said he’s willing to come here and train some a couple weeks at a time. He’s fought in Las Vegas. He’s 35 years old and he’s 35-3 as a boxer. He’s had a couple of title shots and has trained a lot of champions. He said there’s a lot of good boxers here.”
Hensley said he wants to continue to help train his son.
With all of the amateur bouts, Toughman fights and his eight pro bouts, Hensley said he’s stepped into the ring at least 40 times. He also had fought at the World Toughman Boxing finals.
Hensley said Saturday night was the perfect way to go out.
“Yeah, and Jerry Thomas has been really great to me,” he said. “It’s been a good relationship.”
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