A knockout to the top

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Jose L. Hernandez
  • Minot Air Force Base Public Affairs
MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. --  It was a little more than one year ago that Airman 1st Class Tavarus A. Roberts, 791st Missile Security Forces Squadron response force leader, committed to boxing as a way of staying fit.

With minimal experience he quickly aspired to join the Air Force Boxing Team, which many doubted he could accomplish.

While it was a high bar to set at the time, he said he was the type of person that once he set his sights on something, with hard work, he would achieve it no matter what.

In early February, Roberts reaffirmed that mentality when he received a call that proved everybody who doubted him wrong - he was selected for the Air Force Boxing Team.

"I honestly thought I was not going to get picked since my experience level was very low," said Roberts. "I put in a lot of hard work though."

From the get go there had been negativity toward his ambitions by those around him. When he first came to Minot, the pessimism of others was easily noticed as he heard some say that one couldn't do anything in Minot.

"I saw a lot of people doing nothing," said Roberts. "I refused to be that type of person."

Ironically, it was the negativity that drove him to prove to others that he could succeed in his athletic goals. It is what got him going.

Yet, it was not so easily accomplished. Being in such a demanding job in the Air Force, he had to put extra effort to meet the demands required to be in top condition to fight. As a security escort team member tasked on providing on-site security at launch facilities wherever needed, he often finds himself there from dusk until dawn only to come back and go straight to the gym to practice.

He's been known to be working out and practicing at the gym close to midnight. It's a feat that he knows his body does not want to do but mentally he knows he has to.

"I'm not going to let the weather stop me," Roberts stated. "After work I know I have to practice, so I'll just put on my headphones, concentrate and work out."

His hard work has paid off and to him that is what matters. Remembering back to his first fight where he did not have the most welcoming of opening matches, it never stopped him from pushing forward with what came next.

What he thought was just throwing punches at first turned out to be a game of chess for him. It is all about trying to outpunch his opponent, having better conditioning and overall winning the mind game that it presents, he said.

Victories in Minot ultimately led him to win a Golden Gloves boxing tournament, which qualified him for a regional competition encompassing North Dakota, South Dakota and Minnesota. He was able to make it to the semi-finals for his weight class at that competition. This was an accomplishment viewed by many as the beginning of his success.

Throughout his progression, he has managed to garner a lot of support throughout the base community, but what he is most grateful for is the support of his supervision and leadership who have allowed him to pursue his goals beyond a local level.

Staff Sgt. Derek Jones, 791st MSFS Golf Flight chief, said in some places leadership may not have supported letting an Airman go because they are in a critically-manned career field. But, like Roberts, he is happy to see the support everyone has given.

"Everybody is excited for him and is eager to hear about his progression," said Jones.

Weighing only 139 pounds and standing at 5 feet 8 inches, Roberts hopes to one day fight in the Olympics and possibly obtain sponsors and contracts.

For now though, he said he'll focus on putting forth his efforts in training at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, where he is currently residing.