Ricardo Rios won the gold at Meijer State games.

The Meijer State Games of Michigan were held in Grand Rapids June 26 and 27, and two of our local athletes finished right up there with the best.

The best athletes came from all over Michigan to compete, and one of the sports that local athletes participated in was boxing. Cedar Springs’ Jeff Knapp and Ricardo Rios both boxed in the gold medal bouts for their respective weight class. Jeff lost a close decision in his bout against Nefty Chico of Holland’s Venture Boxing Club. Rios, however, was able to win the gold medal in his bout against Grand Rapid’s Burim Beqiri.

“I fought a smart fight,” said Rios. “I stayed in the middle of the ring and boxed him. I didn’t let him get me into a slugfest. I just controlled him in the middle of the ring.”

The Sand Lake Boxing Club will be holding a Boxing Exhibition Saturday July 9 at 5:00 p.m. Boxers from Grand Rapids, Holland and Mt. Pleasant will be putting their talents on display against the boxers of Sand Lake. Tickets will be $6. Proceeds from this event will be going toward the purchase of new uniforms for the Sand Lake Boxing team.