FEATURE Sports Complex Knocked Out: Boxing's Gay and Lesbian Presence Jim Provenzano | March 14, 2005 J.P. Davis plays the title character in Fighting Tommy Riley Boxing is a sport filled with stories both heroic and tragic, and films about it, like Oscar winner Million Dollar Baby, usually portray these themes. But while a new independent film about boxing also weaves success and tragedy into its plot, it shows a different side of the sport by including a gay angle. J.P. Davis wrote and stars as the title character in Fighting Tommy Riley, which will be released in theaters in May. In the film, a young boxer nearly headed for the "coulda been" status gets his skills honed by Marty, a deeply closeted trainer, played by veteran actor Eddie Jones (Seabiscuit). "It's a cautionary tale about not living an authentic life," says Davis, who turned down studio offers to buy the film script, provided he made the trainer straight. "The fact that Marty hides so much of himself – and his homosexuality – is a big issue," says director Eddie O'Flaherty. But he and Davis honed the script to gradually reveal Marty's private life and torments. "We knew people who had gone through a similar experience," adds O'Flaherty. "It's all about the paralyzing effects of fear." Davis recalls the days when the inspiration for his film came about. While working out in a small, run-down Brooklyn gym, he observed an elderly trainer working with a young boxer. "I watched the guy spar," says Davis. "You could tell he wasn't going anywhere, but you could never convince the trainer. He's almost a caretaker. He's watching out for you completely. You could see the devotion involved." Jones says his character's flaws are more about his personal failures than about sexuality. Despite Marty's poetic eloquence and maturity, he's been shunned from the sport. "He just had no place to go," says Jones of Marty's self-destruction. "But [Tommy and Marty] both have a chance to redeem themselves." Similarly, Tommy suffers his own form of repression, and while being straight, deals with his trainer's sexuality with varying emotions, from compassion toward Marty to outrage at a promoter who demands that Tommy abandon Marty because he's gay. Davis' character remains clueless about Marty's being gay until both characters have been firmly developed. Along with nuanced performances, Davis' athleticism and intensity bring fresh muscle to the cinematic tradition of boxing films. His years of training while waiting to get the film produced paid off. But in shooting the final fight scene, Davis tells of working with actor and former professional boxer Don Wallace, who noticed Davis being too cautious. "I'd trained but never really gotten hit," says Davis. "Finally, Don hit me, demanding I really hit him. So I did. Everything I'd learned finally came out. He smiled at me and said, 'You broke your cherry.'" Another truthful aspect of Fighting Tommy Riley is that while homophobia in the ring may be a problem, it is sometimes antigay management and promoters who make or vanquish entire careers if an athlete is gay or lesbian. Only one male former professional boxer has come out, Canadian Mark LeDuc. Another upcoming film about 1960s welterweight champ Emile Griffith will posthumously out Griffith as gay. Gina Guidi was the only competing out-of-the-closet athlete, male or female, in boxing. Before retiring in 2002, Guidi had a 15-1-1 record. She trained at Oakland's King's Gym, where 2004 Olympic champion Andre Ward also honed his fighting skills. Photos, clippings, and posters of many boxers, including Guidi, fill the walls of the gym. Does Guidi feel a sense of responsibility or pride in being the only out lesbian in the sport? "I think it's very important how I represent myself in both communities," Guidi says. "I don't always hold myself together as nicely as I'd like to, in a cute little package, but I have learned how to deal with things on a more mature level, not on a boxer's level." Guidi tells of encounters where her being out led to affronts from the locals at some bouts. "We'd walk in and hear 'dykes,' or whatever. I'd turn and smile, and kill 'em with kindness. I did my job in the twenty-squared (the ring)." But it may have been homophobia that limited Guidi's career. The Women's International Boxing Federation (WIBF) refused her offer to fight the Polish then-world champion. Ranked among the top 10 women boxers at the time, Guidi's toughest battles were not with other boxers, but those who control the competition. Several high-profile women boxers, including Laila Ali, daughter of Muhammed Ali, refused matches with Guidi, perhaps knowing full well that their title belts would have become a memory. "There are so many lesbian boxers, and they're all in the closet," says Guidi. "It's sad. Some boxers are being handled by people who say, 'Don't do it. You'll miss out on endorsements.' I've never been closeted. I just don't think it's necessary." Jim Provenzano is the author of the novels PINS and Monkey Suits. Read more sports articles at www.sportscomplex.org Related stories Net Results: Volleyball Tournaments Serve It Up Gay Games 2010 bid – latest update For more info on Gay Sport in South Africa contact Gay Sport SA