Ring master
After a little prodding, 34-year-old Jon Mount is back in the ring.
The Elmo boxer will square off tonight with David Otis of Belgrade in a middleweight bout (165 pounds) that is scheduled for four three-minute rounds on an eight-bout card at the Flathead County Fairgrounds Trade Center.
The other professional bout pits Kalispell’s Jesse Uhde (1-1) against Dustin Guillimen (3-6).
Doors open at 6 p.m. with boxing at 8.
Guillimen is from Kearney, Neb., and is a late-replacement for Chris Asher of Bozeman.
Asher pulled out Thursday morning, forcing Burton Boxing to scramble for an able replacement.
Burton Boxing’s Friday Night Fights will kick things off with six amateur bouts.
“Year-and-a-half, two years ago,” Mount said of his last bouts.
“They were light heavyweight. Some of those guys were monsters.
“I pretty much thank Jesse for convincing me to get off my butt and get back in the gym. The first week was pretty hard.
“The last couple of years I’ve been just training myself,” Mount continued.
“It’s much better when someone is pushing you like Shelley (Burton). She’s a good motivator, trainer. Now I have a gym I can go to instead of training by myself.”
Mount has fought 138 times, posting a most impressive amateur resume.
He has won 102 fights.
He has seven Montana State Golden Gloves titles at six different weight classes — 125, 132, 139, 147, 156 and 178.
And he’s a two-time North America All-Indian National Champion (125 and 156).
“A boxer-puncher,” the 5-foot-10 Mount said of his style.
“I move when I have to.
“He (Otis) likes to come forward a lot. I don’t see him moving backwards too much.”
Mount saw Otis box several times, the last time was a couple years ago.
“I’m hoping so,” he said of not having to go the distance.
“He might have an inch or two on me (height-wise).”
Mount has been boxing “23, 24 years off and on, here and there,” he said.
“My dad was my lifetime coach. He was a helluva trainer ... Montana State Trainer of the Year and Regional Trainer of the Year.”
Mount said his brothers gave boxing a go, but ...
“They’re all bull riders now. I’d rather get beat up by a human than a bull.”
Mount, who grew up on the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation, moved to Elmo in January.
He hopes to attend Salish Kootenai College in the fall, or the spring at the latest, and pursue a career in heavy equipment and business.
“It’s not tough,” he said of his return to boxing.
“I’m still in pretty good shape.”
Regarding his future in the ring, that remains to be seen.
“I don’t know if I can multi-task school and boxing,” he said.
As far as his pro debut goes — “It was time to do it. I got tired of doing it for free.”
Friday Night Fights
8 p.m.
Trade Center
Flathead County Fairgrounds
Amateur Bouts
Red Corner Blue Corner
Andrew Howk Dylon Hoff
Danika Pietron Marnic Mann
Jeremy Grilley Wade Byrd
Bryan Miller Tucker Connell
Lindsey Hanson Karli Volkmann
Bill Pritchett Russ Taylor
Intermission
Professional Bouts
Jon Mount David Otis
Jesse Uhde Dustin Gillimen
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Referee — Ford Jones
Judges — Bob Tate, Dennis Ramsey, Jason Duval