PORTSMOUTH BOULEVARD
SURFING’S RAGING BULL SPEAKS

By Chris Towery

In some ways, Alex Quick’s rise to success in professional boxing parallels that of mega rap star Eminem’s success on the mic: Quick is a white man who competes in an overwhelmingly African-American-dominated activity. He learned his art from the inner-city ghettos. He dominates his opponents. But in just as many ways, Quick is entirely different from Em: He comes from a middle to high socioeconomic class. He holds a Bachelor’s degree, a real estate license, and a Class-A General Contractor’s license. And at present, Quick is only beginning to see hints of pugilistic stardom with a respectable 2-0 pro record along with a 9-1 amateur rating. But of course, ESM’s top interest in the 6’3”, 205 lb. Virginia Beach, VA, local lies not in his skill with his fists but with his ability on a surfboard, as Quick has been a waverider for 22 of his 29 years. He draws a lot of strength from his experiences in both pursuits, so we spoke with Alex to learn exactly how the lineup and the ring square up.

ESM: Which came first in your life—boxing or surfing?
AQ: Surfing came long before boxing. I can remember going out as early as seven. My aunt was a surfer—she had a ‘69 longboard which I own now, and my dad used to always take me to the beach and push me into the sport. At about 13, I dibble-dabbled in boxing at the rec center, but it was no big deal. It wasn’t until I was about 20, when someone saw me in the gym lifting weights and said, “Hey, you ought to go do this,” that I actually got into it. I actually started first in kickboxing and excelled super-quickly—I won five fights right off the bat. A lot of people had seen me kickbox, and at that point, I had two or three guys approach me and get me into boxing. So I didn’t really seriously start fighting until I was 22.

ESM: What are some of the similarities and differences between the two sports?
AQ: Well, in surfing you have to have a good, strong back, and that is the number one thing that made me a powerful puncher—I already had a great back from surfing. Good balance is crucial in both sports, as is concentration.

ESM: As a successful Caucasian fighter, you’re kind of like boxing’s version of Eminem. How does it feel to be making it in a sport dominated by African-Americans?
AQ: The only struggle has been with people who assume I’m not that good. And I think that has caused a lot of African-Americans to take a lot more punishment because they do not want to get beat by me. But eventually, I’ll just take your heart from you, and when that happens, you know it.

ESM: That doesn’t sound like a bad thing—it actually sounds like an advantage...
AQ: It is. I haven’t had anyone dislike me or hate me because of it. Everyone’s been open and friendly in all these gyms.

ESM: What kind of gyms did you train in?
AQ: Almost all of the boxing gyms are in the inner-city. It wasn’t until recently—this past year—that one opened up locally called Virginia Beach Boxing. I was training in the inner-city of Portsmouth, VA—mainly at Pac Gym on Portsmouth Boulevard. When I first went in there, they put me against two black guys that were 195 lbs. One guy, I dominated him, but didn’t get him down. The next guy, who was supposedly better, I put him on his back three times in the first minute. It was almost all black people in there, and everyone was so blown away, even the really big guys gave me a lot of respect. Actually, one of the biggest guys—6’5"—made it very clear that I was the best in the gym. I didn’t necessarily feel that way myself, but I still took it as an extreme compliment.

ESM: When surfing, do you try to knock the stuffing out of the waves, or are you more laid-back in the water?
AQ: Oh man, I’m trying to knock the stuffing out of the waves. I’m a big guy, and I like to cut back as hard as I can and throw a lot of spray. And that’s on a 6’6” shortboard.

ESM: Tell us about the injuries you’ve suffered in both sports.
AQ: I’ve torn three ligaments in my knee surfing, and it was tough to come back from that. But as far as boxing, I’ve never even gotten a black eye. People will find that the single hardest thing to believe... but it’s true.

ESM: Who’s the biggest, baddest boxer you’ve ever faced?
AQ: Well, I’ve only lost one fight, and I lost it in a Regional Golden Gloves to a guy who was 50-0. He was a hoss. I mean, I was specifically told by a lot of different people that he was on steroids. I will say personally that I lost that fight. I almost knocked the guy out twice, but it went to a decision, and he won. I hit him with better shots: I landed the crisper, harder shots. But he landed more shots.

ESM: What’s the biggest, baddest wave you’ve ever faced?
AQ: I would say Haleiwa during a trip I took a couple weeks ago. Earlier in the day, I looked at Sunset, Waimea, and Pipe, but it was too big. Haleiwa looked more controlled, and it was smaller—probably eight to 10-foot Hawaiian. When we went out, it was a very scary experience for me. I didn’t get hurt, and I caught three waves, but I can say this, and I’ve always said this, “I’ve never seen a wave I would not surf.” Well, put it this way, I could say that until last week.

ESM: So which one is scarier—boxing or surfing?
AQ: The biggest, baddest wave I’ve ever faced was more scary than the biggest, baddest boxer. Don’t get me wrong, boxing is a scary thing, but surfing is way scarier.