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The mighty Hercules >> Boxer Hercules Kyvelos could be a major contender by TERRY HAIG
Kyvelos, you figure, is one of those people who lucked out--got born under a good sign. But if you hated this guy, you'd be wrong. At 23, Kyvelos is the real deal. There's not a lot of room for phonies in Park Extension, where Kyvelos grew up working in the family grocery store. Two-and-a-half years into a phys. ed. degree at Université de Montréal, he decided to devote all his energies to boxing. "The rush of getting in to the ring is something I love more than anything else in the world," he says. Kyvelos is now in full pursuit of the dream hatched 12 years ago when he wandered in to Russ Anber's Ring '83 gym on a Wednesday afternoon and pestered Anber into letting him compete in a boxing tournament that he won two days later--though he'd never boxed a day in your life. Twelve years and eight Golden Gloves championships later, Kyvelos is undefeated as a pro--nine wins, six knockouts. Ready now to step up to eight-rounders seeking a shot at a Canadian welterweight (147 lbs) title by the end of the year. Already, he is the most honoured athlete to come out of Park Ex. since native son Dickie Moore played left wing with the Richard brothers on the 1950's Canadiens. This is of little matter. The roadwork must be done, the sparring and training under Anber's watchful eye continued. No matter how good you are, it's not a lock. So much can go so wrong. So fast. A lucky punch by an inferior opponent, an injury that ends your career in a heartbeat. Then, of course, there's the politics. Cross the wrong promoter (or television network) and you get cooked for keeps. But so far, so good. If this were baseball, a couple of very successful innings are in the books. But there's still a long way to go. Win a Canadian title and earn the right to step up in class, to take on fighters from a Philadelphia and Detroit, cities where they breed their boxers very tough. "Let's put it this way," says Anber of Kyvelos' world title chances. "Worse guys have won titles, better guys haven't. Timing is everything. It depends on the competition." It also depends on the kind of money you can generate. Can you pack an arena with enough people to lure a champion to town to defend a title? "Herc has a big advantage there," says Anber. "He's very popular--with Greeks, with students. He's trilingual and that means he could host a fight here and draw a big crowd against a champion." And, boxing being what it is, it doesn't hurt that Kyvelos happens to be white, a factor that always plays well with the American television audience. Can Hercules Kyvelos go all the way? We'll see. What everyone agrees on is that Kyvelos has--at the very least--a shot at a shot. Right now, that's as good as it gets.
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If there was an iota of phoniness mixed with the jaunty insouciance, Hercules Kyvelos might be tough to take. You know the type: drop-dead handsome, charming, articulate, intelligent. And, just for good measure, a world-class athlete.