Before he devoted his athletic life to boxing, Himes played football, basketball, and baseball at Monaca High School.
By Matt Popchock
Although boxing has become something of a maligned sport, most Pittsburghers, even those who don’t know a knockout from a wipeout, have heard of such lauded fighters as Billy Conn and Paul Spadafora. With any luck, they’ll also know exactly who Josh Himes is in due time.
Himes, who played football–among other sports–at old Monaca High School until graduating in 2008, currently holds the Pennsylvania Golden Gloves boxing championship. He hopes to put “the sweet science” back on the map in the ‘Burgh by earning a trip to London to compete in the 2012 Summer Olympics.
Hopefully, according to Himes, an appearance in next year’s Games would be a mere stepping stone toward his ultimate goal, which is to fight professionally.
Shortly before leaving for vacation, “Mr. High School Sports” caught up with the budding boxer at the Beaver Valley Fight Club high atop Rochester to discuss what inspired him to take up that sport, update us on his journey to the Olympics, and even give us some insight on how he got his nickname, “The Handsome Hitman.”
He also explained how his time spent as a student-athlete at Monaca helped him prepare to become the fastest in PA history to win a state boxing title.
You can catch the entire interview, which includes information on Josh’s upcoming bout, right here, thanks to “Mr. High School Sports” and his friends at HeyRubino.com:
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(Follow me on Twitter: twitter.com/mpopchock)
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