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Leawood officers Anne Wagoner and Kirt Yoder show off the championship belts they earned at the 2008 Guns N' Hoses boxing event.

Boom-Boom and Caveman grab belts

Making their formal boxing debuts, Officer Anne “Boom-boom” Wagoner and Cpl. Kirt “Caveman” Yoder both came away with championship belts at the 13th annual Guns N’ Hoses boxing event on Nov. 15th.

Looking for a challenge, Wagoner and Yoder were two of many local police officers, fire fighters and emergency service personnel who volunteered to compete in annual Guns N' Hoses charity boxing event. Guns N’ Hoses benefits S.A.F.E./Surviving Spouse and Family Endowment Fund, a Kansas City-metro area program that provides financial and emotional support to the families of emergency services personnel who have died while protecting our community and our citizens. The event also benefits area juvenile boxing programs.

Their championship journey started more than two months ago when they began training for the event. To be considered for one of the slots on the final night, volunteers had to participate in a minimum number of conditioning and training sessions. For Wagoner and Yoder, the sessions soon became much more frequent.

“You had to be motivated to go as much as possible,” said Wagoner (at right in the above photo), who’d never laced up a pair of gloves beforehand. “It was one of the toughest workouts I’ve ever been through.”

“It was a lot of fun, but also a lot of work. You had to (complete) a minimum of 15 sessions, but if you only go to 15 you don’t stand a chance,” said Yoder, who had participated in a Golden Gloves program while in high school, but said he wasn’t very good. “We went to at least 24 sessions, maybe closer to 30. The last 4 weeks I was going four times a week.”

Guiding the volunteer’s development were trained fighters and coaches, who are also volunteers for the event. Working in Yoder’s corner was Tony Chiaverini, a former middleweight contender who posted a professional record of 38-5-3.

“I knew nothing before and they helped my fundamentals,” said Wagoner.

On the big night, Wagoner was pitted against Johnson County Sheriff's Deputy Heather Weese in the 10th of 19 fights. Organizers, who also gave the fighters their nicknames, attempted to match combatants with a similarly sized and experienced opponent. Yoder followed Wagoner three fights later, battling Overland Park Fire Fighter Danny Meeker, who had competed in several past Guns N’ Hoses events. The fights consisted of three one-minute rounds following national amateur boxing regulations. With all of their preparation behind them, the time leading up to the fight was tense.

“The worst part was the week before, the feeling in my gut. I just told myself to enjoy the moment. Two months of training boiled down to 7 minutes and it would be over,” said Wagoner.

“The day of the fight I had some nervousness and anxiety. The first 8 fights I stood on the floor and watched them (before warming up himself), but I couldn’t tell you about them,” said Yoder (pictured above in blue). “During the fight I was very focused on what I was taught to do. I didn’t hear anything or see anything other than my opponent.”

Now with a chance to rest on their laurels, neither seems content to close this chapter on their lives. In fact, both are already thinking ahead to next year and Wagoner has even returned to the gym for another training session.

“It was a good time. I met a lot of good people and made a lot of good friends,” said Yoder. “But if you’re going to do it, you need to go at it 110%. Anything less and you’re wasting everyone’s time.”

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