Former Chesapeake Student, Leon Edge, Is A Boxing Phenom

By John Singleton
On February 5, Chesapeake High School alum Leon Edge arrived at the gym at 5:00pm for a fight that wouldn’t begin until 9:15. He was nervous. In his first amateur boxing match, the 24-year-old local resident was matched against Hooman Hashem, a larger, more experience opponent. A few hours before the fight was to begin some local fans gave Leon Edge a new nickname -‘razor.’
“Now it’s time to go out and fight like your nickname,” shouted boxing trainer/manager Charles Dent. “I wanted him to throw his uppercut. I knew it would give him an advantage.”

Edge was successful in connecting with his uppercut and by the second round his opponent was stunned. The referee recognized Hashem’s condition and awarded a standing eight-count to Edge in the middle of the round. Edge’s combination of uppercuts and body shots were enough to make the difference.
“His opponent wasn’t prepared for the kind of pressure Leon applied to him,” said Dent. “If your opponent throws 20 punches than you have to throw 25, and that’s what Edge did.”
Edge has been training with Charles Dent for only three months and he is planning to attend the Ringside World Championship in Kansas City in August. The event features boxers from all over the United States competing in 62 divisions. The event takes place in six rings and includes seven sessions in four days with over 1,000 bouts that will produce 262 champions.
“My goal is to be the next lightweight champion of the world,” adds Edge most seriously. “I couldn’t have a better coach, and I eat, sleep and dream boxing.”
Leon Edge has been involved in local sports since his youth days in the Lakeshore organization where he played baseball, football, soccer and wrestled. At Chesapeake High School, Edge was an all-star pitcher. At age 12, he took up boxing but didn’t get serious about it until age 19. Boxing runs in the Edge family; both his grandfather and uncle have experience in the ring.
“Leon’s a good fighter,” said Amelia Moore of Crofton, who is also a boxer. “He’s got what it takes.”
Edge has even mustered enough local enthusiasm to secure a sponsorship from Arnold-based Georgia Allen Salon. But the Pasadena native has his eye on making a name for himself in Kansas City and beyond. If Leon Edge listens closely to coach Dent’s advice – “Be the first to start punching, protect yourself at all times, and never let your opponent outwork you” - his might very well become a household name.
“There’s no doubt Leon’s going to do great in Kansas City,” added boxer Deanna Lowery of Annapolis. “We’re all going to be rooting for him.”