It took a while until Fairfax High School senior Jon Valdizan was able to convince his father, Santiago, to let him start taking boxing lessons. A four-year football player at Fairfax, Jon, 18, bugged his father for a chance to strap on some gloves, but Santiago, a lifelong boxing fan, initially refused. Once he relented late last month, though, the two went to LA Boxing in Chantilly for an exploratory visit.
"If [Jon] was going to start boxing, we hoped that we could find somebody that can really teach him how to box the right way," said Santiago. "I walked in there with no expectations. You never walk into a gym and expect to see a two-time world champion."
The Valdizans met with LA Boxing owner-operator Tate Marshall.
"How would you like being trained by Riddick Bowe?" Marshall asked.
Jon didn't know who that was. Santiago was shocked.
"My dad was in disbelief," said Jon.
Marshall called over the former undisputed heavyweight champion to meet them.
"That was shocking," said Santiago.
Bowe, 42, is an imposing figure at 6-foot-5. A 1988 Olympic silver medalist, Bowe is best known for a trio of fights with Evander Holyfield between 1992 and 1995. Bowe beat Holyfield in 1992 by unanimous decision to win the world heavyweight championship. He also won the WBO world heavyweight championship with a knockout of Herbie Hide in 1995. His professional boxing record stands at 43-1, with 33 wins by way of knockout.
Marshall was surprised when Bowe gave him a call last month looking for work.
"He called me up on the telephone and said, 'This is Riddick Bowe, and I want to come work for you,'" said Marshall, who thought he was on the receiving end of a prank.
"I'm not saying that I believe that you're Riddick Bowe, but come by for lunch next week and we will sit down and talk," Marshall said.
Sure enough, Bowe showed up.
"I was sitting there, twiddling my thumbs," said Bowe, of his reason for picking up the phone and calling Marshall. "I needed to do something. I needed to do something to keep myself active. What can I do? One thing led to another, and I'm here."
Bowe, who lives in Fort Washington, Md., last fought in a professional match in 2005.
"He knows boxing and he wanted to find a way to utilize his skills," said Marshall. "He was one of the most technical fighters out there. He's got a lot to offer. He just hasn't had a platform."
Despite his father's shocked expression, Jon, who was an infant when Bowe beat Holyfield in 1992, didn't know much about his new trainer.
Thankfully, the Internet had plenty of information -- complete with fight highlights.
"I was impressed," said Jon, who now works with Bowe twice a week. "It's surreal, especially when he talks about the things he did in his career. It makes me want to train harder, because I don't want to let him down."
"The guy is just incredible," Santiago said. "It's definitely worth the investment and time."
Marshall, who also owns LA Boxing franchises in Reston and Woodbridge, believes Bowe will be plenty busy.
"It could be real huge for us," he said. "There's tons of people out there who have been fans of his who would love to work with him and learn from him. There's gonna be a lot of kids coming up who are going to want to train with him."
