JIMMY "THE FIGHTING SCHOOL TEACHER" HOLMES
Record: 18-1-2, 9 KOs
Weight Class: Middleweight
Born: DeMotte, Indiana
 Resides: DeMotte, Indiana
Date of Birth: November 6th, 1977
Height: 6’1”
Stance: Orthodox
Trainer: Jeff Mangel
Manager: Octavius James

Jimmy “The Fighting School Teacher” Holmes has endeared himself to all boxing fans with his dedication and warrior-like battles in the ring since turning professional in 2003. Every time he steps into the ring, those in attendance are going to be given a show worth the price of admission.

After a year plagued with injury in 2008, Holmes eager return to the ring was finally answered when he defeated Tyrone Dowdy with a one sided unanimous decision in the Main Event of the January 23rd “Slug Fest 2009” Fight Card at the Radisson Hotel @ Star Plaza in Merrillville, IN.

“Jimmy works very hard for everything he has earned in and out of the ring,” said Holmes’ Manager and CEO of One In A Million, Inc. Octavius James.

On July 8th, 2005, Holmes hard work paid off as he won the Indiana State Middleweight title after his opponent Nathan Wilkes was disqualified earning Holmes the championship.

Demotte’s hometown hero Jimmy Holmes doesn’t only impose his will in the ring, but is also the teacher of the best behaved class in the city of Demotte. This would be the case for any classroom when your teacher had a near perfect record in the boxing ring.

With one of the strongest fan followings in the area don’t be shocked to see groups of people of all ages wearing their “Fighting School Teacher” T-Shirts in the crowd.

Jimmy is not only a tremendous fighter and fan favorite, but is also a terrific individual outside the ring, which has earned him his second nickname in the world of boxing “Gentleman” Jimmy Holmes.

A complete class act Jimmy brings a friendly demeanor outside of the ring and fights like a warrior every time he steps into the ring, true characteristics of a Champion.

Returning back to health was a main focus for Holmes, getting back to 100% is something that Holmes looks forward to reaching in 2009 as he looks to make leaps and bounds in his career in the New Year.
Now after returning from his long year layoff, Jimmy will be back to fighting as many times as possible, they way he was prior to his injury.

"That's the great thing about being with One In A Million," Holmes said. "I like to keep busy and they make sure that I am. I like the competition that I get from boxing and I know that there is always the chance that something big will come up.Jeff (Mangel, Holmes' trainer) keeps me busy. He knows what it takes to get the most out of your ability and I'm fortunate to have him as a trainer."

"Jimmy is a hard worker," Mangel said. "He likes to train and works hard to get the most out of his talent. As long as he is willing to put in the time we'll make sure that he gets quality fights."

Holmes has a full life away from boxing. He is a local school teacher and teaches guitar on the side.

"I enjoy all of the things that I do," Holmes said. "Finding the time to do everything can be a challenge but if you do things that bring you joy then its not a problem. I want to get all that I can out of life. Being a teacher and playing and teaching guitar are things that I truly enjoy."

"Jimmy is a good individual and we are pleased to have him with One In A Million," said Octavius James, CEO of One In A Million Inc. "He is a proven winner and as long as is willing to put in the time we will keep him busy."

 

Career in review
August 22nd, 2003--  Holmes made his debut against Wayne Bogard at McBride Hall in Gary, Indiana and was able to come away with a technical knockout in the 3rd round (1:59).

October 10th, 2003--  Holmes second fight wouldn’t go the distance by any means, as he finished Stacey Fuller Jr. with a technical knockout in the 1st round (1:34) at the McBride Hall in Gary, Indiana.

November 15th, 2003--  It didn’t take long for Holmes to get back in the ring, stepping back in just a month after his second TKO of his career. This fight would be more of the same as he beat Charles Daye by TKO in the 2nd round (2:05) at the Hammond Civic Center.

February 13th, 2004--  After a few months spent training, Holmes stepped into the ring for the first time in 2004 against Robert Smart. Smart, like all before him would be knocked out in the 2nd round (1:37). This was the first fight for Holmes at the Radisson Hotel @ Star Plaza in Merrillville, Indiana.

March 19th, 2004--  Holmes winning ways would continue as he fought for his second time in two months. He would beat Tony Kern by TKO in the 3rd round (0:49) at the Majestic Star Casino in Gary, Indiana.

April 30th, 2004--   Holmes returned to the Hammond Civic Center and left winner due to disqualification over Matt Short in the 2nd round. Short was disqualified for unsportsmanlike behavior making Holmes a perfect 6-0 to start his career.

July 11, 2004--  This fight would be his toughest fight early in his young career, as he was left with a draw against Reggie Strickland in four rounds of boxing at the Majestic Star Casino in Gary, Indiana. The scorecards showed 37-39, 38-38 and 38-38.

September 26th, 2004--  Holmes would get back to his winning ways as he beat Travis Moore, who was making his professional debut, with a TKO in the 2nd round (0:53) at the Majestic Star Casino in Gary, Indiana.

November 19th, 2004--  Holmes stepped back into the ring to win one of two consecutive unanimous decisions by beating James Rice in four rounds at the Radisson Hotel @ Star Plaza in Merrillville, Indiana. The scorecards all showed 40-36 for Holmes.

March 25th, 2005--  This was the second straight fight in which Holmes had to go the distance for a unanimous decision, but this was Holmes first scheduled six round fight. Holmes defeated Chad Taylor at the Radisson Hotel @ Star Plaza in Merrillville, Indiana with all the scorecards reading 40-36.

May 20th, 2005--  For the second time in his career, Holmes walked away with a win due to disqualification. This time it came against Chris Patterson in the 4th round of a scheduled six round bout at the Radisson Hotel @ Star Plaza in Merrillville, Indiana.

July 8th, 2005--  In the second straight fight, Holmes won a decision via a disqualification, but he took more than a win from Nathan Wilkes. After the fight was called in the fourth round, Holmes was awarded the Indiana State Middleweight championship. This was the first scheduled eight round fight of his career.

September 30th, 2005--  In the 3rd round of his bout against James Morrow, the fight was declared a no contest at the Star Plaza in Merrillville, Indiana.

February 24th, 2006--  In a rematch of his November 19th, 2004 fight against James Rice, Holmes needed all four rounds again to win a unanimous decision with the scorecards showing 40-34, 40-34 and 40-35 in favor of the “Fighting School Teacher”.

April 14th, 2006--  Holmes got back to his knockout ways at the Radisson Hotel @ Star Plaza in Merrillville, Indiana. He defeated Jesse Barbot by TKO in the 3rd round of a scheduled eight round bout (1:42).

July 14th, 2006--  Just 10 days after the Fourth of July, Holmes set off some of his own fireworks by defeating Vance Garvey by unanimous decision in eight rounds at the Radisson Hotel @ Star Plaza in Merrillville, Indiana. All three scorecards read 78-74.

November 17th, 2006--  In his last fight of 2006, Holmes had a hard fought draw with former Canadian Champion Brooke Wellby in an eight round bout. The scorecards inside the Radisson Hotel @ Star Plaza in Merrillville read 77-75, 76-76 and 76-76.

April 20th, 2007--  This fight would mark his eighth knockout of his career and when he knocked down Dean Nichols in the 1st round (1:01) at the Radisson Hotel @ Star Plaza in Merrillville, Indiana.

June 8th, 2007--  It took 19 fights, but Travis Loveless blemished Holmes’ perfect record knocking out Holmes in the 1st round (2:11) of a scheduled six round fight at the Hudson Campbell Fitness Center in Gary, Indiana.

November 16th, 2007--   In a rematch, Holmes knocked out Chad Taylor in the 1st round (2:46) at the Radisson Hotel @ Star Plaza in Merrillville, Indiana.

February 1st, 2008--  Holmes started his 2008 campaign by winning by disqualification against Tyrone Dowdy at the Radisson Hotel @ Star Plaza in Merrillville, Indiana. The fight was called in the 4th round of a scheduled six round fight, after Holmes dropped Dowdy and then Dowdy continued to excessively hold Holmes throughout the rest of the fight.

January 23rd, 2009--  After nearly a year layoff due to injuryHolmes returned to the Radisson Hotel @ Star Plaza in Merrillville, Indiana, to put closure on his last victory by disqualification against Tyrone Dowdy. Showing no signs of rust in the ring Holmes left no doubts or questions as he battered Dowdy over six rounds to earn a unanimous decision victory.

 

Background
Jimmy Holmes is the Renaissance man of local boxing. He is a teacher at Lincoln Elementary in DeMotte, Indiana, a dedicated church member who has done missionary work, and a guitar teacher with a backlog of original songs. He is also a skilled boxer who works as hard at the sweet science as any other part of his busy life.

"I love boxing," Holmes said. "I like the fact that it gives me physical and mental discipline. I like the competition and the challenge of excelling in something. As long as I can compete and be successful then I will stay with it."

"Everything I do I do because it gives me something that I enjoy," Holmes continued. "My church work is important to me and playing and teaching guitar is fulfilling. And I like to teach because I like working with kids. The day doesn't seem long enough at times but if you get enjoyment out of what you are doing then you learn to budget your time."

Jimmy spent nearly a year on the sideline as his surgically fixed foot took time to recover and he didn’t look even a little rusty during his January 23rd, 2008 bout against Tyrone Dowdy.

"One thing you can count on with Jimmy is that he's ready for anything," James said. "He's proven that he is willing to take on any challenge that you put in front of him."

Holmes overcame an injury as a three year old child when half of his left heal was cut off in an accident.

"My parents told me that I can do anything I want as long as I put my mind to it," Holmes said of his accident. "It bothers me sometimes but its' nothing I can't deal with."

It's that attitude that has served him well in boxing and all the other aspects of his busy life.