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kenyan_cheena · 03-12-2005, 11:02 AM

UNDERSTANDING ELMER RAY

Tuesday 29 January 2002

Story and interview by Maurice Poe of the St. John's County Chronicle

Eighteen days have now passed since 16 year-old dynamo Elmer Ray of Hastings, Florida made his controversial HBF debut. Of course, it's not necessary for me to reflect on what happened before, during and after his bout with Buddy Baer. That topic has already been covered ad nauseam. No, today I am going to give you an insight into this young, ambitious man, aswell as uncovering how things have changed in the life of Elmer Ray since the 11th of January.

For those of you who don't know much about Hastings, I'll give you a brief summary. It's a small rural community, covering little more than one square kilometre within St. John's County, some 70 kilometres south of Jacksonville. It's looked upon as the potato capital of Florida, and it's residents pretty much live off the proceeds of that industry.

It seems an unlikely place for a young man with a love of hip hop and designs for boxing greatness to have grown up in. But, as many have said, "Our surroundings cultivate our dreams." I visited with Elmer at his family's farmhouse in Hastings and discovered a teenager who possesses a maturity and awareness beyond his years.

The "extended" Ray family is a large one, consisting of three individual families, all living within one-hundred metres of each other.

Firstly, we have the family that Elmer was born into, made up of his mother Cloedean, his four older sisters Keisha, Tionne, Lisa and Jasmine, and also his younger brother Marcus. The subject of their patriarch is one that the family members had no desire to discuss. I couldn't even get his name, but I did get the impression, however, that he has been long gone from the family, and not particularly missed.

Then there is the family of Elmer's aunt, Sandrine Haynes. It is also blessed with a number of children, including 23 year-old gentle giant Terone, who will be making his Heavyweight Boxing Federation debut in Japan on Thursday, the 7th of February. Understandably, Terone has been in Japan for the last week, preparing for and promoting the bout and so I was not able to speak to him during my visit. I discovered that Terone's father (and Elmer's uncle) Jerome has been more than a surrogate father for Elmer and his siblings during the years since their own father's disappearance.

The Ray clan is rounded out by the family of nine headed by Elmer's uncle (and cutman) Marlon Ray and his wife Tanisha. Like Uncle Jerome, Marlon has also played a large role in the lives of Elmer, his brother and sisters.

We sat down on the front porch of the Ray property, Elmer decked out in a Jacksonville Jaguars jersey and showing an amiable smile. Since his bout with Buddy Baer, Elmer has shaved off his cornrows, leaving a stubble-short layer of hair on his head.

03-12-2005, 11:02 AM	#104 (permalink)
kenyan_cheena Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Sydney, NSW, Australia Posts: 4,268	UNDERSTANDING ELMER RAY Tuesday 29 January 2002 Story and interview by Maurice Poe of the St. John's County Chronicle Eighteen days have now passed since 16 year-old dynamo Elmer Ray of Hastings, Florida made his controversial HBF debut. Of course, it's not necessary for me to reflect on what happened before, during and after his bout with Buddy Baer. That topic has already been covered ad nauseam. No, today I am going to give you an insight into this young, ambitious man, aswell as uncovering how things have changed in the life of Elmer Ray since the 11th of January. For those of you who don't know much about Hastings, I'll give you a brief summary. It's a small rural community, covering little more than one square kilometre within St. John's County, some 70 kilometres south of Jacksonville. It's looked upon as the potato capital of Florida, and it's residents pretty much live off the proceeds of that industry. It seems an unlikely place for a young man with a love of hip hop and designs for boxing greatness to have grown up in. But, as many have said, "Our surroundings cultivate our dreams." I visited with Elmer at his family's farmhouse in Hastings and discovered a teenager who possesses a maturity and awareness beyond his years. The "extended" Ray family is a large one, consisting of three individual families, all living within one-hundred metres of each other. Firstly, we have the family that Elmer was born into, made up of his mother Cloedean, his four older sisters Keisha, Tionne, Lisa and Jasmine, and also his younger brother Marcus. The subject of their patriarch is one that the family members had no desire to discuss. I couldn't even get his name, but I did get the impression, however, that he has been long gone from the family, and not particularly missed. Then there is the family of Elmer's aunt, Sandrine Haynes. It is also blessed with a number of children, including 23 year-old gentle giant Terone, who will be making his Heavyweight Boxing Federation debut in Japan on Thursday, the 7th of February. Understandably, Terone has been in Japan for the last week, preparing for and promoting the bout and so I was not able to speak to him during my visit. I discovered that Terone's father (and Elmer's uncle) Jerome has been more than a surrogate father for Elmer and his siblings during the years since their own father's disappearance. The Ray clan is rounded out by the family of nine headed by Elmer's uncle (and cutman) Marlon Ray and his wife Tanisha. Like Uncle Jerome, Marlon has also played a large role in the lives of Elmer, his brother and sisters. We sat down on the front porch of the Ray property, Elmer decked out in a Jacksonville Jaguars jersey and showing an amiable smile. Since his bout with Buddy Baer, Elmer has shaved off his cornrows, leaving a stubble-short layer of hair on his head. Last edited by kenyan_cheena : 04-29-2005 at 06:31 PM.