Marcus Hyatt's answer was almost as fast as his right jab.
Asked what the 12-year-old Ooltewah Middle School student liked most about boxing, he instantly replied, "It helps you get your anger out."
Whatever he got out in his first-round match against Demani Savoury in USA Boxing's Eastern Elite Qualifier and Regional Open at the Chattanooga Convention Center on Tuesday, it worked. He'll fight again today in the bantam male 65-pound division with the hope of eventually surpassing his semifinal showing in last year's Silver Gloves national tournament.
"He's a great kid, works really hard," said Andy Smith, his YCAP Boxing Club coach. "He's really strong for his age and weight."
A quick glance into the A and B ballrooms at the convention center this week will hint strongly that this might be USA Boxing's most impressive regional ever in terms of sheer numbers. A record 834 boxers ages 8-40 arrived in the Scenic City, each of the elites hoping to advance to the national championships in December, which will be the first U.S. Olympic Trials qualifier for the 2020 Games.
"That's my real goal, to win a gold medal in the Olympics," said 14-year-old Luna Gandalla, a Dallas resident who is ranked No. 2 in the 114-pound junior female division. "I was hoping to be the first American to do that, but Claressa (Shields) beat me to it - twice."
While Gandalla, who is ranked second in her division, won Tuesday to set up a much-anticipated match with current No. 1 Reina Tellez, her younger brother Emiliano (13) wasn't so fortunate in his bout, which forced their father Cesar to be both cheerleader and comforter.
"(Emiliano's) been working hard for two months to come here," the father said. "This will be hard. I'm going to hug him, give him a kiss and tell him I support him. Then I'll give him his space for awhile."
As for his daughter, "This gives her self-confidence. It teaches discipline. Luna's an A-B student at one of the finest high schools in Dallas (the independent Townview Health Professions School), and she's become an excellent boxer. I'm equally proud of both of them."
Yet as good as she is, why did Luna choose boxing over softball, basketball, tennis or golf?
"I saw boys boxing," she said. "I thought, 'Why can't a girl do that?'"
More than 20 years ago, Joe Smith and his wife asked themselves why couldn't they be the ones to give a lot of wayward young men hope for a better life through boxing. They, along with their children Abbey and Andy, began to foster troubled teens in need of a stable, disciplined, yet loving home life.
During the day the young men would go to school, then later work out in the YCAP boxing program that Joe Smith had founded through the YMCA. Now the District 3 representative on the Hamilton County school board, he has passed the boxing torch to his children with Andy running YCAP boxing and Abbey now an event coordinator for USA Boxing, including this week's Eastern Elite Qualifier.
And while the Smith family's success stories are numerous, no one may have benefited more from their direct help than Roger Hilley, who's now 6-0 as a professional fighter - five of the wins by knockout - but also a YCAP coach and personal trainer.
"The Smiths gave me the guidance to become the young man I am today," Hilley said. "When I was younger I was always getting in fights, getting suspended from school. Thanks to their love and support, I was able to turn my life around."
Brainerd High School student Keyvon Long didn't win his junior male 119-pound bout Tuesday, but that doesn't mean his decision to join the YCAP boxing program hasn't been a good one.
"I've been doing this almost four years," said the 16-year-old, who went from a D student to making Brainerd's honor roll as an A-B student the last two years. "It gets me in shape. It's taught me discipline. My plan is to go to college or join the military now. It's been a great thing for me."
The rest of the week promises to be great for anyone who appreciates the sweet science of amateur boxing. And not only for a chance to learn more about all those who competing for a shot at the nationals and the possibility of reaching the Olympic Trials.
Friday night, the current USA national team will meet the Germany national team for the second time in a week, which will showcase the amateur arm of the sport at its highest level.
But perhaps the best reason to venture to the convention center this week is to celebrate the positive impact the sport has had on the hundreds of young men and women who've traveled to the Scenic City from almost every state in the union to chase their boxing dreams.
Said Hilley as he looked back on where he might be without boxing: "Without a doubt I'd be dead or in jail."
Contact Mark Wiedmer at mwiedmer@timesfreepress.com