Page 40 - May 2018 FOP Magazine

CPD’s Anthony Geraghty gets the upper hand on Jeff Moore of CFD. Geraghty scored a technical knockout in the fight.
FIGHTING CONTINUED FROM PAGE 39
yond the entire night. These members pulled no punches and gave the Department many shining moments beneath the glow of the ring lights inside De La Salle Institute’s fieldhouse on April 13. Those lights illuminated the latest chapter of the intense, yet always for the greater good, sports rivalry between the City’s po- lice officers and firefighters.
Cheered on by an audience of thousands who packed the fieldhouse, combatants in blue and red with laser focus were motivated by competition and guided by the spirit of benefitting
police and fire charities, as well as the Chicago Park District. But once the bell rang for each of the 11 matches, the only objective that mattered was victory. The 15th annual Battle of the Badg- es boxing event brought the city’s first responders together in droves to support their respective squads.
The lively, well-fought bouts drew plenty of noise from the crowd throughout the night – especially after a handful of con- troversial decisions, including Maldonado’s fight. In the end, the firefighters repeated as champs with a 7-4 win. Yet the CPD team walked away inspired and fired up for 2019.
“Ultimately, it’s raising money for the fallen, raising money for people like Commander (Paul) Bauer and anyone else killed in the line of duty. And, it’s raising money for the park district, so I’m happy everybody put everything out there. They left it all in the ring,” said CPD coach Nathaniel Myles of the tight decisions that went against the blue corner. “No one left with their head down. No one’s broken. We put forth the effort. We kept trying.”
The CPD squad featured four female fighters, including Mal- donado. Officers Kim Conte, Liz Campos and Roberta Chapa each lost decisions despite feisty efforts on their parts. In Mal- donado’s case, she was inspired by a coworker who fought a cou- ple of years back. She has been on the job three years and works first watch in 016. She first stepped into the ring to practice in January.
“This is my first fight,” she added. “If you have a passion, if you have the dedication and commitment and you stay focused, you make everything work. You prioritize what you want to achieve, so I just did it.”
Myles, an FTO in the 7th District who joined CPD nine years ago, praised the team’s collective efforts to train and prepare for the big stage.
“We’ve got people working all different schedules – midnights, days, set day-off groups – so we have to gather people to work out,” he said. “It’s tough, but it’s what makes the Department what it is – resiliency, adapting and overcoming; standing up when people think we should sit down; putting forth 110, 120, 130 percent in front of thousands of people. Where are you go- ing to get that? Nowhere.”
Officers Levon London, Miguel Vazquez, Oliver Franklin and Anthony Geraghty picked up CPD’s four wins on the night. Lon- don and Franklin each earned split-decision victories after en- during third-round barrages from their opponents. Geraghty at-
You take care of us...
we take care of Cops and their families
• We are a network provider with the City of Chicago PPO Insurance
Your Caring Family, Cosmetic and Specialty Dentists
Personalized and Comfortable Lifetime Dental Care for Your Entire Family
Lakeview
773-528-8900
Portage Park
773-725-8818
La Grange Park
708-354-1070
Highland Park
847-432-1111
Hoffman Estates
847-882-2620
Edison Park
773-775-2210
Skokie
847-673-7118
Cicero
708-652-2468
Mundelein
847-566-5100
Schaumburg
847-882-8770
Ten Convenient Locations:
www.webdentalchicago.com
40 CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ MAY 2018
CONTINUED ON PAGE 42