VIDEO: A Wichita firefighter is preparing to fight a Tulsa police officer, all for a good cause. Newton native Carlye Anderson is training for a boxing match that will serve as a fundraiser for the Special Olympics.
The former national champion gymnast first stepped foot into the boxing ring two years ago. Since then, she’s been hooked.
“Just learning footwork and how to move, going back and forth, trying to get the feel for something different,” Anderson said. “I’ve never tried anything like it before, so it’s been fun to try something new.”
Competing is nothing new to the athlete who won two state gymnastics titles in high school to accompany her national championship. On April 22, she’ll enter the ring as part of “Smoke and Guns,” a one-night charity boxing event in Tulsa in which firefighters go head-to-head against law enforcement officers with proceeds going to Oklahoma Special Olympics and Oklahoma Firefighters Burn Camp.