SPRINGDALE — Kalvin Henderson knew from the age of 15 boxing was more than just a hobby.
The Fort Worth, Texas native stuck with it and has continued to grow his craft.
Henderson used the skills he learned as a teenager to move through the amateur ranks, and now is using them at the professional level. He fought his first professional bout in April in Little Rock, and is preparing for his second pro fight next month, also in Little Rock.
Henderson, who goes by the nickname “Hot Sauce” fought more than 60 bouts as an amateur. His story is a little different than most young fighters. Henderson marches to the beat of a different drum.
He enrolled at the University of Arkansas in 2007, majoring in music education. He also worked at Owl Creek Elementary, Woodland Junior High and Fayetteville High School in 2008 and 2009, with an emphasis on percussion.
“I had a crazy schedule,” Henderson said. “I would train at 5:30 in the mornings, and then I would head off to the school and teach. Then I would get back in the gym.”
Henderson graduated from Arkansas in 2012 and put his teaching career on hold to pursue his boxing career full-time. He still gives private music lessons in his limited free time, but now most of his attention is focused inside the ring.
He planned on returning to Texas after graduation. That’s where he met Kevin Lightburn, a past trainer of former middleweight champion Jermain Taylor who owns StraightRight Boxing and Fitness in Springdale.
“Kevin Lightburn is why I’m here,” Henderson said. “I was going back to Fort Worth, but I met Kevin and I liked everything he stood for.”
Henderson competes in the middleweight (160 pounds) division. As he climbed the USA elite amateur rankings, he set his sights on the 2016 Olympics in Rio. An injury during training sidetracked those goals, and Henderson instead elected to turn pro.
“People try to stay amateur for awhile trying to make an Olympic team,” Henderson said. “We got all the way up to No. 4 in the division and then I got an abrasion from a cut on a head butt in September of 2015.
“After that, we had a manager approach us and we looked over our goals and decided to turn professional.”
Henderson, 26, defeated Tirik Johnson in his first professional bout in Little Rock on a first-round knockout. The fight lasted just 23 seconds.
“The thing that Kalvin has is work ethic,” Lightburn said. “That’s what we’re missing a lot in the world today.
“He’s got all the skills, but it’s his drive and work ethic that gives him a chance to succeed.”
Henderson’s goal is to reach a 10-0 pro record so that he can schedule higher-tier middleweight competition.
He is focused on his boxing career for now, preferring the steady rhythm of the speed bag to a drum cadence, but hasn’t completely closed the door on his music.
“I’ve been playing music since I was six or seven,” Henderson said. “I figured I could be a music teacher at any time, but this was my time to be a boxer.”
Vernon Tarver can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter@NWAVernon.