Corbin teen wins state boxing title

Despite being relatively new to the sport, 15-year-old Ayden Mills is already finding himself competing at a high level inside the boxing ring. On New Year’s Eve, he traveled to Louisville and became a state champion in the 138-lb. bracket at the 2022 Kentucky Silver Gloves Championships.

“I started about eight months ago,” Mills said of his journey into competitive boxing. “It was kind of an impulse thing. I wanted to do it to get in shape, but after doing it for a while, I realized that I actually wanted to compete.”

At that point, Mills made the decision to begin training at Loughran’s Boxing and Jiu Jitsu in London under the tutelage of owner/operator Jerry Loughran.

“People have some preconceived notions about what it takes to compete in boxing,” said Loughran, who is currently the only Olympic certified boxing coach in the state of Kentucky. “But the kids that win in amateur boxing have work ethics that are incredibly different compared to the others. To win, you really have to work like your hair’s on fire and the rest of you is catching. That’s what Ayden does.”

“He’s been to some big events, but he hadn’t actually competed in a sanctioned bout yet,” Loughran said of his young protege’s appearance in the recent Kentucky Silver Gloves event. “It was overdue. The first ten sanctioned fights are what is known as your novice bouts, so the goal with a kid like Ayden would be to hopefully complete those ten novice bouts this year, and then he’d be eligible next year, in 2024, to compete on the national stage.”

As for how it felt to have his hand raised in victory in Louisville, Mills said, “It was a good feeling. It made me feel like all of the hard work was paying off. I want to keep competing, and hopefully keep winning.”

“All of the ingredients are there,” Loughran said of Mills. “We just have to be patient, and let him naturally develop. You can’t get in a hurry.”

“It takes a lot of discipline,” said Mills. “You have to be willing to be consistent, come in every day, and give it your all. It has been a lot different than what I first expected, but I am doing a lot better than I thought I would.”