Paul Jerry’s quest to attain amateur boxing notoriety continues. On Jan. 18 the King George resident and University of Maryland Eastern Shore junior will step beyond American ringside Golden Glove competition. He will join the Belfast-Belway Boxing Project, which is an American delegation of 12 Washington, DC area boxers, 11-20 years old (weight classes ranging from bantamweight to heavyweight) traveling to Belfast, Ireland, with the aim of promoting international cultural exchange.

The Belfast-Beltway Boxing Project is a Washington, DC based non-profit group organization committed to providing support for at-risk youth.

The American boxing delegation will leave on Jan. 18, and arrive in Ireland on Jan. 19.  The fights will take place on Saturday, Jan. 21. Prior to their impending flight, the delegation will have a meet & greet pizza celebration in Washington, DC.

Earlier his year, at the Westin Hotel, in Washington, DC, during the fourth

Annual Beltway Boxing Classic, Jerry, a 123-pound bantamweight, fought and defeated Joe Scullian in a three-round thriller that left the crowd asking for more. The Ireland-American classic promotes athleticism, culture, and appreciation of international humanitarian values. “Four years ago we were introduced to the boxers from Belfast, Ireland through the Diamonds in the Rough organization that we were once affiliated with,” Paul Jerry’s father and manager Anthony Murrill said. “They wanted some friendly competition through ambassadorship, while representing fighters from another country. They witnessed how we trained, boxed, while interacting with our boxers.”

Whether he is in school, or at home, Jerry constantly trains. His focus is two-fold - one part academic, and one part boxing. In an effort to raise money from sponsorship, throughout the year, Jerry has run in four area races, including the 19th annual Mary Washington Healthcare YMCA Turkey Trot 5K Run/Walk, and Coker Orthodontics YMCA Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot Mile. He finished 78th out of 2,700 runners. In addition, he has registered to run the upcoming “Across the Years” 10K run in Fredericksburg, on Dec. 31.

“Monetarily, we are sacrificing a lot to make this happen,” Murrill said. “We are doing a lot outreaching, while volunteering to the community, with the hope that local businesses, and private citizens will contribute funding to our efforts.” For more information on sponsorship, contact Murrill at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Jerry is a member of several gyms in Maryland’s Eastern Shore area, and the Hillcrest Heights gym, located in Hillcrest Heights, MD. His last boxing match was three weeks ago in a gym in Baltimore, MD.

Murrill and Jerry are well aware that the opportunity to fight against international competition does not come around often. “Everybody is not going to be a boxer,” Murrill said. “A lot of kids are not going to be due to their attitude, and not because of their boxing skill. It doesn’t matter that they are not best boxers in the area; it means they will represent us in a manner that we can all be proud of. This is not the Olympics, but to a lot of kids, this is the closest they will be to the Olympics.”

Leonard Banks
Sports editor