Story & Photography by Woody Woodard

There was a rumble in Jackson on January 6 at the Carl Perkins Civic Center with the 2nd Annual Black Tie & Boxing event. Ronnie and Susan Morris of Express Employment Professionals attended an event in Fort Worth, Texas and brought the idea home and asked friends to assist them in organizing a similar event in Jackson. This is a benefit for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF). The emphasis is on Type 1 Diabetes (T1D). Charles Savaggio is the president of the West Tennessee Board of Directors for JDRF. Daily requirements for diabetics include checking blood sugar, taking insulin shots, making daily logs and counting carbs.

JDRF is a leading global organization funding T1D research and it currently supports over 50 active clinical trials and research in 18 countries. “We want to do the greatest good for the largest number of people in the shortest time possible,” said Savaggio. The celebrity fighter was Hilmar Skagfield, who is remembered for co-winning the CBS show “Hunted.”