PRO BOXING

Kristy Follmar works with people who are fighting for their lives, so the inspiration for her return to the ring was there all the time.

Follmar, 27, is the chief trainer at the Rock Steady Gym in Indianapolis, where she helps people with Parkinson's combat the debilitating effects of the neurological disorder. Using the training techniques she learned as a successful boxer, Follmar uses exercise as a weapon to help the afflicted keep the illness at bay.

"These people are so inspiring that I feel I get as much from them as they get from me," Follmar said. "They're fighting for their lives every day and when I see them achieve something I am in awe of their courage."

Follmar, who has a 16-month-old daughter in addition to her work duties, is now taking on a new challenge. She is in training for a Feb. 26 fight at the Pepsi Coliseum in Indianapolis. The four-round bout against an opponent yet to be named, will be her first fight since March of 2005.

"I've thought about returning for awhile and when the chance came I realized I should take it," Follmar said. "I'm already in pretty good shape through my training at the gym so right now it's really just a matter of getting my boxing skills back. The people at the gym were enthusiastic and I thought that if they can fight through something then making a comeback is the least I can do."

Follmar, a former three-sport star at Hanover Central, is making her comeback on the sixth-anniversary of her professional debut. She is working in Anderson, Ind. with her former trainer Mark Lemerick, who said Follmar (15-1) is showing little effects of a nearly three-year layoff.

"She's looking strong," Lemerick said. "I know when the time comes for her to fight she'll be ready. Kristy is working very hard because she wants to look good and she wants to win."

"I know one thing," Follmar said. "When I get in there I will want to win. Whatever I do I want to do to the best of my ability."

The only loss for Follmar, a Ball State graduate, came in her third fight as a professional, and she once held the NABC women's featherweight championship.

"I think my skills are coming back," Follmar said. "There's been some rust but I expected that. I'm surprised at the progress I'm making and it's great to be working with Mark again."