“Worked That Philly Shell Nicely”: Police Officer Earns Respect From Fans for Schooling a Young Man in Street Boxing Match

You must be familiar with most of the cop shows on TV today. A recurring theme of these shows is cops making a boatload of arrests in low-income neighborhoods. Usually, the police officers are involved in action-packed chase sequences with a possible felon running away. Or, civilians involved in a petty crime are lying on the pavement face-down with their hands behind their backs under the watchful eyes of law enforcement officials who are searching them for contraband.

Although the police officers are doing what needs to be done, these shows do give them a reputation of being a not-so-friendly guy in the neighborhood. Quite clearly, it doesn’t give us the whole picture. Sometimes, efforts by these men in uniforms to build a positive relationship with the community are often overlooked.

One such incident of a cop participating in a friendly neighborhood clash has caught the attention of the netizens. And there is nothing like a light sparring session to send a message across to the community – We are on the same side! Hence, a cop put on a pair of boxing gloves and went up against a young boy from the community. He showed a wide array of boxing skills, giving the bystanders an interesting story to tell once they reached their homes.

Straight off the bat, the cop put his marker down as a pressure fighter. After gauging the situation for a few seconds, he went in for the kill with a two-punch combo of an overhand and a cross but missed. The shirtless civilian, wearing black shorts, did exceptionally well, weaving and ducking to avoid those punches. Not breaking his stride, the police officer probed further with his jabs, keeping his hands low while showing excellent head movement that would make even Canelo Alvarez proud. A show of confidence indeed!

Then the shirtless young kid threw a couple of jabs which were easily dodged by the officer. Then, came the offensive again! A series of punches: left and right hooks, uppercuts, which were again artfully dodged by the civilian. But then in an instant, both began to throwdown, meeting in the middle. At one point even the police officer’s radio came off.

Fortunately, the close-quarter encounter ended with both still on their feet. Of course, there was a show of restraint from both sides as they engaged in the clash. Ultimately, the fight ended with a handshake and a good couple of laughs. Both individuals were successful in their endeavor to hype up the crowd gathered to watch this friendly clash. A great community bonding experience indeed! Meanwhile, the fans on social media were quick to give their analysis of the fight while giving the cop props for taking it easy with the policing.

Something for the media to cover!

A boxing fan felt that the cop found himself in positions where he could have seriously hurt the young guy. But the officer did the right thing and showed restraint. According to the user, at the end of the day, the officer was the better boxer.

Another fan felt that the officer had earned the community’s respect and that he wouldn’t face any problems while in the neighborhood.

One boxing enthusiast lauded the cop’s stance. Hint: an effective method perfected by Floyd Mayweather to defend against an opponent’s attack. It is known as a Philly shell for those unversed in boxing terminologies. According to the user, the officer was using the style to avoid punches aimed at his head.

Another boxing fan stated that the activity could have been staged once the cop was off duty and not when they have lethal objects strapped to their belt.

A user felt it was a great way for a law enforcement official to build relationships with people in the community they work for. According to them, such endearing stories are never covered by the media.

Indeed it was a moment that invoked respect for both sides. Something we normally never get to witness on TV. What did you think of the sparring session between the police officer and the civilian? Let us know in the comment section below.