IRVING, Texas -- Drake Dudley tries to not move his face while his father smears it with Vaseline, but something across the ring is troubling the young fighter. "He's wearing small gloves," Drake says, his voice distorted by his mouthpiece. "He's wearing the same ounces as you -- 14s," says his father, Kirk. Smaller gloves would mean less padding over the other boy's fists. "Should I circle more or go inside?" Drake asks. "Try to hold your center of the ring," Kirk says. "Always look for your strength shot." Drake nods. The air sits heavy and hot inside the Irving Police Athletic League building, and the activity around the ring is steady and loud. Drake, a mixed martial arts prodigy, is an occasional visiting celebrity. He's been fighting for seven years now, since he started participating in, and usually winning, jiu-jitsu tournaments when he was only 7. Since then, usually during weekends spent hopping from local to national to international tournaments, he has competed in wrestling, Thai boxing, judo, boxing and mixed martial arts. His combined record in those sports is 403-63. But right now, his casual sparring match with Alex, a 13-year-old boxer, is the only thing on his mind. http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/otl/news/story?id=3494854&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab1pos1
