'Fight Night' set Saturday in Troup

The Troup Boxing Association will hold its annual Byron Payton Memorial Fight Night this Saturday at 7 p.m.

Featuring competitors ranging in age from 8 to 33 years old, and boxers from Troup, Tyler, Longview, Sulphur Springs, Kilgore, Dallas and Louisiana, the event promises a good night of amateur boxing, according to Sherry Villa, president of the boxing association.

Held in the Byron Payton Gym in Troup, the event includes boxing in all weight classes, starting at 50 pounds through super heavyweight, novice and open.

Admission is $7 for adults, $5 for children 12 and under, and free to children three and under.

The boxing association has been holding the event since 1985, and it honors Byron Payton of Troup, who died aboard an international flight to Poland in 1980. The 16-year-old was the only Texas boxer aboard the flight and was headed to the Olympics that year.