4/28/07 - Tom Dodgewww.keeppunching.com 
On May 12th at the Paragon Casino Resort, Alexandria’s Heath Nichols will fight as part of the Redemption or Retirement card that also features Juan de la Rosa battling Mikel Williams and co main event Bobby Aucoin putting his undefeated record on the line.Nichols has won his first three fights with second round TKOs in the scheduled four round bouts. “I am an aggressive fighter, he explained. “I am a power puncher and I feel that I hit pretty hard. I have a good left hook.” As a lightweight at 135 pounds, Nichols said while he looks to land good body shots, he is a head hunter too. “I want to stay on the top of my game,” he stated. “I want to make sure I am in the right position to counter punch. But the main thing I am working on is to make sure my jabs are working. I am trying to set up my power shots.” So far, so good as far as the power punch is concerned. He quickly demolished Cory Stephens in the first minute of the second round at the Paragon in Marksville in his pro debut. He then defeated Detrick Castor on Nov. 4, 2007 and Richard Dinkins on March 30, 2007 both in front of his hometown Alexandria crowd. While he waited to find out who, when and where he would fight again, Nichols said he continued to train including sparring session at Beau Williford’s gym. “I was doing everything the same,” he said of his regiment. “The main thing was to make sure my conditioning was top notch and that I was sharp on my punches.” While he trains and boxes, Nichols also works as respiratory therapist at Rapides Regional Medical Center, evaluating, treating, and caring for patients with breathing or other cardiopulmonary disorders. “I get up at 5 a.m. on the days I work,” he said of his routine. “On the days I work I do my long distance running (at least four miles) and the days I’m off I do my sprint work.” 
Nichols, 32, is a graduate of Tioga High where he played football, baseball and soccer. After a stint in the Army National Guard, he then went to LSU Eunice as began his trek to become a respiratory therapist.Nichols said he has 500 shirts with his “Little Rocky” logo proudly displayed and has a great following of family, friends and co-workers that support him. “I can hear them while I am in the ring,” he said. “I am crowd pleaser that puts on a good show, exciting in the ring.” Nichols said he would like to fight for a title one day, as he also works to be the best he can be. But he also wants younger people to look up to him as a role model. “Dedication and discipline is important to get what you want in life,” Nichols said. “Nothing comes free.” 
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