The Reading Rumble
A day of amateur boxing in one of America's grittiest cities.
Height and weight aside, Jensen James is different from your average eight-year-old. For one, he is meticulous about his diet, preferring “sustenance over candy.” Dinners are high-protein, fiber-rich and low-carb. Once he finishes, he skips dessert. Also, he is obsessed with his hands.
“He wants to try other sports, but then he says he needs to protect his hands because his hands are his money,” his father, Zach James, tells me. Later this evening, Jensen is set to square off against another eight-year-old, Amir Everett, in a three-round match.






