Grassroots in the News: January 16
by USA Boxing
‘With life you can’t stop and you can’t give up’: Gyms help keiki prepare for more than just competition
Coaches and trainers hope to give kids an outlet for their mental and physical health through the sport of boxing.
After Kona Boxing Club was shut down during COVID-19, many people were left without an outlet for training, especially since there were no alternatives for boxing in West Hawaii.
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Harrisburg's boxing phenom Rishon Sims back in the ring to prepare for 2024
HARRISBURG, Pa. — Harrisburg's Rishon Sims has been very busy over the last year. His 2023 ended with a gold medal at the USA Boxing Nationals in Louisiana and the plans for 2024 have already begun.
"Something was on the line," said Sims. "So my mind was focused on coming out with a victory just for the future."
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Faith in the fight: Glenn Hagler Sr. helps local youth find discipline, direction through boxing
Boxing keeps Glenn Hagler Sr. grounded. It always has.
He opened the Hagler Boxing Club so he could offer that same balance and positive outlook on life to local kids.
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All in the family: Fall River boxers bond together for success at Bernardo Boxing
FALL RIVER — Training time is bonding time in the Gruber boxing family.
No, Jonathan Gruber Jr. and Jonathan Gruber Sr. don't spar. Young Gruber, who goes by Jonathan, is 15 and fights at 145 pounds. His dad, who goes by Jon, is 34 and a professional heavyweight.
But they are regulars at Bernardo Boxing, at the Fall River CYO Hall on Anawan Street. And they have achieved notable success.
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'What we do in here is a lot more than boxing': At Chuters Youth Boxing club, kids get free lessons in the sport, life
LITTLE CHUTE – Inside a cramped, dimly lit rectangular garage just off Main Street — about 20 steps behind Anyone Rides Little Chute — is where Nick Maher’s worlds collide.
By day, Maher — who owns the auto repair shop with friend Riley Charette — is turning wrenches to get vehicles back on the road. By night, he’s giving aspiring young boxers the tools they need to survive and thrive in one of the oldest forms of hand-to-hand combat.
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OLYMPIC TRIALS CHAMP MALACHI GEORGES SHOWS ‘NERDS’ HAVE THEIR PLACE IN THE RING, TOO
TEANECK, N.J. — Few amateur boxers will ever have a year like Malachi Georges had in 2023.
The 20-year-old from Teaneck, N.J. made the leap from local prospect to national champion, becoming the only male boxer to win the National Golden Gloves and Olympic Trials last year. The trials championship he won in December has pushed his USA Boxing ranking to number two at 203 pounds, and has him knocking on the door to a trip to the Paris Olympics this summer.