A former boxing champion is back in the ring.
Now he is using a sport criticized for its violence to coach these young athletes in the sport of life.
No matter how you duke it out, boxing involves hitting someone else. But a South Seattle man believes it is the perfect outlet for kids, especially those who might be lured into trouble.
We meet a teacher-turned boxing coach helping guide young lives.
You could be forgiven if you feel like you’ve seen this story before, a sport steeped in violence used to turn vulnerable kids away from it.
“Why boxing? Why boxing?”
Kevin Loyal, boxing champion turned boxing coach, is the founder of Champ Boxing Gym.
“I think, well, I know for certain anger is a secondary emotion and masks how you really feel,” Loyal answered. “You might be going through despair, anguish, all these other things but you still need an outlet for that anger. I think boxing is the perfect channel.
“What better than punching a bag? What better than getting out and exerting this energy? So, that’s one reason boxing. Another reason, teach self control. Self discipline.”
What one word would his young charges use to describe boxing?
“Very thrilling,” said 14-year-old Ryder Voravongas.
“It means dedication,” said 12-year-old Ajani Loyal.
“Fun,” 13-year-old Tyrique Galloway said.
“Great,” said Noah Brown. “Coming to boxing and working.”
The echoes of the lessons being taught here.
Nine-year-old Noah Brown’s family hoped boxing would help him fend off bullies.
For Ryder Voravongas, boxing was a supplement to taekwondo.
Ajani Loyal inherited his Dad’s love for the sport.
“I kinda wanna be like Muhammad Ali or Floyd Mayweather,” Ajani said. “Like their bouncing and moving and jabbing, like all that.”
And there’s 13-year-old Tyrique Galloway. An older brother was murdered two years ago in another state, but Tyrique has found a safe home here.
“I went to a national tournament and I got second in the nation,” he said, proudly.
In a society filled with violence, boxing in there may be a kind of antidote for what happens far too often out here.
“There’s a lot of things we teach outside of the sport,” said Loyal, “that spill into their everyday life.
A life that, for these kids, perhaps boxing can bring.
Next up for a couple of these young boxers, USA Boxing’s Junior Olympics in Las Vegas, Nevada, in June.
©2025 Cox Media Group
