Boxing Day

 

A look into the Hurricane Boxing Gym

BY IAN TITUS

 

Walking into Hurricane Boxing on Folly Road, a couple things come to mind. First, the smell doesn’t seem so bad. Instead of the putrid aroma of sweat-soaked clothes and shoes, a hint of bleach and cleaning supply lingers in the air. The staff keeps the place in good shape. That notion is strengthened by the imposing arena, slapped in the center of the gym, being mopped by a short, gruff man with a head only peppered with bits of hair. The second thought is boxing isn’t dead, a popular belief among many, especially since the introduction of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Quite the contrary. Dozens of people, from senior citizens to children, are gearing up for practice, including one short kid whose face looks like it had seen plenty of leather.

      The kid looks about 20 years old, standing at around 5 foot 5 with a dark complexion. He wears a short buzz cut similar to those gearing up for war. The man, Martin Gonzalez, is preoccupied, wrapping his hands with those long black snakes of cotton that protect knuckles during the harder hits.

      Gonzalez doesn’t look too imposing, but when he throws a left hook, it’s clear that his opponents better remember their mouthpieces. “It wasn’t always easy for me to box,” Gonzalez says. “I used to have to lie to my mom about going to a friend’s house after school. In reality I was spending my allowance on a gym membership. The fib held up for about a month, until I kept coming back home with black eyes and cut lips.”

      How did Gonzalez keep up the boxing after the gig was up? “My mom was crying, she told me she didn’t want me to get hurt. I just told her this is who I am and this is what I want to do,” he says. “Then I hugged her, and that was that.”

      Gonzalez throws in his mouth guard and smiles, showing a row of black teeth. The whistle blows and drills begin with quick hisses between punches and an occasional rattle of the chains holding the suspended bags.

      Folks as young as 5 or 6 and as old as seniors go to Hurricane Boxing. The business offers beginner classes as well as intermediate boxing sessions. A lot of women show up, which quickly breaks the stereotype that boxing is a man’s sport. Everyone seems to be working with discipline, regardless of age or gender.

      The passion Martin has for boxing can be seen in everyone attending classes, if not to compete then for a desire to learn and become a better boxer. The rattling of those chains and the smell of bleach is something boxers live for.