Successful Sparring

Boxing makes a mark in parks and recreation

By Clarence Thomas, Jr.
Photos: Patrick Anderson, Coordinator I/Trainer, Macon/Bibb United Boxing Club

Basketball, football, baseball, soccer, and tennis are staples in the sports diets of Americans and are routinely offered through parks and recreation programs. But one sport that’s finally making its mark is boxing.

Referred to as “The Sweet Science” by enthusiasts, boxing’s beginnings can be traced to ancient Iraq, Egypt, Greece, and Rome. The sport has since been popularized by renowned sanctioning bodies, notable names, big purses (paychecks), and media blitzes at the professional level that serve as motivation for aspiring athletes interested in participating as bigtime fighters. For parks and recreation programs, however, boxing has become an alternative offering for novices and competitors and can be accessed for little or no cost in municipal-owned facilities, like those in Brownsville, Texas, Columbus, Ohio, and Macon, Ga.

Macon Bibb United Boxing Club (MBUBC) is run by the Macon-Bibb County Department of Parks and Recreation. It’s one of only three, local, government-owned and -operated programs in Georgia, along with Columbus and Augusta. The 12,000-plus-square-foot, west-central Macon facility has two rings, a workout area comprised of 10 to 15 speed and heavy bags, a weight room, locker rooms, fighters’ rooms, and flat-screen televisions throughout. The club was originally a regular recreation center that was overhauled in 2012 as part of a $6-million Special Purpose Local Options Sales Tax (SPLOST) project.

Users of the facility vary, and so does its programming. Residents who just want to stay in shape can use it for $20 a month. For youth ages 8 years old and up, who want to participate as competitors, members of the MBUBC team can compete at no charge. The team competes throughout the country and is part of the Georgia Amateur Boxing Association. Some team members have had great success, fighting their way to the Junior Olympics. The site also hosted tournaments prior to the COVID-19 pandemic with boxers coming from as far away as Texas, New York, California, Ohio, and Colorado. Macon Bibb United’s “Rock Steady Boxing Program,” in partnership with a major local hospital, pairs facility trainers with victims of Parkinson’s to help them deal with the disease’s effect so program participants can experience a greater quality of life.

The Ring Leaders

The boxing club’s success can be attributed to the supervisor, James Hand, and his team of trainers and volunteers. A 26-year recreation professional with the department, Hand’s experience as an aspiring pro boxer as a young man, coupled with his passion for helping youth, made him the obvious choice to head up the club. He says, besides being a great source of conditioning for those seeking to stay in shape, boxing is also a great confidence builder. “We’ve had children come in here as shy as they can be,” Hand shares. “But before long, they have a lot of confidence.” That newfound belief by a child in his ability to handle himself comes in handy—especially when bullied, adds Hand.

Earnest Butts is the center’s Coordinator II and one of two staff trainers. He has a 40-year-old storied past as the son of a boxer, who started training him at 10 years old. At 13, he was a Junior Olympic champion and later became a Golden Gloves and Army boxer. Butts notes that boxers are not born but made. He says bullies are the worst kind of boxers because they aren’t disciplined. And that’s why he works to ensure that the youth he teaches not only master techniques, but also the ability to utilize their skills in and out of the ring appropriately. “There’s not a lot of kids that want to get punched. But if you can get them past this part of boxing, they can really benefit,” says Butts.

Reasons To Box

On a brisk afternoon earlier this year, a range of citizens could be seen utilizing every room of Macon Bibb United. One was 30-year-old Kate Lambert, a 5th-grade teacher with Bibb County Public Schools. She started coming to the center two years ago looking to diversify her workouts.

“Boxing always interested me. It’s a great stress reliever. And a positive outlet for children” she says. “It’s empowering.”

Emarid Lawrence has been boxing competitively for four years. At 16, he has won a few and lost a few. He, too, was drawn to the conditioning aspect of the sport, but decided he wanted to fight. He says it has transformed his feelings about himself and made him a role model. He encourages youth to get involved.

“Try boxing. It’s a great sport,” he says, smiling broadly before resuming his workout. “You’ll fall in love with it. I sure did.”

Beyond Municipalities

Boxing clubs beyond the boundaries of municipalities are abounding. Two that exemplify the sport’s reach are Blackfeet Nation Boxing Club in Browning, Mont., and Champions Are Made in Macon. Blackfeet Nation was started in 2003 from scratch by 60-year-old Frank Kipp, and was featured in a documentary on ESPN. Kipp is a third-generation boxer who has altered the lives of scores of youths from his 50-by-100-foot location on the reservation. During his journey, he has been able to help a student with ADHD to become more focused, one of his daughters to win various championships, and girls on the reservation to become more confident in their ability to defend themselves and deal with the fear of becoming one of many missing and murdered indigenous women.

“Boxing is an addiction. Once it’s in your blood, it’s hard to shake,” Kipp says. “This has been a spiritual experience for me because it has allowed me to turn around the lives of so many.”

On the southern edge of downtown Macon, Daude Harrell, a millennial-aged co-owner of his grandfather’s barbershop, trains potential boxing greats at his gym, Champions Are Made. He competed until 2007 before Spina bifida sidelined him; eventually and reluctantly he became a coach when approached by a persistent former prisoner. Today, Harrell is watching the rise of 30-year-old Christian Brown, a former inmate who is using professional boxing as a means of making a difference.

“It was either box or be the same person I was on the streets. I’m better now because of boxing,” says Brown.

“There’s no higher form of discipline than boxing. It instills confidence and gives kids some good habits,” Harrell says.

Jump On Board

So, what to do if your town wants to get into boxing? Getting started is primarily budget-driven. The cost of equipment can be as little as a few hundred dollars up to a few million—depending on how a municipality wants to go. Macon-Bibb Parks and Recreation Director Robert Walker, Jr. recommends surveying the community to see how the idea is received. If it’s backed by taxpayers and their representatives in city hall, then securing a facility, a staff of coaches and volunteers, and a good plan of action can lead to the type of success Macon has.

“Not every rec department can say they know how to present a boxing program,” Walker says. “But we’re committed to ensuring our program’s success.”     

Clarence Thomas, Jr. is a Supervisor at the Frank Johnson Recreation Center, part of the Macon-Bibb County Department of Parks and Recreation in Macon, Ga. Contact him at cwthomas@maconbibb.us.