Soberwarrior Fundraiser- Team Lion Boxing Gym

Well, here we are 5 years into Chad “The Lions“ Leoncello’s recovery . Leoncello started the movement of Soberwarriors that has reached thousands -nation and world wide . It all started with putting on a pair of boxing gloves to help cope with my internal pain and struggles . Testimony will be posted on the bottom of this caption .

 

Boxing saved his life . You will read about this in his testimony. Leoncello has grown in the sport of boxing and shared his outlet to others . He also, received his certificate as a recovery coach and brought both boxing and recovery under the same umbrella . Soberwarriors was founded in 2016 and Team Lion would visit sober homes , spoke their personal testimonies and how a heavy bag is the a way to release anger, emotions and is the best choice .. instead of picking up the bottle or drug .

 

Leoncello has jumped around to different boxing facilities and gyms . The owners and or trainers always welcomed Soberwarriors . We are forever grateful for these opportunities that helped many individuals in a dark place .

 

“The Lion “became a strong leader in those communities and teach & mentor both adults as well as kids . His firm belief in a raw and real role model, has won the hearts of so many . Building a child’s foundation of strength , confidence, self esteem with the full understanding that he is not just their coach but a big brother that they can turn to and our gym is their safe haven. Some of the kids that We have coached, have faced enormous traumas in their lives, or have come from homes that have been shaken by addiction.

For them , boxing has given them a strength that they didn’t know they had, and a sense of belonging that the desperately need. It gives them a safe space to release the negative energy that is built up inside. Soberwarriors is also about prevention, and if we can prevent one less addict and one less death caused by addiction then it is worth EVERYTHING! The fun -yet serious kids program allows us to uniquely connect with the kids. A blessing in The Lions recovery is To bring out a individuals very best and become the best version of themselves .

 

Our “Little Lions “ kids boxing program is growing rapidly and our Adult HIIT boxing classes are a huge hit , because of this we have outgrown our space we have been renting .

 

It was always a goal to have my very own facility. This will allow us to help so many more people! It will allow People of all ages, to make up our own Home of Team Lion & Soberwarriors . It is our Dream that we can build a place of Hope, positivity, and strength for Families and the community that we love.

 

 

We are asking for any amount of a donation to help get us to our goal . Donations will go towards our gym build out, equipment , programs for kids or adults that can’t afford packages ,memberships , gloves etc .

 

Soberwarriors is 100% a Non Profit Organization. Your donation will go to our 5013c and it is 100% tax deductible

 

We Thank you from the bottom of our hearts and hope to see some new faces in our grand opening this fall .

 

Team Lion

 

Soberwarriors Non Profit ID # 84-2975372

 

 

 

This is the short of my Testimony and some of the things that has helped me stay sober .

 

God has a habit of recruiting from the pit and taking this low bottom violent, addicted criminal and turning him into a disciple. God has a habit of equipping the worst society has to offer and using them to win souls.

 

God has literally done the miraculous on my life. I am a walking, talking miracle.I would give the shirt off my back to help someone today. I would never purposely harm anyone today. The only time I would lay hands on anyone is if we were to pray for them or help them up and the occasional punch in the face in the ring .

 

God literally changes us to the point we are no longer recognizable in our old ways. He’s just that good, y’all. (Ezekiel 36:26)- And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.

 

That was the face of junkie.

That was the face of a tweaker.

That was the face of a neglectful father.

That was the face of broken man.

That was the face some people gave up on..

 

This is the face of a grateful, strong , humble ,faithful and blessed recovering addict celebrating 5 years sober .

 

#blessed

#ThankYouJesus #wedorecover #soberwarriors

 

Alcohol was my life , nothing proud about that but I hope my testimony gives someone hope to see the light , know there is always people who care and love truly moves mountains .

 

I can attest that alcohol came first before everything else prior to September 2, 2016. I drank to have fun , I drank to not be shy , I drank when I was sad , I drank when I was mad , I drank to fit in and the list goes on . I was drunk at every event , gathering , celebration. I married the wrong girl , my marriage was toxic and I drank myself to sleep to help cope my pain and emotions from a failed marriage off the get-go.

 

I went from making 6 figures a year with money saved chasing the next deal to a fuckhead who only cared about getting 20$ a day for a bottle of vodka — now that’s some evil shit right there . The take over

 

I tried to stop a few times because I didn’t think I had a problem with alcohol - 3 hours was my max time I could stand before my body would crave , have the sweats and have the shakes . So I said fuck it and carried on with my addiction .. half gallon of vodka per day was my Vice . Again , I chose alcohol over everything else . Beers at 10 am -12pm then the half gallon got popped open .

 

Incarcerations, federal charges , legal after legal trouble landed me infront of the family court judge . I walked into court looking like I got hit by a truck , booze sweating out of my pours and still drunk from my night before binge . The writing was on the wall for my appearance .

 

I had a planned trip 5 days away to see my son Carlo . I denied being a alcoholic because In my fucked up head I didn’t have a issue.

 

The judge looked at me and said “ you will have to blow into a device 3 times a day ..two days prior to my flight and the entire stay with your son. If you blow a positive , you will lose your rights to your son “.

 

It was a hard pill to swallow but i said “ yea ok no worries “ went home and said to myself …I’m starting today , no booze today . About 3 hours later I was on my couch on my second vodka drink, by 10 pm the entire half gallon of vodka was in my system .

 

I was obliterated, went into the bathroom, ashamed of myself ,went to the sink and mirror to try and pull myself together. I’ll never forget it , i wasn’t looking at myself in that mirror . I saw my demons and they had their claws deep in me. I cried like a baby because at that moment I knew i couldn’t stop and i was going to lose my son because my demons were stronger than me.

 

I attempted to take my own life that night - I finally wanted to give up .

 

Through some black out text of some sort - I apologized to my mom, told her I was done living this hell and told her I-loved her . It was my good bye .

 

Mother’s know best and knew something was wrong - while I was consuming bottles of pills - momma prob went 150 mph to my house , kicked in my door like a swat team and got me help .

 

I’ll never forget the quote my doctor told me on my first day of recovery. “ The man takes the drink and then the drink takes the man”… He was absolutely right . It hit me . I missed all of the important things, special occasions ,days that I can’t get back because i was passed out smashed or drunk somewhere and realized I’m on borrowed time .

 

I was prescribed meds to help with the withdrawal process. It helped with aches , shakes and getting sick .

 

I slept all day & night woke up in the middle of the night and thought to myself “ I need to stay busy until I can get on that plane “.. I googled gyms in my area and a boxing gym was on the top of the list .

 

The next day , I went down to the church that my son was baptized . I had zero faith , but if a man sees the darkest demons in his own eyes that were basically taunting him …then I knew there has to be a light - a higher power .

 

I walked into this absolutely stunning and beautiful church and kneeled down because that’s what your taught to do in church when you first walk into your pew. As I’m kneeling down , I smell this horrendous odor and others around me did aswell . I look down and realized that I had a massive pile of dog shit stuck on the bottom of my boot and yes I made a trail of shit from the entrance to my pew.

 

I chuckled and said a very quick prayer , not to a particular higher power .. It went like this “ who ever is watching over me , please help me fight off these demons …I love and need my son , Amen” then did the walk of shame to the exit .

 

From there , I went down to the boxing gym and met with one of the trainers . I Told him my story and said I need to stay busy for 3 days so I can see my son and not lose him . They took me in , worked out that day and went home and slept because I was exhausted from the boxing . Woke up the next morning , Day 1 sober.

 

I had to stay busy so I did projects that didn’t even need to be done but it was gonna take some time and the gym didn’t open until 4:30 pm . So , I grabbed some paint and painted my garage doors- had cravings and drinking black iced tea (Dunkin Donuts / Honey Dew )helped with the cravings . Finished the doors , went to boxing and was learning something new and it was exhausting . Again went home beat , fell asleep and woke up the next morning , Day 2 Sober.

 

I wanted to pack for my trip so I did laundry and packed a suitcase for my trip to Florida ..4:30 comes around and I’m putting in the work in the boxing gym , went home exhausted and slept until the following morning , Day 3 Sober .

 

Hopped on a plane and flew to Florida to finally see my son . No traces of alcohol in my system for a few days , a tiny bit of clarity and I got my son Carlo in my arms . That was it “ the light switch “ My son was “my why “.

 

His love was my reason , his smile , laugh , round cheeks , big brown eyes and daddy’s chin was my reason . For the first time in my life , I felt what love truly is . Alcohol blocked that out / numbed me from this blessing .

 

I will never forget feeling his little breathes on my chest as he fell asleep on me by the pool . “Game Changer “ I knew what I needed to do .

 

Continued boxing , learned simultaneously about boxing and myself . Always learning something new about the “Real Chad” and the sport of boxing . I started to love boxing and the person I was becoming. My #1 was being a daddy and truly felt that love would conquer this .

 

A little tiny mustard seed was planted that time I said that quick little prayer with that massive pile of Great Dane Shit on my boot . A mustard seed of faith and now know and through the years it was my savior Jesus Christ .

 

The worst and best part of sobriety is actually “feeling “ and having raw emotions . It’s part of the process , can’t numb that shit with booze anymore . Sobriety starts with putting down the bottle or drug but it is also managing your internal work that needs to be done , old habits that need to be addressed and it hurts . It’s suppose to hurt …That’s where the real growth is done . Unfortunately I’ve hurt some people during this stage of my recovery but I learned from it and that’s what is important.

 

I lost everything I ever worked for . Fancy cars , horses , a farm basically with lots of animals , a .75 of a million dollar home . It’s all gone - but I-found me in that chaos .

 

What do daddy’s do ? Daddy’s Fix Everythig and My baby boy needed his daddy to be fixed and I was the only one who could do this . I do not sweat the small shit in life . It’s wasted Energy . Carry on .

 

. God will put people in your path of your journey to help, guide you and have your back . Some stick around and become family . Some will come into your life to teach you a lesson and some have agendas .

 

Vice Versa ,

I’ve had my fair share of distractions in my earlier years of recovery The devil will bring people in your path to derail you and bring you back to the Devils play ground . Once you realize this and you fend the darkness off , your light becomes much brighter. The spiritual war is very very real , believe me .

 

I’ve been to two AA /NA meetings my entire sobriety . I have nothing bad to say whatsoever but it just wasn’t my path of recovery . I box, visit sober homes to give my testimony , donate heavy bags and teach them how to release and channel their pain and emotions on the bag .

 

I do a lot of charity work with the homeless and shelters . We bring one of our Great Danes who is a licensed emotional support dog and they are the icebreakers . I do that consistently and if anyone ever wants to cook and or feed the shelters with us ,. You are always welcome . We run fundraisers through out the year for sober homes and shelters . Giving back is a huge part in my recovery .

 

I spend a lot of time with God on a daily basis. I don’t go to church , not that I’m against church … It’s a internal thing . The time I spend alone with God feeds my soul more than any church has . So it’s a personal connection. I read a devotional book 2 times a day called “ Jesus Calling” . It helps me be guided through my days .

 

I’m now a professional boxer , signed by the biggest promotional company on the East Coast and have lots more to achieve . Thank you Mr B , Jimmy B Jr and CES Boxing for your part in my blessed journey . Hope you your loved ones can come see me fight under the bright lights this fall of 2021.

 

I am now the best daddy I can possibly be , I am now a owner of a non profit called Soberwarriors Org. I am now a beacon of light to help guide others , a mentor children can look up to , a recovery coach men can turn to and a blessed man with a beautiful family .

 

We have come so far in my 5 years of growth , sobriety , love, and support. I love who I am today , a proud daddy , a proud boxer , and one of Gods Strongest Warriors in his army .

 

Leoncello Boxing “ Home of Team Lion & Soberwarriors will be opening it’s one and only New Location in Raynham this fall 2021. Our Non Profit (5013c) will offer kids and adult boxing . We will be putting a fundraiser together for kids programs who can’t afford a memberships , gloves and new equipment for the gym . Any donations towards this goal would be very appreciated and we would be humbly grateful .

 

It’s Just another goal I set years ago and allows us to help so many people who need help . I’ll bring you right out of your shell, out of your comfort zone and it will be a life changing decision . I want to say thank you to everyone who has supported me , the few who didn’t turn their back on me.

 

Some asked me what is my plan with all this .....

 

My answer is always the same ... “This was never my plan , i just wanted to be a daddy so I dug deep “. And all this ...it’s gods plan , it’s all his doing and he’s using me to carry his message . Tomorrow is tomorrow and the army is growing . #soberwarriors -#teamlion -#godsarmy

 

Brieanna , who has seen me struggle and watched me pull out with her support , always had my back , know I’m a chain breaker for my son and witnessed me slay my demons and ones that try lurking . Im a fighter -I’m forever grateful for you and loving me unconditionally. Love

 

And lastly my mom - thank you for your unconditional love. My rock - you never gave up on me and you are stronger than anyone I’ve ever met and My strongest muscle is my heart and I got it from my mommah Lion .thank you for kick starting my road to recovery after you kicked my door off the hinges to get me well .

 

I’m stepping away from social media for a bit and focusing on the build/out of the new gym and training for my next fight .

 

I’ll post the fundraiser for the gym and any news on a fight date in the near future . Ty everyone for reading ! Like always , Like everything …1 day at a time, and respect the process . #soberwarriors

 

Chad “The Lion” Leoncello “ Stay Up “ ☝