Safe Place For Northeast Youth

Terry Green Boxing Academy

Few are unfamiliar with the story of the gladiator rising from obscurity to gain fame and riches. Scarce are those foreign to the chronicle of the pugilist coming from the gang-ridden, crime infested neighborhood; consisting of single parent homes and absentee fathers to become champion of the world.   Boxing seems to be the one athletic endeavor that is accessible to the down-trodden, destitute and impoverished.  What about those that don’t become the champion?  What becomes of them?  Many take what they’ve learned in the gym to become productive citizens.  They gain work ethic and become gainfully employed.  They acquire self-discipline and pursue higher education. But they all need a gym to gain these intangible skills.  Their skills are honed in the gym, their minds are molded in the gym, their wills are tested in the gym….in the GYM.

It’s Personal

As a young vibrant fighter, I trained under the tutelage of many great coaches and I boxed for many teams, including the All-Marine Boxing team.  As a coach, I’ve coached on many teams and on many levels both amateur and professional.  In 2015 I became the coach of Sun City Boxing Club in the Sunrise Acres East neighborhood just southeast of the Devil’s Triangle and west of the Mountain View South neighborhood.  In this gym, I saw a void that needed to be filled.  The kids needed father figures, positive role models, like-minded yet diverse friends, discipline, and an environment where they can flourish.  They needed boxing, they needed the GYM.

I brought with me boxers that I had been training for a few years.  I brought Marcus Carrera, a US Army veteran, All-Army runner up, a licensed barber, and Kinesiology major at UTEP. Darrell McCrory a product of Northeast El Paso who has a bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology from UTEP.  Joshua Camacho, a graduate of Chapin High School, a journeyman electrician, and 2015 El Paso Times Athlete of the Year.   Rick Ramirez, a true Northeast success story from root to fruit.  A lifelong El Pasoan, from the FDR apartments in the Devil’s Triangle, a graduate of Irvin High School, a veteran of the United States Marine Corps, a bachelor’s degree in History and a master’s degree in Education; both from UTEP, a teacher at Canyon Hills Middle School which he attended and a two-time El Paso Golden Gloves Champion at 152lbs. Myself a graduate of Andress High School, El Paso Community College, and UTEP, and veteran of the United States Marine Corps, former nationally ranked amateur and All Marine Boxing Team Hall of Fame inductee. The father figures and positive role models that were needed.  

Due to unforeseen circumstances, Sun City Boxing closed in July 2016.  Another group changed the gym’s name to Knuckle Up Fitness and by October they were out of business as well.  The kids had nowhere to go.  I took upon myself to keep training the kids and some of the adults, I wouldn’t turn anyone away and I wouldn’t charge anyone a dime.  I asked to coach the team at Nations Tobin Park where the city of El Paso’s Parks and Recreation department operated a gym.  I was told that I couldn’t because there was another trainer there teaching a class.  Then I went to Veterans Park and asked if I could use just a section off to the side of the basketball court just to keep the kids out of the cold in the winter, I was told that I would have to pay $23 a day. The money is something I just couldn’t afford, especially for a space without a boxing ring or punching bags.  So, we weathered the bitter cold and went outside and trained near the baseball field and we’ve been there ever since. Through the cold, heat, rain and wind.  Four days a week, Monday through Thursday we train.  And we compete, winning for more often than we lose.

I feel as if I’ve been doing a disservice to the boxers. They need a proper place to train, with bags and a ring.  The gym at 4493 Titanic is available but it is not free.

The Mission

Terry Green Boxing Academy will provide Northeast youth with a safe place to train.  A place where good citizenship is fostered, higher education is advocated, and community involvement is required.

The Vision

Terry Green Boxing Academy envisions being the cornerstone of the neighborhood; where the youth can congregate absent from gang membership and juvenile delinquency. A supportive environment that encourages literacy, parent involvement, academic achievement, and overall health and fitness at little to no cost of any person below the age of 18.

The Goal

Is to open the doors of the gym no later than July 1st.  Prior to July first, we will:

Sign a lease for the gym and pay the rent for 1 year
Register the team with USA Boxing
Incorporate a non-profit corporation 
Host a USA Boxing sanctioned event
Make repairs and upgrades to the existing gym equipment
Although we intend to eventually be a no cost facility, for the 1st year of operation the pricing will be as follows:

$20/month- 7 years old with no physical contact
$30/month- 8 to 17 years old 
$40/month- 18 years and older.