What Boxing Means to Me: A 6-Part Article Series

Boxing has been part of my life since the very beginning. I was born into it. Most of the men in my family were fighters or had boxed at some point. My father and grandfather were both fighters, and I was just a baby the first time I was in a boxing gym. I didn’t have an illustrious amateur career, and I never went pro, but I spent most of my childhood and teenage years in the boxing gym training and learning the art of boxing under my dad and grandfather.

I didn’t start training consistently until the end of 5th grade, after I lost a fight on the schoolyard. It was at that moment when my dad decided it was time and he started training me himself. From there, I began to take it seriously. I’ll share more about that story in week one of the series, but that’s really where my journey began.

Boxing has taught me far more than how to fight and be a tough guy. It’s helped shape me into the man, husband, daddy, son, brother, friend, and the human being I am today.

Boxing taught me discipline—something that carried over into school, other sports growing up and young manhood.
It taught me mental toughness—how not to panic when things don’t go my way, how to think on my feet, and how to stay calm under pressure.
It taught me to respect myself and others—how to carry myself with confidence rather than ego, how to treat people with the same respect I expect in return.

Over the next six weeks, I’m going to break down what boxing has meant to me—not just as a sport, but as a tool that continues to help me navigate life. Each week on Friday, I’ll share a different part of my journey:

• How it started
• Meeting Ki, Vadim, and the team
• When my grandfather stepped in
• Life away from boxing
• The 2019 kids’ program
• The 2023 birth of TA Boxing

This series is for anyone who’s ever wondered about the positive effects boxing and training can have on your life—the valuable, intangible things that stay with you far beyond the sport. Follow along here and on our IG: @TABoxing_

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