What Boxing Means to Me – Part 2: Boxing Brotherhood

Back in 2002, I met Ki and his older brother Vadim and unknowingly, we started something way bigger than boxing.

At the time, Ki was playing hockey, and they had just started checking. He lacked confidence and was in a bit of a shell. His father put him in boxing hoping it would help him break out of it, build some toughness and belief in himself.

I was in a similar situation. I was heading into a new middle school, a bit shy and unsure of myself. Even though I had spent plenty of time in the gym watching my dad train, I hadn’t trained seriously yet. My father saw the same need in me to build confidence, discipline, and a strong foundation and decided it was time to start.

Until then, I had only learned the basics from my dad. But once I met Ki, who was close in age, we hit it off instantly. We became each other’s dance partners, sparring, drilling, pushing each other, and building a brotherhood one round at a time.

A month or so later, Ki’s older brother Vadim joined us. He was six years older, tough, fearless, and eager to learn. Then came Alex and Ilia. Alex was tall, and athletic with a literal hard head. Ilia was different from us, he was a computer guy with no athletic background at all. None of that mattered. We were all from different walks of life, but we had one thing in common:

We started!

Some guys faded out. Some left and came back. But Ki, Vadim, and Ilia stuck around the longest.

I still remember the first time my dad let Ki and I spar. We had been training for about a month. Super green and full of  nerves I had butterflies in the stomach and maybe even a little scared, but something happens the second you take that first shot … fear leaves your body!

As we grew, Vadim kept leveling up too. He used to spar with my dad, who was at the end of his fighting career and other older fighters in the Gym. Just a couple years later at 14, I would start sparring with Vadim and the other men too (more on that in next week’s article).

At this point in our boxing journey, we didn’t have polished technique or strategy. But we had hunger and heart.

We learned a lot, and fast as this sport teaches you things that apply far beyond the gym.

We learned how to face fear head-on, in the ring and in life. We also learned how to listen and process instructions without seeing explanations or break downs. (Coach yelling instructions mid-round, you can’t take your eyes off your opponent.) Subconsciously we became more coach-able which translated to other sports and other important aspects of our lives.

Before we knew it, boxing training was shaping and developing us, not just athletes but as young men too. We saw the carryover:

• Hand-eye coordination

• Balance and footwork

• Core strength

• Toughness and Physicality

• Self-confidence

• Discipline

The early runs, the hours training side by side, the sparring rounds that made us tougher, all those things created something you can’t manufacture…

…Brotherhood

And it all started by showing up, lacing up the gloves, and getting to work.

But life has its way of pulling people in different directions. As we got older, we all drifted, college, careers, responsibilities, life. Still, the bond we built never left.

Fast forward to the summer of 2023

I was poolside at my dad’s house, out on administrative leave from my old gig, talking with him about the fight game. Naturally, Ki and Vadim came up. That made me look Ki up on Facebook and I shot him a message.

Two days later, I stepped into Training Aspects for the first time. Within five minutes of trying to catch up on the last 23 years, Ki hit me with, “You wanna work out?” 

Of course I said yes. I figured we were about to hit a good ol’ bro lift, squat racks, dumbbells, bench press, you know the regular functional gym session. But nah … what followed was something completely different.

It was a movement based athletic workout and man, I got humbled quick. I was out of shape. Bad bad. 😂

That same day, Ki offered to start training me every morning at 5 a.m., Monday through Friday and just like that, we Started and picked up right where we left off. Pushing each other, holding each other accountable, and consistently showing up. Since reconnecting nearly two years ago, it’s felt like there was never a gap, we didn’t miss a beat.

Now, I’m proud to be part of the Training Aspects family and surrounded by a motivated, tight knit team and Ki and I are working to pass on the same life lessons and experiences boxing gave us to each member of TA Boxing.

You’ll find out how TA Boxing was born in the final article of this series. Check back next Friday for part 3 and find out how things changed once my grandfather became my trainer. 

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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