Gloves Up

Our History

The foundation was founded in the year of 2000 as a response to the growing interest expressed by young people to become involved in Amateur Boxing. In 2005 recognizing that there were limited opportunities for young people to pursue boxing in the WNY inner city, the Foundation was reactivated as a Faith Based organization.

The program began to provide services for the youth in the community. In 2006, we became members of the St. John Baptist Church family, and in 2007 the St. John Baptist Church International Amateur Boxing Program was introduced and became housed at the Rev. Dr. Bennett W. Smith, Sr. Family Life Center as it is today.

Our Mission

Our mission is to help foster the youth in our program by instilling, restoring, and promoting moral character, family values, self-discipline, physical fitness, and pro-social skills development through our Amateur Boxing program.  By combining family values, academics, athletics and life skills, the foundation endeavors to build academically, physically, socially, and spiritually profound young adults.

Featured in “The Public” – 2017

What Does the Foundation Help to Achieve

The foundation’s central focus is to gradually restore and promote youth wellness through our Amateur Boxing program. We have defined wellness as the developmental practice and redevelopment of healthy lifestyle practices, that includes family values, self discipline, educational, social, physical, and emotional personal attributes of young people. Additionally, the foundation aspires to help young people discover their physical talents through Amateur Boxing.

Our Programs Include

The targeted population is from youth age 8 to Adult, that have an interest in boxing. As well as special mentoring to positively redirect at-risk juveniles from the Family Court system. There will also be aerobic classes for women, and universal weight training programs for women, men, girls, and boys.

• Types of Activities
• Tutoring and Bible Study Classes
• Complete Amateur Boxing Program
• Weight Training Program
• Aerobic Classes for women (Coming Soon)
• Bi-monthly Amateur Boxing Shows
• Nourishing Snacks for the Youth
• “I Have a Dream – Gloves up, Gloves Down”

Benefits

Youth who participate in our program will enhance moral character, family values, self-discipline, and physical fitness. They will also benefit from the development of improved study skills and organized supervised recreation. One of the best assets of being involved in Amateur Boxing is that it gives the kids a chance to possibly see other parts of the country and even the world if they become successful at the sport. The impact of our program is unlimited.

Success Over The Years

• Over the last five years, the staff has had the opportunity to work with over two-hundred youth in our community and at least another three-hundred outside of the community.
• For the last three years, Coach Darryl Graham has been chosen as the head coach of the Niagara District Regional Junior Olympics, and four out of the last five years he has been one of the coaches for the regional Silver Gloves team at the national championship.
• Kids in our program have had the privilege and opportunity to travel and compete throughout the country in various states like Missouri (ten times), Tennessee, Nevada, Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and many other areas.
• Our youth have accomplished a small amount of success, winning fourth-seven championships and some very prestigious awards. One youth has been voted Ring 44 Amateur Boxer of the Year two out of three years. In 2009, he also received the Athletic Achievement Award from Group Ministries, Inc.
• We have truly been blessed to have a number of our youth compete for Jr. Golden Gloves National Championships and have won two of these.