WARNER ROBINS, Ga. — Tucked in Warner Robins, you can find Kingdom Boxing Gym.
"We use boxing as like a bridge to get to the kids and to the community and it just turned into what it is now," said Kevin Daniel.
He’s the owner and one of the coaches, but around the gym, he's just Coach KD. He says the gym has come a long way from starting in the room of a church
"One heavy bag... and we started off like that with some mitts and a heavy bag, got a few members to join us," he said.
Four years later, the staff teaches about 40 kids a day.
"Everyone, for some reason, appeals to boxing. Whether it’s because they like to wrap their hands or put on the glove or punch the bag. A lot of the kids who are maybe troubled youth or just have too much energy, a lot of the parents want to bring their kids here," he said.
The contact sport isn't the only thing they're learning.
"Definitely discipline and hard work is what we teach here," Daniel said.
There are a lot of fighters here, but there's one both coaches and competitors say never dropped his gloves.
Alejandro Trimier, better known as Coach AT, a two-time kidney transplant recipient.
"Him just coming out and always trying to help us while also dealing with that, I'll always give him the biggest respect for that because I know that takes a lot," gym student Randolph Douge said.
Coach AT had a kidney transplant done in December and after four days in the hospital he didn't go home; he came to the gym.
It was all for a chance to be there for one of his guys before a competition.
"The old saying is ‘I don’t have to touch the stove to know that it's hot,' right? Well, sometimes you just need your coach and say he's fighting through something, I can fight through whatever I’m going through too," he says.
He's passionate about paying his teachings forward because to him, it's more than a sport.
"Boxing saved my life, before boxing, I was a real impulsive guy," he said.
Now, he teaches the lesson that similar to being in the ring, having control pays off.
"Learning how to get that control, take that control back and analyze because some situations aren’t as bad as you think," he said.
Even when you’re on the ropes, it doesn’t mean your down for the count.
The gym offers kickboxing, yoga, competitive boxing, and basketball. Youth can start as young as 4-years-old and adults can join too.
You can find out more on their website.
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