SJC Boxing Gym pushes students in and beyond the ring

Author: Zach Oliveri
Published: Updated:

Braydon Stewart, 15, never threw a real punch before he joined the SJC Boxing Gym in Fort Myers. Now, throwing punches comes naturally for him, allowing him to focus and relax.

“It’s just you in the bag,” Stewart explained. “You don’t have to worry about impressing anybody. It’s because every day you always have something to learn.”

Boxing is more than a sport for Stewart. It’s helped him navigate through his own fight against depression and anxiety.

“I’ve always had a good life, you know, but I was just going through some things I was just, you know, I had a tough point,” Stewart said. “It was like, my throat closed on me and I couldn’t breathe. So you know, every time someone happened, I get worried that this would happen or that would happen. And it was just all downward spiral of mental mental issues.”

Steve Canton runs the gym’s mentorship program in partnership with the Lee County School District. Through the program, students get meals, gym time and life lessons. Canton’s life is dedicated to the sport as he’s trained numerous champion fighters. But this work is what brings him the greatest reward.

“The kids, kids sometimes they come in here Zach and they’ve got no hope,” Canton explained. “They’re lost. They got bad influences. They come into the gym they get themselves put on solid ground. They start making friends they come out of their shell.”

One of the amateur boxers Canton has seen open up more is Arbon Kurtishi, who turned to the sport as he mourned the loss of his dad.

“It helped me because it was like a distraction,” Kurtishi said.” “I came here I worked it off every day or like, if I was worried or like a little bit sad, it just come to you and work it out.”

Hard work and no excuses are principles preached in this gym. Those are applied both in and out of the ring. It also helped Stewart emerge as one of the gym’s top amateur boxers, currently riding a seven-fight winning streak.

“I wasn’t always I’m not the most athletic kid,” Steweart said. “I’m not the most gifted kid. I’m not the most charismatic charismatic. Just everything everything I’m not the most in but I’m just working as hard as I can gotten me to this point.”

The gym is hosting a gala dinner on March 1, which is used to help raise funding to keep the program going. If you want to help, click this link.

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