TULSA, Okla — A local boxing gym is championing kids' safety.
King Street Boxing in Tulsa is expanding to welcome more members.
People at the gym explain how getting inside the ring turned their lives around.
Andres Garcia is 18 but started at the gym when he was 12.
“I always liked to fight; I was that troublemaker," he said.
Now, he said he wants to be an example for the little ones.
He said he couldn't have done it without the gym.
“It's helped me the most with a future," he said. "A future that I'm looking forward to, that I'm going all in 100%.”
Garcia thinks the gym is a safe space for everyone to enjoy.
“It’s helpful because it’s a hobby. If you wanna take out some anger, there’s bags," he said. "If you wanna learn how to fight, we do some sparring, competitions. In order to get out of trouble, you put the guns down and the gloves up.”
Owner Hector Rivas and his wife want to make sure they can help kids feel and stay safe.
“Our mission is to keep the kids out of trouble, help at risk youth," he said.
When Rivas took over last year, he turned the gym into a non-profit.
Because of the growth the gym’s experienced, he’s now expanding.
“We're in the progress of remodeling," said Rivas. "We did some demolition work last week, and probably in about two weeks, we should have it up and running to offer more classes.”
The gym will also be hosting the Oklahoma State Golden Gloves event on March 15 and 16. You can get tickets here.
The event allows amateur fighters 18 and over to compete in tournaments.
That way, people like Andres can make their way in the boxing world.
“To see the will that they want to learn more and actually compete- that's the best part about it," said Rivas.
To donate to King Street Boxing's non-profit, you can visit this link.
If you are a business looking to donate, you can use this link.
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