Photo: Lowell Police
LOWELL, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — The close to one hundred kids enrolled in Lowell Police's Youth Boxing Program now have a new ring of their own.
Lowell Police opened the new boxing gym in the Portuguese American Lowell Youth Center thanks to grant funding and support for the Sean A. Collier Memorial Fund. The program previously had no home gym and had to train outside or in shared spaces, but now they have a fully furnished boxing ring along with new weights and cardio equipment.
Barry Golner, the interim superintendent of Lowell Police, told WBZ's James Rojas they couldn't have done it without the support of the community.
"We've had a lot of different people helping out," Golner said. "We were able to open the doors with a complete, brand-new facility for the kids to come into and it's been a huge success."
Maryann Manzi, the public safety research and planning director for Lowell Police, said the gym is a sight to behold.
"The kids love it," she said. "It's amazing when you walk into the facility [and see] the ring, the weight equipment, the heavy bags, and the speed bags."
But the new facility isn't all focused on boxing. Golner said kids that participate in the program have to be focused on their opponents, and their schoolwork.
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"They're going to have to show us that they're doing well in school, they're behaving, and we'll have a tutoring program," Golner said. "If they're having struggles in things like English, math, or history, we'll have tutors available to help them out and then they can go and do their boxing workout."
Golner said he hopes to kick off the tutoring program in the fall.
WBZ's James Rojas (@JamesRojasNews) reports.
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