Most people who come into the Westbury Boxing Club do not just come here for boxing. Some of the kids who come in are angry, frustrated, suffer from bullying, and are looking to find a fighting chance in life.
The Westbury Boxing club is a free boxing club located in the basement of the M. Phipps Sports Center. Anyone is welcome to come and train at the facility.
The club owners, Gerard Wilson and Kevin Collins, volunteer their time to help keep the club running. “The gym was set up in order to help people,” said Collins. “It gives them an identity.”
Although they don’t receive a paycheck for their work, the feeling of helping a troubled kid find a purpose is more rewarding than any paycheck they could receive, according to Wilson. “That’s how we end up getting paid,” he said.
Fundraisers are held throughout the year to help keep the club running. The club needs to pay for equipment and insurance and it relies on donations. The biggest yearly fundraiser was held on Wednesday, March 26.
“There’s a lot of people and businesses who come down and help by donating money,” said Wilson. “The money we raise pays the bills here.”
Wilson and Collins are thankful for all of the sponsors that keep the Westbury Boxing Club running, including some of the club’s main sponsors: Westbury Jeep, Wyld Chyld Tattoo, Laffey Fine Homes, Interstate Security & Investigations Inc., and The Bongiorno Law Firm.
A lot of Westbury residents come to train at the club, along with residents from Carle Place and the surrounding areas such as Levittown and Elmont. Two residents from Bellmore, Nick Bandini and Jimmy Cavuto, have been coming to the Westbury Boxing Club for about a year now.
Bandini and Cavuto would not typically fit into the mold of a boxer, according to Collins. “They have their first fight next month, and they’ve come so far,” said Collins. “They’re doing very well.”
Both Bandini and Cavuto originally came to the gym looking to stay in shape for basketball, but have learned to fall in love with the sport, according to Bandini. “The gym is really good,” said Bandini. “It operates like a family.”
The owners do a great job running the boxing club, added Cavuto. “They put in a lot of time and effort, countless hours, and they don’t get paid,” he said. “They are all really good guys.”
Pro fighters, amateur fighters, and young kids all come to train at the Westbury Boxing Club. Collins, a former pro fighter, has been fighting out of this gym since 1994. “Collins grew up here, and it helped him in his life to become what he is today,” said Wilson.
“We have made a lot of new friends and met a lot of new people,” said Cavuto. “Everybody here is really friendly.”
The Westbury Boxing Club is not only a place to keep young people active and fit, but it also gives them a place to go and spend time to build character and discipline to stay off the streets.
Find out more about the Westbury Boxing Club at www.westburyboxingclub.org
By Paige McAtee
westbury@antonnews.com
