What do Jake LaMotta, Iran Barkley, and Davey Moore have in common besides being boxing world champions? They’re all from the Bronx, of course. There is a brand new boxing gym on Walton Ave. in the Boogie Down that stresses confidence, hard work, discipline, and no pros.
“And that was by design,” says Jay Bulger, the executive director and brainchild of the three-month-old Bronx Legends Boxing Academy. It’s more than just boxing. It’s a lifestyle for young people. For instance, if you’re over 15 minutes late, you don’t get to train. You have to do your homework because the 400 pugilists range in age from 12 to 21.
“Out of 400 kids, all of them are novices. I wanted to start with everyone on the same page so there’s no confusion,” notes Bulger, an Emmy-nominated writer and director. There are 12 trainers working with the boxers dedicated to teaching the craft the correct way.
“I can challenge them to have some type of structure in their life,” states Peter “Kid Chocolate” Quillin, the former WBO middleweight champ and former Bronx resident. “It’s free, but you should be putting out the effort.”
“It’s the hardest thing to get in these kids’ heads, working with that discipline and suffering.” And you read right. The program is free. One young charge who welcomes the Academy’s discipline is Steven Cruz, a 15-year-old sophomore from Taft High School, not too far from the gym.
“My mom gave me the idea of coming to it. I thought it’d be cool to try it out,” says Cruz, who’s in the Medical Science school at Taft and has been in the Academy for two months. “The first day I came out, I loved it and automatically connected with the people here. I’m learning a lot.”
He is also weighing his options in two fields. “I was either thinking of taking my boxing career to another level or studying computer science,” he admits. So how does a free inner city boxing program work? You need help and partners.
The Academy has partnered with the Cops ‘n’ Kids Program, but is not run by the NYPD. Bulger has put a substantial financial amount out of his own pocket, but it also helps to have donors on the same page like Giorgos Tsetis CEO and co-founder of Nutrafol, the number one hair care formula for women; Mark Cuban, former owner of the NBA’S Dallas Mavericks; Ed Clay, co-founder of CPI Stem Cells; and even the UFC’s CEO Dana White who’s scheduled to stop by in early November.
Most have donated money and UFC equipment is throughout the gym. Another one of the coaches is Bronxite Leon Washington Jr. His father was the trainer of the aforementioned Davey Moore, the former WBA junior middleweight champ.
“It’s 4:15 [p.m.] and after they do their homework, that’s idle time,” notes Washington. “Idle time is the devil’s time. So now they’ve got something to do with that time.” It moves him to see the kids thriving because Washington has seen the other side.
“I worked in the juvenile prison [system] for 25 years,” he explains. Besides the body, the Academy strengthens minds with upcoming SHSAT and SAT tutoring, mandatory strength and conditioning classes on Monday, with added classes in Qigong and Tai Chi martial arts, yoga, and meditation.
The Academy, open six days a week, is a 13,500 square foot former basketball gym complete with two rings, multiple heavy bags, speed bags, double-end bags, weights, treadmills, and a classroom for those a tad tardy. It is both clean and spiffy. Bulger also knows the gym is good for the young ladies in the Academy.
“Some days it’s probably 30 to 40 percent girls and they are really my base,” points out Bulger, 44, born in Washington, D.C., who resides in the Bronx and is a Fordham University grad. “They’re my ideal candidates for this program. … Most of them are here to get in good shape and learn how to defend themselves.”
Bulger’s mile-a-minute cadence comes from his self-announced “crazy ADD,” but his passion is honest. “There’s one thing that the Bronx has like nowhere else, is toughness, right?” he queries. “People here are so resilient and special and one-of-a-kind.”
Anyone wishing to register or donate to the Bronx Legends Boxing Academy can call 516-945-0167 or go to bronxlegendsboxing.com.