Boxing coaches reach out to area youth

Two former professional Kansas City boxers have turned their passion for the sport into a way to help at-risk youth.

Boxing coaches Ronnell Jones and Melvin Wesley, both of Kansas City, Mo., train and mentor youth and young adults through Pound 4 Pound Elite Boxing and Training Academy.

“You see what’s needed, what they’re lacking,” Jones said. “It’s more than boxing. It’s positive influence.”

Jones and Wesley draw on their experience as former professional boxers. Jones was a five-time heavy weight champion with Kansas City Golden Gloves, three-time champion nationally, and trained with world class boxers including Chris Byrd, Riddick Bowe and Alexander Zolkin.

Wesley, a trainer at Title Boxing Club in Overland Park, won the Kansas City Golden Gloves eight consecutive years, nationals in 1998 and the Boxing Classic in 1998.

“We are training these guys now,” Wesley said. “I broke too many bones in my hands.”

The team works out for several hours weeknights at the Swope Park Interpretive Center courtyard, where they spar and throw punches until dusk. The coaches, who frequently call out to teens walking by and invite them to spar, say boxing fosters respect and discipline.

“We want to help the kids,” said Wesley. “The kids are lost.”

The team of 22 males and six females ranging from 5 to 28 years old took first place in Kansas City’s Golden Gloves this year, something the coaches say a first-year team should not have been able to accomplish. The team has competed six times this year throughout the Midwest and lays claim to being the most-winning amateur youth team in the Kansas City area.

“We want to get these kids to victories,” Wesley said.

Jones and Wesley worry about the cold weather fall and winter will bring. Their location outdoors at Swope Park will be too cold for winter practices and they want a permanent boxing gym for their club to grow.

Jones said the city of Kansas City, Mo., has offered a space north of Swope Park, but he wants to keep the club in the same neighborhood where they practice, saying they want something positive for youth in Kansas City’s highest crime area.

“We want to teach them something they can fall in love with,” Wesley said.

Louis Smith, 16, Prairie Village, a Shawnee Mission East High School student, has trained for a year with Wesley at Title Boxing Club in Overland Park. He joined Pound 4 Pound and looks forward to competing.

“It’s an adrenaline rush,” he said. “You feel a lot stronger.”

Arrias Dawkins, 19, Raytown, has trained with Jones on and off since he was 5.

Dawkins said since age 14, he has trained regularly through boxing clubs.

“It’s been a huge part of my life for five years,” he said. “It’s like part of you.”

The Johnson County Community College student attends every practice session Pound 4 Pound offers, which are Monday through Thursday, plus Fridays before a fight. He said the workouts net big payback, especially after the fight.

“Once you get good at something, you don’t want to give it up,” he said. “It’s home to me now.”

Dawkins said Wesley inspires him, and said both coaches are experienced boxers, training with their athletes all year long.

“He inspires you because that chance got taken away from him,” he said. “They want to see you succeed.”

Dawkins, who has worked with other boxing coaches, said he nearly begged for individual attention at another boxing gym, but that kind of attention comes naturally to Jones and Wesley.

“They spend time working with you,” he said. “They focus on everybody.”

Lamont Thurman, 17, Kansas City, Mo., a student at Hogan Prep Academy, has sparred with the club for more than a year. Thurman practices regularly, saying he is dedicated to the sport.

“It means everything,” he said. “It keeps me out of trouble. It helps me work at my craft.”

Thurman likes to throw the 1-2 left, upper cut. He said boxing requires a harder workout than other sports, is more physical and demands commitment.

“They’re tough,” he said of the coaches. “They’re non-stop.”

Thurman said that translates to success.

“I love them,” he said. “They made me a better fighter.”

In addition to Pound 4 Pound, the coaches founded a mentoring and leadership organization called Men of a New Generation, where they help youth and adults with jobs, direction and life.

“We are here for everybody,” Jones said. “Love doesn’t stop at 18.”

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