If the punching bags at Gio’s Brooklyn Boxing Club in Burbank could speak, they probably wouldn’t be saying much.
They would be too busy nursing swollen jaws, cut lips and a few missing teeth, courtesy a bi-weekly beat down by The Boxing Club at UCLA.
Every Monday and Wednesday night, the boxers of one of UCLA’s newest clubs meet at Gio’s to work out, practice and spar. The lightning-fast barrage of jabs and hooks may be intimidating, but despite the constant glove-to-face contact seen between fighters in the ring, this club is not about waling on each other.
“That’s a misconception,” said Ryan Wilson, a fourth-year applied mathematics student. “People come up to me and ask me, “˜Are we going to just fight right when we get in the ring?’ No, this is conditioning class. … You’re going to learn the technique before you’re put in the ring.”
The gym hosts about a dozen and a half of UCLA’s most dedicated boxers, a group that started off as a one-man organization by the club’s president and captain, Tony Gonzalez. Gonzalez, a fifth-year history and Chicana and Chicano studies student, began boxing after high school and fell in love with the sport. He was introduced to boxing by Gio himself, the gym’s late owner, Giorlando Castronovo.
“I was walking by one day and out of the blue I saw (the gym),” Gonzalez said. “The owner grabbed me and brought me in, showed me around. He said, “˜Come back tomorrow, and I’ll give you a free pass and workout.’ I came back the next day, and I’ve been hooked ever since.”
When Gonzalez transferred from Pasadena City College, he was surprised to find out UCLA lacked a boxing club, and he made it his mission to start one. Gonzalez’s initial attempts to create the club were thwarted by liability issues and registration deadlines, so the club began life as a student organization.
It was initially a group of one with Gonzalez as the lone member.
But a couple e-mail lists and word-of-mouth references later, the organization welcomed its first members. The group eventually received coaching help under the guidance of Ramon Espada, who oversees practices and accompanies boxers to their fights.
The organization started practicing at the L.A. Sands Boxing Gym before relocating to Gio’s because of the convenience of the location. The group has never practiced at the John Wooden Center, given the center’s high demand for rooms, small spaces and the heavy costs of new boxing equipment.
But the off-campus site does not deter the members from practicing.
“It’s kind of nice to go off campus, to get away from the stress,” said Sarah Ghannadan, a fifth-year applied mathematics student. Ghannadan, also a first-year graduate student in the UCLA Graduate School of Education and Information Studies, takes the time to attend all practices despite taking 21 units this quarter.
“We can relax and go to an atmosphere where you’re not bothered.
It’s a stress-free environment,” she said.
The dedication that drives the boxers’ venture to Burbank twice a week is often contagious.
“Being around committed people makes me committed,” Ghannadan said. “They’re dedicated, and I’m here to learn.”
But the allure of having an on-campus boxing gym is something the club has not ignored.
“If we could have a little bit of help from the Wooden Center, whatever it is, it would help,” said Calvin Suh, a fourth-year English student. “I don’t know how they would fit a boxing ring, but it would be great if they could make it work.”
Gonzalez has tried before to get a suitable area on campus.
“Honestly, I would love to have Wooden space,” said Gonzalez, who mentioned that, ideally, he would accommodate the 130-plus students that signed up for the club during the Sports Jamboree last week. “I’m currently working on getting a room, but it’s in progress.”
Gonzalez and the other members said that though the group has much to work on, they’re happy with what they’ve developed for the boxers so far in the club’s young life.
“The club is pretty organized. … It caters to all levels,” said Suh, who is one of the more experienced members, having started boxing at age 17. “I’ve seen guys who come in and can’t even throw a straight jab. They come in for two months of work, and they look more fit and have more endurance and confidence.”
While some of the other more experienced fighters are training for official matches, the club still greets greenhorn fighters with open arms and gives them an opportunity to grow.
“I was really into the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) and Mixed Martial Arts before, so I joined and ended up really liking it,” said Wilson, who joined the club in January. He added that it took him a while to become a decent boxer, but now he’s ready to fight in his first amateur show on Nov. 5 at the Los Angeles Athletic Club. UCLA boxers will face contestants from USC, California, Air Force and others.
“The first time I sparred, I was really nervous and didn’t know how to control myself. I’m looking forward to showing myself how much I’ve improved.”
Fabian Alvarez, a first-year psychobiology student, went to his first practice Monday with zero boxing experience.
“I’ve always been enthused about joining boxing,” Alvarez said.
“I finally decided to take the chance. I’m here, and I feel like the energy is up, and everyone cares about the sport of boxing.
That’s what I’ve always wanted, because I’ve never had that (opportunity).”
Though he has practiced for only one day, Alvarez noticed how helpful the boxers are with each other.
“The vibe here is strong. Everyone’s dedicated and will give out pointers to each other,” he said.
That sense of camaraderie is something that the club stresses.
“That’s the goal,” Gonzalez said. “My goal is to create a brotherhood, a sort of mini-fraternity. We want to have a good time together.”
The Boxing Club holds a tremendous amount of talent and experience for such a young club, and Gonzalez believes that’s something that can be passed down to newer generations of members.
“We’re at UCLA for a reason. Not just to box but to learn something,” Gonzalez said.
Hopefully, the punching bags won’t learn to feel pain.