BOXING
By AIDAN KNIGHT
PAUL Jenkins has been running the Moe Youth Boxing Gym before it had it’s own dedicated building, back in 1986 when it operated out of Balfour Hall, Newborough.
“My mum ran the hall at the time,” he said, “and we were allowed to train upstairs. I wasn’t meant to be a trainer, I was just a kid myself taking part, but our coach pulled out on us, and I stepped up to the plate and haven’t stopped since.”
Jenkins has remained committed to the sport in every form, obtaining a pro license as a fighter himself, and spent many years juggling his own training and fighting, as well as coaching others to reach his level of ability.
“I was given an ultimatum by my own coach after I’d done my eight pro fights, to ditch coaching and go all the way, or stop fighting to continue coaching the kids I believed in,” he said.
“I couldn’t do that, so I left fighting to stick at the coaching. The love I have for boxing was always at its grassroots level, so that’s why I’m still here today.”
Now, Jenkins gets to see the payoff of all the work he’s put into the gym, and the youth who attend, after receiving the generous donation of a new ring from a former member of the gym.
Nick Iacavou is a Moe local at heart, now living in Hazelwood North, and trained in boxing alongside his son.
Having both hung up the gloves for a few years now, Iacavou saw it fit that he could give back to the community, and donated a ring valued upwards of $3000 to the very same gym he was a member of, and the community he grew up in.
The donation wasn’t just Iacavou’s input, however, but was contributed by his combined workplaces of LV Industries and OMEGA network.
“I had one of the riggers who works for me splice the rope to the ring together”, Iacavou told the Express, “and I custom-made the steel bollards on the corners to support it, to ensure it was totally stable, there’s a lot of weight in this thing.”
Iacavou also installed smaller turnbuckles on the tension of the ropes, transforming what was already a top-notch ring into a resource that will last the gym for a long time.
The previous ring was in quite a dilapidated state – originally built by the founding members and having training and matches thrashed out on it for the past 39 years. The actual assembly of the new ring took three days.
It might be a grassroots gym, but the Moe Youth Boxing Gym has big dreams, with some of the boys nurturing Olympic aspirations.
One particular fighter, Dylan Lupton, shows an impressive affinity for pugilism, having won four bouts in a row, while juggling life in his first year of teaching, after a four-year hiatus from the sport as he undertook VCE and university.
Also in the club are some prominent boxing blood, several youngsters being second-generation boxers.
These boys will put the new ring to good use, each of them training a minimum three nights a week, and those experienced enough making the trek to the suburbs of Melbourne on weekends to compete.
“The new ring will be exponential for us here”, says Oliver Lupton, Dylan’s younger brother and fellow fighter.
As the sound of gloves hitting pads echoes through the gym, Jenkins watches on with quiet pride, knowing the future of Moe boxing is promising – and now, in a brand-new ring.
“We might be tucked away in the Valley, but there’s no reason champions can’t come from here,” he said.
“I’ve seen boxing in Australia at all levels. I moved to Queensland for it at one point, but it’s always been the grassroots level that gets me most excited, and brought me back to train the boys here.”
There’s something about giving back to the same community and sport that raised him, the same way it did for Iacavou, that keeps the fire in Jenkins ignited.
With decades of dedication behind them and a fresh canvas underfoot, the Moe Youth Boxing Gym is punching well above its weight, and it’s only just getting started.
