Hide Article Text (OCR)
By Chnstopher 0.’..Cordet - The. Capua'Glen Bumte resident Josh Hall, left, and Brooklyn Park native Danny kisner hav opened up the Brooklyn Boxing Club In South Baltimore.RING REFUGEAnne Arundel residents open boxing club• By KEVIN BRADFORDStaff Writer. .Ever since he was a kid growing up in Brooklyn Park ..Danny Kisner had his eyes set on what he thought would be • an idea! location for a boxing gym..... ,Kisnetia.mther,Max^inquiced.about-the.site ;' about 10 years ago while .promoting fights at 'La Fontaine Bleu in Glen Bufme,First it was .a pool hall. It was then sold \ ■ again .and turned into another pool hall., Danny Kisner drove. by recently and it .was being used-for karate;Then’ to his surprise, he was driving by the site again and sawn sign that read “For Rent''.‘I stopped the car in the middle of the street and did a U-turn-,’’ Danny Kisner recalled. “I went into the John Gast Hardware store and asked if they knew who owned the building upstairs. Mr. Gast said he did.’’Come to find- out, Gast is a big boxing fan So the second-floor area above the Gast Hardware Supply, Co., store on the corner of Fifth Street arid Patapsco A venue, in’Brooklyn wp.uld finally become Kisner and partner Josh Hail's new boxing haven.. After years of searching for their own boxing gym., the two Anne Arundel County - residents finally have a place to call .their own.Kisner and Glen Bumie's Hall openfed the Brooklyn Boxing Club thr.ee weeks ago just. .two miles north from the Anne Arundel • County line. .The former poo!hall has now been replaced . by a boxing gym that is so big it could fit at least three rings insid.e of it. •A legal size' 16-foot amateur ring with one inch padding now stands where pool tables used to be.This is definitely3 dream of mine, it's the perfed location A — Dsnny Kisner, Brooktyn°ark nativeReflex bags, heavy bags, dotle-end bags, speed bags, and hot to mentioia free .weight area surround' f-he.ring-.■This is definitely a dream {mine,'- Kisner . said. “It’s -the perfect ioeatioh.When Josh first. . saw the place he fell in love wzhit He said it’s •a dream come true and he’s.benwaiting 20 years for something like this.. “This place.was built for eiier two things, a pool hall or a boxing gvm, It isninds me of.one of those old boxing gyms in Mar York City. Kisner said.. Kisner. said the. gym. wh ich} about 85 percent finished,.has 14 paid limbers already in the three w;ee.ks of operatioi “Ab’outl 0 people a day walhin here off the ^street.” he said Tts going to yirk andjt's ■ ^ ^goin ito? he's u cce s'sful^ r-Kisner and Hall have held iriny amateur Fights throughout the years, ad said they’d like to-hold, sorae'at their new ym. may be as' soon as October.The.gym could seat about 15 people for an amateur card, ” Kisner said. ’V* could call it Saturday Night Fights in Broolyn. We have a lot of room to work with.-'The gym has a bathfooni amanbther extra room in the back where official could use for ■' weigh-ins at. an amateur cardFuture plans, include addinginother boxing ring, offering personal frainerfor boxing, and^ettmg'info women's Bbx aeroBIcs^TfiTFeaT ; boxing techniques such as walking punches.“I think this isgoing to be a happening , gym,” Hall said, “Within a year ortwo I think a lot of.good fighters will coine out-of here. If you. have a good teacher, then you will have a good: product. We just want to keep boxing in ‘ ••'drh‘ekF;tJfe'“Cbtlhty■.', • 'Kisner and Hall spent-the past Vh years working at. the:Arbutus Boxing Club, where Kisner coached Arbutus.to-two amateur state boxing championships. ’ '“i hope to bring the. same suecpss here that we had at Arbutus,” Kisner said. “We’re not trainers; we’re teachers^ And with the -knowledge Josh and 1 have, we can help kids . go a long way. And Josh is the bible of boxing.” Hall grew up boxing under the tutelage of Mack Lewis in his Baltimore gym. Hall was inducted into the Maryland State Boxing.Hall of Fame in 1989; and would like to .continue giving something back to the sport he loves. .‘ Because of all the years in boxing and the ■ hours'and hours we-were drilled and taught by Mack Lewis, you know you have to be a good teacher,1: Hall said- “With all roy boxing . knowledge. I have to give something-back,’'Sam Heimick, a 26-year-oid from Curtis Bay, -has been working out hard at the gym for a - week and.is-thankful for the. opportunity“It’s awesome for the neighborhood and lets • the kids get off the streets, Heimick said.“They teach discipline and everything you do has a meaning.-It’s a nice place, you train hard arid-they work with you. •“They’re always ought to help-the kids,” Heimick said. “They’re training them and . keeping them out of trouble all at orice. • Hopefully thefe. will be a couple of good . •fighters come out of the bunch.”
Newspaper Details
Annapolis Sunday Capital
Annapolis, Maryland, US
Sun, Jul 12, 1998
Page 48
Full Page
Clipped by
Anne A.
MD, USA 03 Jan 2025
Other Publications Near Annapolis, Maryland
Capital Gazette
Annapolis Maryland Republican And State Capital Advertiser
Annapolis Maryland Republican
Annapolis Capital Gazette
Maryland Gazette
