Boxing

Some time ago I told described the first time I met Alex Suarez at The Lincoln Gym in Riverside California. I had gone in simply to work out, not as a journalist. In fact, I really didn't want anyone there to know that I was a writer. Then Alex, a trainer, walked up and asked, "So what's your story?"

Since then, it seems, Alex decided that I'm not "just" a boxing writer, but I actually know something about the sport and has asked me to help him train some of his fighters, which I've been doing on a very limited basis. In doing so, I've watched one of Alex's dreams come true.

The ratty old Lincoln Gym was where Alex and his brothers learned to box under the careful guidance of their father, and beloved local trainer, Andy Suarez. Andy died a few years back, in a small office built behind Alex's house, leaving his family in grief and disarray. For Alex, though, the memory of his father eventually sent him back to the gym to train boxers.

Now Alex has a stable of young fighters: Kahn, Travis, Felix, David, Angelica, and others, along with a new home: The Bryant Park Fitness Center.

The Center, located in the Arlanza community of Riverside, has a state-of -the-art weight room, a beautiful gymnasium as well as rooms for aerobics, martial arts and more, but it's centerpiece is it's boxing gym.

A brand new ring, new punching bags, and even an overhead camera for filming sparring sessions make this gym a dream come true for it's new head trainer--Alex Suarez.