by George P. Hassett

Somerville is dangerously close to losing one of its most dynamic tenants.

       The Somerville Boxing Club is in dire need of shelter and may find its new address to be outside the city it has called home for twenty-five years.

The SBC has been an intense, meaningful landmark for every single one of those twenty-five years. As the city has changed so has it.

       The surnames of the founders sound like a roll call from a Sons of Italy or Irish American club meeting. But today, the fighters training inside its four walls reflect the city’s present racial diversity – Haitian, El Salvadorian, Puerto Rican, Italian and Irish youth lace up their gloves and train shoulder to shoulder.

       One of the founding members Norman “Stoney” Stone claimed the club’s goal has always been about more than what happens in the ring.

       “Our goal here is not turning out champions. It is to get kids off the streets and teach them about respect, sacrifice, leadership and family,” said Stone.

       Upon entering the gym every one must shake hands as a way of showing respect and thanking their peers.

       Then it is on to boxing – a lesson in itself. Boxing is more than sport; one plays baseball or plays basketball, but nobody plays boxing.

       A boxer steps inside the ropes with everything that is, and nothing but, himself. His opponent is the only thing that can complete him. The fighter cannot triumph without his opponent’s failure or fail without his opponent’s triumph.

       The fight game adages that you can not be knocked out if you see the blow coming and to protect yourself at all times have a subtle yet real significance; everything that happens to a boxer in the ring is his own doing. Inside the four red ropes and four cornered posts is a world-model where we are responsible not only for our own acts but all those performed against us.

       Under such circumstances, a fighter learns as much about his own will and potential as he does his opponent’s. He taps inner reserves he never knew of and tests Nietzsche’s theory that “every talent must unfold itself in fighting.”

       But boxing is not a metaphor for life. Boxing is only boxing. The sport may instill important life-lessons such as discipline and hard work, but those qualities don’t mean anything if guided in the wrong direction. The trainers at the Somerville Boxing Club have always understood this.

       The SBC’s most famous product, John Ruiz, is the current World Boxing Association Heavyweight Champion of the world. But ask the old, veteran trainer what his fighter’s strengths are and you won’t get a lesson in boxing mechanics.

       “Johnny is selfless, hard working and generous. He travels to schools to try and reach out to children and guide them to the right path. He is the perfect example of the type of young man we want to come out of the Somerville Boxing Club,” said Stone.

       Today, the SBC is looking for a new home and, just like so many other Somerville natives, it may be priced out of the city it was born in. Gene McCarthy, one of the founders, said the club wants to stay in the city of its birth but may have to relocate to a lower rent area such as Chelsea or Medford. If such a move happens only the youth will suffer, said McCarthy.

       “This is truly unfortunate. The club has been helping kids for twenty-five years. Now more than ever, I think the young people in Somerville need us. You’ve got too many white kids on oxycontin and heroin and you’ve got too many Haitian and El Salvadorian kids in street gangs. We could help these kids. They all respect me because they know I respect them. Every race and color of young person has come through those doors and gone on to college and successful careers. They come back as men and tell us they could not have done it if they hadn’t come to the club and learned about the importance of respect, community and physical and mental health. It’s a real shame,” said McCarthy.