Feature flashback: A boxing gym in limbo

This article appeared in the Arizona Daily Sun in July 2004.

FIGHTING FOR A HOME

By Ed Odeven

In one corner of a boxing gym, youngsters are jumping rope with the finely timed rhythm of a drum machine. In another, they are taking turns hitting speed bags with methodical precision, throwing punches from all angles. And in a well-worn ring, two teens are sparring, working on their hooks and jabs, footwork and positioning while a few talkative on-lookers are discussing their every move, dissecting every rat-a-tat-tat fistic sequence.

These scenes are repeated day after day at hundreds of gyms across the country.

And, remember, that’s a good thing. Boxing, the old-timers, baby-boomers and Generation Xers alike will tell you, keeps kids off the streets and out of trouble.

Here in Flagstaff, meanwhile, it’s a cool summer evening and a half-dozen boxers from the Flagstaff Impact Center are working out at…