Move From Church a Blow to Barrio Boxing Club

Slap! Martin Beltran, 23, landed a left on the punching bag. With his flicking, fast jabs, he was like a cat striking at a butterfly. At the opposite end of the church basement, two youths sparred in a red boxing ring beneath an oversized American flag.

Pausing for a break in the hallway, Beltran wiped the sweat from his face with a towel. “I love this place,” he said. “All my home boys are here. It’s not fair we gotta move. I feel bad.”

The Anaheim Athletic Club, a free boxing program administered by the city that caters mostly to local barrio youths, is being forced from its rent-free home of nine years in a downtown church.

Church Not Blamed

No one faults the First Presbyterian Church of Anaheim, which says it needs the room to house services for its growing Latino ministry. But the boxing staff and many of the young boxers, such as Beltran, are unhappy with the city’s choice of a replacement site--the Anaheim Family YMCA, 3 miles away.

The move is set for Thursday. Under the relocation plan, which goes before the City Council for approval Tuesday, the young men would have to pay up to $50 a year in fees to the YMCA to continue boxing. The city would also require a $5 annual registration fee.

City officials say no other site is available near the old Penguin City barrio where the youths box now and that there is no budget for a new facility anyway.

“There’s not only not enough time left to find another place, but where is the money to come from?” asked Ed Alfaro, director of the city’s Washington Community Center, which oversees the program.

“The YMCA was the best alternative we had and an excellent offer,” he said. “Change is hard to accept. I don’t want to go either. But it’s either that or cancel boxing for a while.”

Advantages of Move

City and YMCA officials point out advantages of the move: no rent, fee waivers for those unable to pay, more room for workouts and weight equipment, use of other YMCA facilities such as the pool, and a room that is in much better condition than the church’s dilapidated basement.

That’s not the way boxing coach Gonzalo Garcia sees the situation. One of three part-time workers paid by the city to run the program five nights a week, he contends that moving to the YMCA will kill the original purpose of the club.

“The main reason we opened this program here is because of Penguin City,” he said. “We wanted to keep the local kids out of the streets. These kids don’t care about swimming pools. They want to box. This is an inner-city program. We want to keep it here.”

The club was formed by the church and city in 1979 to curb street violence in the barrio. Over the years, it has expanded to include boys and men from other cities, some from as far away as Long Beach and Norwalk. At peak times, as many as 80 people will crowd into the three workout and sparring rooms.

“The church is very proud of the boxing program,” said the Rev. Stephen Mather, pastor of the concrete Gothic church at 310 W. Broadway. “It’s a real success story. I would have wished we had the space. (The move) was a very difficult decision.”

In the ‘Gang Bang’

Beltran is typical of the youths Garcia says the program wants to help. Born in Mexico, Beltran now lives in Anaheim. He started boxing with the club two years ago.

‘Only Place I Feel Happy’

“Before I came here, I was in the gang bang,” Beltran said, somewhat uncomfortable with his command of English. “When I work here, how can I say, it’s the only place I feel happy. Working out. All my friends.”

It is the YMCA’s location in a more upscale neighborhood at 1515 North St. and its sheer size--2,500 dues-paying members--that seem to trouble many of the boxers and staff. The church basement has been theirs alone to use for nine years. It has been a home away from home, despite the walls, decorated with boxing posters, that have holes in the plaster and the linoleum floor tiles that are coming loose.

“I know the (YMCA) has pools and more room, but I feel we’ll have problems,” Beltran said. “We’re all like a team here. We move, and there’s a lot of people there. What if we don’t like them and they don’t like us?”

“We’ll lose our autonomy,” said Abram Moya, assistant boxing coach. “The YMCA is in an economic area that’s not going to draw the kids.”

Need for Youth Activities

Moya, sitting on the edge of the boxing ring mat, took a playful swipe at 14-year-old Manuel Sanchez, who joined the program when he was 6 and has boxed three times in the Junior Olympics.

“His dad is taking ESL (English as a second language) classes upstairs,” Moya said as the youngster feinted a return punch. “I think the city should work harder to keep the place here. Instead of $50 million for an NBA arena, they should do something for the kids.”

“Wow! A real basketball team?” Manuel said, a big smile creasing the sweat on his cheeks.

(City officials are negotiating with a professional sports management firm and a concert promoter to bring a $50-million professional basketball stadium to the city.)

Mel Aguilar, a YMCA program director who is coordinating efforts to make space for the boxing program, welcomes the newcomers.

“I just don’t think they know what we are all about,” he said. “This will be a real positive thing. We’re not here to take anyone’s program. I think it’s the unknown.”

Fees Reduced

He pointed out that under the proposal, the annual fees for the boxers--$25 for those 17 and under, $50 for those older--are “a real good deal, cut-rate.”

The regular YMCA fees are $50 for those 17 and under, $105 for young adults 18 to 24 and $150 for adults.

If the boxers are unhappy with their new location, the agreement worked out with the city allows them to leave with their equipment after a year, Aguilar said.

“If they don’t like it here, they’ll decide,” he said. “I think they’ll like it here.”

Most of the young men working out in the church basement on a hot, muggy night last week said they would prefer to stay.

At the busy weight machine, Ron Herrador, 16, adjusted his yellow lifting gloves. “Well, it’s gonna be tough,” he said. “I like it here. I run here now. The YMCA is 3 more miles away.”

But 22-year-old Ted Robles of Anaheim disagreed. “We should have a bigger place,” he said. “Here, it’s too crowded. I feel pretty good about the move.”