Grampa’s gone but his heirs are now in Westminster gym’s corner

At only 5 foot 2, Jessica Rangel stands tall at Grampas Boxing Gym in Westminster.

Chiseled, tattooed arms feature inked images of what matters most to her: boxing gloves and her grandparents.

As a new business owner, as well as a trainer and amateur boxer, the 26-year-old Santa Ana native has managed to carry on her late grandfather’s legacy, one based on building a gym for children and adults in a family environment that aims to one day produce a champion.

Rene Rangel, her grandfather, died May 18, 2016, leaving Jessica Rangel and her family to care for the gym.

“Being run by females in a man’s sport has definitely made us stand out,” Jessica Rangel said. “We do hold the gym to a different standard than the majority of most people. We pride ourselves on being very family-oriented. We don’t like foul language and try to keep it somewhat PG. We do have a lot of youth in here. We have our gym very clean so females feel comfortable to come in, too.”

The gym’s 250 to 300 members range in age from 4 to 75 and about 1 in 4 is female, she said.

Two rings with red and blue ropes are set diagonally across from each other and welcome boxers to come in to spar, work out or train. The walls of the 10,000-square-foot space are plastered with photos of the family and gym members and with magazine covers featuring professional boxers.

“It looks like a photographer just threw up,” Jessica Rangel said, laughing. “There are hundreds of pictures of me all over. He was my No. 1 fan. They’re not flattering at all, but they’re still up.”

Little did Rene Rangel know when he began collecting the then-35-cent copies of the Ring magazine in 1968 that those covers would become key pieces in the collage of boxing history that adorns the gym’s walls.

Today, Ring is owned by former professional boxer Oscar de la Hoya’s Golden Boy Enterprises. In 2015, the Olympic gold medalist donated more than 50 pairs of gloves and other equipment to Grampas and organized a meet-and-greet.

“This is not like a gym, it’s more of like a family,” said gym member Noah Fleming, 19, of Garden Grove. “Boxing is like a war almost. With these teammates, I think of them as home.”

The gym’s seventh anniversary, Valentine’s Day, is approaching. After two years of scouring Orange County for an appropriate location, Rene Rangel found the perfect place in 2011: a former ballroom in Westminster.

“He walked in, and he called me and said, ‘Baby, you would not believe me, this is the place I’ve been dreaming of,’” said Jessie Rangel, Jessica’s grandmother. “What we couldn’t do in two years, we did in a week. We got everyone we knew to help out.”

The concept stemmed from a passion for the sport, Jessie Rangel said. Rene Rangel didn’t box because of lifelong kidney stones, but he worked as a trainer.

“My husband was always involved in boxing. All his life, he had breakfast, lunch and dinner boxing. Everything was boxing,” Jessie Rangel said. “Very few people get to live their dream. And he got to enjoy his for almost six years.”

Members greet Jessie Rangel with a “Hi, Grandma” and are met with an embrace.

“Grandma gets a hug,” Jessie Rangel said. “I tell all my boys and girls, ‘I get a hug, not a handshake. I’ve earned it.’”

Gym and staff members said Grampas is special because of its familial vibe and welcoming atmosphere.

“It’s like a family,” said Rogelio Licona, one of the gym’s coaches. “Always have good moments. Every day here is a special moment.”

Grampas Boxing Gym is at 7686 Garden Grove Blvd., Westminster. For more information, call (714) 622-4874 or visit grampasboxinggym.com.

MARGHERITA BEALE is a contributor to Times Community News.