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The journey to pro has been arduous, but having played college basketball, Moore was used to training hard. “I knew what I was getting into when I started,” he said. He committed himself to training 300 out of the 365 days a year. “Hard work pays off,” he said. “Playing basketball, those values and that hard work, it shows you that if you apply that work to other things, it’ll be the same. If I would have put my mind to something else with the same amount of tenacity, I think I would have been as good at that as well.”

Moore has gone on to the Olympic qualifiers and won a national championship, with some of his title belts on display at the gym. He’s also won several Florida Golden Gloves titles and placed in the final eight at the Golden Gloves National Championship. In 2021, Moore won the WBC Silver Title in Mexico. “This is what really broke him into the rankings,” Fazzini said.

Moore’s biggest fan? His six-year-old daughter, Marley. “I really take pride in my daughter,” he said. Marley has been going to the gym with him since she was a baby. “I want her to know what hard work looks like.” Moore showed off a video of his daughter erupting in cheers from the crowd for her dad. “I only want her to see me in the capacity of winning.”

While his daughter and kids at the gym look up to Moore, the professional boxer admires his coach. “He saved me when I had nothing. […] He showed me how to be a man, how to be serious. He saved my life,” Moore said of Fazzini.

“When I first started boxing, I wanted to put myself into a position where I could speak to people,” Moore said. “I’m good at it, and I know I can motivate. I want to show the community that you can be from here and still be a positive influence.” Moore’s long-term goals don’t end with boxing. “Boxing is a step to put me in the right direction. I’m a big Polk County product,” he said. “You never know, I could become the mayor.”

Winter Haven Boxing Gym

2510 Avenue G NW, Winter Haven (863) 207-7460

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