29 10 years of Victory Boxing

Victory Boxing gym fighting stronger than ever 10 years on

Respect, responsibility, determination and caring. Those are the core values at the heart of Victory Boxing which have seen it grow bigger than anyone could imagine 10 years ago when it started. Jack Malcolm takes a closer look.

Paul Hampton started the gym with one goal, helping kids. As a teacher at Victory Primary School he took the direct approach. "We spoke to the kids about needing support and a focus. They said boxing." In the programme’s first year, they were at the YMCA, had barely any gear and 20 children. Through the help of Scott Gibbons, who offered the gym a place to call home when they needed it, and the Goodman family's continued support, the gym has expanded to something bigger and better than he could have ever imagined. Now they cater to over 500 young boys and girls a week from their own boxing gym in the heart of Victory. All of their students are working towards earning, or have already achieved, the honour of receiving a Victory Boxing singlet. The programme includes non-contact, fitness-based classes underpinned by the gym's core values, with participants also having to represent their values inside the gym, at home, at school and in the community. On average, it takes 12 weeks to complete. Paul says the programme is the core element of the gym, with adult classes used to subsidise the costs. "It's $25 a term, but anyone who needs to be here will be. "The reason our numbers are so high is the retention rate…it's why we have been here for over ten years. "I'm just as passionate as I was on day one, the hardest thing is not getting burnt out. The passion and motivation is not a problem. It's just getting more and more people to spread the load." Paul remembers when they started the programme there was some push back at what they were doing. "There was a perception we were just teaching at-risk youth how to fight better, but that's their assumption. We work very hard so that our values are taken out of the gym, but the boxing isn’t. Over our 10 years I can't think of one scenario of it being out on the street." He says most people now see the benefit of helping people with their self-esteem and empowerment through the vehicle of boxing. "A lot of our work is into that mental health space. Everyone’s got a fight going on, whether it be golden gloves or getting out of bed. When it's done properly, you can get some great benefits." Boxing has a lot of life lessons, like getting off the canvas and having good people in your corner, he says.

On the gym's wall, written in massive letters, is a quote from Angelo Dundee. "Notice who's in your locker room after you lose, not after you win." Part of the gym's success is the solid foundation and principles the gym was made of, says Paul. He's worked tireless hours to make the place a reality but says they couldn't do it without the volunteers. They have over 20 volunteers and added an administrative support person to their payroll. He says some of their volunteers have been with them since they started. "We train them up and make them skilled at what they're doing. We invest in our people to make them the best they can be. We see ourselves as a jigsaw, and we're just a part. We want to keep learning and keep growing. We are really passionate and believe in what we do. Knowing what we had to do and how hard we had to work to get here." Paul had to quit his job at Victory School to start working on the gym as it expanded. He says the community kept coming to him and they wanted to help. They now work with groups from all corners of society, from people with Parkinsons to the Makos and the army. "It's very, very diverse in a day and that's what makes it so special." Paul says it's humbling how much the programme has succeeded. "There's a million stories within stories, like this one guy who came in and lost over 20kg. I bumped into his wife and she thanked us for saving his life. Or the parent of a child who came in with absolutely no self-confidence to being in front of a kids programme running a group. If you'd said to me 10 years ago, 'where do you see Victory Boxing?' When we started, we just wanted to help some kids. The growth has been really humbling, we never planned to have all this. I still get blown away by people's response to this place." He says one of his favourite programme’s to work with is the group of people who come in with Parkinson's every week. "They're fighters, every day. They're amazing people to be around." Dotted on the walls of the gym, by Paul's office, are scores of awards he and the gym has been presented over the years. Medals for fighters, acknowledgements, thank you letters, a Kiwi Bank New Zealander of the year Local Hero award, and a Nelsonian of the Year. It's not flashy or showing off, just a quiet pride in their achievements on their journey so far. Despite the quick rise, Paul says the key is to keep your feet on the ground and work hard. “Focus on the little things, you never want to be overconfident. You can’t rest on your laurels. You have to keep doing the work and doing the basics.” Paul says their solid foundation and proven results have seen their support from the community skyrocket. "We're in every part of the community. We do what we say and people get behind us. "If you've got a really good programme base and you're doing things for the right reason, people will support it." The gym has no plans of slowing down. Paul says they're already considering expanding to another location. With so many students and people coming from as far as Motueka to train, it only makes sense. "We're bursting at the seams. We’ve got plans for a gym in the Tasman area.” Alongside the social work and box-fit classes, the gym also hosts a full-time competitive boxing programme that caters to those who want it. "We're not just about the fighting, but we can offer a programme as good as anyone else. We value our people the same, every single person who walks through in the gym." Paul says it doesn't matter if you're Shane Cameron, you're still getting treated like everyone else when you turn up for a fitness class.

The gym has always had support from the boxing community, with Shane visiting the gym at least twice a year to offer classes and get involved. Next to signed fight posters of Shane in his prime are quotes scribbled on the wall in sharpie from notable people who have come to train in the gym. "100% formula to success = 1% work, 1% talent, 98% relentless desire," reads the quote from Leicester Fainga'anuku.

OPPOSITE PAGE: 1. Victory Boxing founder and programme director Paul Hampton has been the driving force behind the gym for 10 years. 2. Kate Donaldson and Amber Rowland-Connor in action at the third instalment of Fight 4 Victory held in 2016 in the Trafalgar Centre. 3. Former WBA world heavyweight boxing champion Joseph Parker was an inspiration to many when he visited the gym in 2015. 4. Victory Boxing’s Parkinson’s group meets up every week for a fitness session. 5. A place to have fun. Victory Boxing’s mainstay is its kids classes, these classes were the reason the gym was founded back in 2012.