CLEVELAND — The pandemic changed nearly every aspect of daily life, including how we interact with others from work and school to sports.

One northeast Ohio boxer explained how isolation from the sport led him down a dark path and how he found his way back again.

What You Need To Know

  • The pandemic left a northeast Ohio boxer feeling isolated 

  • He said he went down a dark path after losing his job and motivation

  • Youth crime increased during the pandemic, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime 

Jermani Golphin wrapped up his hands to avoid hurting himself in the ring.

"You need these," he said. "You can’t just put on gloves with no hand wrap."

He said his love for boxing began when he was eight years old.

"But then my mom wanted to move to Toledo with her boyfriend to go to law school, so I ended up stopping," he said. "But then I did it out there and started getting into trouble out there, but ended up moving back to Cleveland."

Eventually, those troubles followed him, as the pandemic left him feeling isolated.

"They shut the gyms down, and I kind of lost my job and motivation," he said. "I didn’t want to work out at home, and I started getting more in the streets, just because I wasn’t working out, and I ended up getting into some trouble."

But Golphin wasn’t the only one. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime reported that youth crime increased during the pandemic, as nearly 60% of all enrolled learners were affected by the pandemic. 

"I also found out I had kids that were not mine," he said. "I thought they were. They are about to be three years old this year."

But with all the chaos, Golphin was determined to turn things around. 

"There is something within me, something I got to get on and make the time to do what I’m supposed to do," he said.

Golphin is back in the ring and focusing on taking his boxing skills to the next level.

His coach has his back, and it helps, since he’s his father.

"It’s really a tough journey right now," said Jermaine Golphin, or Coach Fresh. "I’m a tough dad. I’m on his head right now with the way he is managing his life and what he should be dedicating to this sport that has the potential to change his life."

Golphin said he knows there is a bigger calling.

"Its something within me for sure, this is no excuse," he said.