SPRINGFIELD, Ohio—A legendary boxer’s son is helping to keep kids off the streets and out of trouble in one Ohio community.
What You Need To Know
- DSM Boxing is named after featherweight champion Davey Moore, a Springfield native
- Gyasi Jones opened a rec center with the boxing gym named after Moore
- David Moore, Davey's son, is helping coach the boxers
- Jones hopes the gym and rec center become a haven for the kids of Springfield as violence is on the rise
Inside the Shamrock Recreation Center in Springfield is DSM Boxing and David Moore, who spends his days coaching kids.
“Yeah, I’m sweating!” Moore said.
Moore has quite the boxing history. His dad was Davey Moore a Springfield native, featherweight champion and well-known boxer in the 50s and 60s who passed away after a fight in 1963 at 29.
When Gyasi Jones, the owner of the gym, came up with the idea to name the space after him, his family was all for it.
“I felt like his legacy hadn’t been held up to standards, so to speak, so I said what better way than to get a gym and designate it to him and name it after him," Jones said.
Moore said his father would love it and his mother and other family members support Davey's name being used.
The boxing ring isn’t just to honor Davey Moore’s legacy, it’s also for local kids.
“See these two, they’re a little bit uncoordinated but we’ll get them together," Moore said of a few of his boxers.
In Springfield, violence has been on the rise and has caught kids in the middle of it. Jones and Moore are creating a safe space for kids to safely get their anger out and get a workout in.
“Right now, it’s kind of crazy and wild and we’re really here to give them an outlet to let them know we want to keep them off the street," Jones said.
Moore knows as he works with the young men it's about more than just boxing.
“A lot of kids have potential," Moore said. "Springfield has a lot of potential. They just need something to do.”