IMPACT STATEMENTS
Alex Espinoza
The Ninth Street Boxing gym has been my home for 14 years now. It is the place I grew up, where I met all my closest friends, where I was encouraged to pursue my education, and where I had the opportunity to grow as a boxer. The boxing gym doesn’t just focus on making champions, they care more about making great human beings in society. Ive had the privilege of traveling, competing and winning national championships, but the true highlight is seeing all the lives that have been changed for the better thanks to this gym.
David Arroyo
The gym to me is like my second home. The gym as provided me with countless opportunities to learn and improve as a person not just boxing. A whole day wouldn’t be enough to say how much the gym has done for me. The coaches here provide endless support and knowledge that has allowed me to win and learn from over 40 fights now. I’ve been to many national tournaments and I improve more after everyone one of them and that’s all thanks to the team at Garland Pal.
MJ Santos
The gym means more to me than boxing it’s a place that helped shape who I am today. It gave me discipline, grit, confidence, and the courage to face challenges head on. Now, as a coach, I get to give back and hopefully make the same difference in someone else’s life that the gym made in mine.
Argie Santos
At the age of 14, entering the Garland 9th Street Gym proved to be a rewarding experience, though at the time, I was unaware of the transformative journey that awaited me. As a young child, my primary focus was on enjoying myself and fulfilling my academic responsibilities to remain a participant in the boxing program. Thanks to this initiative, I was able to win over 100 boxing matches , including winning the Golden Gloves consecutively for several years, and I had the opportunity to travel across the country. This program has opened countless doors for both me and my family. By the age of 20, I embarked on a professional boxing career, remaining undefeated until an unforeseen injury compelled me to relinquish my aspirations in the sport. Nevertheless, I did not forsake the gym that had provided me with so much. I have since become a coach, dedicated to guiding the youth. While maintaining discipline within this new generation presents its challenges, we remain firm with our discipline to better our youth passing through the program.
Shon Rubiano
Boxing as a sport and my boxing gym together have both gave me a different type of discipline and dedication for my goals than any other learning experience and lesson I’ve ever learned. I can’t appreciate anything more than boxing for the changes it’s made to me and things its helped me reach.
Vicente Mendoza
Ninth Street Boxing Gym has always been more than just a boxing gym to me — it’s a place that has been part of my life since I was a kid.
I first walked through those doors around the age of 12 and trained there until I was about 15. I loved everything about it: the atmosphere, the discipline, the people, and the feeling of being part of something bigger. What stood out to me even then was that Ninth Street cared about more than just making better fighters — they cared about making better young men and women.
I remember falling behind in some of my classes, and the tutoring program at the gym was there to help me get back on track. That’s something I’ll never forget. The lessons I learned there weren’t only about throwing punches; they were about discipline, responsibility, hard work, and staying focused when life gets difficult.
Years later, I came back as an adult to train with Coach RG, and somehow it felt like I had never left. The same heart, the same energy, and the same sense of family were still there.
Today, Ninth Street has become another home to me. It’s a place where I can work hard, clear my mind, push myself, and continue becoming a better version of myself.
I’m grateful for what this gym did for me as a kid and for what it continues to do for me today. Places like Ninth Street Boxing Gym matter because sometimes a kid walks through those doors looking to learn how to box and walks out with lessons that stay with them for the rest of their life.
Forever grateful for Ninth Street Boxing Gym — then, now, and always.
BUILDING BRIGHTER FUTURES.
The Garland Police 9th Street Gym remains free to Garland youth through the support of volunteers, donors, and community partners.