Professional boxer Chris “Golden Gloves” Sarro coaches Brayden Dyer of Ellsworth Saturday morning at the city’s first boxing gym. Sarro opened Golden Gloves Boxing Gym in February.
ELLSWORTH — The last thing you learn in a boxing gym is boxing, says the owner of the city’s first boxing gym.
“It’
Sarro opened Golden Gloves Boxing Gym at 180 Abrams Way off High Street in February. The gym is located in the same building as Ray’s Plumbing.
“I’m still an active professional myself,” Sarro said. He has a match coming up this spring through the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship based in Philadelphia.
Boxing “instills core principles in whoever is pursuing this, such as confidence, consistency, integrity, discipline, and so much more,” Sarro said. “Boxing at any age is an excellent way to not only stay in shape, but to ground yourself with a discipline that will consistently test you both mentally and physically and mold you into a much better version of yourself.”
“I love it,” said A.J. Grant, a 14-year-old, who was in the ring during children’s hour one night last week. “It’s a good way to get your anger out.”
Grant started taking private lessons with Sarro before the coach opened his gym.
Another school-age student, Ayden Osier of Lamoine, said, “It’s fun punching stuff.”
Osier’s mom, Kayla, said, “I’ve always wanted him to have confidence and feel stronger.”
One of the youngest children in the ring Saturday morning was Carter Crawford of Otis.
“I never quit,” Crawford yelled after doing drills in the ring with an older child twice his size, Brayden Dyer.
“He wrestles and plays basketball,” said Crawford’s father, Bill. “It’s important to learn them all.”
Sarro said opening a boxing gym has been a lifelong goal once he realized what boxing did for his life.
The gym is open six days a week, generally by 7:30 a.m., but that can vary slightly depending on the day. Saturday, for example, it opens by 9 a.m. On Mondays, opening is at 4:30 p.m. Sundays are rest days.
The Golden Gloves gym operates under USA Boxing, which is the governing body for Olympic-style boxing.
Golden Gloves gym offers a morning “fight camp” in which Sarro has gym members mimic his training. This includes stretching, jumping rope, shadow boxing in a mirror so you can see your form, three to four rounds of punching on heavy bags and a team run down High Street.
The gym schedule also includes dedicated sparring sessions in the ring as well as boxing sessions, of course.
Sarro said he is the first licensed bare knuckle boxer in New England since John L. Sullivan in 1882.
Sullivan, who was nicknamed the “Boston Strong Boy,” is actually considered the first heavyweight champion of gloved boxing despite his bare knuckle bouts, some of which went over 70 rounds.
Bare knuckle fighting wasn’t legal everywhere when Sullivan was boxing in the late 1800s, and it’s still not. Currently 25 states in the U.S. allow it.
Sarro belongs to a Philadelphia-based organization called the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC), and has a match coming up. The boxer is also a Mixed Martial Arts competitor, but boxing is his true love.
Boxing is for all ages, he said. To that end, Sarro offers instruction for children, starting from age 4, as well as adults.
“I love it,” said A.J. Grant, a 14-year-old, who was in the ring during children’s hour one night last week. “It’s a good way to get your anger out.”
Grant started taking private lessons with Sarro before the coach opened his gym.
Another school-age student, Ayden Osier of Lamoine, said, “It’s fun punching stuff.”
Osier’s mom, Kayla, said, “I’ve always wanted him to have confidence and feel stronger.”
One of the youngest children in the ring Saturday morning was Carter Crawford of Otis.
“I never quit,” Crawford yelled after doing drills in the ring with an older child twice his size, Brayden Dyer.
“He wrestles and plays basketball,” said Crawford’s father, Bill. “It’s important to learn them all.”
Sarro said opening a boxing gym has been a lifelong goal once he realized what boxing did for his life.
The gym is open six days a week, generally by 7:30 a.m., but that can vary slightly depending on the day. Saturday, for example, it opens by 9 a.m. On Mondays, opening is at 4:30 p.m. Sundays are rest days.
The Golden Gloves gym operates under USA Boxing, which is the governing body for Olympic-style boxing.
Golden Gloves gym offers a morning “fight camp” in which Sarro has gym members mimic his training. This includes stretching, jumping rope, shadow boxing in a mirror so you can see your form, three to four rounds of punching on heavy bags and a team run down High Street.
The gym schedule also includes dedicated sparring sessions in the ring as well as boxing sessions, of course.
Sarro said he is the first licensed bare knuckle boxer in New England since John L. Sullivan in 1882.
Bare knuckle fighting wasn’t legal everywhere when Sullivan was boxing in the late 1800s, and it’s still not. Currently 25 states in the U.S. allow it.
Sarro belongs to a Philadelphia-based organization called the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC), and has a match coming up. The boxer is also a Mixed Martial Arts competitor, but boxing is his true love.
Sullivan, who was nicknamed the “Boston Strong Boy,” is actually considered the first heavyweight champion of gloved boxing despite his bare knuckle bouts, some of which went over 70 rounds.
BKFC is the first group allowed to hold a legal and regulated bare knuckle event in the U.S. since 1889.
The organization states on its website that fighters must have a professional background in boxing, MMA, kickboxing or Muay Thai to compete.
Everyone sparring in Sarro’s gym or doing drills with the bags wears gloves.
But, when Sarro gets in the ring these days for the Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship, he’s not wearing gloves.
What’s the appeal for bare knuckle boxing?
“I’m a pure pugilist,” Sarro said. Both of his grandfathers were boxers. His mother’s dad was a New York State Golden Gloves champion and his dad’s father a New England Golden Gloves champ.
Boxing at Ellsworth’s first facility is low-tech.
“Everything that’s in this gym was in gyms 100 years ago,” Sarro said.
There’s the boxing ring itself of course, punching bags, jump ropes, a few weights and a giant tire.
Sarro said Maine has a long history with boxing.
It was in Lewiston on May 25, 1965, that the late World Heavyweight Champion Muhammad Ali knocked out Sonny Liston in the first round.
Ali’s knockout punch was reportedly so fast that many in the crowd missed it, and thus it was dubbed the “phantom punch.” Liston, according to news reports, had mafia connections, so there was and still is today conjecture that the fight had been fixed.
The Ali-Liston fight had initially been planned for the now demolished Boston Garden, which backed out of hosting the event three weeks before.