Co-founded and lead by US Naval Academy graduate and Marine Corps combat veteran Mike Steadman, Ironbound Boxing is a free boxing gym with a two-track mission: to provide a safe, structured environment for Newark youth to learn boxing as a martial art from certified USA Boxing coaches and where appropriate, to compete in local, regional and national amateur boxing tournaments as part of the Ironbound Boxing Club. (Ironbound has a half dozen or so young boxers who compete regularly and one, Keith Colon, who is a nationally ranked amateur with Olympic ambitions.) The other track is educational. Unlike most amateur boxing trainers, Mike has no interest in getting kids into the professional fight game. Instead, he wants to get them into college and into careers. He wants to foster entrepreneurship and practical skills (web development, branding strategy, social media strategy are among Ironbound’s non-boxing offerings – Mike maintains a library for the kids in a room adjoining the gym).
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