Franklin Egobi grew up in a ghetto in Lagos, Nigeria. As a teenager he had to fight for his survival on a daily basis. He credits boxing for saving his life and sadly, many of his childhood friends are no longer alive.
Franklin was able to come from a place of significant challenge and hardship to become a champion and one who has trained with some of the world's greatest boxers. He can relate to many of the challenges faced by young people and mentors them to channel these emotional and behavioural difficulties into boxing and fitness training.
Lets face it when many parents/guardians suggest to their 'at risk' teenager to give boxing a go – the teen can be overly enthusiastic because they envisage themselves learning to 'street fight' and gain credibility amongst their peers. However once in the gym, they quickly discover that boxing is a challenging and rigorous sport that requires a high level of physical fitness, discipline and hard work. Because of this, boxing can also be beneficial as it naturally discourages people from smoking, drinking alcohol excessively and doing drugs. Many young people who develop a passion for the sport quickly move away from these unhealthy activities because they negatively affect their training and fitness. There is obviously no magical fix for troubled teenagers, however Franklin has extensive experience mentoring teenagers to steer away from trouble and to redirect their energies toward the gym.
We find that boxing is generally beneficial in one of two ways.
- It provides the young person with an opportunity to 'punch out' their emotions in a safe and controlled environment. Physical activity is great for our general sense of health and wellbeing.
- Some teens also discover that they have a natural aptitude for boxing and it provides them with routine, discipline, respect and focus. They go on to enjoy training very regularly and some take up boxing as a long term sport.
Boxing training is not overly complicated when getting started. There are no lengthy grading processes and exams to work through. As a result young people quickly learn the basic boxing moves and quickly make achievements in the sport, which is great for their self-esteem.
We welcome contact from parents/guardians, schools and youth welfare programs to discuss how training with us may be beneficial in supporting your at-risk young people.