Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Two University graduates recently realized that there was no place in Lawrence for residents to practice boxing, so they took matters into their own hands.
Justin Montgomery and Walter Ewert opened the first boxing gym in town last month in North Lawrence.
“We did a lot of stuff. We put in a lot of sweat equity on this,” Montgomery said. “My business partner and I are very good with our hands, so we built and did most of the work ourselves.”
After talking to the owner of a gym that was closing in Leavenworth, Montgomery and Ewert bought the gym’s equipment for a fraction of the retail price.
Ewert said that after they found a building to use for practice — they had previously trained in Montgomery’s basement — they started inviting friends to train with them. But interest grew beyond their circle of friends, and the idea developed into a business.
They opened Walt’s Boxing Gym, 1845 E. 1450 Rd., without having to ask for a business loan.
Today, the gym has about 20 paying costumers, and Montgomery said he expected more people to join after students came back to town in the fall. He also said that although he does not know the specific date, he wants to have a formal grand opening to the gym to call more attention to it.
“I’d like to grow in Lawrence to support local fights in Lawrence,” Montgomery said. “Some sort of a community effort to maybe see if boxing can have a comeback.”
The gym offers classes aimed at people who want to experience the workout of a boxer without actually having to fight.
“We want to help people understand they can work out as a boxer without ever getting punched,” Montgomery said.
Basic conditioning takes place from Monday to Thursday evenings from 5:30 to 7 and from 7:30 to 9.
If a member wants to actually box and participate in competitions, Eric Riley, trainer at Haskell Indian Nations University’s boxing club, trains boxers and finds them other opponents at a beginner’s level to fight against.
The gym’s fees vary. Members can sign a contract for six months and pay $44 per month. People can also buy a punch card that includes a number of classes for $5 per class. Walk-ins are $10 for up to two one-and-a-half-hour sessions.
— Edited by Joe Caponio
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