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Four Winona boxers will be stepping into the ring at 6 p.m. Saturday for the "Rumble on the River," presented by the Winona Lion's Den at the Winona Athletic Club, and they might not be your typical fighters.
The Lion's Den boasts a 15-year-old age range for its membership pool — the youngest being 10-years-old and the oldest being 25-years-old.
"It must be the sport," club president Dale Johnson said, "The interest in the sport really doesn't begin or end at any certain age."
Once enrolled in the the club, a fighter doesn't just jump right into the ring.
"Usually it takes about three months (to be ready)," Johnson said. "These guys train between six and eight hours a week in the gym, work out in the weight room for another three to four hours, and then there is the road work.
"All we monitor is what goes on down here (in the gym). There is a lot of work outside these walls, so it takes a lot of dedication."
Johnson also said that most fighters that compete will step into the ring a maximum of six times a year, about once a month between October and March.
Three rounds at two minutes a round equals 36 minutes of competition a year.
To put that into perspective, the average high school hockey game lasts 51 minutes, not including the down time in between periods, and they might get as many as three games in a week for three or four months.
Compare that to the more than 60 hours between bouts that each fighters spends preparing for their fight, and person might ask: Why?
"The only answer to that is that you feel good about yourself because you did it," Johnson said. "Training in boxing gives you a feeling of self-confidence, self-worth, that is unique to one-on-one contact sports."
Club Vice-President Jon Meyer added that it is also about learning respect for yourself and for other kids.
After a month of preparation, Jake Walther, Miles Schoen, Stefan Brantner and Dustin Hoffman will be climbing through the ropes to take part in one of as many as 12 fights at the "Rumble on the River" n not what most people would call a "normal" after-school activity.
"(Boxing) gives you a good workout — it keeps you in shape," 14-year-old Walther said. "It keeps you out of trouble and really makes you focus on your school work. Mostly, it is just fun."
Walther will be taking part in his third career fight this weekend and is one of the eight members of the Lion's Den that is currently at the competition level.
"Not everyone competes," Johnson said. "Some people are just down here to learn a few things and to get into shape.
"There is a lot more to boxing than punching. We try and teach the science of the movement that is involved. It is all about mounting an offense from a defensive position."
Both Johnson and Meyer, along with the rest of the Lion's Den coaching staff, are volunteering their free time to help these young men mature.
"It is all for the kids," Meyer said. "It was their hard work that got them here and we want to recognize that."
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