LAWRENCE – Skip down to Merrimack Street some weekday night, drop into the H building in the old mill complex and head down into the dungeon … OK, the basement.
The city’s blue-collar history oozes from the walls.
But walk about 20 yards down that dank, dingy hall, and suddenly a glimpse of the city’s future overwhelms you at the Lawtown Boxing Gym.
Young Lawrencians have found a home here. The numbers are growing exponentially, forcing expansion for the club. Its energy and hope are unmatched.
“You feel it. People want to be here,” said Lawrence High senior Valentin Mercado. “Boxing is on the rise. There’s opportunity here. It teaches you values in life, how to be a bigger and better person.
“My big brother took me to the gym one day, and I’ve never left. I’ve been training every day since, and I just keep doing what I’m doing.”
Mercado isn’t alone in what he’s “doing.” In fact, the 17-year-old, was one of three Lawtown Boxing amateurs to win titles at the recent King of the Ring tournament on Cape Cod, along with Ayden Llerena and Osvaldo Gregorio. The event is a regional tourney for fighters from all over New England, New York and New Jersey.
Relative newcomers to the gym with two years or less in training, all three share similar hopes and promise.
“I want to take it to the professionals. I want to be the best,” said Llerena, who cherished the victory with his first-ever title belt in the King of the Ring.
It’s full speed ahead now for the Greater Lawrence Tech senior, who used to play basketball and soccer but now lives for boxing.
“I want to go to nationals next and win that national belt to really make a name for myself,” he said. “Remember by name. I’m going to be big real soon.”
Like Llerena, Mercado is on the gas pedal when comes to the fight game.
The younger brother of 2024 Lowell Golden Gloves champ E’Armani Corporan, he’s done work in the ring with veteran pros like Abraham Nova and Michel Rivera.
This week, he’s on a trip to Texas to hone his craft.
“I’ve only been boxing for two years, but I’ve already done great things. I’m No. 1 in my weight class in New England and I’m a champion,” said Mercado. “Boxing is where I feel most comfortable. It’s where I’m most successful, so I’m out here every day.
“It’s not how far I want to take it. It’s how far I know I’m going to take it. I’m going to be a world champion someday.”
Gregorio, a 16-year-old Lawrence High student, has only been in the gym a few months, but he’s clearly shown promise.
“I thought he had the fight of the night (at the King of the Ring),” said trainer Edwin Candelario.
Success early has triggered a drive in him, too.
“I like everything about boxing, and it’s everything for me. I want to be a world champion,” Gregorio said.