BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. — A local mom from Denmark invested her life's earnings into a boxing gym in Boynton Beach to help at-risk youths.
Today, the boxing gym serves as a second home for more than 20 boxers in South Florida with a boxing tournament going on.
For two years, the Lights Out Boxing gym has helped keep several Boynton Beach kids and teens out of trouble while they learn the sweet science of boxing.
"We started my two sons and my daughter," owner Annett Ernst said. "We opened a little boxing first and just went from there and grew on."
Two years after opening its doors, Ernst's gym has been home to some of South Florida's biggest amateur boxing events.
"We love doing it," she said. "My sons both run classes, and my daughter runs the boot camp. It's our whole lifestyle, and we enjoy doing it."
On Saturday afternoon, more than 20 amateur fighters and their families filled up the boxing gym for the Lights Out Boxing Fight Club 4 tournament.
One of the fighters in attendance was Anette's son and Lights Out legacy boxer Christan Ernst.
"It's great," Christan Ernst said. "This is what I do. I love fighting. It's my favorite thing to do."
The 18-year-old currently sports an 8-2 amateur record and admits he has the butterflies ahead of his fight. He is regarded as one of the best local boxers in West Palm and said he has his eyes set on the 2024 Olympics in Paris, and looks to use lessons learned from his two losses to help him qualify.
"I learn most from my losses," Ernst said. "It hurts, but when I lose, I know that I need to learn more and that I need to get back in the gym and get better. I love losses. I learn from my losses, but I'm not looking to take no more losses."
Jensen Perez is a 16-year-old boxer who traveled an hour from home to participate in the tournament.
He doesn't like to lose.
"Losing is not an option," he said. "I have somebody to dedicate this fight to. My grandpa he passed away last week and he was supposed to come to this fight. I gotta win for him."
Perez sits at 2-2 after his unanimous decision victory Saturday afternoon and is now planning for the future.
"To the Olympics, hopefully, and up through the amateur ranks. If not, I'll go pro, but mostly to the Olympics right now because all of my favorite fighters are on the Olympic team," he said.
