This Professional Boxer Wants to Empower Providence Youth Through “Gloves Up, Guns Down”
Saturday, March 11, 2023
Rhode Island boxer Lamont Powell has a goal — to give back to the community.
Powell, who had success as an amateur and now boxes professionally, wants to introduce Providence youth to the sport through the program he established, “Gloves Up, Guns Down.”
His mission is to incorporate the discipline in the ring to help instill confidence in his students, and ultimately, success.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTFor Powell, now a father of two, the journey to where he is now, however, involved learning some very tough lessons on the streets.
Surviving Gun Violence
Growing up, Powell lost his mom at the age of three, and along with his older brother, was raised by his grandparents.
It was his father who introduced him to the sport of boxing at age eight, and until he was 18, he enjoyed dozens of wins as an amateur — and very few losses.
Powell, who went to Hope High School, boxed at Peter Manfredo’s gym, and then later, at Gary Balletto’s training center.
But for Powell, the lure of the streets grew too strong — and he put his gloves aside “when I was around 17 or 18,” said Powell.
“I said Dad, I don’t want to box anymore,” said Powell. “I was missing out on all the fun. So I stopped boxing for about a year or two. I was on the streets and got hooked into the parties and girls and all the crazy stuff. It was a learning experience.”
In 2018, Powell said he was sitting in a car outside of his grandparents' house along with his uncle, when a car they didn’t recognize pulled up on the dead-end street.
Two men got out — and started shooting.
“Our car got shot up 36 times,” said Powell. “I truly believe my mom was my guardian angel that day.”
“I said, I’m going to do something with my time,” said Powell.
Fostering an Empowerment Program
So Powell returned to the ring, and while he boasts a 17-0 record as a professional, at age 29, he knows his days of competing won’t last forever.
But Powell plans to give back to the community as long as he can.
“A lot these kids don’t have anyone to look up to,” said Powell of today's youth. “What are these kids up to after school? A lot of them are drinking and smoking. But with our program, they love to come to the gym. It’s always open.
“You can come and just hang out. You can just come and read books,” said Powell, of the center located at Silver Lake Avenue in Providence.
“It’s just about staying on top of the kids, and getting the parents to push them,” said Powell. “If you let the kids do what they want to do, they’ll get hooked up into different things. If wasn’t for my grandfather making us to the gym, I wouldn’t be who I am today.”
And for Powell, the next generation of boxers might just be in the family.
“My one-and-a-half-year-old son…he wants to put the gloves on every time he comes to the gym,” laughed Powell.
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