MERCEDES — Former Green Beret Sgt. Juan Moya stood outside his boxing gym watching his students run past him and around the block.
“Come on, keep going,” Moya, 75, exclaimed to his students. “Keep running.”
With a smile he watched the young boxers building up their bodies as they warmed up before entering the gym to practice.
“Watch for the little ones around the corner,” he ordered his older boxers as the students ran through the alley and around the corner back to the gym.
“Boxing is a motivator,” Moya said standing with a whistle around his neck observing his boxers like a drill sergeant.
Moya is the head coach of the recently opened Moya’s Boxing Club in Mercedes.
Boxing has been one of his passions. He’s been involved in the sport for more than 60 years.
He said he boxed while enlisted in the Army as a Green Beret; he’s fought as an amateur and had a couple of professional bouts in the past.
He has even established boxing programs in school districts working as a JROTC instructor.
“The program consists of basic boxing instruction and physical conditioning,” Moya said.
He said his gym promotes good citizenship and helps kids stay away from gangs and drugs.
“I have national champions and professional boxers,” Moya said of those he has trained.
He said the students are learning a lot of self discipline, self conditioning and even weight loss.
He said he has students who have lost up to 30 pounds from conditioning and boxing has helped these kids raise their confidence.
Moya is a Vietnam Veteran Army Green Beret. He recently moved back to his hometown of Mercedes.
He had been living in the Houston area for many years where he also helped kids stay off the street with his boxing training.
The gym is available to its members from 9 a.m. to noon and then opens up in the evening for training every day.
The program leads the athletes to Olympic style boxing.
“Not too many people go all the way because the sport is so demanding,” Moya said. “It’s here to help the youth here in the community.
“We instill a lot of discipline and we do not tolerate irresponsibility or misconduct by the members of Moya’s boxing.”
He said joining the boxing gym in his youth kept him away from the bad elements growing up.
“I turned out pretty good,” he said.
