MONROE, Mich. — A year ago, Tony "Tyger" Anderson sought a location to open up his own boxing club. Oaks of Righteousness church in Monroe possessed space in their basement and through clearance from the pastor, a gym was formed.
With roughly a dozen children on average training three days a week for a couple of hours, Anderson didn't expect to see the benefits of his tutelage pay off anytime soon.
On June 1, five of his fighters were able to sign up for the 2024 Michigan Junior Olympics in Ann Arbor. What happened inside the ring that weekend took everyone by surprise.
"I was very proud of the kids, I knew they could do it," administrative assistant Austin Williams said. "Obviously being a one-year-old team, there's a lot of challenges in making it to a tournament that size."
Lo and behold, the performance of their young boxers resulted in four gold medals.
"We're getting better," Jaxson Sewell said. "You better watch out if you're other gyms, they can come get this smoke."
The 10-year-old champion at 70 pounds used his confidence as an advantage. He added the sport itself serves as an aid to let off some steam.
"My favorite part is that I get to let my anger out and express myself," Sewell said. "I'm really aggressive so I can just let it out all in the ring."
He joined Legend Canales (9 years old, 60 pounds), Santino Rose (10 years old, 60 pounds) and Brian Daniels (12 years old, 80 pounds) as the group to help elevate Tyger's Boxing Club.
"Me rating it, I would give it a 10 out of 10," Daniels said. "Before I left, my mom told me to come back with a win and that's what I did."
With unexpected success now to lean on, it would be easy to get complacent. But Anderson continues to remind his kids of the culture that's been built.
"A lot of them just want to come down here and have fun," Anderson said. "Building great character and keeping them positive, out of trouble. Just respect."
That message is already hitting the members, even the club's youngest.
"To have teamwork and help other people," Canales said. "To get better and better at boxing."