PHOTO PROVIDED / THE VILLAGE REPORTER
WAUSEON BOXING CLUB … Nune Molina (right), head coach of the Wauseon Boxing Club, a nonprofit organization that has offered boxing classes for Fulton County youth and adults for some 45 years, recently told Archbold Rotarians that the goal of the club is more than teaching boxing — it’s about building confidence, character and life skills through the sport of boxing. The program was arranged by Rotarian Jacob Fleischmann.
The Wauseon Boxing Club has developed national champions over the years. However, Nune Molina, the head coach, told Archbold Rotarians that it’s not the champions the club has developed over the years that matters most.
Rather, it’s how the club has impacted the lives of the youth who have taken boxing classes that has mattered most over the 45 years it has been in existence.
“While we teach the kids how to protect and defend themselves, we give them an opportunity to change their lives without throwing punches,” Molina said.
Through the classes, the program strives to help youth (and adults) who participate build confidence, character and life skills.
By emphasizing dedication, self-respect and hard work, “we help members become strong, confident individuals who make positive choices for their future and the community,” he said.
He explained that in boxing and life you can get knocked down, but you have to get up. “We tell our boxers that it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish that matters,” Molina said.
The club holds classes Monday through Thursday at its club-owned facility at 616 East Chestnut Street in Wauseon. The club used to be located above the old Wauseon Senior Center.
Classes are free for youth, and adults can also participate in the training. In fact, he said the club offers a boxing class for women with a woman trainer.
In their new facility, they can accommodate up to 38 boxers at one time. Although their new facility offers more opportunities for growth, their space at the old senior center was free.
So, part of Molina’s job now is seeking financial support to help pay the bills, buy equipment and make improvements to the facility.
For more information about the Wauseon Boxing Club or how to help support it, contact Nune Molina at 419-466-4043 or visit the Wauseon Boxing Club’s Facebook page.