My boxing gloves, colored white and black, are what made me become the person I am today. I started boxing when I was 13 years old. During this time I was overweight and obese. I would be lazy as a kid playing video games all day without noticing how unhealthy I was. It was until I woke up one day and asked my parents to put me in a gym somewhere. The regular gyms, unfortunately, declined me because of my age and concerns about weight workouts. My dad had an idea and decided to find me this one boxing gym downtown. At first, I was excited because I’m going to be punching heavy bags and using boxing gloves for the first time. A month passed by, and I fell in love with it that I started noticing results. It was more than just punching the heavy bag and having “fun” using the gloves. It was all about discipline, determination, and consistency.

I was automatically hooked. I had bad days and good days in that gym. But that’s what I signed up for and was determined to keep pushing despite the nervousness I had stepping in the ring to spar. At 14, I was given boxing gloves by my grandpa. These gloves are special to me because they’re made where my parents are from, Mexico and the brand itself is from there. I’ve seen famous boxers in the old days use them to fight. I felt unbeatable with them whenever I spar.

Long story short, I still have these gloves. I plan to still take them wherever I go when I get older. To me, it helped me build a positive mindset and discipline with my own well-being. I built friendships with those gloves, sportsmanship, laughs, tough moments, ambition, and more. Overall, I love what the sport did to me. I still love boxing and continue to do so.