Scattered thunderstorms during the morning. Partly cloudy skies this afternoon. A few storms may be severe. High 89F. Winds SSW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 50%..
Partly to mostly cloudy with a chance of thunderstorms. Low near 75F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
Updated: June 26, 2023 @ 10:05 am
Darren “Broadway” Whitaker is seen showing a boxing stance while his boxers spar in the ring on Aug. 9, 2022 at the Charleston Boxing Gym. Andrew J. Whitaker/Staff
Evan Holmes uses tubing to perfect his pushup at the Charleston Boxing Gym on June 28, 2022 in Charleston. The gym opened up 40 years ago but briefly closed from 2014 to 2022 and Darren “Broadway” Whitaker took on the job as the gym’s boxing coach from what he learned from boxing legend Al ‘Hollywood’ Meggett. Andrew J. Whitaker/Staff
Darren Green spars at the Charleston Boxing Gym on Nov. 15, 2022 in Charleston. Andrew J. Whitaker/Staff
Vehicles pass by the historic Charleston Boxing Gym on Nov. 15, 2022. Boxing legend Al ‘Hollywood’ Meggett opened up the gym at the old firehouse at 1099 King St. Andrew J. Whitaker/Staff
Several boxing gloves are seen at the Charleston Boxing Gym on Aug. 3, 2022. Andrew J. Whitaker/Staff
Darren “Broadway” Whitaker is seen showing a boxing stance while his boxers spar in the ring on Aug. 9, 2022 at the Charleston Boxing Gym. Andrew J. Whitaker/Staff
Forty years ago, boxing legend Al ‘Hollywood’ Meggett opened up his Charleston Boxing Gym by hanging just one punching bag in an old firehouse at 1099 King St.
He grew the club into a perennial powerhouse, taking his athletes across the country for fights and leading some of them to careers as professional boxers.
Even Muhammad Ali paid a visit.
Today, the enduring legacy of Charleston Boxing Club and the lessons it imparted on the city’s youth lives on. It dimmed briefly between 2014 and 2022 when the gym fell on hard times financially and closed while the building underwent renovations.
But Darren “Broadway” Whitaker, a coach and longtime friend of Meggett, never forgot what he learned there.
That’s why he and Meggett’s son, Allah, teamed up to reopen the club in May, about six months after Meggett’s death. Using a GoFundMe fundraiser and Allah’s business experience, the club opened its doors again with brand-new equipment. Memberships keep it going. They range from $50 per month for youth, $75 for teens and $125 for adults.
Whitaker serves as head coach and runs the gym’s day-to-day operations. Monday through Friday, a dozen or more boxers of all ages come to the club between 3:30 and 6 p.m. Often they linger on later than that.
Evan Holmes uses tubing to perfect his pushup at the Charleston Boxing Gym on June 28, 2022 in Charleston. The gym opened up 40 years ago but briefly closed from 2014 to 2022 and Darren “Broadway” Whitaker took on the job as the gym’s boxing coach from what he learned from boxing legend Al ‘Hollywood’ Meggett. Andrew J. Whitaker/Staff
“Sometimes it’s hard to get them to go home,” Whitaker said with a laugh.
The community rebuilt at the club comes from an open door policy. Some boxers come every weekday and others stop in when they can.
When a passerby peers in the window, Whitaker goes outside to greet them. He welcomes them to sign up on the spot. There is no set registration period. A QR code on the door leads to the online sign-up form as well. That way, the club can gain new members even while it’s closed.
Darren Green spars at the Charleston Boxing Gym on Nov. 15, 2022 in Charleston. Andrew J. Whitaker/Staff
Inside, young boxers start with the basics. They jump rope, practice wrapping their hands to prepare them for boxing gloves and perform exercises that build muscle and stamina. In the ring, older boxers spar in preparation for competition. Other boxers practice on the punching bags. Keeping all ages and skill levels together allows them to form bonds and learn from each other.
Vehicles pass by the historic Charleston Boxing Gym on Nov. 15, 2022. Boxing legend Al ‘Hollywood’ Meggett opened up the gym at the old firehouse at 1099 King St. Andrew J. Whitaker/Staff
During the club’s original tenure, Meggett was insistent that his boxers learn life skills beyond boxing. They got a kind of structure and “tough love” that not all of them could get at home. Having a community to turn to kept them out of trouble. It’s what former Mayor Joe Riley called a “Human-building process,” when he awarded Meggett with a lifetime achievement award in 2015.
For assistant coach Chris Gordon, the lessons he learned from Meggett carried him through the years the gym was closed. During that time, he was a North Charleston firefighter. He attributes his firefighting career to the time he spent as both an amateur and professional boxer training out of Charleston Boxing Club.
He joined the gym at age 28. When he met Meggett, he told him he was just looking for a way to stay fit while working a job in security. Thinking he was showing up there to lose weight, he never considered what he could gain.
“I didn’t have any discipline. I didn’t have any guidance. I was just trying to figure things out,” he said.
Now, a coach at the reopened gym, he wants to be the same source of stability for his boxers that Hollywood and Whitaker were for him.
On a recent November afternoon, one of the high school-aged boxers came in visibly upset. Both Gordon and Whitaker took turns speaking with him outside. Without lacing up a glove once, he left the club in a better state than he was in when he walked through the door.
Several boxing gloves are seen at the Charleston Boxing Gym on Aug. 3, 2022. Andrew J. Whitaker/Staff
“If I can help these guys get what I got 10 years earlier, I’ll feel like I’ve done my job,” Gordon said.
Another member, 14-year-old Marvin Washington is already on that track. Washington has improved steadily since joining, Whitaker said. On that same November afternoon, he spent nearly 2½ hours practicing on the punching bag, only stopping when a bell in the club rang periodically to signal that the boxers had a brief break.
“It’s the will to keep going and keep fighting,” Washington said of lessons he’s learned since joining.
For now, the boxers only travel to matches sporadically. They’re not held as frequently in the Charleston area as they were in the 1980s and ’90s, Whitaker said. But as the members build up their skills, he said he’ll look for more opportunities for them to compete. A few of the boxers recently competed in Myrtle Beach and the coaches are eyeing a potential match in Wilmington, N.C. While 1099 King will always serve as the heart of the club, Whitaker said he’s willing to go as far as he can to give the boxers competitive experience.
“Once you have confidence in your work and competing in front of other people, it just transfers to everything else,” he said. “You’re just full of confidence.”
Reach Emma Whalen at 843-708-5837. Follow her on Twitter @_emma_whalen.
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