I wish someone had told me not to party and drink after fights. It catches up with you physically. Once, I was drinking after a fight at a party. My friends left me. I walked two miles drunk, got myself to a pay phone and called LaToya (my lady). She had to get out of bed to get me. She found me laid out in the street in front of Seven-Eleven. It scared her.
As a part of our series about sports stars who are making a social impact, I had the pleasure of interviewing Leon Gittens JR.
Leon Gittens JR. aka Coach Leon “Go Get ‘EM’ Gittens is a retired professional boxer. Born in Nuremberg, Germany to military parents, he grew up in Newport News, Virginia. He is a USA boxing certified green level coach, who is also a personal trainer. His drive and commitment to the sport helped him at the most crucial juncture in his life; young adulthood. Down and out, with no positive male role model, he struggled for a sense of purpose. In stepped Gene Floyd, owner of C-4 boxing club and youth program coordinator. He took a young Leon JR. under his wings and coached him to championship boxing.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Can you share with us the “backstory” that led you to your career path in professional sports?
Sure, I was an athletic kid who loved football. All I wanted to do was play football. However, I started selling drugs as a teenager which led me down the wrong path. Eventually, I was incarcerated. I got released and repeated the same thing over and over. After a while, I became homeless while trying to quit the drug ‘game.’ I decided to go to church and ask God for guidance. With just some pennies in my pocket, I petitioned God. If he was real then here was the time for him to prove it. I met a wonderful young lady who believed in me. I joined a boxing gym not far from where we lived. I put my head down, shifted my focus and worked on me and my craft.
Not long after, a friend at the gym saw my potential and asked, “Hey man, why aren’t you fighting?” I told him I had no birth certificate or ID. I had lost everything to my name. So, he got me a new birth certificate, social security card, and a job. My prayers were being answered, and I felt a sense of normality. Thank God for boxing.
Can you share the funniest or most interesting story that occurred to you in the course of your career? What were the lessons or takeaways that you took out of that story?
An interesting story is how I changed coaches. I had joined the boxing gym located near my residence. On Tuesdays we sparred. One day, one of the guys at the gym brought in his coach to spar with me. This coach use to ‘kill’ me but I would always hang tough and eventually I earned the respect off those guys.
After every session when they pulled off in their nice car I would run alongside them on the way home. They would honk the horn and speed ahead of me. They just wouldn’t let me win at anything haha! The funny thing is, that guy’s coach who was kicking my butt in sparring is now my coach and he’s the owner of C-4 boxing. His name is Gene Floyd.
Gene attended my first boxing match. I lost that fight. The atmosphere was charged. There was so much emotions in the room. I couldn’t cope with the loss. My coach was yelling. I was yelling. He wasn’t explaining things to me. He wasn’t teaching me, so Gene offered to coach me. He taught me coping methods, like how to stay calm and how to manage my emotions such as keeping my anger in check and staying focused.
The lessons or takeaways I took from this story about meeting Coach Gene are, that these two men tested my will. They showed me how strong I was mentally and physically. They taught me self efficacy, and gave me the tools I needed to build self reliance in order to make my own way in life.
What would you advise a young person who wants to emulate your success?
I would tell them to be diligent and to be disciplined in their choice of career. The major thing is to stay on track and stay the course.
Is there a person that made a profound impact on your life? Can you share a story?
I was blessed to meet a very supportive young woman name LaToya McGuiness. She gave me a place to stay. When I was unsure of myself she helped to build my confidence with constructive criticism. She saw me through my major hardships with my son and his mom and she gave me advice on how to deal with the court system and child support.
What are the “myths” that you would like to dispel about what it is like being a professional sports player?
People think that boxing is a very brutal sport but it’s more of a mental game. It’s like a chess match. You have to know the precise move you’re going to make. Then you anticipate your opponents next move, and be two steps ahead of him mentally.
Ok super. Let’s now move to the main part of our discussion. How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world? Can you share with us the meaningful or exciting causes you are working on right now?
I coach both young and older people but I’m also helping with YEP (Youth, Empowerment, Program) specializing in competitive boxing as well as boxing for fitness. We work with community partners to assist troubled youth in the local area. In the summertime we have a breakfast program for the youth. We take them to the skating rink to let off steam and have fun. We also have a youth garden. They grow peppers and other vegetables. They even make hot sauce with the peppers.
What methods are you using to most effectively share your cause with the world?
I teach the youth life lessons through boxing. Boxing doesn’t have an off season. You can’t play at boxing. You have to live it. I ask the young people what’s the most important thing in boxing. They say balance. I tell them that in life you must have balance. Too much of a good thing is a bad thing. So don’t overindulge. I explain to them as well that you wouldn’t appreciate the good without experiencing the bad. So when bad things happen take it as a life lesson and learn from it.
Chaos happens sometimes. It’s an art to be calm in chaos. Once you can master that, you can master anything.
Can you share with us the story behind why you chose to take up this particular cause?
I was in the streets with no direction. As I mentioned earlier in the interview, I went down the wrong path. I had nothing but time on my hands. I played basketball a lot and would also shadow box while on the court. Friends would see my movements and tell me I should take up boxing. After boxing professionally I chose to give back by becoming a coach. It’s my way of paying it forward. Thanks to my coach and mentor Gene Floyd.
Can you share with us a story about a person who was impacted by your cause?
A seventeen year old let me know that he appreciates what I taught him. When he started training he wasn’t that good. We couldn’t figure out the problem. Then he told me about his ADHD. He was on medication. To get him focused, I let him spar for thirty second intervals. I would take him out the ring then put him back in for another thirty seconds to realign his focus. He got better. Now, he takes medication only when he has a test. He is learning coping methods without it, because of what he learned from the sport. Recently, he won his first match.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why.
I wish someone had told me that I would have to sacrifice a lot of family time. I don’t like being away from my family. I’m at the gym three times (sessions) a day. Sometimes, I have to go out of state for a whole week.
I wish someone had told me not to party and drink after fights. It catches up with you physically. Once, I was drinking after a fight at a party. My friends left me. I walked two miles drunk, got myself to a pay phone and called LaToya (my lady). She had to get out of bed to get me. She found me laid out in the street in front of Seven-Eleven. It scared her.
I wish someone had told me how to manage my money and how to build my credit. I always had financial struggles and I never seemed to get a handle on my finances.
I wish someone had told me that my relationship with my Father was going to be the most crucial thing in my life but the relationship was non-existent. I needed someone to remind me who I was, and where I came from. Someone who would have said, “You’re a Gittens!” “Gittens men don’t do that.” I was lost so I did things out of character.
I wish someone had told me to pay attention in class and focus on my school work. I was a class clown. I also got into fights.
You are a person of enormous influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
I would have a movement that would focus on Financial Literacy for the youth. I would build a Recreation Center where kids can go after school and on weekends. The Center would not only focus on building physical discipline with sports but it will teach them how to become entrepreneurs; how to build credit; how to trade in stocks etc.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you explain how that was relevant in your life?
My favorite life lesson quote came from my coach Gene Floyd. He would say, “If you do what you want — you get what you get.” Meaning, if you do it your way instead of the right way, then take what you get (live with the consequences).
There were times I didn’t want to train and wanted to stay home, times when I wanted to have that drink knowing my lady didn’t want me to drink but I would do what I wanted.
Ultimately, during those times things would spiral. I would experience imbalance. Again, it goes back to having that balance in life as well as the balance I teach my students in boxing.
We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Politics, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them 🙂
I would love to have a talk with Ray Lewis (Former Football Linebacker). I think we have a lot in common. I like the passion he has and conviction when he speaks. He is also very spiritual but I think a bit more intense than I am.
How can our readers follow you online?
Website: https://www.c4boxingclub.org
Thank you so much for these amazing insights. This was so inspiring
Sports Stars Making a Social Impact: Why & How Leon Gittens JR Is Helping To Change Our World was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.