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Rita Mrwebi， the South African female welterweight champion， unleashes powerful punches inside this poor-facilitated gym Hillbrow Boxing Club in Johannesburg， South Africa.
Mrwebi comes to train twice a day. But fights are rare. She hasn't had a competitive fight for a year. Now， she's working hard to stay at the top of her game before a title match in August. There's a lot at stake if Mrwebi loses as boxing is her main source of income.
Yet it's not all about the money. Mrwebi says boxing has also given her purpose whilst growing up in Hillbrow， a notoriously dangerous inner city neighborhood of Johannesburg.
"It did change my life a lot，" says Mrwebi， who didn't finish school and never got to meet her father. "It kept me strict. It's a challenging sport； it's a very strict sport，" adds the champion. "It kept me from bad things -- from drugs， from bad friends， having lots of boyfriends."
But Mrwebi is not the only one to have benefited from the club. The gym has been a shelter for many local youngsters. They flock to the gym to learn the basics of boxing -- how to move， jab and defend--- after school. No fee is required as the goal is to keep the young ones off the streets and out of trouble.
The club was started by George Khosi， a former boxer who's been training with Mrwebi since she was just nine years old.
Khosi himself began boxing to avoid a life of crime. By the age of 20 he was fighting professionally across South Africa. Yet his career came to an abrupt end after a brutal robbery left him with a limp and damaged eye.
His dreams shattered， Khosi realized he would never be able to take part in professional matches again. But if he couldn't box， he could at lease use his skills to train others.
Starting Hillbrow Boxing Club， he says， has brought purpose back to his life. And the gym is now also bringing hope to others in the neighborhood.
"I grew up here in Hillbrow，" says the powerfully built but softly spoken coach. "I don't want them to be in the street like I was，" he adds.
"You know sometimes kids， they can get bored ... in the house， so we want them to get out and come here to spend their day. When they get home they are tired. They just sleep. These are big guys. They will forget about doing stupid things outside. They come here and enjoy themselves and then they go home to sleep."
Back in the gym， Mrwebi continues her rigorous training and is determined to work hard to make it far in her own career and also impact the next generation of Hillbrow's boxing hopefuls.
"I'm hoping that one day I'll be a successful boxer， a trainer， a promoter so that I can promote other youngsters，" she says. "So that I can put them somewhere so that they cannot suffer like I have suffered. So I'd love one day to be a promoter， to promote other children， to put them somewhere， to make them something one day."
Rita Mrwebi南非女性中量级拳击冠军正在Hillbrow拳击俱乐部训练。Hillbrow是约翰内斯堡内城出了名的危险的地区。但这座健身房一直是许多当地的年轻人的天堂。放学后，他们涌向健身房学习拳击的基本知识 ——如何移动，刺拳和捍卫。从而使年轻人离开街头并远离麻烦。
Mrwebi comes to train twice a day. But fights are rare. She hasn't had a competitive fight for a year. Now， she's working hard to stay at the top of her game before a title match in August. There's a lot at stake if Mrwebi loses as boxing is her main source of income.
Yet it's not all about the money. Mrwebi says boxing has also given her purpose whilst growing up in Hillbrow， a notoriously dangerous inner city neighborhood of Johannesburg.
"It did change my life a lot，" says Mrwebi， who didn't finish school and never got to meet her father. "It kept me strict. It's a challenging sport； it's a very strict sport，" adds the champion. "It kept me from bad things -- from drugs， from bad friends， having lots of boyfriends."
But Mrwebi is not the only one to have benefited from the club. The gym has been a shelter for many local youngsters. They flock to the gym to learn the basics of boxing -- how to move， jab and defend--- after school. No fee is required as the goal is to keep the young ones off the streets and out of trouble.
The club was started by George Khosi， a former boxer who's been training with Mrwebi since she was just nine years old.
Khosi himself began boxing to avoid a life of crime. By the age of 20 he was fighting professionally across South Africa. Yet his career came to an abrupt end after a brutal robbery left him with a limp and damaged eye.
His dreams shattered， Khosi realized he would never be able to take part in professional matches again. But if he couldn't box， he could at lease use his skills to train others.
Starting Hillbrow Boxing Club， he says， has brought purpose back to his life. And the gym is now also bringing hope to others in the neighborhood.
"I grew up here in Hillbrow，" says the powerfully built but softly spoken coach. "I don't want them to be in the street like I was，" he adds.
"You know sometimes kids， they can get bored ... in the house， so we want them to get out and come here to spend their day. When they get home they are tired. They just sleep. These are big guys. They will forget about doing stupid things outside. They come here and enjoy themselves and then they go home to sleep."
Back in the gym， Mrwebi continues her rigorous training and is determined to work hard to make it far in her own career and also impact the next generation of Hillbrow's boxing hopefuls.
"I'm hoping that one day I'll be a successful boxer， a trainer， a promoter so that I can promote other youngsters，" she says. "So that I can put them somewhere so that they cannot suffer like I have suffered. So I'd love one day to be a promoter， to promote other children， to put them somewhere， to make them something one day."
Rita Mrwebi南非女性中量级拳击冠军正在Hillbrow拳击俱乐部训练。Hillbrow是约翰内斯堡内城出了名的危险的地区。但这座健身房一直是许多当地的年轻人的天堂。放学后，他们涌向健身房学习拳击的基本知识 ——如何移动，刺拳和捍卫。从而使年轻人离开街头并远离麻烦。