Episode 02: Anthony Bongiorni Interview

“It’s More than just Boxing”

After the pressures of the week and the “busy-ness” of a typical Saturday are over, alas comes the gem of all days of the week… SUNDAY! A day to sleep in, maybe catch up with the news, or simply just relax and decompress from the events of the former week. What could be better? Wait a minute, I know... Why not do all those things, and then head over to the Floyd Patterson Boxing Club in Highland N.Y. to catch up on what’s happening there. So, I took advantage of the most welcomed beautiful weather, hopped in the car with my Son, and off we went!

On our arrival at the Club, we were greeted with a huge smile and welcome by Owner/Operator and Boxing Coach Mr. Anthony Bongiorni, who took our temperatures and had us sanitize our hands as per COVID-19 safety precautions. After taking some time to set up, we began our interview.

Anthony Bongiorni, Owner/Operator and Boxing Coach of Floyd Patterson Boxing Club

Bongiorni explained that he has over 30 years in the boxing business serving in the capacities of managing professional fighters, training amateurs, promoting boxing events, and running his Boxing Club. The club was opened in 2015 in partnership with his childhood friend Two Time Boxing Champion Tracy Patterson in honor of Tracy’s father the late great Heavyweight Champion Floyd Patterson.

Coach Anthony stated that one of his strongest motivations for running the boxing club is that it creates a strong sense of community. The club has mentored many kids which has had a positive impact on their lives and have kept them off the streets. When asked how his club benefits its’ members, Borgiorni stated “it’s more than just boxing”. He explained that every member that walks through his doors “has a story to tell”, whether it’s a new mother looking to get back into shape after childbirth, a kid who wants to learn to defend himself, or someone who simply has the desire to remain healthy by getting and staying physically fit.

Besides the many positive physical benefits of boxing, Bongiorni is most proud of the self-discipline and character-building aspects that organically become instilled in its’ participants. Borgiorni proudly spoke of the many young men and women who are current and former students of his club that are and continue to be productive members of the community. He spoke of a former student that served in the U.S. Army and upon his return, visited the club. The former student thanked Coach Anthony for the lessons that he learned at Floyd Patterson Boxing Club and said that he was able to apply some of those principles while in the military which contributed to his success.

Another former student went on to attend college and after graduating, became a sports announcer. This student credited a large degree of his success to the values that were instilled in him while he was a student at the club. Coach Anthony stated that boxing is more than “just throwing punches and that there is a lesson in everything” re-emphasizing the fact that “it’s more than just boxing”.

I asked Coach Anthony whether he thought the current popularity of MMA has negatively affected Boxing and he stated that it has not. He stated that within MMA are many valuable boxing principles that the best MMA fighters employ during matches. His feeling was that MMA compliments boxing and that in any hand-to-hand combat sports, a fighter will always need a strong “stand up/striking game” in order to be successful. He stated that most of the elite MMA fighters in the sport are also very good boxers or at least have a boxing foundation. Borgioni stated that he has had many MMA practitioners join his club in order to enhance their boxing skills.

When asked about his overall philosophy on boxing, Coach Anthony kept it very simple; “you get out of it what you put into it” explaining that most people have their own personal reasons for taking up boxing and have a different expectation of the results they’re seeking individually. Fun fact about Coach Anthony: He’s an avid bowler and has a “wicked Jump shot!” His favorite Boxer(s): Tracy Patterson, Marvin Hagler, Hector Camacho, Sugar Ray Leonard, and Mike Tyson.

To conclude our conversation, I asked Coach Bongiorni what his future aspirations of the club were and he stated that he wants to continue to keep boxing relevant, grow his club, and most importantly to keep mentoring the kids. Coach Anthony has made it clear to me that it is in fact more than just boxing…