The community has responded, and the club is now seeing an increase in women participants trying out the sport.<\/p>\n
Being able to find a group of people who share the same passion and love for the sport helps the community grow, said Queli Arroyo, a 30-year-old participant at the club.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverybody\u2019s given the opportunity to become better, which I think as a female boxer, that\u2019s not given at all gyms,\u201d Arroyo said.<\/p>\n
Verduzco noted that, while the stigma of boxing as a violent sport has decreased over the years, there are still some negative narratives that he wants to help rewrite. One of them being aggressive behavior toward women boxers.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith the females, (male boxers are) very disrespectful, machista, you know what I mean? We don\u2019t get that here,\u201d Verduzco said.<\/p>\n
Verduzco feels that park district programs, like the Harrison Park Boxing Club, are capable of giving participants a safe place to improve their skills.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have a lot of great female fighters,\u201d Naomi Lares, 26, said. \u201cIt\u2019s really cool and inspiring to see a lot of those women kind of show up and really have a good reflection of the sport.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jocelyn Salgado, has been training at Harrison Park for two years. She believes boxing helps many women feel stronger and more confident.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think females can be as good as a male fighter,\u201d said Salgado, who is 18 years old.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t <\/a><\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe Harrison Park Boxing Club\u2019s fighters for Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026. Many athletes praise the club for the sense of community and discipline it creates.\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n The Chicago Park District offers classes for both children and adults at different times to accommodate schedules.\u00a0<\/p>\n One of the flags on the wall is Mexico\u2019s, which makes Lares feel represented.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cHaving coaches also sharing that Mexican culture, Mexican background made it feel like home,\u201d Lares said.\u00a0 She has also been boxing with the club for two years.<\/p>\n While some see the sport as another way to get cardio, other boxers in the club strive to reach the next level.<\/p>\n Arroyo said, in 2022, she was ranked No. 2 in the nation in the 165-pound weight class.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI want to rank number one. I want to beat number one,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Boxers attending the club are encouraged to implement the skills they have learned in amateur boxing events. That includes the Chicago Golden Gloves<\/a>, the largest regional boxing tournament in the U.S. that also became the first tournament to host a women\u2019s division in 1994.<\/p>\n![\"ONLINE-6_Boxing\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/ONLINE-6_Boxing.jpg\")
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