“If you get in the ring, you’re a fighter. They couldn’t build steps up to the ring strong enough to hold a coward.” — late boxing champion Willie Pep.
Boxing workouts for those who come to The Good Fight Parkinson’s Center in Lake Forest don’t involve sparring. Punches are thrown to hit boxing mitts, not craniums.
Yet, each of the boxers who venture to the gym from around south Orange County are fighters in every sense of the word. Every day, they battle with Parkinson’s disease.
Getting into the ring, located in the back of the gym, is just a bonus.
“They look at [the ring], and they’re frightened,” said Donna Clervi, founder of The Good Fight Parkinson’s, formerly known as the Donna Clervi Foundation. “They say, how do I get in there? We show them how to get in, and it’s the thrill of their life. It really is so much fun.”
The Good Fight Parkinson’s client and boxer Judy Fisher stands in the Rock Haus Fitness location in Lake Forest on Oct. 16.
(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)
The nonprofit organization held a grand opening ceremony for its new space at Rockhaus Fitness on Oct. 16. The event also served as an annual fundraiser and a thank you to longtime supporters, eight of whom received a personalized boxing championship belt.
Clervi dealt with complications of the event, which was held as the Norte fire ravaged through San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano, like a professional boxer dodging a combination of punches. Her auctioneer got stuck in traffic, but she was able to smile and look at the bigger picture — a message she delivers to her Parkinson’s fighters all the time.
“It’s therapy, but I don’t want to call it therapy,” she said. “We just do all sorts of different things to help them strengthen their bodies and their minds … Instead of people sitting and worrying about their disease and what’s going to take place, they’re thinking about right now and having fun.”
The Good Fight Parkinson’s executive Chip Wiseman and founder Donna Clervi, from left, recognizes special supporter Dave Stauffer with a personalized boxing championship belt during a grand opening celebration on Oct. 16.
(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)
She formed the Donna Clervi Foundation in 2021, with the goal of bringing a holistic Parkinson’s Development Center in Orange County. It was a long road.
Her group of Parkinson’s fighters initially met at a park near her Dove Canyon home, then another park, then a gym in Rancho Santa Margarita, then a large room at the Coto Valley Country Club.
Five years later, the fighters have a space they can call home. Clervi offers group classes as well as one-on-one instruction in continued partnership with retired amateur boxer Marlon Ealy and Rock Steady Boxing.
“Combination training helps them work their minds,” said Chip Wiseman, Clervi’s husband, who is the executive director of The Good Fight Parkinson’s. “They have to remember it. Their mind is focused, and they’re exercising at the same time. That’s what they need more than anything, to keep in the present.”
That strategy has helped Judy Fisher. The 64-year-old Coto de Caza resident, a retired healthcare executive, found out about The Good Fight Parkinson’s soon after she was diagnosed with the disease in 2025.
The Good Fight Parkinson’s founder Donna Clervi stands at the front desk of new Rock Haus Fitness location in Lake Forest on Oct. 16.
(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)
Married with two adult children, she says she’s now in the best shape of her life as she continues to deal with leg tremors.
“This group has just, you know, been saving my life,” Parker said. “They give me a sense of purpose. Everyone’s so compassionate and caring. And Donna and Chip are wonderful. We had dinner with them a couple of weeks ago, so you know you can tell when people do this out of the kindness of their heart, you know, versus some kind of financial motive or whatever the case may be.”
Jay Rosen, 61, has a wife and two college-age twin daughters. The Mission Viejo resident was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in December 2024, and started boxing just two months later through a recommendation of a physical therapist at Kaiser Permanente.
He maintains a positive outlook on life, and boxing definitely plays a role in that.
The Good Fight Parkinson’s executive Chip Wiseman and founder Donna Clervi, from left, recognize supporter Jerry Denham with a personalized boxing championship belt on Oct. 16.
(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)
“I think what’s really interesting about the group is that it’s a community,” Rosen said. “It’s not like buying your Lululemons and going to work out and seeing what your costume looks like. There are guys here who are in their 60s, like myself, 70s, 80s. One of our boxers recently turned 90, and he works out with us four days a week.”
Rosen said for his treatment, sweat is one of the best medicines.
“I love getting up there and working my body and doing stuff,” he said. “And you’ve got a whole room of other people who are in the same boat with you. So we all kind of get each other as a starting point, and I think that’s Donna’s vision, to kind of pull these two things together: both community and athletics. Really, everyone’s going to age, so we need to know how to have our core body and how to make sure we don’t fall. We even learn how to fall here.”
Clervi said having a dedicated gym to use seems surreal.
“Now, we need to get out in the community,” she said. “People need to know that we’re here, and that we can help them. Outreach is really important right now. The other thing we need to do is expand our services. I want to provide workshops on a monthly basis that are all Parkinson’s related.”
She said she also wants additional specialized services to the gym, including physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech pathology.
The Good Fight Parkinson’s client and boxer Judy Fisher stands in the Rock Haus Fitness location in Lake Forest on Oct. 16.
(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)