{"id":433788,"date":"2026-01-26T06:22:12","date_gmt":"2026-01-26T06:22:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/433788\/"},"modified":"2026-01-26T06:22:12","modified_gmt":"2026-01-26T06:22:12","slug":"member-of-local-boxing-club-returns-from-first-international-tournament-where-he-took-first-place","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/433788\/","title":{"rendered":"Member of local boxing club returns from first international tournament, where he took first place"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

IDAHO FALLS \u2014 When Kennedy Lara Lara tried on a pair of boxing gloves for the first time, he never imagined he\u2019d one day become a world champion. But that\u2019s exactly what happened.<\/p>\n

The 17-year-old Skyline High School student has been a member of Razor\u2019s Edge Boxing Club in Idaho Falls since he was about 12, but was first introduced to the club at age 8. He competed in the Viking Box Cup in Denmark and returned on Monday after spending two weeks in the Scandinavian country.<\/p>\n

Kennedy took first place in his age division, and he tells EastIdahoNews.com he\u2019s thrilled with the accomplishment.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m super proud of what I\u2019ve accomplished, and I\u2019m ready to get back in the gym and start training for what\u2019s next,\u201d Kennedy says.<\/p>\n

He hopes to continue his winning streak by participating in tournaments throughout the United States.<\/p>\n

\"KennedyKennedy Lara Lara in the ring with an opponent from Holland | Courtesy Kennedy Lara Lara<\/p>\n

Although Kennedy has participated in state and regional championships before, this is his first time taking the top spot in an international tournament.<\/p>\n

Head Coach Holly Gregson says Kennedy\u2019s opponent was a kid from Holland who was \u201cpretty tough.\u201d Gregson says she was impressed with the judges and is proud of Kennedy\u2019s effort against a top competitor on foreign soil.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a huge win for Kennedy. I was very proud of him,\u201d Gregson says.<\/p>\n

\"HollyHolly Gregson coaching Kennedy during the tournament in Denmark. | Courtesy Holly Gregson<\/p>\n

The victory is not just a first for Kennedy. Gregson says it\u2019s the first time in the club\u2019s history anyone has competed in an international tournament and Kennedy is the first American to compete in Denmark.<\/p>\n

Gregson hopes it\u2019s the first of many international trips to come.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re hoping to go back and participate in tournaments in other countries, like Sweden, Finland and Norway,\u201d Gregson says.<\/p>\n

The opportunity to compete in Denmark happened through a Danish woman, Simone Christensen, who reached out to Razor\u2019s Edge last year. Gregson says she was on her way to visit a friend in Idaho Falls and wanted a place for her and her 13-year-old daughter, Mascha, to train. <\/p>\n

Gregson says both of them have boxed in Denmark for years. Mascha coaches two teams and Simone is a team manager.<\/p>\n

Gregson helped prepare Mascha for the International Women\u2019s Tournament in Tacoma, Washington, held in October. She won the competition and that led her mom to invite them to the Viking Box Cup in Denmark.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s pretty uncommon to get a personal invitation to a tournament like that,\u201d says Gregson. <\/p>\n

\"SimoneSimone and Mascha Christensen at a tournament in Tacoma, Washington | Courtesy Holly Gregson<\/p>\n

The overseas trip happened in conjunction with another historic milestone for Razor\u2019s Edge. The club is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. As Gregson reflects on this milestone, she says it\u2019s the people she\u2019s coached who have made it a worthwhile venture.<\/p>\n

A girl she took to a women\u2019s tournament this weekend is the daughter of a man she coached early on.<\/p>\n

\u201cWatching things come full circle is very nostalgic, touching and fulfilling for me,\u201d says Gregson.<\/p>\n

Razor\u2019s Edge is a nonprofit formed in 2006 as an outlet for at-risk youth. Her son, Cole, was one of the club\u2019s original members, which is how she got involved. About two years later, she and her husband were running it.<\/p>\n

As 2026 gets underway, Gregson has high hopes for Kennedy and the rest of the club and is excited to see what comes next.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy goal for Kennedy is for him to continue his competitions, incorporate a bunch of new things that we\u2019ve learned, and run some tournaments that we haven\u2019t done before,\u201d she says. \u201cWe want to travel to states we\u2019ve never been to and expand into new territory outside of the U.S.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"TheThe pictures above were taken following Kennedy\u2019s win in Denmark. He is pictured with Coach Holly Gregson on the right. | Courtesy Holly Gregson<\/p>\n

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