{"id":486913,"date":"2026-02-20T05:11:11","date_gmt":"2026-02-20T05:11:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/486913\/"},"modified":"2026-02-20T05:11:11","modified_gmt":"2026-02-20T05:11:11","slug":"boxing-students-return-to-ring-as-milwaukee-gym-reopens-after-electrical-fire","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/486913\/","title":{"rendered":"Boxing students return to ring as Milwaukee gym reopens after electrical fire"},"content":{"rendered":"

MILWAUKEE, Wis.\u2014 Ace Boxing Club, which has served the community for more than 60 years as a nonprofit providing disadvantaged youth with a positive outlet, welcomed back students and coaches who were eager to return to the ring.<\/p>\n

“It feels good, I feel happy again, like I can actually be a coach now,” said Jaime Nerios, a coach at the gym.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

For many young people, Ace Boxing Club serves as more than just a place to learn the sport \u2013 it’s a safe space where they can develop life skills and find community.<\/p>\n

“It’s better to sweat in the gym than bleed in the streets,” echoed throughout the facility as students and coaches returned.<\/p>\n

The gym holds deep personal meaning for those involved. <\/p>\n

“I cling to it so much. It’s just part of my heart,” Nerios said.<\/p>\n

Students credit the gym with helping them make positive changes in their lives.<\/p>\n

“I stopped doing bad stuff. I hang out with better people. It’s a good influence on me and everyone who comes here,” said Cory Keller, a boxing student.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Another student, Genaro Saavedra, emphasized the unity the gym creates among diverse participants.<\/p>\n

“You don’t have to be the same blood or the same color. It shows us unity,” Saavedra said.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Frank Porter, the gym’s owner, explained that the facility holds special significance beyond boxing training. <\/p>\n

“This boxing club is not just a boxing club. It was named in my father’s honor marking him the first Native American in the state of Wisconsin to get a county building named after him,” Porter said.<\/p>\n

The electrical fire that forced the temporary closure started in the roof of the building and traveled down, creating a hole in the back wall. While the damage has been temporarily repaired enough to allow students back, the restoration is not complete.<\/p>\n

Watch: Boxing students return to ring as Milwaukee boxing gym reopens after electrical fire forced closure<\/p>\n

Boxing students return to ring as Milwaukee boxing gym reopens after electrical fire forced closure<\/p>\n

Head coach Jason Janiszewski explained that the gym faces financial challenges in completing the repairs.<\/p>\n

“We have to ask for donations because the damage isn’t covered through insurance,” Janiszewski said.<\/p>\n

The club is holding a fire restoration fundraiser at Culver’s in Greenfield, 6031 W. Layton Ave., on Wednesday, February 25th from 5p.m. to 8p.m. <\/p>\n

“This is a safe haven,” Janiszewski said.<\/p>\n

The gym’s leadership hopes that with a full restoration completed, they can continue serving the community for many more years.<\/p>\n

Let’s talk:<\/p>\n

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Report a typo or error<\/a> \/\/ Submit a news tip<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"MILWAUKEE, Wis.\u2014 Ace Boxing Club, which has served the community for more than 60 years as a nonprofit…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":486914,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[447],"tags":[703,49,48,82],"class_list":["post-486913","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-boxing","tag-boxing","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/486913","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=486913"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/486913\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/486914"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=486913"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=486913"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=486913"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}