{"id":537100,"date":"2026-03-15T02:19:12","date_gmt":"2026-03-15T02:19:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/537100\/"},"modified":"2026-03-15T02:19:12","modified_gmt":"2026-03-15T02:19:12","slug":"young-boxer-who-found-purpose-through-sport-sets-eyes-on-olympics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/537100\/","title":{"rendered":"Young boxer who found purpose through sport sets eyes on Olympics"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">When Brody Masterson straps on his boxing gloves and steps in the ring, he becomes a new person: a focused, driven fighter.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">On the other side of the ropes, the youth from Warragul in Victoria&#8217;s east is all smiles but few words, except to say how much the sport means to him.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">&#8220;It gives me motivation to live,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">&#8220;At the moment, it&#8217;s the only thing that really gets me going.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">At 17, Brody is already a champion boxer with about 10 wins under his belt \u2014 and he believes there is more to come.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"A close up image of someone putting on a pair of blue boxing gloves.\" class=\"Image_image__5tFYM ContentImage_image__DQ_cq\"  src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/b1c6dcd0395f205e8bbe63026b714836.jpeg\" loading=\"lazy\" data-component=\"Image\" data-lazy=\"true\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"Typography_base__sj2RP FigureCaption_text__zDxQ5 Typography_sizeMobile12__w_FPC Typography_lineHeightMobile20___U7Vr Typography_regular__WeIG6 Typography_colourInherit__dfnUx\" data-component=\"Typography\">The 17-year-old wants to make it to the top of the sport. (ABC News: Danielle Kutchel)<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">Brody endured a rough childhood, leaving home when he was 15.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">He began boxing at the age of 10, and it it in his blood \u2014 his great uncles were boxers too.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">But it was not love at first sight for Brody, who initially hated the sport &#8220;with a passion&#8221; and refused to go to the gym.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">However, when COVID hit, he realised how much he missed sparring.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;When it came back, I fully committed to it,&#8221;  Brody said.Dreaming of the top<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">It was not long before he was hooked, and after winning his first at 14, he found the motivation to keep training.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">Now, Brody says boxing makes him feel better about the world.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"A teenage boy with close shaved hair in a grey tshirt stands with crossed arms in front of a lake in a green grassy park.\" class=\"Image_image__5tFYM ContentImage_image__DQ_cq\"  src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/99a3de32b7ee8db048ff5a7f51a9ff0a.jpeg\" loading=\"lazy\" data-component=\"Image\" data-lazy=\"true\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"Typography_base__sj2RP FigureCaption_text__zDxQ5 Typography_sizeMobile12__w_FPC Typography_lineHeightMobile20___U7Vr Typography_regular__WeIG6 Typography_colourInherit__dfnUx\" data-component=\"Typography\">Brody Masterson is focused on his future, rather than his past. (ABC News: Danielle Kutchel)<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">He trains twice a day, waking up at 5:30am to fit it in before school, and then heading to the gym again after school for another round.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">Brody has his eye on the state titles this year, but his &#8220;top dream&#8221; is to be an Olympian.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I want to be in the top one per cent,&#8221;  he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">He knows there is lots of hard training ahead of him if he wants to achieve that dream, along with a lot of luck.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">&#8220;It gives me something to focus on \u2026 to stay away from a bad life,&#8221; Brody said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">&#8220;I&#8217;m always doing something instead of hanging out in the streets with silly kids.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">&#8220;I just think about the future and trying to get better. I don&#8217;t think about what I have done, I just think about getting to the top.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>More than just jabs<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">Federation University sport science professor Rochelle Eime said sport could be a positive vehicle for at-risk young people, often steering them away from poor choices.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.abc.net.au\/news\/2025-05-19\/boxers-adjust-training-methods-as-head-injury-knowledge-grows\/105253978\" data-component=\"FullBleedLink\" class=\"RelatedCard_link__rsgR9 FullBleedLink_root__lTw_U interactive_focusContext__yRhc_ interactive_defaults__AKxUU FullBleedLink_showVisited__g3Xvz\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Head injury risks in boxing<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"Typography_base__sj2RP RelatedCard_synopsis__cFwMW Typography_sizeMobile14__u7TGe Typography_lineHeightMobile20___U7Vr Typography_regular__WeIG6 Typography_colourInherit__dfnUx\" data-component=\"Typography\">Competitive boxers are looking to minimise head trauma as knowledge of its impact grows.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">&#8220;Sport can also provide an outlet. It&#8217;s something to get away from the stress of everyday life,&#8221; she said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">&#8220;You can stop and not think about all those other things, and connect with others and have an enjoyable experience.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">But Professor Eime said people from disadvantaged groups faced additional barriers to entering sport, such as a lack of programs or facilities in their area, or even a big enough population to warrant starting a sports program.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We do know there is a big disparity in participation \u2014 those who can afford it are more likely to play,&#8221;  she said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">&#8220;Those who are disadvantaged are missing out.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">&#8220;We do need to have more opportunities for those children. The more diversion programs we can have to support those children and youth \u2026 the better.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>A confidence booster<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">Paul Jenkins has been training young people in boxing for more than three decades at the Moe Youth Club Boxing Gym.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">His dad was a fighter, so Mr Jenkins grew up with an urge to get in the ring himself.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">&#8220;My mother was dead against it but when I got to a stage where she couldn&#8217;t stop me, she was my biggest fan,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"An older man with whispy hair around his face stands in a boxing ring wearing blue gloves, looking to the side of the camera.\" class=\"Image_image__5tFYM ContentImage_image__DQ_cq\"  src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/27d1708cf1f28c6e60269c6c5fc4e83c.jpeg\" loading=\"lazy\" data-component=\"Image\" data-lazy=\"true\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"Typography_base__sj2RP FigureCaption_text__zDxQ5 Typography_sizeMobile12__w_FPC Typography_lineHeightMobile20___U7Vr Typography_regular__WeIG6 Typography_colourInherit__dfnUx\" data-component=\"Typography\">Paul Jenkins has been training young people for more than three decades. (ABC News: Danielle Kutchel)<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">Over his time as a coach, Mr Jenkins said he had watched countless young boxers step over the ropes and grow \u2014 not just as athletes, but as community members too.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">&#8220;I&#8217;ve met so many great young blokes and, more recently, young ladies,&#8221; Mr Jenkins said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">&#8220;Most will come from humble backgrounds \u2014 commission-area type thing, as I did. The stories [you hear] are the ones that succeed, but then there&#8217;s the ones that don&#8217;t get in the ring but they train for a long time and walk away a lot more confident.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">&#8220;You later run into them and see they&#8217;re successful tradesmen, home owners, family men \u2026 boxing can really build character.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">Mr Jenkins said when young people stepped inside the gym and put on the gloves, the problems they faced could disappear as they focused on the rhythm of jabs and crosses.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"A young man with curly dark hair wearing boxing gloves and clothes ducks under the arm of an older man in the boxing ring\" class=\"Image_image__5tFYM ContentImage_image__DQ_cq\"  src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/5d41bad3740bb8c58e8ca1cac52b57a1.jpeg\" loading=\"lazy\" data-component=\"Image\" data-lazy=\"true\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"Typography_base__sj2RP FigureCaption_text__zDxQ5 Typography_sizeMobile12__w_FPC Typography_lineHeightMobile20___U7Vr Typography_regular__WeIG6 Typography_colourInherit__dfnUx\" data-component=\"Typography\">Paul Jenkins (right) training with student Kolt Flintrop. (ABC News: Danielle Kutchel)<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">He believes boxing can help people from disadvantaged backgrounds overcome challenges, giving them a purpose and opportunities to do things that would otherwise be out of reach, like travelling interstate for competitions.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph_paragraph___QITb\">&#8220;There are so many barriers in front of you. When you&#8217;re young, to overcome these barriers [through boxing] is so good for your self-esteem and self-belief \u2026 and humility,&#8221; Mr Jenkins said.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Later in life they can say, &#8216;Yes, I was good at that.'&#8221;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When Brody Masterson straps on his boxing gloves and steps in the ring, he becomes a new person:&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":537101,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[447],"tags":[703,210068,49,48,210069,84,393,4963,156139,210070,457,82,210071],"class_list":["post-537100","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-boxing","tag-boxing","tag-brody-masterson","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-disadvantaged","tag-health","tag-mental-health","tag-olympics","tag-paul-jenkins","tag-rochelle-eime","tag-sport","tag-sports","tag-youth-crime"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/537100","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=537100"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/537100\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/537101"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=537100"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=537100"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=537100"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}