{"id":306380,"date":"2026-05-08T18:42:10","date_gmt":"2026-05-08T18:42:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/306380\/"},"modified":"2026-05-08T18:42:10","modified_gmt":"2026-05-08T18:42:10","slug":"boxing-in-oakland-the-gym-training-future-pros-like-thomas-mcelroy-jr","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/306380\/","title":{"rendered":"Boxing in Oakland: The Gym Training Future Pros Like Thomas McElroy Jr."},"content":{"rendered":"

His story, along with other rising fighters, is illuminated in the new four-part documentary series Sons of the Sweet Science<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of great fighters from this gym, and all around Oakland,\u201d McElroy Jr. tells me. At 19 years old, he\u2019s fully aware of the legacy of this soil.<\/p>\n

Retired Olympic gold medalist Andre Ward<\/a> and current World Boxing Organization welterweight champion Devin Haney<\/a> both started in the Town. Notable fighters like Bilal Mahasin<\/a>, Amari Jones<\/a>\u00a0and Anthony Garnica<\/a> learned the ropes here, as did Nonito \u201cThe Filipino Flash\u201d Donaire<\/a> and Juaquin \u201cKiller\u201d Gallardo<\/a>, a 1996 U.S. Olympic team alternate.<\/p>\n

The first African American fighter to win the Light Heavyweight title, John Henry Lewis<\/a>, spent his adult years in the East Bay, running a gym with his brothers. (He was also the father of Joan Tarika Lewis<\/a>, the first woman to join the Black Panther Party.)<\/p>\n

Reflecting on the Town\u2019s lineage, McElroy says, \u201cI\u2019m just adding the cherry on top.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"AThomas McElroy Jr. has accomplished a lot as an amateur fighter. Now, he\u2019s looking to turn pro. (Ren\u00e9e Moncada-McElroy)<\/p>\n

Formerly ranked No. 2 in the nation in the 143-pound weight class, McElroy recently moved up to the 154-pound division, where he\u2019s ranked No. 6. Fresh from winning an exhibition fight by unanimous decision in Las Vegas this past weekend, McElroy Jr. is preparing for the Junior Olympics in June \u2014 which he predicts will be his last tournament before turning pro.<\/p>\n

And with that, he\u2019ll start the next chapter of a story he started as a baby.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have a picture of him with his big old boxing gloves on,\u201d says Ren\u00e9e Moncada-McElroy<\/a>. \u201cHe\u2019s literally been doing this all his life.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"AnAs a toddler, Thomas McElroy Jr. put on his first pair of boxing gloves \u2014 and he hasn\u2019t stopped fighting since. (Ren\u00e9e Moncada-McElroy)
\n\u2018It\u2019s not just about boxing\u2019<\/p>\n

Moncada-McElroy, McElroy Jr.\u2019s mother, is also the creator of the documentary series Sons of the Sweet Science; the latest production credit on her already stacked r\u00e9sum\u00e9.<\/p>\n

She\u2019s worked as a producer for the reality show Big Freedia: Queen of Bounce and the nature show Man vs. Fish. She also directed on the series Chain Gang Girls and was the force behind a documentary about Oakland rap legend Too Short, Life Is: The Life and Times of Todd Shaw.<\/p>\n

But this one is different.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not just about boxing,\u201d says Moncada-McElroy, explaining her goal to show the ring as a rite of passage. \u201cComing of age under pressure,\u201d as she calls it, \u201cand it\u2019s connected to real-world stakes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"AThomas McElroy Jr. and his parents, Ren\u00e9e Moncada-McElroy and Thomas McElroy.<\/p>\n

The series was filmed around 2021, in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd and numerous other high-profile extrajudicial murders of Black people. \u201cThe gym was a safe space for them during that time,\u201d says the filmmaker, recognizing the pressure that her son and his friends faced as teenage Black men in America.<\/p>\n

She credits coaches Kris Lopez and Abe Morones for creating a place for young people to fully express themselves. \u201cThe gyms are social service agencies,\u201d asserts Moncada-McElroy. \u201cThey\u2019re an alternative to the streets for a lot of these boys.\u201d<\/p>\n

But even in finding a bit of escape, the influence of the Town isn\u2019t far behind.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Oakland style of boxing,\u201d says coach Kris Lopez, \u201cis an intellectual style of boxing.\u201d The best fighters from the region, he says, have a great understanding of distance, and of keeping their front guard hand up at a 45-degree angle. They also make tremendous use of the jab.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a balanced style that doesn\u2019t rely on power punching, but instead focuses on rhythm, good fundamentals, sharp lines and timing.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re not going to catch an Oakland fighter sitting in the shell too long,\u201d says Lopez. \u201cThey\u2019re going to dictate the fight with the jab and be more like a sniper, landing clean shots.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"ACoach Kris \u201cLightning\u201d Lopez secures the gloves on a young boxer\u2019s hands before a training session. (Pendarvis Harshaw)<\/p>\n

In addition to the technical aspects of the sport, the\u00a0community safety net and coming-of-age experience, the series centers fatherhood.<\/p>\n

Rattling off a list of great boxers, male and female, Moncada-McElroy notes how deeply their fathers (or father figures) were involved in their upbringing. Thomas McElroy Jr. is no different.<\/p>\n

A mother\u2019s love, a father\u2019s guidance<\/p>\n

\u201cI love that my son is achieving all that he wants to achieve so far in boxing,\u201d says the elder Thomas McElroy. \u201cThere\u2019s so much you can learn from boxing that doesn\u2019t have anything to do with punching and not getting punched.\u201d<\/p>\n

McElroy, as one half of the acclaimed music production team Foster and McElroy<\/a>, has produced hits for legendary groups En Vogue and Tony! Toni! Ton\u00e9!, as well as Timex Social Club and Club Nouveau.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s also a longtime Muay Thai kickboxer.<\/p>\n

\"AThomas McElroy Jr. has been training with his father all his life. (Ren\u00e9e Moncada-McElroy)<\/p>\n

\u201cBoxing is a beautiful art, it\u2019s a craft,\u201d says McElroy, describing the lessons his son is gleaning in the ring.<\/p>\n

It takes a certain type of person to want to become a boxer, McElroy says. Most folks avoid conflict. \u201cThey don\u2019t want to get in the ring and fight, they\u2019d rather run,\u201d he says. \u201cAnd then some people run toward the flame, you know? They don\u2019t mind getting burned. They don\u2019t mind getting heated up.\u201d<\/p>\n

McElroy says, \u201cThey just add to the flame when they get there.\u201d<\/p>\n

McElroy Jr. maintains a healthy relationship with his father, somebody he says he can talk to any time. \u201cHe\u2019s a very cool dude,\u201d adds the young boxer, referring to him as a coach, trainer and an all-around person in his corner.<\/p>\n

\u201cI look at my dad,\u201d McElroy Jr. says, \u201cas more than just a father.\u201d<\/p>\n

Oakland boxing is different<\/p>\n

The importance of family support, the intricate mindset of a young boxer and the texture of the Town are all prominent in the first episode of Sons of the Sweet Science.<\/p>\n

In one scene, fathers deescalate a potentially bad situation where a boxer doesn\u2019t have proper equipment. In another brief clip, Moncada-McElroy holds her son close as he processes emotions after a rough fight. And in yet another scene, McElroy Jr. and his friends smile wide as they jump into a swimming pool, evidence that they retain their childlike joy in the midst of constantly training for battle.<\/p>\n

\"AIn addition to boxing, Thomas McElroy Jr. is a visual artist, musician and craftsman. (Pendarvis Harshaw)<\/p>\n

By fusing narrative storytelling with a very intentional soundtrack, Moncada-McElroy guides the viewers through the emotions that come with fighting \u2014 both inside and outside the ring. In the end, for an activity that involves getting punched in the face, she creates a language that expresses the poetry of the sport.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s strategy, it\u2019s precision, timing and control,\u201d she says. \u201cAnd so I wanted to make sure that I used certain tools or certain formats to communicate the language that boxing has.\u201d<\/p>\n

Moncada-McElroy breaks that language down into a bit of a paradox, one that parallels the knotty nature of Oakland.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s complicated,\u201d she says, comparing the Town to the sport. \u201cYou have opportunities, but you also have limitations. There\u2019s community, but there\u2019s also isolation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Within Oakland\u2019s style of boxing, she sees a deeper dichotomy: \u201cThere\u2019s a sort of lightheartedness,\u201d Moncada-McElroy says of the boxers she watches, \u201cbut they do take care of business when they get in the ring \u2026 They may not start it, but they\u2019re gonna finish it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even the existential questions that the boxing gym currently faces illustrate a duality. It\u2019s unfortunate that a stolen car busted through the gym\u2019s front wall six months ago. It\u2019s also truly beautiful that a storied nightclub and cultural hub would open up its space and allow its young athletes to continue to grow.<\/p>\n

It turns out that the secrets to being an incredible city and a respected fighter are one and the same: support from community, a bit of conflict, and a confident jab. And balance \u2014 always maintain your balance.<\/p>\n