{"id":56871,"date":"2025-11-22T18:08:09","date_gmt":"2025-11-22T18:08:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/56871\/"},"modified":"2025-11-22T18:08:09","modified_gmt":"2025-11-22T18:08:09","slug":"documentary-highlights-legendary-st-pete-boxing-club","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/56871\/","title":{"rendered":"Documentary highlights legendary St. Pete Boxing Club"},"content":{"rendered":"

A rugged, no-frills boxing gym in South St. Petersburg has helped produce four world champions. However, the gym\u2019s rich history remains unknown to most outsiders.\u00a0<\/p>\n

That will soon change. A local filmmaking prodigy made it his mission to put a long-overdue spotlight on the St. Pete Boxing Club, where he also trains.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Charlie King<\/a> wrote, directed, produced and edited Successors of St. Pete: The St. Pete Boxing Club Story. The award-winning short-film creator\u2019s first full-length feature will premiere Tuesday at The Beach Theatre<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve seen many videos on Winky Wright and Keith Thurman, but I\u2019ve never seen one on the gym overall,\u201d King said of the two legends. \u201cI was just hoping that no one would get the idea before me. I think someone like me, who knows the people and has been in the gym, would be the correct person to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Coach Ray Milton echoed that sentiment. He said it was \u201cabsolutely\u201d better to have an insider document the South St. Pete gym\u2019s uncanny penchant for developing boxers and men.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The gym<\/p>\n

The club\u2019s loyal stakeholders prioritize hard work over attention. A small homemade sign affixed to the nondescript building at 1330 49th St. S. belies the greatness achieved inside.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Anyone who steps inside will soon realize the St. Pete Boxing Club<\/a> is no typical gym. Yellow-tinged newspaper clippings, old photos and promotional posters featuring some of the greatest fighters to ever lace their gloves cover the walls.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The building\u2019s ceiling is missing a few drywall panels. A ring takes up most of the space. Boxing equipment and a couple of stools are the only furnishings.<\/p>\n

Born in July 1982 along 4th Street South, the St. Pete Boxing Club quickly became a haven for underserved and at-risk youth. David Santos, Jeff \u201cLeft Hook\u201d Lacy and Winky Wright became emerging stars.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The latter two fighters became world champions. So did Keith Thurman, who is still chasing another belt. Milton noted that people often forget that Chad Dawson also trained at the club.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople say, \u2018Well, Chad Dawson did not win the title while he was here,\u2019\u201d Milton elaborated. \u201cBut Chad Dawson became the number one contender in this gym. Then he fought for the world title after he left here.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWould he have become a world champion if he didn\u2019t come here? I don\u2019t know. But I\u2019m sure it helped him. Because he worked with Winky Wright, Jeff \u2018Left Hook\u2019 Lacy and then Keith Thurman was up-and-coming.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Coach Ray Milton (left) talks with Charlie King at the St. Pete Boxing Club on 49th Street South.<\/p>\n

Milton said Wright, a boxing hall of famer, created the blueprint for subsequent champions. Coaches also realized \u201cwhat to watch out for\u201d when area youth entered the gym.\u00a0<\/p>\n

A person\u2019s \u201cmental faculties\u201d are just as important as their boxing talent, Milton added. Trainers want to see determination and discipline and, if everything lines up, \u201cyou\u2019ve got the recipe to be a champion.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou get all these world champions come through here, and it\u2019s going to rub off on you. Some of that energy,\u201d Milton said of the club\u2019s success. \u201cAnd we got a couple more young guys. We\u2019ve got a lot of talent in here.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Rob Mendez succeeded Dan Birmingham as the club\u2019s owner. Mendez\u2019s padded hands were taking a beating from Kristian Kanushi on a recent afternoon.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Kanushi is currently in a four-way tie for ninth place in USA Boxing\u2019s 154-pound amateur rankings. Milton said he has Wright\u2019s vision and wisdom.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cKeith Thurman and all those guys, they love him (Kanushi),\u201d Milton continued. \u201cWinky (Wright) always tells me, \u2018You got one there.\u2019\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Boxing phenom Kristian Kanushi (left) trains with owner and coach Rob Mendez.<\/p>\n

The filmmaker<\/p>\n

King, 18, moved to St. Pete from New Jersey in 2021. He got the boxing bug at 13 while watching exhibition bouts between social media influencers and retired athletes.\u00a0<\/p>\n

A member of his former gym in New Jersey, Different Breed Sports Academy, told him about the St. Pete Boxing Club\u2019s success in fostering champions. King began hearing the stories firsthand while training at the gym \u2013 three times weekly for the past four years.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt just took over my whole life,\u201d King said. \u201cI was never a sports kid when I was younger. For the past five or six years, I\u2019ve been totally in love with the sport of boxing.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

As a child, King wanted to become an actor. He began making YouTube videos at 8 and soon realized he is \u201cmuch more of a behind-the-scenes guy.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

King has submitted his short films to various festivals and found some early success. He has also attended camps in New York City and Los Angeles, and knew he wanted to complete a \u201cbig project\u201d before heading to college.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Filming for Successors began in March and wrapped in October. Multiple local boxing legends, including Wright and Thurman, agreed to the teen\u2019s interview requests.\u00a0<\/p>\n

King called those \u201cjust a very good experience\u201d facilitated by connections made at the gym. He walked up and pitched Thurman one day, and Birmingham put him in touch with Wright. \u201cIt was all kind of a domino effect after that,\u201d King said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cGetting in the mind of a champion, whether it\u2019s boxing or filmmaking or whatever, they can teach you a lot.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Charlie Kings stands next to one of the gym\u2019s mantras.<\/p>\n

The film\u2019s trailer has garnered attention on social media. King credited his experience making \u201cfake promotional trailers for upcoming boxing fights when I was younger\u201d to its success.\u00a0<\/p>\n

King\u2019s parents instilled that if he wanted to do something, he had to \u201cgo all the way.\u201d He offered similar advice to burgeoning filmmakers: \u201cJust keep at it, and make sure that\u2019s the only thing you think about.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

King also credited Jessica Burchfield and Luis Alatorre, his visual arts and digital media<\/a> teachers, respectively, at St. Pete Catholic<\/a>, for helping guide him along his filmmaking journey. \u201cHaving people who know what you want to do and supporting you \u2013 I just think that helps a lot.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

After graduation, King hopes to attend film school at Florida State University<\/a>. He eagerly anticipates the premiere of Successors and its subsequent online release Thursday, Nov. 27.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve shown it to a good amount of people now,\u201d King said. \u201cAnd they all said they think it\u2019s professional-level stuff. So, I\u2019m excited to see it with an audience.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Coach Ray Milton believes the St. Pete Boxing Club\u2019s next world champion is already training at the gym.<\/p>\n

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