Jass Boxing brings fight night to Sanford: Future Golden Gloves venue?

SANFORD, Maine — A night of amateur boxing bouts is set for the Sanford Veterans Memorial Gym on Saturday, Aug. 24 – and if the event is a knockout, the venue could become the home of future Northern New England Golden Gloves tournaments.

Jass Boxing , a nonprofit organization based in Berwick, is presenting the event. Doors will open that evening at 5:30 p.m. The first bell of the first bout will ring at 7 p.m.

Joe Siudut , who owns Jass Boxing, is the director of the northern division of New England Golden Gloves, which includes Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. Siudut said his boxing shows have outgrown their current venue – a school gym in Somersworth, New Hampshire – so he and his family are trying out the Sanford site, hoping it can become their new base for fight nights and tournaments.

So far, so good. Siudut said the City of Sanford – specifically, the local Parks and Recreation Department – has been welcoming.

“It’s bigger – and, of course, with bigger comes bigger expenses and everything else,” Siudut said about the Sanford site. “We’re trying it. If it works out, we’ll sit down with our board of directors and the coaches and say, hey, what do you think?”

Each fight at the Memorial Gym will consist of three two-minute rounds, with one-minute breaks between each one, according to Siudut.

While Siudut and his family are hunting for a new venue for their fundraising events, they are quite happy with the gym that provides training and sparring opportunities for people of all ages. Jass Boxing is located inside the former church at 24 Rochester St. in Berwick. As Siudut pointed out, the windows still have the stained-glass crosses.

Lee Frank’s expands to Wells: 'Old-fashioned classic American burger joint' coming soon

Jass Boxing has a passion for the sport of boxing

Walking into Siudut’s gym is like stepping into the set of the boxing movie of your choice. Punching bags hang from beams. Flags and sponsor-related banners drape the walls. Framed pictures of the greats hang nearby for inspiration. And, of course, the centerpiece of it all is the ring.

Siudut operates the organization alongside his wife, Jo-Ann, who is the secretary and treasurer, and their daughter, Jennifer, who, in addition to her own career, moonlights and runs the facility. Like most members of the younger generation in a family, Jennifer also handles the organization's online presence.

“She does it all,” JoAnn Siudut said.

For Siudut, his role as the gym’s “Mickey,” as perhaps fans of the “Rocky” movies might put it, is a natural extension of what for him has been a lifelong passion for the sport. He once boxed. Now he trains others.

Siudut was introduced to boxing when he was 14 and growing up in Lawrence, Massachusetts. At that age, he was taking lifeguard lessons at the Lawrence Boys Club and one day wandered into the gym where members boxed. A trainer – the man’s name might have been Jack, if Siudut remembers correctly – invited him to enter the ring.

Siudut did – and got knocked down at least five times.

“I tried swinging,” he said. “I didn’t know what I was doing. I didn’t have a clue.”

But here’s the thing: each time Siudut got knocked down, he got right back up. Jack admired and respected that get-up-off-the-canvas attitude, that determination, perseverance, and confidence, and offered to train Siudut. From there, Siudut kept boxing well into adulthood.

Kennebunk’s gem: How a viral TikTok video put Good Stock charm bar on the map

Boxing builds character and 'teaches them a little bit of discipline'

Siudut and his family are mission-driven at Jass Boxing: their gym is a place where boys and girls and men and women of all ages can go and train and choose whether to engage in no-contact drills or actual sparring in the ring.

Membership prices are set but also based on one’s ability to pay, according to Siudut.

“There are a lot of kids who come here for free,” Siudut said. “Sometimes, a single mom’s having a hard time making ends meet, so we allow her kids to come free. We do community service for some of the kids who have been in trouble or are in high school. Battered women come here for free.”

In particular, the Siuduts emphasize good sportsmanship and character development for their younger members. Students at Hurd Academy in North Berwick, for example, visit the gym as part of the school’s physical education curriculum. Police departments throughout the region steer young individuals to Jass Boxing if they think it will give them structure and guidance and lead them away from a life of committing crimes or making other bad life decisions.

“Boxing teaches them a little bit of discipline,” Siudut said.

To that point, the sport provides structure, the value of skills learned through the commitment of repetition, lessons in thinking on one’s feet, and a healthy alternative for working through stress, anger, and other challenging emotions.

A member could walk in feeling quiet and sullen, to the point of maybe shrugging when someone asks how they’re doing, according to Siudut, but then, after going a few rounds with a punching bag, they feel better – loosened up, more sociable, even.

“We tell them to come in and hit a bag,” Siudut said. “You hit somebody outside these doors, you go into an orange jumpsuit.”

While a haven for young people, the gym also welcomes all walks of life, according to Siudut.

“We have doctors, we have lawyers, we have businesspeople,” he said.

And for all, safety is paramount, Siudut said. Protective gear for one’s hands and head is provided. Siudut and other officials are on hand to monitor sparring and are not shy about cutting a bout short, if necessary for someone’s well-being. As mentioned, members can choose to stick with non-contact training too. Everyone proceeds and grows at the rate best for them.

Siudut said the motto for all officials is that it’s better to “stop one punch early than regret one punch later.”

“I’ve been called a lot of things because I stopped a fight a little too soon,” Siudut added. “But guess what? I’ve got big shoulders. I can take it.”

More: Mark Vaughan named Kennebunkport’s new deputy police chief

'You want to box? This is where it is'

Siudut said anyone who wants to learn the craft and discipline of boxing is welcome at his gym. And there’s one distinction he wants people to be clear about: Boxing is for the ring. Fighting is for the street.

“You want to fight? There’s the door,” said Siudut, gesturing towards his gym’s exit. “You want to box? This is where it is.”

On Aug. 24 at the Memorial Gym in Sanford, Siudut is looking forward to the event.

“We’re hoping for a good showing,” he said.

Tickets for bleacher seats cost $15. Ones for floor seats cost $30. If you want to sit ringside in the front row, that’ll cost you $40. Tickets can be purchased online at www.jassboxing.org .

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Jass Boxing brings fight night to Sanford: Future Golden Gloves venue?