Features

Spenard's basement boxing champion

In a cramped basement at the far end of Spenard Road, boxers train under the eye of 55-year-old coach Daniel Choi. Athletes here range from featherweight Johnny Taunton, who is training with Choi for a prospective May 21 bout in Las Vegas, to non-boxers just looking for a good workout. Choi, who emigrated to Alaska in 1985, turned to boxing as a child to protect himself from bullies in Korea and went on to become a two time Korean featherweight champion.

"I want to help people's character and spirit," Choi said through translator and gym regular Danny Ha. "I want to mold them into champions."

Contact Stephen Nowers at stephen(at)alaskadispatch.com.
ADVERTISEMENT