Medcalf: St. Paul boxing club aims to fill a void for neighborhood youth

When you first meet Cerresso Fort, you quickly notice his hands. They’re a boxer’s hands. The former professional fighter who finished 18-4-1 in his career has hardened fists forged by years of training.

“I’ve met some good friends through boxing,” he told me recently. “Some good people, too.”

The other thing you immediately recognize about Fort is his heart. At Sir Boxing Club in St. Paul, his goal is clear: to give kids and adults in his community — and beyond — a positive outlet to channel their energy.

Fort’s gym sits on Arcade Street on the East Side of St. Paul, where the Harding High School graduate discovered his passion for the sport.

And now, he hopes to turn the dream he started a decade ago into a local hub in a neighborhood he loves. At Sir Boxing Club, Fort hosts classes for everyone: kids intrigued by the craft, adults who just want to get in shape and serious fighters with the same dreams he once had.

“We don’t turn anyone down, for the most part,” he said. “We’ve got kids here of all ages. And then we’ve got some adults that range from 60 to 67 years old.”

I first met Fort at one of his pro fights more than 15 years ago. I was a sports reporter for the Star Tribune and he was a 20-something boxer chasing a world championship.

We reminisced about our younger years and the first time we interacted following one of his earliest fights. We’re both older now. We’re fathers who might not move as fast as we once did. But Fort is still active in the local boxing world through his gym.

While I understand the risks boxers take whenever they step into the ring, I’ve always admired the circumstances: Two combatants face off without guns or knives and everybody usually goes home. They get to live to see another day.

Fort believes the greatest benefit of teaching people, especially youths, boxing skills is not helping them prepare for a fight but showing them how to avoid one.

Few public places seem to open their arms to kids today. The malls are strict. The roller rinks that once occupied my Saturdays have disappeared. And large gatherings of kids at any spot in the Twin Cities sometimes attracts unwarranted police attention.

So where can you go if you just want to be a kid and have fun in Minnesota? The lack of answers contributes to some of the challenges those same kids encounter because they do not have the outlets they need and deserve.

But that demographic is the one Fort aims to help most with his gym.

“That’s the asset of having a boxing club because what it can do is it can channel that energy, that anger — or whatever they’re dealing with — on the heavy bag, on boxing, mitts, certain workouts we do,” he said. “It can take that away. And also, just that time period and that time that kid could have been elsewhere and something could’ve happened to that kid or they can be out there and getting into trouble or be at the wrong place, wrong time.”

On Arcade Street, Fort’s boxing club stands tall. Its vibrant signage gives the street flair. Inside, the gym is stocked with mats, punching bags, gloves and other equipment.

He credits his wife — Georgia Fort, the award-winning local media personality — for finding and developing the property into what it is now. He also said the couple have plans to purchase other St. Paul properties.

With a pair of boxing gloves, Fort knows he can give the folks in his gym a different outlook on life.

“It lets me know that I’m actually a pillar in my community,” he said. “When I see trash, I’ve got to get out of the car and pick it up. I want to keep everything in our community clean. I want to keep it right and tight. I want to help be an asset to the community and also just let kids know we’ve got a safe haven: the gym here where they can come and be comfortable here and feel good.”

I remember Fort in the ring. He was always tenacious and determined. Today, those qualities remain as he runs his gym. And now he has accepted a new fight, one that’s more impactful than those he endured throughout his boxing career.

“It makes me feel good,” he said, “to look over and see that we’ve got a home.”