West Grove’s Lef Jab Boxing Club has recently celebrated thirty years in business, writes Richard Gaw for Chester County Press.
Originally started by founder and owner Clif Johnson, Lef Jab’s milestone anniversary was reached on March 1.
Johnson originally lived in Delaware and competed as a boxer. He was later inspired to begin his own training gym while driving through Avondale.
One of his earliest trainees was his nephew Shawn. He would eventually become the only four-time heavyweight Golden Glove Champion Pennsylvania thanks to Johnson’s coaching.
In the decades since, hundreds of gym members have found confidence and skill through training at Lef Jab.
Speech language pathologist Phoebe Shoap first came to Lef Jab when she was eleven years old; she credits learning to box as helping her eventually become captain of the soccer team at Ursinus College.
Another gym member, Ashley Woodward, first went to Lef Jab two years ago to find an alternative to traditional cardio. According to Woodward, training with Johnson allowed her to grow both agility skills and self-discipline.
When training all gym members, Johnson remains committed to cultivating self-confidence and making boxing accessible to all, stating, “A lot of people think that they can’t do this, or they can’t do that. What I learned when I began boxing was that I could do anything if I put my mind to it.”
Read more about Clif Johnson and Lef Jab Boxing Club in Chester County Press.
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