\n <\/p>\n
George Keen, 90, picked up boxing gloves 10 months ago after giving up pickleball for fear of injury.<\/p>\n
The noncontact boxing training with coach Katy Kopec has helped improve his strength and balance, he said. It also has motivated him to prepare for his classes with Kopec.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is game day for me,\u201d he said before class last week.<\/p>\n
Kopec believes a boxing regimen can improve the strength and balance of people of all ages, without the risk of injury posed by running or cycling.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is a beautiful discipline,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
She opened The Good Fight Boxing Gym<\/a> about four weeks ago in the Main Mall to expand the classes and training opportunities she offers to boxers of all skill levels.<\/p>\n Kopec, a speech therapist, had been teaching private lessons and a boxing class for those with movement disorders, such as Parkinson\u2019s disease, at the Durango Martial Arts Academy before opening her own gym.<\/p>\n Her new boxing gym now offers an Open Boxing Class for all skill levels, the Championship Round Boxing class for adults 55 and older, and private or semiprivate training sessions. She has also maintained her Punch Therapy class for those with Parkinson\u2019s, Lou Gehrig\u2019s disease, multiple sclerosis and other movement disorders.<\/p>\n In time, she would like to draw professional athletes who are interested in training at high altitude.<\/p>\n She shares the space with Steve Ilg, who is offering high-performance yoga classes.<\/p>\n Kopec started boxing 12 years ago in Lubbock, Texas, when a friend took her to a class.<\/p>\n \u201cIt really gave me a lot of strength and personal empowerment,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n She moved to Durango two years ago and has been searching for the right space for the new gym.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is something that\u2019s been a long time in the making,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Keen was inspired to start boxing after seeing Kopec shadow boxing at the Durango Recreation Center. His main goal is to maintain his health.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t want to lose too much,\u201d he said, \u201cbecause if I do there\u2019s nothing left but the rocking chair.\u201d<\/p>\n As a young man, Keen tried boxing at a YMCA, but he didn\u2019t enjoy the training because it focused on sparing.<\/p>\n However, he was fairly active before picking up the sport. In his 80s, he lifted weights, walked and played pickleball. He gave up pickleball two years ago because he had concerns about falling and breaking a bone<\/p>\n Staying active has been key for Keen, particularly after being diagnosed with prostate cancer for the first time in the 1970s. His prostate cancer has returned twice, most recently 10 years ago. He credits exercise with helping to keep his cancer under control.<\/p>\n \u201cStaying sick is a choice,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n More information about the new gym can be found at thegoodfightdurango.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n