Gloves on: Samuel Della trains with Lennie Griffiths.
Photo by
Hamish Donaldson
As you pull up to L G Boxing Gym, housed in an old railway shed opposite the train station in Benalla, you get the sense that you’re in a Rocky film.
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While the facilities may seem humble, the club and its trainer, Lennie Griffiths, have produced some of the hardest hitting boxers in the state.
Griffiths was a gifted boxer in his own right, winning The Silver Gloves in Shepparton in 1960 and 1963 which drew the attention of fighters across the state.
In the ring: Lennie Griffiths in the L G Boxing Gym.
Photo by
Hamish Donaldson
“I won the title in Shepparton and I got a write-up about it in the Ensign,” said Griffiths.
“They got the paper down in Puckapunyal where the British army light welterweight champion was on exchange there.
“They said to this bloke, ‘come on you think you’re so good, have a crack at this guy, have a go at him.’ So they sent a challenge up to me in the paper to come down and fight him.”
Griffiths took up the call and they entered the ring but after the first round, he said that he felt like he was fighting four people.
“Christ, he could fight, he belted me but my trainer said, ‘keep at him, go for the body because he’s not very fit, he’s carrying a bit of a paunch because he’d been having a good time (on exchange).
“In the second round I still didn’t get him and the trainer said ‘no, look, he’s already starting to blow already, keep at him, you’ll get him’ and in the third round I got him with a left rib right in the middle and I said ‘got ya!’
“I knocked him out next round, well he wasn’t knocked out, I was aiming for the guts and I hit him and he went down and stayed down and they counted him out.
“I was glad that he was on the grog (on exchange) because if he had been fit he would have killed me.”
Griffiths hung up the gloves in 1964 and started training nearly straight away at the Police and Citizens Youth Club and despite training boxers ever since he still does not call himself an expert.
“It’s a very intriguing sport, but it takes a long time to learn, especially if you’re a trainer,” Griffiths said.
“I’m still learning, and I say to the boys when I stop learning I’m going to retire.
“You’ve got to push them hard and if you don’t push them hard, they are not going to be good.”
One of the greatest success stories for Griffiths recently was training Tom Newton to the Victorian welterweight berth for the Australian titles where Newton won the silver medal.
Producing great boxers is only one goal that Griffiths aims to achieve through his training as he has also taken on people living with a mental disability to provide them with focused exercise.
L G Boxing Gym welcomes people of all ages as Griffiths teaches children the basics of boxing.
“We put them through their punches and we try to teach them how to throw their punches properly,” Griffiths said.
“They do a bit of shadow boxing but I don’t let them fight until they’re 16 years of age. They’ve got to have their parents’ permission before they get in the ring and start sparring because you have got to have a mouth guard and have head guards on.”
L G Gym is a non-for-profit gym with memberships being priced to cover the costs of running the gym.
It is obvious that Griffiths has a real passion for the sport and is proud of the people that he trains.
If you’re interested in training for the fitness benefits or you’re keen on working your way towards getting in the ring, L G Boxing Gym will be happy to welcome you.
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