HOUSTON – For “2 Helps You: Community Helping Community” this Friday, an email to our inbox had us traveling to the east side of the city.
More specifically, to a large warehouse shed at the corner of Darwin Road and the Eastex Freeway feeder road.
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It’s there that, within minutes, we heard a 22-year-old tell us, “We’re just here to help people,” said Manny DeAnda of DeAnda Brothers Boxing.
The professional boxer, still in the early stages of his career, quickly pointed out, “I think we are doing something great.”
Manny is right.
He and his brother, Maximus, run the gym where they help train up to 60 kids every Monday through Friday. Manny started the program when he was 17 years old.
“We’re here to set a foundation in the community, to give some of them something to go to. And, you know, I think we’re doing something great.”
I’ve stepped into many boxing gyms in my day, and I am uniquely qualified to say the gym these two brothers operate is as raw, gritty, and ruggedly beautiful as the best of them.
It’s a place where champions of the community are being made.
Where children tell us they are being trained “not to be a bully,” while also having a lot of fun. One little champion-in-the-making named Ethan told me, “It’s something I love and something I’m passionate about.”
A passion project for two brothers in their twenties, that has become the heart of their community.
In fact, even Harris County Sheriff’s Officers have embraced program and have routinely stopped by to work with the kids.
When 2 Helps You asked Manny if he truly comprehended what he was doing for the community, he admitted, “Not really, man. Because I do it because I love it.”
As for Maximus: “I mean, I feel like we brought something to the neighborhood that is positive, that is good.”
What’s next for the two brothers? A professional fight for Manny on June 6 in Galveston.
Maximus will be in his corner.