SHAWNEE, Kan. — A boxing club that works mostly with teenagers is searching for a new home.
Leo Moreno, owner of Leo Moreno, Jr. Boxing Club in Shawnee, Kansas, said the owner of the building where he rented space sold the building.
New owners allowed Moreno to keep the boxing club in the space at the same rate unless a new tenant willing to pay more came along.
A new tenant arrived, meaning Moreno had to leave July 1.
“I agreed to [that condition] because, for one, it being COVID and everything, the pandemic is out there, I figured: Who’s renting? Who’s leasing?" Moreno said. "Two, if I would have not accepted, they would’ve said, ‘You gotta go.' So one way or another, I was going to lose."
He now meets with his boxers twice a week at Brown Memorial Park in Merriam. They use a pavilion instead of a ring and do not wear gloves or punch bags because all of the club’s equipment is in storage.
Moreno hopes he can find a new facility at an affordable rate in the Shawnee or Merriam area, where he’s been located for the past ten years.
He does not want to rise the prices he charges boxers because he does not want to make boxing inaccessible for families.
“It’s my favorite sport. When I work hard at something, especially this sport, I feel accomplished at the end,” said 17-year-old Vinny Olivas, who works with Moreno.
Anyone with information about available space for lease can contact Moreno at 913-207-0513.
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