Inside the boxing ring, 15-year-old Victor Limas throwing punches as if he has the weight of the world on his shoulders. From across the ring, an elderly man, Joe "Pops" Watts, yells for Limas to settle down before he starts his round.

"You guys need mouthpieces," Pops yells to Victor. "You already ugly - you can't afford to lose no teeth."

Pops is sitting in an old chair with carrot-orange plastic lining that might have come from a yard sale in 1975. He sits in the same chair every day, every week.

"He wants to be the world champion," Pops says about Victor.

So, can he?

"Yeah, if he sticks with it," Pops says, then pauses and tips his chin toward the sweaty air that fills the gym. "And if he listens to me."

From outside, the building looks abandoned. But inside the old factory at 1010 Ballard St. in Lansing is the Crown Boxing Club. A handful of men from as young as 8 to as old as 35 go fist-to-fist each day, training for tournaments around the state.

Youth mixed with wisdom gives the aura that something great is emerging within the ropes at Crown. Victor, a Lansing native, might have something to do with that. He is Crown Boxing's hope for the next great fighter.

Crown Boxing started in 1976 and hosts anyone committed and passionate about boxing, with most of its crowd coming from the streets. The coaches are unpaid, the building was donated and anyone can join, as long as he or she registers with the USA Boxing association and abides by its rules.

The rules are enforced by Moses Manuel, a 42-year-old military-style coach who points out the guidelines that are clearly posted on the chalkboard next to the door as you walk into the gym.

No cursing. No bandannas. No saggy shorts. No talking back. Do what the coach says.

Moses teaches tough love and respect to the kids of Crown. He said most don't receive a lot of love at home.

"A lot of these kids come off the streets and they're arrogant and they think they're tough," Moses said.

"Boxing keeps you disciplined to get you through life."

Moses said he tries to reach out to kids who need a father figure by inspiring them with hard-core love.

"If we don't teach them boxing, we can at least teach them life and that they have a place to come," Moses said. "And most importantly, we teach them respect.

"I make sure these kids know right away - you disrespect me, I'll snatch your heart out."

Moses then smiles, but gives that "I know what you did" look.

Moses said kids like Victor that come to fight from an undisciplined background are fighting society, fighting life and fighting to find a place in the world.

"Vic carries his anger into the ring with him like he's mad at the world," Moses said. "When he gets into the ring, you can see it in his eyes and the way he swings.

"Every one of these kids has something in him that makes him fight - they all got a story."

Respect

Victor is in the ring. His eyes are squinted with anger and desire as if he is trying to throw every situation that has ever angered him into his opponent. His challenger is 20 years old and drove from an hour away to fight.

Victor swings and misses.

"Quit backing away and don't put your head down," Moses yells. "Concentrate! It's taking more for you to swing and miss than to swing and hit."

Most 15-year-olds have a few things on their minds - school, friends, sports and girls. For Victor, his mindset is apparent.

"Boxing, boxing, maybe a little school and more boxing," Vic said. "It's the glory in it. It's something I focus on. I mean, I focus on schoolwork, but I fight in my sleep."

Victor said he has learned the importance of boxing and not using it as a tool for bragging rights.

He used to fight in the streets and at school without caring about consequences. He was expelled from school for starting fights.

At Crown, Victor said he learned the value of knowing how to box not only for defense, but also as a means of respect.

"I've learned it's not a game, it's an art," Victor said. "I want to prove to myself and everyone else that I can make it.

"I don't want to live a crappy life. I can overcome the bad stuff and look toward the future."

Moses said he has seen Victor grow as a fighter, and more importantly, as a man.

"He came up to me one day and said, 'What if the kids want to fight me in school?'" Moses said. "I said, 'Just because you're a boxer doesn't mean you fight. If somebody's bothering you, Victor, be the better man and walk away.'

"It doesn't make you a man to fight people; it makes you a man to walk away."

Moses said Victor's attitude and street mentality have changed since he first walked into Crown Boxing.

"He was rowdy, out of control and had no discipline," Moses said about the first time he met Victor. "We let him and the other kids know from the beginning - we came from the streets just like you, and if we can survive it and make it, so can you."

Brent Novak, a trainer at Crown, has been at the gym for seven years and worked with Victor for more than two. Novak said Victor has an incredible work ethic and is driven with inspiration from all aspects of his life to be a future champion.

"For his age group, he's one of our top fighters. He wants it more than anybody else down here," Novak said. "These kids see the possibilities in boxing, and I think to Victor, more than anybody, that applies.

"It's his. And I think because he doesn't have a whole lot, it's something that's his and he can grasp hold of it."

Make Them Proud

Victor is struggling. He took a few body shots and he is backing into the ropes. His knees are wobbly and he looks like a baby learning to take its first steps - he bounces, walks, bounces again and somehow finds the energy and balance to keep moving. The bell rings.

"Time's up," Moses shouts. "Vic - you have to stay off the ropes. Quit backing away. You're struggling, boy."

Victor's mom left his family when he was 7 years old, and his father raised Victor and his six siblings. Moses' father left his family when he was 9 years old. Moses said his life experiences have helped him mentor Victor through hard times and disappointment.

"I can see it - I know he's hurting," Moses said. "When that happens, there's an emptiness in your heart that's never filled."

Moses grew up in Ittabena, Miss., during the civil rights movement, where he learned lessons about the importance of having a mentor and a sport to turn to with teammates and coaches to lend support.

"I remember when I was in sports, I'd look up in the audience, and as long as my mama was there, I didn't care if I was facing 20,000 men on the football field - I was gonna perform," he said.

"I admire Victor's father for raising those kids and being there for all of his fights."

Moses gets emotional when he talks about the young boxers because he serves as a father for many as he learns of their gang fights or teen pregnancies. Moses said he tries to serve as a role model of what a real man is, and he teaches his young men to be thankful for everyone who helps them along their paths in life.

"We're passing through this life on a mission," Moses said. "Everybody we come in contact with, whether we like them or not, they're gonna touch our lives. If I can help these kids, like Victor, I will. That's the best feeling in life."

The men at Crown Boxing are like family to many of the boys that come through the doors. Crown Boxing competed in the state championships where 15 out of 18 fighters were champions. Four coaches brought the kids to the tournament. Two parents showed up.

The kids at Crown Boxing are fighting against the odds. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, one out of five children has a learning, emotional or behavioral problem due to changes in the family system.

"A lot of these kids don't have a father, or Christmas to them doesn't have a tree with presents," Novak said. "I think Victor sees (boxing) as something he loves to do, and he knows he has the potential to be good, so he says, 'I can do this, I can be somebody with this.'

"That's what boxing does for a lot of these kids. These kids see the possibilities."

Victor sees the possibility, not only for himself, but also for his family. He competes for himself but to make his father and siblings proud as well.

"He wants what's best for them," Moses said. "He wants to make his dad proud, wants his little brothers to look up to him and his sister to respect him. He looks out for them in his heart."

Moses said he gives credit to Victor's dad, Lee Dodge, a single, hard-working father. Dodge brought Victor to the gym looking for a way to discipline his son and teach him respect. Dodge makes it a point to be in attendance for all of Victor's tournaments but usually is absent for practices because he works to financially support Victor's dream.

"I see my dad struggle, and I don't want to have to worry like that," Victor said. "I don't want to have to worry about food or a car or anything. We're OK, ya know? We're not wealthy, but we're people."

Dodge said Victor once received $1,000 worth of boxing equipment from one of Victor's supporters, but finances for travel and competitions can be difficult on the family.

"It can be hard," Dodge said. "If I've got $2, do I put it in my gas tank or buy my kid a mouthpiece?

"Me - I buy the mouthpiece and walk for a few days."

A New Beginning

Victor is back in the ring throwing punches.

"Go ahead and hit 'em," Pops yells from across the gym. "Don't back away. Take it to 'em. Stay with him. Don't run like a baby."

Victor said at first he didn't think he could do it. The time commitment and the physical and mental toughness all take their toll on a teenager. He didn't care about school, teachers, homework or having a future.

"All of that has changed. I didn't care before boxing," Victor said. "I see people with focus and dreams. I wanted to go to school like them and have something someday.

"They have nice cars, or even people with junky cars - at least they're going somewhere."

Just like his father, his friends and his family, Moses thinks Victor can do anything.

"If he does what I tell him, he'll be in the Olympics," Moses said. "But if he comes to me when he's 25, it will do me all the world's good to see him married - he might be a cop, might be a senator.

"If he keeps his head on straight, he can do anything he wants.'"

Victor said he has learned a thing or two from the older, wiser men at the gym who are teaching him how to improve his left hook and hugging him at the end of a day's practice.

"I am stronger mentally, I'm friendlier, I'm more focused," Victor said. "I make promises to myself, and I just want to live a good life. I don't want to live the life I've got right now.

"Don't get me wrong, I'll never forget where I came from, but I won't change for anybody. I promise everybody I'm gonna be a champion, and I'll go beyond what most champions do."

Victor said boxing has served as a tool for him to build a foundation for his future. He sees himself finishing school, living in the South, owning a business and raising a family. If boxing comes with it, he'll be happy, but he would choose a quality education over a boxing career.

"Either one - the good education with a home and family or the boxing that brings all of that with it. I love this and what it has done for me, so if it comes, it comes.

"But I mean, who wants to get beat up for life?"

Tomorrow is another day

Victor climbs out of the ring. His face is drenched with sweat. He groans as he takes off his gloves. He puts on a ragged sweatshirt, grabs his bag and heads to the door.

"Where you goin' boy?" Moses yells to him. "Get over here."

Victor walks over to Moses; his face is valentine red and one eye is swollen and closed slightly more than the other. He opens his arms and squeezes Moses with the last ounce of energy he has.

"I have to go home and do my homework," Victor says. "I'll see ya tomorrow."