Even in the middle of an interview Ken McInnis can't help himself.
"Come on guys! Get moving," he belts out while attempting to put about a dozen or so young boxers through their warm-up routine.
For over 30 years McInnis has been coaching amateur boxers and his passion is unwavering even though he has faced plenty of obstacles along the way.
His Lights Out Boxing Club is now at its third address in the past 10 years, this time located on the upper floor at Razor Fitness (#140 6351 Westminster Highway). He is grateful the facility's owner was willing to take on a new tenant at a reasonable price after McInnis was given short notice to leave the club's old location on No. 6 Road.
Prior to that there was a stop at Sports Central in North Richmond and it all started at the Steveston Community Centre where Lights Out was then known as the Steveston Boxing
Club.
So what keeps him going when it would have been so easy "to throw in the towel" on his coaching career?
It definitely isn't the money. McInnis charges his boxers only $40 a month for three two-hour sessions per week. That is just enough to cover rent and his overhead costs.
"I have been in and out of boxing since 1980 and probably 25 percent of my social life is boxing people," he explained. "I'm not young anymore but at the same time not too old to say 'that's it' either.
"The owner of this gym is a very good guy who has helped us out a lot. This way I am able to make it affordable for the kids and I have always tried to do it that way. Sure you could charge $80 or $100 but after one or two months you won't see them again."
At one time, McInnis ran what was considered the top club in B.C. His fighters were winning national titles and representing the province at multi-sport competitions such as the Canada Summer Games on a regular basis. Lights Out hosted the B.C. Golden Gloves Championships - considered the premier event for amateur boxers - and was named B.C. Boxing's Club of the Year.
The growing interest in MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) has shrunk his stable of potential fighters but he says the sport is back on the upswing again, especially with young athletes looking for a cross-training sport.
Currently, Richmond has three options for pugilists with Harrison Boxing and the Pack of Wild Dogs (P.O.W.D) Combat Club also offering sessions for all ages and levels.
One of McInnis' students had a bout on the weekend and the next day was helping Richmond United advance to the semi-finals in Coastal Cup play. Soccer has always been Nik Radosevic's first love but he still finds the time to train on a regular basis and step into the ring as well.
"I think soccer players have better lungs than most fighters so that has helped me," smiled the 17-year-old who says his boxing career will soon come to an end as heads to UBC next fall to study engineering. "It seemed like when I was young that I was always fighting bigger guys but now I am one of them. I've had some success because I just hated losing. Even in sparring, if I lost, I would be in tears."
For every young fighter like Radosevic, who comes and goes through McInnis' program, another comes along like 14year-old Michael Rankin. The McRoberts secondary rugby player was seeking another sport to try and signed up for boxing last fall.
"We call him "The Prodigy" because he just seems like a natural," said McInnis.
"I just thought with boxing it will keep me really fit and it's self-defence as well," said Rankin. "I started out just looking at the training side of it but it has become more interesting and fun. My first sport is definitely rugby but I would like to keep doing both for a while."
Lights Out Boxing run sessions on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday nights from 7-9 p.m. For more information call 604754-8658.
