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Hopewell boxing gym keeps producing national champions, with more title fights on the horizon
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By:Lane Casadonte
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HOPEWELL, Va. — A boxing gym tucked inside a Hopewell strip mall is producing champions at every level of the sport
The Ninth Dimension Boxing Gym, run by Omar Alim, has already developed multiple champions — including his son Emmanuel, who recently fought for the WBC super middleweight title
Emmanuel Alim lost a unanimous decision but said the fight confirmed something important about himself
WTVR
“I belong up there on the world stage, where everybody approved it. I pushed this guy 12 rounds. They was predicting an early knockout. They said two rounds, I was gonna be out of there. Went the whole distance. I actually hurt him. I wasn’t hurt at all in the fight. I know I belong at that world title, so it was more of confirmation within myself, which I already kind of knew, but that I had to go through that process,” Alim said
Emmanuel Alim is scheduled to fight for the WBC Silver and WBO International Super Middleweight titles next Saturday in California against undefeated Diego Pacheco
Boxing gym in Hopewell strip mall produces champions and transforms lives
The gym is also home to 16-year-old Desiree Hooper, who has won two state championships and recently claimed her third straight national championship in the 165-pound class. Hooper was a dancer before finding boxing
Provided to WTVR
“It was exciting … it wasn’t really that difficult. The first round was, I had to see what she was doing and figure her out, and then the second, third, I just was winning,” Hooper said. “It’s not easy for you. Got to be in shape, you got to have the right mindset, you got to be disciplined, you have to stay calm, and they were like, it’s not easy at all.”
Watch for Lane Casadonte’s features on CBS 6 News and WTVR.com. If you know someone Lane should profile, email him beyondtheroster@wtvr.com
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Lane Casadonte
