Cue the Rocky theme music.
Two young Barrie boxers have gold medals to show off after competing at the 2017 Canadian Championship.
Mohamed Zawadi, 15, and Kaila Gabriel, 15, both in grade 10 at St. Peter's Catholic Secondary School, attended the national championship Apr. 24 to 30 in Quebec City.
The teens are members of Barrie's only boxing club - Uptown Boxing on Dunlop St. West.
Gabriel has been boxing for three years.
"I like the competitiveness and I guess I like to be independent and do my own thing. And I like how we all kind of look out for each other here," she said.
Zawadi put on the gloves when he was just eight years old and yes, he has seen the iconic boxing movie starring Sylvester Stallone as Rocky Balboa.
"My brother always used to pick on me," Zawadi said and his brother's friends encouraged him to start boxing.
Their coach is Jack Ireland who has owned and operated the boxing club since 2005.
Like out of a movie, the club is tucked in the basement of an industrial plaza with low light, a boxing ring, walls of shelves with gloves, punching bags hanging from the ceiling and a punching dummy named Bob.
The club has about 100 paying members and others Ireland takes under his wing out of the goodness of his heart.
The 75-year-old coach is extremely proud of his young boxers' accomplishments.
"She was ready to go. She was going to get a medal no matter what," Ireland said of Kaila, who won by default.
"Mo, for his age, he's very strong and he's been with us since he was eight years old. He doesn't have a move that we haven't rehearsed and he's got it down pat now. For his age and his experience he's very good," he said.
Ireland is not really a boxer himself but he grew up around it with his father and cousins in the sport.
He went back to college at aged 49 for a behavioural science course to better his coaching skills.
What he enjoys most is the confidence young people gain by boxing and seeing them do well.
"If you bring your kid here for three months, they will walk differently in three months. They will talk differently in three months and their whole carriage will be different. And they may not be able to fight a lick but their whole image of themselves will change," said Ireland.
"It's an individual sport. Kind of like running but you need the team behind you. But when you actually compete then you're on your own and a lot of the kids like it. There's no one to blame if things don't go well and if you win, you're the one who won."
The young boxing champs say their best punch is a left hook.
The love of the sport keeps them training and striving to win.
"You get addicted to it," said Zawadi.
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