By MOHAMED FARGHALY
mfarghaly@queensledger.com
For Elijah Gonzalez, boxing has been a part of life for as long as he can remember.
The 19-year-old Coney Island resident grew up around the sport through his father, who spent years inside boxing gyms and introduced him to the discipline at a young age. What started as time spent watching and learning quickly turned into a passion that now drives the young fighter’s daily routine.
“My father grew up in a boxing gym,” Gonzalez said. “I tried a whole bunch of different activities and sports, and I just grew up in the gym with him. I picked a liking toward it. I started fighting and got really good.”
Today, Gonzalez splits his training between several gyms across the boroughs but considers Universal Boxing Gym in Middle Village Queens his home base, where he works closely with his coaches and teammates.
“This is my home,” Gonzalez said. “I have a few gyms I go to for sparring, but Universal Boxing Gym is my home. It’s a little crazy ride from Coney Island, but it’s worth it. This is family over here.”
Gonzalez first stepped into a boxing gym at age seven while living in Pennsylvania. Training alongside his father, he began learning the fundamentals before eventually catching the attention of a coach who saw potential in the young fighter.
After several years of training, Gonzalez stepped into the ring for his first amateur bout at age 10 in Philadelphia, winning the match and quickly building momentum.
A few months later, he entered the Sugar Bert Nationals tournament, where he fought three consecutive days and emerged with his first championship belt.
“It was really fun and exciting, especially the environment,” Gonzalez said. “I saw a whole bunch of kids in different weight classes and all the different talents. It’s a different feeling when you wake up early, weigh in with everybody and then fight. Winning that and coming home with my first belt was an amazing moment.”
From there, Gonzalez continued competing in amateur bouts, traveling to regional and national competitions while facing increasingly experienced opponents.
Eventually, he and his father relocated to Brooklyn, seeking stronger competition and better training opportunities in New York City’s boxing scene.
“My dad grew up in a boxing gym over here,” Gonzalez said. “We came here for the coaches he worked with, to get better sparring and see different gyms. We heard about this gym and Coach Mo, and we came here and started working.
At Universal Boxing Gym, Gonzalez trains with a tight-knit group of fighters, including fellow professionals and longtime teammates.
“Everybody here grinds together,” he said. “It’s brotherly love. Coach Mo, Danny Gonzalez, my father, everybody pushes each other. It’s like another home to me.”
His training routine reflects the discipline required to compete at the professional level. Strength and conditioning sessions include treadmill work, resistance bands and medicine ball drills, while sparring sessions twice a week allow fighters to sharpen their skills inside the ring.
But the work doesn’t stop once Gonzalez leaves the gym.
“All year round I’m making sure to eat right,” he said. “Of course I have snacks here and there, but I’m always running and staying in shape so when I come back after a fight I still feel good.
Discipline, he said, has been one of the most important lessons boxing has taught him.
“Discipline is doing things without being asked,” Gonzalez said. “When I was younger my father would wake me up to go run, and sometimes I didn’t want to do it. But over time you build that inside yourself. You learn to wake up early, eat healthy and stay focused.”
Dieting, he admits, is often the hardest part of preparing for a fight.
“I love eating food,” he said with a laugh. “When I’m in camp we weigh everything, four strong meals a day, lots of water, no snacks in between. My dad cooks my food for the week so I can maintain my weight.”
That strict preparation has been in place for months as Gonzalez readies himself for his next professional bout.
He is scheduled to fight April 10 at the Prudential Center in Newark on a major fight card, a step up that he believes reflects both his hard work and the strength of his support team.
“I’ve been working really hard,” Gonzalez said. “I had a two-month camp for this fight. Everything I’ve been going through with the training and the food, I’m going to put it all in that fight.”
The bout is expected to draw family and friends from across New York and New Jersey, many eager to watch the young fighter continue building his career.
“I have a lot of family and friends coming,” he said. “They love to come out and support.”
After the fight, Gonzalez already has a simple plan.
“I’ve been craving a big cheeseburger and some pancakes,” he said. “After the fight I’ll hang out with my family and celebrate my sister’s birthday. Then it’s right back to work.”
Despite his growing confidence and early success, Gonzalez says he remains focused on improvement and the long road ahead.
For young athletes considering boxing, he says perseverance is key.
“No matter how hard the work is, you have to keep pushing forward,” Gonzalez said. “It’s a rocky road and it’s really tiring sometimes, but you have to stay focused and dedicated. You have to see your dreams in the future and know you can be great if you keep putting in the work.”
And on April 10, the Brooklyn boxer hopes to prove just how far that work has taken him.
