BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — A boxing trainer with an entrepreneurial spirit is taking a swing at transforming a Black Rock landmark into an educational haven for at-risk youth. With a local legend in his corner, Kevin Kirby is following a Motor City blueprint using the sweet science to amass an impressive academic record. Partnering with “Baby” Joe Mesi, a boxer once hailed as the “third franchise” of Buffalo sports during his unbeaten professional career, Kirby has franchised the Downtown Boxing Gym enrichment program that boasts a 100% graduation rate and documented academic test score increases for more than 1,500 students served since 2007 in Detroit. “Boxing is the hook to get kids in the door and make it cool to go to an after-school program,” Kirby said. “But we’re not just training them to box. We’re training kids for life.” “There’s no better metaphor for life than boxing,” said Mesi, a Tonawanda native inducted into the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame in 2018. “Being a student, like being a fighter, things are going to happen. Getting knocked down, getting back up. It just fits.” Mesi recalled watching a Good Morning America segment on DBG a few years back and being inspired by the program. “I thought it was incredible,” Mesi said. “It was so taken aback by it. I wanted to get there someday.” With common generational ties to Buffalo’s west side, Kirby and Mesi got to know each other in boxing gyms over the years. When Kirby pitched the possibility of bringing DBG to Buffalo, Mesi was quick to answer the bell. “I’ve always been an ambassador for Western New York,” Mesi said. “I love to travel the word, but I will never leave Buffalo. This is my hometown. I love it here, and I have a lot of people to pay back for my boxing career.” Mesi never had much interest in the business of boxing, managing fighters or promoting bouts. DBG Buffalo provides him a preferred avenue to reengage with the sport he loves. “This is about the future of our communities,” Mesi said. “Using the sport of boxing, the knowledge, the metaphor to support the kids in their lives. DBG would be an asset to any city. And we’re going to be the first to model the platform that Detroit has built.” Investing in Buffalo’s future, DBG also will evoke its past. Kirby is renovating the old Jubilee Branch library on Niagara Street to house the program. Built in 1915, it was the first Buffalo Public Library branch to have permanent quarters. Most recently owned by Gothic City Architectural Antiques, the brick building includes a gymnasium, library area, and space that Kirby plans to use as a kitchen for feeding participants. DBG also will utilize the neighboring property, a former Mason’s Lodge designed by E.B. Green, with its two-story pillars and schoolhouse steps out front. “I grew up here in Riverside, so this place is close to my heart,” said Kirby, who also works as a real estate agent. “The purpose of what this building was originally used for, and to be able to bring that back for the kids is really amazing. Walking in here is going to be the best part of their day.” DBG has been recognized by the U.S. Library of Congress and the National Science Foundation for its work in Detroit. The free program provides mentorship, workforce development, wellness and academic enrichment to participates ages 8 to 18, with continued support through adulthood. On top of its 100% graduation rate, students score 25% higher than their peers in skills like self-efficacy and sense of belonging, according to DBG’s research. And 98% continue with post-secondary education. “They have the best model in the country for doing this,” said Kirby, who spent two years working out a licensing agreement with DBG founder Kahli Sweeney. “There was an opportunity to maybe do this on our own. But working with DBG is going to give us more cache. It’s going to allow us to grow faster, be able to support more youth, and make a bigger impact.” Planning to open the facility in the summer, DBG Buffalo is applying for grants, soliciting donations and seeking investors to help in the process. “We’re looking for people to invest in our community,” Kirby said. “Be a part of the team with us. We’ve got big plans here in Western New York, and this is just the beginning.” For more information, visit DBGBuffalo.org. *** Jonah Bronstein joined the WIVB squad in 2022 as a digital sports reporter. The Buffalonian has covered the Bills, Sabres, Bandits, Bisons, colleges, high schools and other notable sporting events in Western New York since 2005, for publications including The Associated Press, The Buffalo News, and Niagara Gazette. Read more of his work here.