Comedian Mike Epps opens boxing gym in Indianapolis INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Comedian, actor and Indianapolis native Mike Epps is fighting violence with discipline, opening a new boxing gym Friday on the near-north side of Indianapolis to give teens a different path forward. He hopes it become s a safe haven, a place where teens can build confidence instead of conflict. As youth gun violence impacts families, Epps wanted to create something real and community-driven, a space where teens can channel their energy into something productive. “Boxing is mental, and once you learn to become a boxer and understand the mental part of it, it kind of takes care of life.” The Right Jab is more than just a boxing gym in the neighborhood where Epps grew up. A mural is on an interior wall, and a full-size ring sits ready for training, and messages of resilience and second chances are displayed. But, Epps says this is about more than just throwing punches. “A lot of kids are picking up guns because they simply can’t defend themselves with their hands. I’m not encouraging kids to fight, but that’s where that comes from … a person that’s not comfortable with defending themselves, so the next option is to pull a gun. “This is a place where you can come to learn, learn how to fight, and not only learn how to fight but learn how to have conflict resolution. You learn and know how to walk away.” Epps says he’s seen how easy it is for young people to get pulled down the wrong path and how powerful mentorship can be in redirecting it. That’s why he’s collaborated with boxing professionals, including Lamon Brewster, Indiana’s first and only heavyweight champion, to build structured training and mentorship programs inside the facility. Brewster, who held the holding the World Boxing Organization WBO title from 2004 to 2006, said “This boxing gym saved me. The boxing gym was a second home for me.” Epps said, “From the day I opened this door, I knew what I wanted it to be, and then to run into Lamon Brewster and Frank Collins, guys who have history of boxing in Indianapolis, it just came together like glue.” The building itself carries history. It’s a former car paint shop, one Epps used to visit as a customer. “For years, I rode past this building, and I kept saying to myself, that looks like a boxing gym. I mean I might’ve said that for 10 years, man, and one day that building came up for sale, and I jumped on it and bought it.” The gym is at 3717 Sutherland Ave., a few blocks south of the intersection of East 38th Street and East Fall Creek Parkway North Drive, and the Indiana State Fairgrounds. ...read more read less