Boxing With Piermont Police

The newly formed Piermont Police Athletic League (PAL) boxing club has a solid future in store when one considers the one-two punch provided by co-coaches Tahlaad Mahboeb of Orangeburg and Piermont's Jose Torres.

The two men have been working in tandem to make the new club—held Tuesday and Thursday night at the 204 Hudson Terrace community center—a success. Mahboeb, who has been involved in martial arts for over 35 years, handles the stretching and conditioning aspects of the program.

Meanwhile, Torres—who was known as "Tiger Torres" during an amateur boxing career but is now widely recognized as "Indio"—is responsible for the boxing instruction. Together, and along with the strong support of Piermont Police Chief Michael O'Shea and the village board, Mahboeb and Indio expect the Piermont PAL to become a strong force in the community.

"We're planning on coming in twice a month on Saturdays for roadwork," Mahboeb said. Mahboeb is soft-spoken, reflective and always with a ready smile.

"We're willing to go three and four nights a week once we get rolling," Indio added.  Like Mahboeb, Indio has coached for more than 35 years and volunteers his time.

"You know, if kids run out of role models, they'll turn to the homie with the best Blackberry, the biggest Mercedes, whatever," Indio noted, recalling his early days as a hot-tempered youth before his life was turned around by a teacher who became a mentor. "These places, this gym, can help kids."

The PAL center already has six youngsters participating, including Alden Gonzalez, an eighth-grader at Felix Festa Middle School and Ryan DiSanto of Tappan, a freshman at Tappan Zee High School who studied ju-jitsu for two-and-a-half years.

"The biggest thing right now is the conditioning," DiSanto said. "I'm really enjoying it."

"The biggest challenge for them is jumping rope," Tahlaad said, to which Gonzalez piped in, somewhat sheepishly, "Or maybe it's the pull-ups."

Gonzalez's dad, Anthony, already notices a difference in his son, who also pitches for the Clarkstown Stars, a 13 youth travel team.

"One of his coaches, Joe Clemente, said to take up boxing because he has fast hands and the training would build up his upper body and leg strength," Mr. Gonzalez said. "Before he was tired in the third inning; now he can complete seven innings."

"I love it," Alden added. "I love the coaches, they know what they are doing. It's really helping me a lot."

When you walk through the side door at the community center, you climb eight steps into another world. Every kid must sign in a book before beginning to train. As you walk down the hallway you pass a meeting room and when you walk to the next room on the right, you walk into an old-style boxing room with one modern intrusion: an electronic three-minute timer. There are two heavy bags and one speed-bag platform (and a double-end bag is on the way). A 20-foot ring is also forthcoming, and will be situated in another room across the narrow hallway.

"It's going well," Mahboeb observed last week. "The kids are coming for the first time to boxing but are adapting very well. They work hard. I'm really enjoying working with them—they're good kids."

While in this "sacred place," Indio preaches self-control to anyone within earshot.

"Your hands are your tools," he said. "Use them only for the art of boxing, not ever as dangerous weapons. That's our credo and we're dead serious about it."

"I would hope that one day a kid will walk out of here as a champion," he added. "But any kid who does this, who works hard, rather than be with a homie, they're already a champion. They'll always be a champion."

The program is open to boys and girls ages 10 to 18. For further information contact Joan@piermontpal.com, or stop by the community center Tuesday or Thursday nights.